A table set for tea

As a family (and with a few select friends) we recently celebrated the many good things in our lives with an afternoon tea.

It was a smashing success.

The table was set with a white tablecloth, pale yellow napkins, and delicate tea things (including china cups from Britain, blush roses, and a two-tier plate of petite palmier and hand-dipped chocolate-covered strawberries).  Ben, with the assistance of many sous chefs, produced three kinds of cucumber sandwiches–mint, vinegar, and salmon mousse–as well as delightful scones and the aforementioned strawberries.  Two kinds of caviar were served.  We even indulged in two varieties of English tea and great quantities of sparkling wine.

With an all-star guest list featuring Randy and Lily, the recently returned Devi and Bethany, Lindsay, Ben, and friends Lala (a recent transplant from Seattle to Baltimore) and Adam (in D.C. for the summer before his return to New Haven), conversation was spirited.  The background music was a mix of classical, instrumental, French and eastern European, along with a few select poems.

I’ll leave it to Ben to post his favourite recipes of the day, which truly elevated the occasion–as I had planned merely to slather some cream cheese on rye with a slab of cucumber and call it elegant (which would of fooled none).  I will however leave you with a few photos of the grand affair, and highly encourage you to try such a party for yourself!  Bow ties not required…but encouraged.

Bengfort Family Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas!

2. Bike Wind Sprints
What better way to fool your groaning muscles, revitalize your waning determination, and prove to your older brother you can do anything he can do, while whizzing a long doing a four minute mile? Wind sprints! Ben, Jaci and I did these for the last three miles of Day 3, and as far as I know, I didn’t even let on that I was dying!

3. Aunt Anita “shagging” everybody. The pseudo-Britons in our group just stared at her in disbelief when Anita, referring to her feat of emptying out the dining room, said aloud, “I shagged everybody out of there.” Refusing to believe our beloved Aunt was a skanky ho-bag, we awaited for an explanation, which came quickly after Ben explained what “shagging” meant in British English. However, this didn’t stop the many witticisms afterwards, including “No wonder you’re so tired” and “That’s why your legs hurt so much.”

4.Excellent Food. And I mean excellent. Home-made breakfasts (and cookies! Darlene was the best) cooked with love by the kind-hearted Bed & Breakfast owners, fine dining at the Bavarian Inn (although when there were not enough seats to sit together in the “casual dining room” we demanded to be placed in the main dining room, shunning the business casual dress code. At least we changed out of our spandex, although we were simply fabulous in it). Also on our list of dining experiences was Beans in the Belfry, a chapel-turned coffee shop/cafe that was a noon-time oasis on Day Four of the trip. The packed lunches were also delicious and nutritious, and even the trail mix was exceptionally tasty, even when shoved down the front of my lycra shirt because I had no room in my Camelback nor pockets in which to put them.

5. Paparazzi. Being followed around by a camera all day is challenging, especially when you are hot, sweaty and tired, and even more especially, when you are wearing spandex. But like I said, if anyone can pull off bathtub washed spandex shorts worn four days in a row, it is certainly us.

6. Mile Marker 0. Finding it.
Waiting at Mile Marker 1, we made plans for a grand arrival at Mile Marker 0, including biking in a single file line past Mr. Lamp, the self-designated cameraman, who had biked ahead to record the momentous finale. Our grand plans were rather anti-climatically foiled when we couldn’t find Mile Marker 0! We probably spent 20 minutes analyzing the map, making calls, and otherwise being confused, when we finally got on the right path. Needless to say, in our information pamphlets there were detailed directions on how to get to Mile Marker 0, just nobody checked that! Awaiting behind Mile Marker 0 were Uncle Roop and friends holding a giant “Tour de Rance” banner. It was quite the homecoming!

7. Pawpaw Tunnel
One interesting part of the ride was going through Pawpaw tunnel. Built right through a mountain, the history surrounding this tunnel is one of mismanaged funds, labor insurrection, time consuming construction, and other such building nightmares. The tunnel is half a mile long, with absolutely no light, and a pathway on the side about a person and a half wide. While at a rest stop, Charles gave us a flashlight, and told us to stick together. We initially thought we could bike through, but after one glance knew that walking our bikes was the only option. The ground was uneven, full of puddles, and it got so dark (We were in a single file line, and Ben with flashlight was so far ahead that he also faded into the darkness) that I even lost sight of the silhouette of Bethany’s head, only 6 feet in front of me. At least it was nice and cool, and gave us the opportunity to get off our bikes for a while.

8. Our directionally challenged van support.
Charles, or Cheek, was a really nice guy, just someone who probably has never actually biked the C&O; trail. His directions were vague, and very often wrong. So wrong, that we missed our lunch meeting spot on Day 1, and had to bike an extra 15 miles before we could stop for lunch. That meant we biked 45 miles without any sustenance. It was past three before we finally met up with Cheek at a campsite, where we held ourselves back from pouncing on him, and gobbled down our packed lunch with as much restraint as we could muster. I already wrote about the Mile Marker 0 disaster, and were also told by Cheek that we would be able to see the Bavarian Inn, our Day 2 lodging, from the bike trail. You couldn’t.

9. Dr. Ben and Beer Therapy
The medic of the trip was, as you can guess, Dr. Ben. In addition to dishing out copious amounts of Aspirin, Tiger Balm and Goldbond (which by the end of the trip people were unabashedly dumping down their shorts in public), he also lead breathing exercises and made dietary recommendations. Our favorite medical advice was “Beer Therapy.” Medical Research has increasingly shown that alcohol, in levels of moderation, has several health benefits. Beer of course is no exception. The “natural carbonation” and carbohydrates are excellent for getting rid of lactic acid on muscles and boosting energy. Plus its cheaper than champagne. Bottoms up!

10. Sue on the Goo.
All of us had “survival packs” which we kept on our person. These packs included tissues (for lack of port-o-potty emergencies), wet wipes, band-aids, and “goo,” two ounces of disgusting slime, chock full of caffeine and energy boosters in a variety of flavors such as mango, apple-pie and double espresso. I had to shoot mine Day 1, Mile 40, during the infamous lunch fiasco. It was not pleasant. Sue Lamp however, gave us all a shock when during the second or third day she downed the goo and just took off. She had so much energy, and was at the front of the pack for most of the day. I guess the goo does pack a punch.