Jun 11, 2012

Time to Ramble

Sure, it's not OFFICIALLY summer yet, but that doesn't mean that we aren't in the full swing of things here at the the Verdant Dude Ranch. I know it's summertime because Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff are rapping about it (again). If that doesn't make it official, then I don't know what does.

My calendar turns to summer officially when we have our first ramble* of the season. I've mentioned it before here, but a ramble involves good food, good friends, good booze and good music. In no particular order. We had a mini-ramble, just my baby and me, on Thursday evening. Just to test the waters, you see. Cranked up our favorite Pandora station, mixed some cocktails and hung out in the backyard overlooking the harbor in the hour or so before sunset. Good times.

Our first official ramble took place on Saturday evening. Some great friends came over and we grilled up some big horkin' chili burgers, drank bourbon, wine and delicious beers, listened to a great playlist that Gia put together on iTunes and had a whole bunch of laughs.  The first ramble of many in the coming months.

Photo by Keb5777...a fellow rambler

So, do you ramble? What do you call it? What does it entail?

*Name inspired by Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble. An event that is still going on even after his death a few months ago. I can't believe that we never made it up there while he was still kickin'. Shame on us...

12 comments:

Heff said...

"Well I'm ramblin', ramblin' 'round...I'm a ramblin' guy......

A-Ray Em Bee El Eye In......"

Verdant Earl said...

"Hey...this guy's good!"

Steve Martin is the best!

sybil law said...

We've been ramblin' for weeks, actually. Yesterday it was 90 - today it's rainy and barely 80 degrees. Weird ass summer weather (even though I know it hasn't officially started, yet)! Anyway, I was out last niht - started at home, drinking and music - then we went to a friend's new house to check it out. I declined the mushroom tea, though. :)

Verdant Earl said...

Yeah, we've had ramblin' weather for a while now, but due to certain circumstances beyond our control, this weekend was the first chance we've had to get one in.

Mushroom tea? No thanks! I don't dig on fungi. Even the psychotropic kind.

RW said...

When there starts to be an excess of frozen vodka lemonades, and I jaunt out to the tobacco shop for some good madura cigars (those are the dark black kind) and I start reading Shakespeare again out on the deck, then I water my tomatoes, then MrsRW and I go out to eat, then I go to see the Sox, and we join Jim and Michele for drinks and dominoes on their back porch, and we cook out two or three times a week, and then doze outside, it's summer. We call it... um... summer. ;-)

Verdant Earl said...

RW - All of that, except for the cigars, sounds perfectly acceptable. I approve of your summer. ;)

RW said...

Hmm, no cigars, no mushrooms. Okay... more of both for me! Nyah!

savannah said...

sugar, we just call it life on the plantation around here! ;~) seriously, the one thing that signals summer around here is the first batch of tinto de veranos served with anything some else cooks!

Verdant Earl said...

Life on the plantation...I dig. Same with the tinto de veranos. Yum! My summer drink so far has been bourbon with flavored soda water. Lite and refreshing...hehehe. ;)

Verdant Earl said...

I used to dig cigars, but I can't smoke em anymore. Can't get rid of the taste the next day no matter how much I try, and it kinda makes me sick.

You can have ALL the cigars and/or mushrooms. Blech X 2!

RW said...

Mentioned to you before, and if you're ever in Chicago look me up; but I'm 90% certain that people who don't care for mushrooms (and I think this also applies to fish btw) are reacting mostly to having tried them when they were prepared wrong. Mushrooms have a very narrow window, so to speak. Not cooked enough and they are like trying to eat dank rubber. Overcooked and they taste like mushy dirt. You've got to hit that "sweet spot" so that instead of being overpowering they are just hinted at. Anyway that's my take on them. I love mushrooms but I've had some pretty bad ones, that were cooked wrong. I do them very well, he said. 8^)

Verdant Earl said...

It's possible, but I'm not one of those people who says they don't like stuff because they think they don't like it. I've tried mushrooms many, many, many times. Never had a good experience. Not once. Taste, texture, smell...there is literally nothing about them that appeals to me. But it is possible that I just have never had them prepared properly. (I doubt it) ;)