Parties and Events
All for a Good Cause
Aug 29th
My husband and I like to attend charity auctions. We enjoy supporting a good cause while having the opportunity to purchase goods and services (especially travel packages and getaways) we can put to good use. I’m not talking about auctions for large foundations that bring in millions of dollars – there aren’t too many of those in our neck of the woods – generally, our churches, local schools and community foundations are the beneficiaries of the three or four auctions we attend each year.
Not only do we bid on items for these auctions; we also like to contribute something to be bid upon as well. Our go-to item is an evening of wine and food for eight to twelve in the winning bidder’s home. Over the course of our married life together, Harry and I have hosted countless parties in our home for family and friends, so we’ve developed a pretty well-honed routine and built up our repertoire of recipes. Our 500-bottle wine storage unit is always bursting at the seams, with new acquisitions never quite keeping up with our consumption. So it’s become a natural for us to replicate the format of our favorite evening with friends for someone else’s group of buddies to benefit our favorite charities.
This morning we are recovering from the labors of providing such an evening. Last spring the Rogue River High School’s FFA group held their annual Beef Feed and Auction, and a local couple bid on our wine tasting party. Last week they called, asking if, on such short notice, we might be able to pull together the event for this Saturday evening, when they would have friends in town. Well, Harry rallied and graciously said, “Yes, of course,” while I was thinking, “What? When?!!”
Harry provides the brains and talent behind these things, planning the selection of wines and doing most of the cooking. I do prep work, shopping, clean up and, most important, questioning some of Harry’s choices: “Don’t you think we should have some fruit? What about veggies? Isn’t that a lot of wine? Are you really going to cut the zucchini that way? (You can tell we’ve been married a long time.) He manages to maintain his cool, we refine the menu and, in the end, everyone has a great time.
The hosts and their guests last night tell us they indeed had a marvelous time. They enjoyed two white wines, four reds and two dessert splits. We served up a variety of cheeses and crackers followed by a host of hot and cold “heavy” hors d’oeuvres and concluded with a decadent dessert. We enjoyed ourselves, too, sharing our love of good wine and food with some lovely folks and seeing them enjoy each other’s company. But I gotta say, I am happy to be able to put my feet up today!
– Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor
Wish I Was There
Aug 11th
My fellow Global Traveler staffers have been writing about the NBTA (National Business Travel Association) convention in Houston. Unfortunately, I am not there this year, although I will be in Houston later this summer.
I have attended several NBTA conventions with GT over the years. They all have involved work, of course, but I also had a lot of fun and got to experience a lot of interesting things.
The most important part is the work, which at GT always involves fun anyway. It has been really motivational to see the various GT people working the booth, discussing ads, contemplating future editorial features and meeting other business associates. Seeing the energy and synergy reminds me of how exciting working at GT really is.
I have also enjoyed quite a few food and beverage choices at the conventions. One year, I had a delicious cold pea soup. It was so good, I shamelessly asked for another cup. I have also had samples of many different airline meals like chicken kebobs and California rolls.
I have tasted a lot of beverages, too. I have tried foreign beers and wines, relaxation teas and interesting energy drinks. Not all were great, but I am glad to have tried them.
Away from the convention, I have enjoyed touring around the host cities. In Boston, we took in a Red Sox game at historic Fenway Park. In Chicago, we enjoyed an after-convention party at the InterContinental Hotel on the Magnificent Mile.
Houston is one of my favorite cities (even with the heat). It’s a great choice for the NBTA convention. I hope my GT friends get to enjoy it as much as I do. I also hope it is still standing after my GT friends leave.
I am sure everyone is having a good time at the NBTA. Although I am not physically there, I am there in spirit with them, and I look forward to reading more stories here and hearing more when we next speak.
– John Wroblewski, distribution specialist
Girls’ Weekend
Jul 25th
Nearly every year, the women of my family come together to enjoy a weekend of fun and relaxation. No menfolk, no counting calories, no rigid schedule or rules. We’ve been doing this since my daughters were young, and now the girls of their generation (who were all too young to come along on those first excursions because — another requirement — there is no whining or being taken care of on these trips) are young mommies themselves. They have come to discover the joys and blessings of leaving kids, husbands and responsibilities behind for a few days of just hanging out with the girls.
Perhaps we are unique, but our group is blessed with very little drama and a bountiful appreciation for each other. A quick wit and the ability to laugh at oneself are hallmarks of each of us, whether daughter, sister, aunt or mom. Usually, we find a big house at the beach or a lodge in the mountains to rent for a long weekend, and a dozen or more of us will trickle in over the course of a Friday (depending on work schedules and the distance from home). We bring along beverages and goodies of choice, perhaps a game or two, and a store of family news and chat to share. There are always those who stay up late and others who rise early and get the coffee on; those who head out for a walk in the cool of morning and those who prefer to just find a cozy corner to curl up in with a good book.
That is the charm of a girls’ weekend: Everyone is comfortable with doing her own thing without pressure to take part in any group activity, but there is usually at least one other person prepared to join you when you want company for a shopping excursion or a little outdoor activity. We share cooking duties or, more often than not, let someone else do the cooking for us with take-out or a restaurant meal. Most of us are avid readers, so there are often lively book discussions as well.
This year, for the first time, the venue for this much-anticipated event was held in a family home . . . mine, to be exact. It gave me the opportunity to share our new place with a bunch of my female relatives, most for the first time. With cute shops to peruse in nearby Grants Pass, Ashland and Jacksonville; outdoor activities galore; and an assortment of other avenues of entertainment, ours seemed to be the right place to host our gathering. Today, seven of us enjoyed an exhilarating (and wet) jet boat ride on the Rogue River (a nice way to spend a 100-degree afternoon) while the rest partook of a little shopping and a leisurely lunch in historic Jacksonville. Tonight we shared Lemon Drops and dinner together, followed by a new event, a book swap where we traded off our favorite reads with each other. Tomorrow we’ll enjoy brunch and a shower for my niece and her first baby before everyone (except me, of course) returns home.
We’ll all come away from this time together refreshed and recharged for our daily lives and responsibilities. We will also have tightened the bonds that tie us together through blood or marriage, thankful to be part of this loving and lively family.
– Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editorÂ
Keeping Busy
Jul 3rd
One of the great things about the summer season is the plethora of festivals, events, outdoor concerts and markets held on just about every weekend. Whether you live in a big city, the suburbs or out in the country, you usually don’t have to go far to find a variety of activities to entertain you.
Last weekend we attended a local event sponsored by our town’s Park and Recreation Department: the Battle of the Bones. This two-day bash focuses on a barbecue competition, with Saturday featuring pulled pork and Sunday offering brisket. Nine competitors from the Rogue Valley and northern California took part, vying each day for the $500 first prize in a People’s Choice vote. In addition, 13 Oregon microbreweries presented a total of some 30 stouts, reds and IPAs, while a handful of local wineries offered more than a dozen of their products to help wash down all those savory barbecue tastes.
We chose to go for the brisket on Sunday, and for $15 each we each got a ticket for nine barbeque tastes;  eight, 2-ounce pours of beer; and a hefty beer glass. (Much as we love wine, beer just goes so much better with spicy-sweet barbecue!). Of course, one could always go back and plunk down more a little more cash for more tastes, but we found our initial investment was sufficient for plenty of sampling and quaffing.
There were other food vendors offering side dishes and sweets, a kid-friendly entertainment area with those big inflatable toys, and live music (mostly blues and jazz) all day. It was a 90-plus-degree day, but there was plenty of shaded seating, and a nice breeze kept it from being too uncomfortable. It was nice to see a wide range of folks enjoying the event, from families with little kids to young couples to seniors. There was plenty of room to stretch out on the grass and enjoy the tunes or wander among the booths and compare notes with other event-goers as to their favorite brews and brisket.
It’s casual, relaxed events like the Battle of the Bones that make summertime such a pleasure. It also exposed us to some great local producers we hadn’t tried before, and we’ve already ordered some brisket for an upcoming family gathering from one of our favorites in the competition. Here’s to a summer filled with fun for you!
– Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor
