Time To Dance And Visit With Friends (Page One)
It's the second Sunday of the month and time to get together for a "dinner dance". With this group of friends it is really a "visit-dinner-dance-visit". It is heart warming to have so many people enjoying each others company! We are blessed!
Getting together in a laid back atmosphere once a month allows us to really visit... Old Ranch Country Club is a good place to wind-down!
Who Says "Old People" Don't Have Fun???
Welcome To Old Ranch Country Club
It is getting darker in the evening now that it is autumn
Come on in... Enjoy life... Eat, Dance, and Visit
It is the season...
To everyone their own style
Friends Are Arriving So Let The Cavorting Commence
Linda and Ghislaine
start the "Meeting and Greeting"
"I can't be a Grandmother silly.... I am so young I am growing a new tooth"
Kerstin and Del make their way back from checking the score of the game!
The British have arrived
It works.... Ask Brian and Jan to try it
Watch out for these two...
What am I supposed to do with the olives?
"I will drink it anyway"
Iris and Leon compare notes
"Your wine is served" .. Arturo works his magic
Arturo is an Italian name??
"My GPS says the bar is exactly 123 1/2 feet West of this location"
James keeps an eye on the guys heading to the bar in case they get lost
We have not seen each other in .... days!
It's called the "Tah Dah"
Irene does it much better
"Can we share your wine??"
Just Sue and Paul
James attempts to attach the rabbit ears.... for better reception
Jan, Brian, Kerstin, and Kathy
Bill and Ellen make the announcement - "We made it!!"
Slurp
Great smiles
(Courtesy of Hans Thedens)
Getting the rundown on the latest trip to Spain
(Courtesy of Hans Thedens)
Decision time
(Courtesy of Hans Thedens)
Vicky is drinking a disguised "Red Bull"
(Courtesy of Hans Thedens)
Did You Know? - In 1976, Chaleo Yoovidhya introduced a drink called Krating Daeng in Thailand, which means "red gaur" in English. It was inspired by the tonic Lipovitan, whose prime ingredient is taurine, and was popular among Thai truck drivers and laborers. After visiting Thailand in 1982 Dietrich Mateschitz had discovered that Krating Daeng helped cure his jet lag.
In 1984, Mateschitz co-founded Red Bull GmbH with Yoovidhya and turned it into a global brand. Red Bull was founded by each partner investing $500,000 of savings and taking a stake in the new company. Yoovidhya and Mateschitz each held a 49% share of the new company. They gave the remaining 2% to Yoovidhya's son Chalerm, but it was agreed that Mateschitz would run the company.
The product was launched in Austria in 1987.
In 1992, the product expanded to international markets: Hungary and Slovenia. It entered the United States via California in 1997 and the Middle East in 2000. In 2008, Forbes magazine listed both Chaleo and Mateschitz as the 250th richest people in the world with an estimated net worth of $4 billion.
Red Bull is headquartered in Fuschl am See, an Austrian village of 1500 inhabitants near Salzburg. The building sports no logo and is heavily guarded. The company does not grant any interviews.
Oh oh... Someone is in trouble
"Guess what I am thinking"
James is thinking something??
Time for Ouzo
Did You Know? - Ouzo has its roots in tsipouro, which is said to have been the pet project of a group of 14th century monks living in a monastery on Mount Athos. One version of it was flavoured with anise. This version eventually came to be called ouzo.
Modern ouzo distillation largely took off in the beginning of the 19th century following Greek independence. The first ouzo distillery was founded in Tyrnavos in 1856 by Nikolaos Katsaros, giving birth to the famous ouzo Tyrnavou. When absinthe fell into disfavour in the early 20th century, ouzo was one of the products whose popularity rose to fill the gap; it was once called "a substitute for absinthe without the wormwood".
In 1932, ouzo producers developed a method of distillation using copper stills that is now the standard method of production. One of the largest producers of ouzo today is Varvayiannis located in the town of Plomari in the southeast portion of the island of Lesbos, while in the same town Pitsiladi, a variety of high-quality ouzo, is also distilled.
Ouzo is traditionally mixed with water, becoming cloudy white, sometimes with a faint blue tinge, and served with ice cubes in a small glass. Ouzo can also be drunk straight from a shot glass.
Decisions decisions
Someone has the giggles
Hans seems to be enjoying the wine and martinis... Winetini?
James watches everything!
Paul checks in ... Getting the latest from Spain
(Courtesy of Hans Thedens)
Watch out for this table
(Courtesy of Hans Thedens)
Ghislaine and Wally
(Courtesy of Hans Thedens)
Vicky, Del, and Irene....
Note: The Red Bull has been replaced by Brussel Sprouts
Paul attempts to sample everything.... Not very successful
(Courtesy of Hans Thedens)
Blowing the horn... Up close and personal
Did You Know? - The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass, and sub-contrabass.
The Smile-O-Meter is running at 140%
(Courtesy of Hans Thedens)
Kathy and Ed.... Enjoying life
Paul has them lined up and ready to go
Question - "What wine goes with Captain Crunch?"
Paul and Irene... Miles of smiles
Iris and Will
Nita and Neal
Bill and Ellen
- Love is in the air
Don and Linda - "Ah ha... Caught you!"
Kathy and Ed
Donna and Bob
Leon and Marsha
Sue and Paul
James and Linda
Gheslaine and Wally
Vicky and Del
Irene
Jan and Brian
