Summer Potlucks

I grew up with a family that loved to gather for various reasons and eat. Whether it was a holiday, a birthday, a wedding, an excuse to have a garage sale (which has now become a full event replete with a parade), or simply to have every one in one place for just a moment. Many fond memories of family members and community members gathering around, each coming with a dish of homemade goodness. These potlucks were a foundation of our family and our community, and when I was a child my grandmother collected the stories and recipes for my grandfather to compile into a book aptly named Olga Potlucks and Memories.  My grandfather enlisted my little youthful hands to help him piece together copy after copy of this book to sell at the Olga Artworks as a means of raising money for the Olga Community Club.

At each potluck, there would be pies of local berries, freshly harvested seafood, casseroles, grilled meats, and the requisite freshly harvested vegetables and fruit.  Family gardens yielded the colorful abundance that would end up on our table, and eventually our overflowing plates. There always was some sort of campfire, sometimes music (live or on the stereo) and enough cheap wine to keep the world happy.   It is with this mentality that I was excited to have the 'homestead' over for dinner on Saturday.  Each person, brought over a unique dish, and we gathered around the campfire outside to chat until way after the sun went down.

I was reminded that night that what makes a friendship, or a community, strong is those moments.  When we all gather around and break bread with one another, tell stories of fears and dead things, gawk about slug porn, and simply laugh about nothing and everything. I love our friends and neighbors.... they make the day fulfilled, and the soul uplifted.  These are the stories I hope to share in my own book, years down the line.