First -- And Last -- Swim Party of the Summer

This year we simply couldn't get our act together to plan some pool parties.

If it wasn't the kidlet's camp/swim meet obligations, then we were out of town, or had so much stuff to do, or we wanted the peace and quiet to enjoy our own pool.

We're slackers, I know.

 But this weekend we got it together.

It helps when family is visiting, as it gives us the kick in the tookus to get it together to throw a party.

My brother Dan (he's the oldest of the Sullivan crew--and 19 years my senior) and his wife Betty Ann came to visit and stayed with my mom.

I would have thrown a pool party for my brother Charles when he visited a few weeks ago, but that was the weekend the hubs and I left for Canada. :-(

It was a smallish gathering, only fifteen of us, but it was fun to sit around the table and chat.

We don't do enough of that any longer. Everyone seems to be so caught up in their own lives that these few chances we have to visit are few and far between . . . plus it doesn't help that the family is scattered all over the US and in Germany.

So I actually cooked. I made macaroni salad, ice cream (the base is a cooked custard), a mixed berry compote (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries), baked beans, green tomatillo salsa, tomato salsa, along with the getting the various toppings ready for hamburgers, and the hubs pulled out the frozen drink machine to make margaritas.

We still have a pitcher of 'ritas left in the freezer--Margarita slushies!

Yeah, I don't think I want any more, thank you very much! It's right up there with the rest of the ice cream--it was so rich--good, but really, really rich.

But the best memory of the day was when my brothers started talking about my dad, who passed away in 2001. My dad was a dentist, and all of us had our dental work done at home, either in the garage or dining room. My older brothers all had fillings (silver) put in their mouths forty or fifty years ago--AND THEY WERE STILL WORKING PERFECTLY!

Most fillings are suggested to last 20 years, but the fillings my dad put in were still going strong double that timeframe. In fact, the teeth were becoming weak, not the fillings.

I know at the time, we weren't always grateful for the dental care, but it's nice to see that Dad left a legacy of quality dental work behind.

Later, Peeps!