Today, Mary Margaret and I drove into downtown Lansing to visit the farmers market. Our good friend, Steve, had sent us a text message informing us that today the farmers market was in town. Each Thursday it sets up a myriad of canopies on the front lawn of the State Capital and tons of people from all around come to shop for farm fresh produce and other goodies that are sold.
Mary Margaret has a weakness for farmers markets as she feels obligated to single handedly thank the farmers for what they do and reward them by buying as much fresh produce as LeuC can store. I am only mildly making a joke here as she is very thankful for the remarkable efforts and, many times, the tough struggles that small family-owned farmers face in today’s market environment.
As we returned to LeuC, I just had to drive by my old house in East Lansing. It is still there and while painted a different color, seeing it again brought back so many wonderful memories. The neighborhood, or at least the houses where childhood friends used to live, were all there. However, the trees have matured significantly over 50 years and the once sunny and bright streets were now crowded with limbs and leaves shading everything in.
Armed with all kind of goodies from the farmers market and with childhood memories, we returned to LeuC, where Mary Margaret then rolled up her sleeves and cooked up a storm. We had invited our dear friends, Steve and Linda, to come over for a farewell dinner tonight. We will be leaving the Lansing area tomorrow morning as we start our return journey to the Pacific Coast. Our destination will be Blaine, Washington. It is located on the Puget Sound, and literally abuts next to the Canadian border, residing just south of Vancouver.
When Steve and Linda arrived, they were armed with Blue Bunny vanilla ice cream and a cherry-berry pie, bought from a fantastic bakery in Dexter, called Sweetie-licious… and it was! It paired well with the appetizers and dinner that Mary Margaret had whipped up.
We first started out with home made guacamole and corn tortilla chips that were accompanied by a glass of Guinness Stout. Then, as Mary Margaret set the dinner table and brought out various dishes she made for dinner, Steve and I went outside and fired up the BBQ. When hot, we threw on the slabs of ribs that I had prepared by boiling in vinegar water. We then slathered on the BBQ sauces, turning the slabs constantly.
When the ribs were brought in, they were served with Mary Margaret’s delicious potato salad, fresh corn on the cob and a cuke and tomato salad. Just when we thought we would burst, we remembered the cherry-berry pie and ice cream. With the help of some piping hot coffee, we somehow found room for generous slices of cherry-berry pie and two scoops of ice cream on the side. OMG…died and gone to heaven!
By the time the meal was cleared away and after reminiscing about the recent 50th reunion we just had, all of our eyes were beginning to droop, so hugs and kisses were in order. It was hard to say goodbye to such long and dear friends, especially since we are not sure when we will be heading back this way. However, that is the special thing about lifetime friendships: it doesn’t matter how long it has been since you have last seen each other, the next time you do, the time just washes away and it seems just like yesterday.
In closing, my brother, Don, commented on yesterday’s blog about how I exaggerated about his natural golf abilities. To demonstrate that I was not exaggerating and that he does possess some magical skills in this area, I researched the Lansing Journal. I found an article which highlights his exploits on the golf course back in the summer of 1965. Just click on the link, below to read the article. Good times!
22 Jun 1965, Page 23 – Lansing State Journal at Newspapers.com
Going Down The Road With The Leu's 