Awake 7:30 Light rain
Bike over to the Stoll farm. Already they have the 22 tables & benches for
tonight's party set in place. The hired chef Arnold, is busy cooking pork
loins on the Oklahoma Joe BBQ grill for us workers for lunch as a taste
test.
I volunteer to water the 54 sun flowers we hauled in yesterday to keep
them looking healthy. After that job, chef Arnold asks me to start setting
the tables with place mats, eating utensils, napkins, wine glasses for
white wine & wine glasses for red wine. Each table will sit 10 people.
Arnold instructs 2 of us how to properly set a table and it must be done
correctly. Yes sir!
This is going to take some time...the knife goes this way, the napkin is
folded that way, the wine glasses need to be arranged in a cross like
manner...etc. After about 5 tables, more help arrives...first Thomas, then
Rolf(Rene's brother) and then Rolf's girlfriend Bernie(she's a girl) &
later Kathy joins in. Kathy was recruited by Myrta to round up 30 jars,
some canning & others from jelly found in the Stoll cellar. She cut small
sunflowers from the garden & made 22 small flower arrangements for each
table & two larger arrangements for the gift trailer.
Oh yes, the gift trailer....sometime earlier this morning, one of their
flat farm trailers was pulled into the barn & moved next to the South
wall. Then a few benches were stacked on the back side of this trailer &
all of this was completely decorated with white paper.
With all the extra help, we finished the table setting job in a little
less than 2 hrs. Then Myrta asks me to water the 54 sunflowers
again...I'll get a good man right on it...hey, that's me. Anyway Kathy
joins in and that job get done quickly. By this time, chef Arnold has
lunch ready to eat for us 20 workers, including the guys who are hooking
up the spotlights, the sound system, the DJ panel etc. The pork loins are
terrific plus there's noodle salad, cream style corn, potatoes & the best
french fries I've tasted in a long time. His test passed with flying
colors & Arnold is pleased & ready to do it all again for a larger crowd
in a few hrs.
After lunch we bike back to Andelfingen, the town where we are staying,
and try to exchange some US dollars to Swiss Francs. Oops, the bank is
closed...it's Saturday & they close early. Well, that's OK so we just
continue back to Myrta's apt & Kathy takes a good nap to recharge her
batteries for tonight's gala.
Three hrs later, we bike back to the Stoll farm. Now there are
cars....plenty of cars...all parked in a designated parking field & the
barn is filled with people. We begin looking for an empty table when Oskar
motions us to join him & Sylvia in the newly formed buffet line. Wow! Lots
of food, a lot more than what Arnold was cooking up. I think many of these
extra dishes were brought by friends as a specialty. Oskar had saved 2
seats for us at his table with his farmer buddies. As the Swiss custom
goes, first the white wine & socialize then the red wine with dinner. We
missed the socializing time so we just sip & eat... The red wine served is
from locally grown grapes & both wines tasted great.
Throughout the evening, Rene & Myrta were either busy visiting friends &
relatives or being roasted by their respective peers. All of this talk was
in Swiss German so when we didn't have an interpreter to tell us " what's
happening " we had to read lips or just plain guess.
The DJ spinning records played a nice variety of tunes throughout the
evening & into the night.....and at a comfortable volume level. Later in
the evening, Kathy & I danced a number of times & I had the ok from her to
dance with a few other young ladies who were looking for a partner.
By the way, before we left the party @ 2:30 am, that gift trailer was full
of some very nice looking presents. Obviously the Bride & Groom to be have
a lot of really nice & generous friends.
Oskar hung out with us until sometime around 2:00 am then disappeared.
That's pretty late for him, he's usually up @ 6:00 am every morning like a
farmer should be.
The evening party scene is somewhat difficult to describe in more
detail..it's one of those times that..." you had to be there " to really
watch & understand how well everything flowed so smoothly. I really didn't
want to leave @ 2:30am...we were having such a good time!!! Anyway, we did
and rode those bikes back to the apartment using the bikes little
generator to show us the way. Lights out: 3:00 am
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