The Christmas party this year was a resounding success. After many years of having it at the Hughes' house, due to their move to Tehachapi, a new place had to be found. Montego's parents graciously offered to have it at their house.

It is located in the foothills of Palos Verdes overlooking the city lights, and with a light rain falling, the view was spectacular and clear. Montego and Louise had obviously put in a lot of time getting ready. He had made a top to convert their pool table to hold all the food, and she had coordinated everybody to bring a dish that didn't duplicate anyone else. The food table was located in the center of activity between a back patio and the front room. Even though a light rain was falling, those who wanted a breath of air or needed to smoke were able to do so on the patio without losing track of what was going on. We had roast goose prepared by Gasman, which was delicious, plus a beautiful ham. We had a wonderful stuffing from it and many other great dishes. We had salad, shrimp, gravy, lasagna, enchiladas, chips and dips, and vegetables. There were some brownies and a great chocolate cake. There was just too much to remember. Even though everyone brought their own drinks, we had a punch that was all drunk up to the last drop.

Many people were dressed up to the gills. There were two guys there wearing suits that looked like Knucklehead and Scarecrow, but couldn't possibly be them because they looked too good. A guy that resembled Keith was wearing long pants. The Leader was there with his digital camera, so look for some good pictures in your email.

We had laid down the plywood from the horseshoe game to make a dance floor in the front room, so all the activities there included the beautiful view. We played some of our old standby games like Back Words and Christmas Card Match. We were not in the mood for games as much this year as we have been in the past. We passed up Funny Bones and Dong ball. The gift exchange was fun as always, with Clinton jokes prevailing. Steve had gifts for his Board and a few special ones, like a poster for Tater that we all had signed.

We finally started the music and the dancing began. Everybody gave it a try, even the Rooster. The women seem to be better at it than the men. This all went on until around midnight when people started to drift off. By 1AM, it was pretty much over.

A good time was had by all and I know we all thank Montego's Parents for the use of their house, and Montego and Ziplox for all the planning and coordination to make such a great, successful party.

Rooster