Festive Dinner at La Rinconda Hills Country Club with the Chiens
When Aizen, a fictional Japanese computer animated character was asked how many times a year do you celebrate your birthday, he said: “Ten times. One for each day of the week, and then four times on the exact birthday."
Though Cecile doesn’t resemble the manipulative, animated figure, she has had quite a run on birthday celebrations lately: five dinner parties with friends and family and two birthday luncheons with long time friends. This time dinner in her honor was at La Rinconada Country Club, hosted by our son in law Kyle’s mom, Kim and AL Chien who couldn't make Cecile's original b-day dinner held over a week ago. Friendship is a priceless gift and the fact that it happens to be with a family that our daughter Michelle has married into, makes it extra special. The ease and fun of being together, letting our hair down with people who enjoy celebrating life and family—as much as we do—has been an unexpected blessing.
After cocktails, AL ordered a bottle of Nickel and Nickel Cabernet Sauvignon, a delicious full-full body velvety wine. My first name is actually derived from Dionysis, the Greek god of wine and festivity, and I guess you can say that I have been living up to the habits of my namesake—with moderation of course.🙂
For openers, we had minestrone soup, endive salad with candied walnuts and blue cheese, gnocci with mushrooms, and a grilled octopus. My late grandfather who was a fisherman in a small Sicilian village my late mom grew up in, used to catch them as did I during my summer visits there. For our entrees we enjoyed Alaskan Halibut and Salmon, and for dessert, Apple Fritters with ice cream and Butter Pecan with Bourbon as pictured here.
Cecile is wearing a warm and cuddly white sweater, a gift from Kim and AL which will come in handy for our upcoming trip to New Jersey to visit my dad and the rest of my family. Thank you guys for a wonderful evening, for your generosity, and your friendship.
