Our Star-Spangled Fourth!

It was actually our friend Tom’s idea; his words were, “You are having a Fourth of July party, aren’t you?  You could use Dominique and Roger’s terrace.”  So we asked our friends (and landlords), Dominique and Roger if we could host the party on their terrace with the understanding that we would provide all the food, etc., and do the cleanup.  They graciously, generously, and enthusiastically agreed and the planning began.

L-R:  Tom (the man with the idea), Anna, David (Kalindi's), and Kalindi

Dominique found a flag for us on eBay, David found the perfect version of Stars and Stripes Forever on the web and started buying appropriate wines and beer, and Anna started planning the table and the menu.  Anna and Dominique sent out email invitations, and nine of us gathered to celebrate American Independence Day.  The nine were Dominique, Roger,Tom (who suggested the party), Christine, Christine’s Tom, Kalindi, Kalindi’s David, and David and Anna.  All together, we have lived on five continents and in too many countries to list here.  None of us knew all of the others before the party, but we had a great time getting acquainted.  There were lots of great, lively conversations on a wide variety of subjects - how appropriate for the Fourth of July!

L-R top row:  Dominique, Roger, Tom (American)
L-R bottom row:  Tom (British), David, David (Kalindi's), Kalindi, Christine

We started with deviled eggs and veggies and dip then moved on to barbecued hamburgers with all the trimmings and potato salad and green salad and finished with build-your-own ice cream sundaes.  (Christine brought some delicious petit fours to add to our dessert.)  The table had a blue runner down the middle, and we had red napkins and ate off of white paper plates.  Roger hung the flag in a prominent spot near the table on the terrace. David did the honors at the barbecue and even rebranded the 1664 beer to read 1776.  The party started around 4PM and ended around 11PM.  It was great fun – we can hardly wait to celebrate the Fête Nationale (aka Bastille Day)!

Amber, Dominique and Roger's dog and our "helper."  She was disappointed that no food was dropped during preparation or consumption, but she did get comte cheese rind from David and Roger before the festivities.

Anna and David (with barbecue tool in hand)