The newly cleaned front patio must have looked like a blank canvas to my little artist who created quite a dirt and water masterpiece the morning of the party. Oh well, nothing a hose down couldn't fix. I only hoped I wouldn't get arrested by the water police. I have no idea what my day is and we have water rationing in San Diego…

We took some time for a work-out before kicking into gear on party tasks. We made our last shopping runs and did the final clean up. Our helpers arrived later in the afternoon for the finishing touches. Quick showers and we were ready for showtime!

We decorated the front fence with dance company posters to make the venue easy to locate and prettied up the path around the side of the house so the guests had a nice entry into the backyard. Our guests started arriving at 5:00 and we greeted them with traditional French Kir and olives. We had a wine auction table to raise additional money for the dance company. Everyone mingled for about half an hour until all the guests had arrived.

Our feature of the evening was a beautiful duet performed by Summer and Tristan to YoYo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble. It was such an honor to have these lovely dancers right in my very own backyard!

We invited everyone to be seated for dinner and started with a green bean, red onion, blue cheese and walnut salad. The plates were garnished with lemon slices and fresh parsley. We served wine from pitchers as is done in Provence. The second course was rosemary roasted chicken with roasted garlic and Indian corn puddings. We brought huge platters to the tables and served guests their choice of light or dark meat. Course number three was a simple green salad served French style after the main course. The fourth course was a selection of cheeses and baguette served with pitchers of Cabernet. Last but not least was the chocolate course served with Champagne.

Just before dessert my five year old daughter took her turn on stage. She had been “rehearsing” a variety of “numbers” in the weeks leading up to the party. In the end she also performed to YoYo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble. She performed so seriously that it was not at all like a little kid jumping around on the stage. We were all amazed by her composure and artistry. A little glimpse of the next generation of Jean’s legacy…

And during dessert we were entertained by “Brodeeva”. This acoustic soul brother duo took an already perfect evening over the top. Thank you Chad and EJ! And thank you to my dear husband who helped a lot during the party so I could take some time to enjoy the entertainment and the guests.

A very good time was had by all!

• ‹ Whew…
• ANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ›