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Karen and I hosted the New Year's Eve Perquackey get together last night. Jen, Jordi, Josie and Cecilia joined us for dinner, but didn't hang around for the tossing of the cubes. Knowing the plan, I snapped this photo before dinner.

After dinner, Bonny played tournament director, having a first round to reduce the six players to four for the semi-final and final rounds. Bert was the evening's winner, with a two roll win over runner-up Karen.

Dinner was quite tasty, with a bit of pot luck contributed. We had a lot of good and tasty food. I had spent the day baking two pies. Here today, apple pie and coffee. A great start to 2012.

We took Jen out to dinner for her birthday on Tuesday. Dessert was enjoyed at home. Christina baked a delicious carrot cake which we see below as we serenade the birthday girl, just before the candle blow out. The birthday hat is new, but is expected to be a tradition going forward.

The candles all went out, so Jen should get her wish.

Last week was spent on Cape Cod. We returned to the rental in Mashpee where we were in 2010. Jen and Jordi's neighbors, Christina and Chanh, with their two boys Ethan and Zach joined us for half the week. Unfortunately Chanh had to leave early Monday morning for a trip to Chicago.

We packed a lot into the time: Two visits to the beach, first South Cape Beach, and a couple days later, to Old Silver Beach. The latter was more kid friendly as the sand slopes gently out, giving the short ones latitude to find a comfort zone.

We returned to South Cape Beach several evening for some kite flying and picture taking. Jen was getting immediate use out of her new wide angle lens, learning the ins and outs of DOF. My camera's pics recently hit 5,000, while Jen and Jordi's camera has passed 10,000 in much less time.

We also took in another Cotuit Kettleers Cape League ball game. They got crushed by Harwich 10-0, but it is a good time never the less.

And we took advantage of the pool back of the house. Josie got a bit more comfortable in the water with her new water wings. Cecilia had little say in the matter, but seemed to enjoy the adventure of getting wet while being carried about .

The bigger kids played pretty well together. Karen led them in some art projects. There is lots of play with two kinds of magnetic blocks. I get to be the "veterinarian" - Ethan and Josie would bring me their pet rattlesnakes and cobras for a "checkup". Yikes! Here, Ethan, Josie, and Zach enjoy some ice cream before the boys have to return home.

Whew, I am exhausted still, after four days back.

While my camera stays inside its bag, this old photo came in from college buddy, Doug Hill (front right), who managed to find me here online. I am guessing this was taken spring of my freshman year around graduation time. What other occasion would see us so gussied up?

Our dorm, Burton House, was in its first post-renovation year. There were seven of us in a five single room, one double room suite. The suite had a shared living room efficiency kitchen and bathroom/showers. Barry (back center) would have been a junior, and significantly Karen's cousin. He and I were in the double. Ken (back right) was a senior that year, Bob (front left) a junior IIRC. Not pictured then are Roy and Alan.

With some members of the MIT Perquackey Federation were going to be riding the rails in New Hamshire on New Year's, we got together New Year's eve day eve for dinner and a roll of the cubes. Dave and Trish hosted, putting on a spectacular meal. Here we are, if I recall correctly, post-main course, pre-dessert.

By this time, the Perquackey preliminary round had narrowed the field from eight pretenders to four finalists. Dave was the evening's champion. For some reason, Bert neglected to bring along the Perquackey cup trophy from his home where it has resided the past few years. The official presentation ceremony will have to wait.

For dessert Trish offered up two pies from Haedrich's Pie cookbook. The first was a coffee coconut grapenut pie, which was my favorite. No less delicious was the blueberry lime pie. The pies were gone so quickly, no photographic evidence remains. That book may have to go on my Amazon list.

Inspired, I made this caramelized apple pecan pie from an epicurious.com recipe on true New Year's eve. Last pie of 2010? No, in slicing terms, first pie of 2011!

Summer is over? Well, we had a nice weekend capped with a cookout. But that doesn't mean the summer is over.

Jen and Jordi's neighbors Christina and Chanh joined us, along with their two boys Ethan and Zack, for a cookout. Jen and Jordi brought along their bounce house which was in the back of their car from a party on Saturday. Josie, Zack, and Ethan bounced in the house and played in the yard. Lots of energy!

Dessert was cherry pie with whipped cream or with ice cream or ice cream without pie. Here is the pie from earlier in the day.

Our good friend Joy invited us to her Christmas Eve party in Gloucester. There was a magnificent pot-luck spread to enjoy. Our contribution was this apple mincemeat pie. For style points, I took a couple of cookie cutters to some excess dough and stuck them on with a glaze made from the reduced apple drippings. It looks good.

Merry Christmas to all.

The MIT Perquackey Federation's tradition of an annual New Year's Eve celebration has fallen on hard times since the sale of Talbot House. Dave and Trish graciously offered to host the get together this year at their place. Everyone was surprised at the good turnout given the last minute nature of the arrangements and the 3" to 5" of new snow falling on the 31st.

No one was surprised by the excellent meal prepared (forgive the Americanized vocabulary): Cuban pork, red beans and rice, plantains, and more.

The day before I prepared a berry cherry pie based on the recipe from Killer Pies. Pie gal Trish offered up a delicious key lime pie. Trish did show me a recipe for Brazilian Pie from an old Better Homes and Garden cookbook. She tells me the current edition no longer lists the retro recipe for this instant coffee based cream pie. I hope she sends the recipe along.

All of the oldsters (and lone young pup, Richard) even managed to stay up past midnight. Woo hoo!

We used the occasion of leap year to host Perquackey. This is the first sizable get together we have hosted after most of the renovations here have been done. The space proved to be hospitable for our friends. We had a pleasant dinner and settled down to play. Daniel (second from right, mugging for the camera) claims the title of Leap Year Champion until the next Leap Year.

For those of you who have been following along, you know there was pie involved. I made the coconut creme pie from the recipe from the "Killer Pies" cookbook. Yum.

Here's another back-dated entry. Ab Initio fielded this splendid team in the
JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge, Boston 2007. Photo credit to Jim Frost.

We were hosting the MIT Perquackey Federation, so the only civilized thing to do was to bake a pie. I got a bunch (flock? swarm? pride? what do you call a collection of pears?) of crimson pears and surfed around the web for recipe ideas. Nothing from the web world offered inspiration, but another visit to the supermarket had me bringing back some raspberries. This turned out well.

The Perquackey cubes were kind to me early in the match, but I didn't take adequate advantage. It seemed to be a night of cold dice for most of us. Tuna won the evening in five rounds.

Jeff sweet-talked me into the two of us baking a pie. I divulged all of my crust making secrets and together we came up with a cherry blackberry lattice top pie. As you can see from the picture, it went quickly.

Now we just have to work on the filling. What do we need to keep the filling from being so soupy? Corn starch? Tapioca? Patience?

Jeff sweet-talked me into the two of us baking a pie. I divulged all of my crust making secrets and together we came up with a cherry blackberry lattice top pie. As you can see from the picture, it went quickly.

Now we just have to work on the filling. What do we need to keep the filling from being so soupy? Corn starch? Tapioca? Patience?

Karen and I visited Beth Hoyle for a day at Chapoquoit Beach in West Falmouth.

We had perfect weather over the weekend and had a very nice time at the Cape Cod Pops concert Saturday evening. Beth had won a table for the Pops at a silent auction. She hosted a group of her very nice friends and Karen & me. On Sunday we had lobster at Shuckers in Woods Hole and dinner back at Beth's with her neighbors George & Wes.

Dave & Trish had the inspiration that if their annual Fourth of July party was not actually on the Fourth of July, they would get a better turnout. Yesterday was this year's day, an ideal day and a very, very good time.

Our contribution was this blueberry pie. It was "criticized" for being too small, but all in all, there was no shortage of good food.