The Stevens’ Banner

     Friday nights seem to roll around faster and faster during these busy summer weeks.  But, I’m not complaining.  I love our ‘Friday Nights.’  They have become a tradition for us.
     Each Friday evening we hang out our own personal banner made for us by my cousin Alice ‘back in the day’ – before we went gray and before Nyel grew his beard and before I cut my long locks and bagged the schoolmarm bun.  The banner is a signal that we are “at home” and friends are welcome to stop in for a couple of hours of eating, drinking, and general frivolity.  They bring the eats; we supply the drinks.
     We never know who is coming or what they will bring.  Last night the offerings included shrimp and salsa over cream cheese with crackers, a (probably) healthy hummus dip, several exotic cheeses, a hot crab/cheese/avocado dip, and a pizza!  In all our ten-plus years of Friday Nights, it was a first for pizza!
     It was a first for several of our guests, as well.  They were friends of a friend – a Friday Night bonus that often makes our summer gatherings especially fun and lively.  Last night people came and went during the course of the evening but for an hour or more there were fourteen of us ‘laughing and scratching’ and carrying on.  The only downside for me – there were so many of us that I missed a lot of the side conversations!
     I know I’ve written about our Friday Nights before, and I probably will again.  I hope they are a reminder to far flung friends that they should head toward Oysterville for a bit of end-of-the-week-fun. And hurry up!  The next Friday is on its way!