GOODBYE TO JULY 2013!!

 Baby Frannie is sad to see her birth month depart.........
I am also sad that I did not have very many posts this month, but I am back from my trip and hope to be a bit more productive in August.............

 Click on image to enlarge calendar photo for July 2013.

Click on image to enlarge calendar dates for July 2013.

A HAWAIIAN LUA--CIELO AZUL STYLE...

  HAWAIAN LUAU-CIELO AZUL STYLE

The morning breaks sunny and bright......

 And the outdoor room is ready for a bevy of guest come early evening.....

 Because Dwight and Diana are hosting a Hawaiian Luau for the Core Kids from the Class of 1967......

With all the accoutrement's of a Hawaiian feast.....

 The cast of characters:  A very Tom Selleck-like, Dwightie.....

 A hula-girl, Diana............

 Bob, the party dude..............

 His wife--the lovely Marguerite...............

 Pretty boy Randy.............

 "Party-Hardy, Adolfo".............

 And his Island beauty--wifey--Annabelle...........

Stud muffin surfer boy, Bobert......

 The luscious Josina..............

 The swinging  " Party Tim".............

 And his beauteous wife, Linda............

 The Tahitian Theresa.........

 The Elvis-look-alike Richie to sing "Blue Hawaii"........

 And his generous Mrs., Terrie............

 Looking like Ridge from "The Bold and the Beautiful", beefcake Waymon.....

 And his lovely lady, Eileen............

 That Island Warrior, Dwight G..............

 And his high spirited woman--wife, Louise.......

 Unfortunately, this hula girl, Karen was unable to attend..........

That surfer dude, Tommy, was out of state and also could not attend.

 The tables are set, the coolers are packed and the fruit skewer umbrellas are poised to festoon tropical drinks.....

 And the guests are here..............

 "Cheers" girls..............

 Adolfo serves a lemonade from the "margarita ball"............

 "Would you like a tropical mixed drink?"..............

 "Don't mind if I do.........."

 The Whites are looking good................

 And soon the group retires to the outside room  to cool off, have appetizers and mingle.....

 Theresa and Waymon........Because I was not feeling up to par, I passed the camera around and everyone else took photos of the group.  I think the super close ups were probably taken by Bobert (he IS a professional photographer) or by Tim (He took more care than most to try and get a good shot)......

 Bob and the "Little Lady"..............

 Hawaiian Annabelle...........

 Randy Five O...............

 A quizative Josina and a secretive Theresa........

 Girls just wanna have fun.......

 Hawaiian Louise (and New Mexican Louise) just loves orchids.....

 Under the watchful eyes of Michelangelo's David, Dwight G. makes out with the tiny hula dancer.......

 "Oh, NO I din't!"....But David knows better..........

 Annabelle Five O..........

 "Prove it!--Just PROVE it!"

 A mischievous Louise..........

 Solange has fallen in love..................

 Our dogs are in HOG Heaven.....

 And Zsa Zsa is displaying some very bad manners........

 Fruit skewers and drinks with little umbrellas, who could ask for more?....

 Serious talk.....

 Marguerite and Louise's lovely platter of fresh fruit appetizers....

 Now here's a guy who KNOWS how to relax......(Those bamboo skewers by his side courtesy of Linda and Tim)

Zsa Zsa has also found a simpatico friend.....

 Yum, Yum, talk, talk......

 Mr. Hawaii..........

 Homme pensive.....

 Femme pensive.....

More homme, more pensive.....

 Conspiratorial talk.....

 Hawaiian exuberance.....

Happy, happy............

 Once everyone had arrived, Linda and Annabelle helped me serve the cold cucumber soup out into the little lotus bowls.....

 And we are ready to eat!....

 And we serve from the counter:  I am dispensing little foil packets with Mahi Mahi steaks with peppers , onions and tropical fruit that Dwight grilled outside.....

 We also have pineapple and bacon beans, skewers of veggies, fruit and sausage that Linda brought, shrimp cocktail that Waymon brought, Hawaiian rolls that Theresa brought....

 Hawaiian fried rice that Annabelle brought, tomatoes Caprese that Bobert made,  and pineapple slaw that Marguerite made............

 After dinner, Dwight and Josina serve the pineapple upside-down cake Josina made, the coconut cake Terrie brought and tropical sherbet..........

 Dessert is served..............

 And while some guest linger over dessert on the deck, the smokers and others conspire on the front lawn and viola!--a floor show!.............

 In preparing for the luau, I came across a Hawaiian grass skirt that I had bought at a garage sale.  I decided to just lay it on a chair and see what happened.  Dwight and I both tried to guess which one of our guests would try on the skirt, and I must admit we were both correct--that wild and crazy--DWIGHT G.!!

 He also served as the recruiter and dresser for other hula dancers--here with Theresa....

 Did I mention that the Tropical Punch was spiked?........

 Terrie as a hula dancer with her "Dresser" holding the skirt on her tiny frame.....

 Linda is shakin' it!!

 Z Z Top. Hawaiian style.............(That's Tim under there.)

 Aloha Ahi.............

 Josina dances on to the approval of an "apparition" behind her....

 We are so grateful for our delightful friends and the fun they bring to our lives....

 But in due time, the hour gets late and the Hawaiian music is stilled.....

 But the memories of what we have shared will linger on.......

 So thank you to all of our guests for the delicious food, insightful conversation, and most of all for the love that only true friends can share....

"Mahalo' is the Hawaiian word for "thank you", So until we meet again--MAHALO TO ALL!