This may be another false spring, but we are up to 48 degrees this morning! YAHOO! We might even make it into the 70's on this day. Where's my shorts ... it's time for some fun in the California sun. Or after last night, maybe just a nap on the patio.
Working bingo does have its perks. We donate to several big charities in our County, and this is one of them. It's CASA ... Court Appointed Special Advocates. They have lots of volunteers in our area that help foster kids with whatever problems they may be having, whether it's with their foster parents, school or just hard times. This is their once a year fund raiser.
We have donated $5,000 every year to pay for the entertainment at this shindig ... the Killer Dueling Pianos. Honestly, I don't see the draw ... but what do I know. More on that later.
Pretty fancy table if you ask me. Truly, they might have dispensed with the middle chatchkey stuff. We had no room for anything! Though we only had tickets for 8, we had seating for 10. We've no idea why.
As you can tell, I was the first one there. This was held at our fairgrounds in the biggest building. Too bad there was no parking. They had three other big tickets items going on at the same time. An outside Hmong funeral (so many people), another huge indoor funeral (what's up with funerals at the fairgrounds?), our big event and wait for it ............. MONSTER TRUCKS!! I parked in the far back by the goat barns and walked, in my cowboy boots, over a quarter mile.
Once inside, drinks were $5.00. I opted for this fruity, sweet something or other with 151 alcohol. They didn't tell me that part until it was too late. CRIKEY!!!
In no time, our table was full. I was afraid to move for fear I would knock something over.
Yup ... that's still my drink that I finally poured into my water glass. Salad was served family style from a brass bowl, along with a HUGE roll, the size of two. I ate that while the first auction was held, nibbling on that bread until it was gone. I NEVER eat that much bread.
In the meantime, they had quite a few silent auction items, but they all included bunnies and kids games for Easter. There was one with two bottles of wine that went sky high almost immediately! I passed.
Finally, dinner was served. It doesn't look all that great, but it was quite tasty. I think those were the best garlic white cheddar mashed potatoes I've ever had. The weird looking chicken was good and the tri-tip had the best sauce on it, though extremely hard to cut with a butter knife. The broccoli ... which I love ... was raw as raw could be. I couldn't even get my fork through it, let alone my knife. It didn't matter though, because I was full before I started on this plate! Yes, the glass is still full.
Then came the CAKE!! The silent dessert auction only had 12 items, with almost 50 tables of folks. We won this one for $400. You can't see it here, but it actually has a gold metal crown in the middle. Perfect for the granddaughters.
Sadly, I was not the one to slice it up. It came to me on a plate that looked like someone had dropped it on the floor and tried to pick it up with chopsticks. It was German Chocolate and quite tasty, but unrecognizable as cake.
We were kind of wondering about the folks who didn't bid on dessert, when out came these little bundt cakes. You KNOW I had to try one, so I went for the red velvet. I tried to eat it with a fork, but that got stuck in the little swirl of cream cheese frosting and would NOT come loose. Yup I ate it with my fingers. Not bad really, but rather dry. Sadly, since I had no container, the rest stayed on the table and NO ONE ELSE ate a single one.
One thing I'm sure of ... that dinner probably wiped out ALL of my weight loss in one fell swoop!! And THEN ... let the entertainment begin. At least these two old fogies came and thanked our table for the Gig. Very nice guys really, who are completely stuck in the 70's. Think Led Zeppelin. One is 62, the other 68, complete with bandanas on their heads and glow in the dark shirts.
The pianos are fake. Yup ... electronic pianos made to look like REAL pianos. Sorry to disappoint! The music was all over the place and LOUD, but right up the alley of all the old fogies attending this event.
I taped just a bit so you would get a feeling for the vibe. Surprisingly, MANY people got up and danced. Just close your eyes and imagine a bunch of 70+ year olds trying to dance like they were 17. I stayed in my seat.
In the end, I could take it no longer. The noise was just too much. They had TWO MORE HOURS to play. Sadly, though I wanted to take that chocolate cake with me, I left it on the table.
It was a long walk to my truck, to the roar of Monster Trucks and the clanging of Hmong's washing their cooking pots. The funerals were louder than OUR building. Funny how times change.
Anyhoo ... I'm hoping to have enough energy left to hit the walking road this morning, but don't hold your breath!!! The couch is calling my name!!