Naval Academy Commissioning Lunch

[ludja]

Glad the celebratory lunch went well during a busy week and that you found a suitable tablecloth in time. Thanks for the photos; the cake looks and sounds great; I like the idea of strawberry and oranges together. It seems like his parents also enjoyed the food; wonderful.

[racheld]

I'm late to the party, but wanted to add my word of admiration and congratulations. What a lovely celebration, and such a wonderful meal to mark it.

We sponsored young soldiers for several years here until our base closed in 96. Our first two were from Nigeria, older than Chika, both Colonels, married men who missed home and family. The Army sponsored wonderful trips for them, took them to Disneyland, D.C., all sorts of sightseeing tours. We had them to lots of meals, and we took them local sites on the weekends---the 500 track, a baseball game, parks and museums and a couple of movies.

On the last night of their tour here (5 months of class), we had them over for a celebration party, and they both wore their beautiful formal wear, exquisitely sewn and embroidered silk tunics and trousers, with matching hats, in honor of the special occasion.

They loved everything we served when they visited, from collards and fried chicken to a picnic on the lawn. They both enjoyed covering their plates with rice, then layering each other item in turn, making beautifully plated dishes garnished here and there with all the Southern pickles and relishes.

On that last evening, Chris asked them what had most impressed them about their trip to the USA, and they were very gracious in their mentioning of the hospitality. The one THING they mentioned which impressed them, out of all their travels and sightseeing tours, was the grocery store where they helped me shop a couple of times.

Wish I'd seen this thread when it came out---brought back some really good memories of serendipity friends who added so much to our lives. And Chika will NEVER forget you.