Sunday, April 24, 2022. Brunch with Wayne and a Party for Melody and Barb

Sunday, April 24, 2022

It was nice to be able to run the air conditioner plugged into Craig and Melody’s garage, which had a 20A circuit, even though the house was pretty ancient and had the old style screw in fuses instead of circuit breakers.  

Craig’s Mid-Century decor

Camp Benoit

We had intended on taking the RV back up to Sun City Center to meet Wayne, Jack and Sharon for brunch, but Craig and Melody insisted we borrow their Subaru Outback rather than unhook the RV.  That was really generous of them and thoughtful.  

The brunch was at Ashton Gardens in the club house dining room and featured prime rib, pancakes and chicken pasta, along with soups, vegetables, a full salad bar and dessert.  It was quite the meal, and was nicer than Madison House fare.  Wayne was in the last seating, so it was interesting to see how as soon as the seating ended and the staff started clearing away the food, a bunch of staff swept in with takeout boxes to fill with the left over prime rib.  You really can’t blame them- we know they work awfully hard and are underpaid, but it might be less conspicuous if they took the food back into the kitchen first before letting the staff finish the left overs.

We said our good byes to Wayne after brunch and drove up to the Apollo power station where there is a Manatee viewing platform and educational displays, as well as extensive boardwalks and viewing platforms, but after we got there, we discovered they were closed for the season as of April 15.  

We drove back down to Craig and Melody’s house, stopping at Costco to pick up some cakes and top off his gas tank.  Their family was hosting a get together to celebrate Melody’s retirement and her sister Barb’s birthday.  Melody’s son Jason prepared some really gourmet scalloped potatoes, grilled vegetables, and aged and dry rubbed steaks prepared to perfection.  He is quite the culinary artist.  Jason’s two children Ethan and Sam, Craig’s two brothers, Melody’s daughter Jessica, Barb, Steve, Jack and Sharon rounded out the party guest list, which made for a lively and enjoyable family gathering.