Backyard Bash

On Saturday we road tripped to Randolph, MA where my friend DeMane and her sister DaNice hosted a BBQ! There was plenty of good food, good friends, good beer and competitive games.

Adam and I fueled up with breakfast at Boston Common Coffee Co. Iced Chai with whole milk for me, Iced Coffee with skim milk for him. I also enjoyed a ham, egg & cheese croissant.

Derek and Gretchen picked us up around 2:30 (yay for friends in the city with a car!) The Harpoon Summer Vacation Mix Pack was purchased for the party. Harpoon Crystal Wheat (exclusive to the Summer Vacation Mix Pack!)
UFO Hefeweizen
Harpoon IPA
Harpoon Summer BeerVariety is key. I also tried Woodchuck Hard Cider for the first time. This is the original Amber flavor. Sweet, but not too sweet, with a crisp finish. DeMane passed around appetizers including this hand-cut watermelon basket which had watermelon, pineapple and cantaloupe slices. Meanwhile DaNice fired up the grill.

Yes, there was your standard hot dogs and hamburgers and pasta salad. But there was also an impresive selection of other side salads and meats. Gretchen made a tabouli salad with roasted veggies. (And a peach cobbler which missed the camera.) We brought mini cannolis and cupcakes from Bova's.I mean really, why would I need to bake when I have an abundance of pastry shops outside my front door?Some of us played Badminton and also Croquet. It was so nice to be enjoying the outdoors in a spacious backyard. There was a large turnout at the party, despite my lack of people pictures. I was actually meeting a lot of the families and friends in attendance for the first time. I was happy to put some of the names behind the long running Reality Pool emails turned blog to faces! Side Note: The Reality Pool blog commenced with this Season's Top Chef - $20 for two picks and a hilarious recap of the episode each week. Unfortunately, I had to pack my knives and go from the pool a couple weeks ago. I think I've mentioned before that my picks were Kenny and Alex. Bummer that the Black Lightning got the shaft / wasn't consistent week to week and even more of a bummer that Alex turned out to be such a creep. Anywhoo - I got to meet Mama! and Brownie! and not in the pool but I was also very happy to meet DeMane's nieces!
My to-go loot included a plate of chicken, a whoopie pie and a clementine. Since I don't have a grill or a backyard, I treasure days spent in such settings. Thanks De and DaNice for being great hostesses and throwing an awesome BBQ!!

On Sunday we began our day like this:Recap to follow.