Report on S. Calif CRFolk Gathering Sat 12 Jun 2004

[Guest guest]

Francesca wrote such a splendid description of the East Coast

CRFolk gathering in the Washington DC area, I felt guilty for

not posting about the S. California event we enjoyed yesterday.

So here is a report!

We had a splendid gathering of the S. California CRFolks Saturday

12 June 2004 at Newport Coast, just a little south of Irvine, CA.

There were 15 attendees total, including a film crew from NHK,

the National Public Television Station for the country of Japan.

The discussion of CR topics was some of the most exciting that

I have ever heard. I kept my mouth quiet, and simply listened,

breathless and awe-struck! One comment in particular:

" One of the best parts of a CR lifestyle is that it gives us

hope and it gives us a promise -- brighter than any other

lifestyle choice possible. It is the hope and excitement of

CR that keeps me enthusiastic! "

The food and atmosphere were splendid. We even had two flavors

of guar pudding: dark chocolate and lemon. And a huge bright

phyto-rich green/red/yellow/orange multi-color tossed salad,

fresh mixed-fruit bowl, hot bean mélange soup, avocado slices,

dried umeboshi plums, rice crackers, fresh California sweet plums,

Kendal Pinot Noir Wine, and several other lovely goodies

(which you will excuse me for failing to name all on the table!),

along with decorations including some of the most beautiful flower

bouquets I have ever seen.

The NHK film crew was professional and accommodating too! The

flower bouquets and the beauty of the home and surroundings were

breathtaking. I snapped 44 pictures of the event. Everybody

looked great! The back patio of the home overlooks the Pacific

Ocean, and contains loveseats and benches surrounded by lush

greenery and foliage.

The photos are truly beautiful, with my prejudice being that

the beauty is all in the beautiful people who attended.

Thank you all for a splendid event, especially to the hosts --

Nick, Setsuko, and -- and to all the attendees whose

lively discussion made for a great film shoot and a truly

lovely afternoon together for us all!

-- Warren

=======================

-----Original Message-----

From: Francesca Skelton [mailto:fskelton@...]

Sent: Sunday, June 13, 2004 5:20 PM

support group

Subject: [ ] local DC area meeting

Just got back from a wonderful DC area gathering at 's house in

suburban Northern Virginia. We had a great time with fabulous food (and too

much of it for a bunch of CRONIES!). We enjoyed exchanging CRONIE info and

will be soon trading recipes, as the food was positively delicious. The

recipes will be posted and added to our recipe collection in the links.

Among the dishes:

Greek chicken with spinach sauce,

chicken shish-kebobs,

asparagus soup,

kale casserole,

mixed green salad w/ pumpkin dressing,

5 different guar puddings,

strawberries with chocolate sauce,

oatmeal cookies w/chocolate chips,

lemon tarts,

fresh fruit.

I'm sure I missed a few dishes as they were so numerous but Apricot (Trish)

took pictures of the buffet table so you can all see for yourselves.

Apricot has promised to post the pictures very shortly.