I won’t look further than my own backyard…
I’ve got baguette dough rising and my gazpacho is coolin’ & melding. Salsa pizza and other snacks and appetizers are in my near future, as well as some brown bagging. This early evening my friends and I will gather at the Sunset Lounge. The view is pastoral and soothing; green fields, grazing cows, rolling hills and sleepy clouds. And of course, a spectacular sunset. The best crowd gathers at the Sunset Lounge, kind of a “Cheers” clientèle. If the weather is right, the fire pit will be lit, and warmth will glow from the embers as well as the libations.
The Sunset Lounge is in my friend’s backyard. There’s a group of us that have been gathering in the late afternoon on Fridays for happy hour the last couple of years. We circulated around a couple of eateries and bars in town, but they were just kind of. . . meh. Then we started alternating around our own backyards and kitchens. And that’s when the fun began.
My friends Trisha and Carmel bought a house last year that is the culmination of all their dreams and wishes. Trisha wanted a whimsy house—a roofed non-walled dwelling decorated with plants, candles, knick-knacks and what nots, possessing THE view. Carmel, a weekend builder, obliged. Thus, the Sunset Lounge was born. Tonight we’ll gather there, next week it might be My Deck, the next week, the Neighbor’s Patio. Wherever we land, the food is just what we want, the drinks are affordable and a-plenty, and no one expects a tip.
Except to know where we’re meeting next week.
- Lucinda McDermott Piro