Over for dinner

We rarely have anyone for dinner (except for during the past three Octobers of Danish exchange students). But this past week we unexpectedly had two groups of people over for dinner. On Tuesday Vincent's prom date from last year, Jessi (pictured below), was visiting the area and stopped by our house and had dinner of chicken and other yummy items (pictured above) Stephanie made in lieu of going to Weight Watchers meeting from me. Vincent had been over to her family's house for dinner several days before.

Thursday we had planned to go to see KY Shakespeare Festival's performance of "Macbeth" in Old Louisville's Central Park with our friend Saran and her new friend Dean, who had once worked at the Presbyterian Center and who had started coming to Crescent Hill church. But a terrible rainstorm struck Louisville early Thursday afternoon, and we decided it might be too wet for the play so we shifted our pre-play picnic dinner to our house and Stephanie cooked some more. A salad/chicken/Latino dish (below) found favor with Sarah (also below) .

We enjoyed getting to know Dean (below) a little better.

Stephanie (below) enjoyed hosting a real little dinner party.

As good as the salad and other parts of the dinner were, the TWO desserts - an apple dish (below) that was much better than it looks (really - no mayonnaise) . . .

. . . and a blueberry dish that several folks (including Vincent - who was sleeping - but ended up having a lot of it - some variants of "murdered Smurfs" - unfamiliar with Smurfs, I was clueless).

Since the weather forecasts had turned out to be wrong and the violent storms had ended by early afternoon - and not returned - I had been pushing us to still go to "Macbeth." But - by the time we finished some of the two desserts - it was already 8:30, and the play had already started. We ended up going on a long walk with the dog - probably longer than 1 1/2 miles - we went though four municipalities (not counting Metro Louisville-Jefferson County). The walk took us down St. Matthews Avenue, across Napanee into Druid Hills, and back on busy Chenoweth Lane, where the estate between Napanee and Leland had a tree downed by the storm that jutted out into the sidewalk. (The storm had knocked the electricity out at a couple of my colleagues' houses.)

It was a great walk, after a big meal. It was supposed to be warm that night, but the storms had cooled things down a little. It started to get dark as we finished. Sarah was gung ho about seeing "Macbeth" the next week. But - as we checked upon returning - the play - like "StrangersExtranjeras" - would finish its run during the weekend coming up - and she and Dean would not be able to see it. It also meant we would have to see it sans them the next night . . .

-- Perry