The Party!!!

It all started as a result of our being pretty disappointed that we hadn't been able to watch the fishing boats coming in each day. Our landlady Diana said that the fishermen told her the waters were too warm for fishing and once they cooled a bit, they would be back out with their nets. Last Wednesday, we were thrilled to see two fishing boats out beyond the point...then again on Thursday. On Friday, as we watched from our balcony, one of the little boats suddenly aimed for shore and Bob ran down the path to the beach to take pics of the landing. A second boat followed about 15 minutes later. The fishermen seem to give full throttle as they are getting closer to the beach and they do actually beach the boat while one of the crew jumps off and is met by a fellow who hooks a rope to the bow. They haul the boat up above the tide line with a winch and there they rest for the night....10 fishing boats in a row. An hour after he left, Bob arrived home with a very large fish he'd purchased; gutted but with the head and tail intact. I asked how he planned to cook it and he replied "I haven't a clue!". He was so excited and headed off to get some advice from Diana. She told us that their friends, Gabby and Christian, renting the cabana next to ours, were chefs (he's managing Chef for 5 restaurants in Buenos Aires) and in honor of Bob's birthday, they would prepare a feast for us on Saturday night.

Early the next morning, Josef (our landlord) came to the door and handed Bob the cell phone. It was Margarita, calling to let us know that they were on their way to see us and had rented the third cabana. They arrived in the early afternoon, got settled in their little house then we headed downtown to have a bit of lunch at a restaurant overlooking the ocean.

Following lunch, we took them on a long walk to beautiful Playa Grande. That's Margarita below, going in for a dip and Bob and Michael solving world issues, as they always seem to do on these walks.

As we walked back to Diablo on a path through the sand dunes, an amazing image appeared coming toward us. I thought that the last dude might be someone named Banderas but since I saw him on the pre-Oscar show, I figure it couldn't have been him.

Back home, we changed for dinner and by 8 pm we gathered in the yard behind Christian and Gabby's house where both their bbq and Margarita and Michaels were lit and the wood burning down to the coals required to cook the meal. Diana and Josef and Gabby and Christian had purchased 4 more fish. A couple were stuffed (potatoes, tomatoes, onion and herbs) and another was seasoned with fresh basil while the other two were cooked without any thing at all.

They had invited two other couples and so we were 12 in all. What a fantastic time!

Below: Josef, Christian and Bob, lighting the bbq's (and getting a little "lit" themselves!); Christian, grilling fresh dough for appetizers (yum yum!);Gabby, making salad

Below; Margarita and me making another salad;Two of our fish grilling; The cooked stuffed fish

Below: Christian serving the first fish;You can tell we didn't like it!;The Chef and his assistants

Below: Attendees at Bob's Big Bash; Bob with his girls...Diana and Gabby; Diana had fashioned garden lights out of water bottles, sand and candles

After dinner (around 11:00 p.m....several hours past my normal bedtime), Margarita and I noticed the sounds of drumming coming from the front of the house. We went out to investigate and everyone else followed. After watching the wandering minstrels for a bit, we strolled down the main street to the bars and restaurants near the beach. Josef went into a bar where there were only two men sitting at a table. He knew them, said something to them then called out to Bob to come in. It was a small open-air restaurant bar and one of the men was an entertainer. He stepped up to the microphone and began to sing "Happy Birthday" (in Spanish) to Bob. Josef raced off to collect our group and we all stood in the restaurant while this lovely man continued to perform for us. Josef began to dance and asked Bob to join him. Two other men also got up to dance. We were all moving to the music and laughing at the spectacle before us. One elderly man struggled up with his cane and danced as well. Margarita told me that Uruguayans are too shy to dance but something happened that night! We turned to look over the balcony and saw that a fair sized crowd had gathered and photo's were being taken of this crazy group. Bob was such a hit that night and he really enjoyed himself.....the guy that states very strongly that he never wants a birthday party. He had the time of his life. After the excitement was over, Diana looked to the back of the crowd on the street, pointed and yelled "Sharon! Look at BAD BOB!!!" There he was, at the back of the crowd, engaged in conversation with three lovely young German tourists. He maintains that they asked him for help but even Michael couldn't get the truth out of him. I took a photo....just in case......

Below: Apologies for the poor quality of the video due to the lack of light in the bar. Just had to share some of the fun.

The next day I cooked brunch for Margarita and Michael, we went for another long walk on the beach on the other side of town. We had a late lunch at The Happy Shrimp (delicious!!!) where everything is made from scratch, then they returned home. When Bob and I got back to the house, Christian, Gaston and Josef had gone seeking mussels and returned with their prize.

We love this place and are having the time of our lives! Salut Uruguay and Uruguayans....and Argentinians...and Canadians!!!