The Clan Abides

The Clan Assembles In Tahoe For Mikey’s Fiftieth

This is Mikey

This past weekend we rented a huge house in Tahoe and the Van Buskirk Clan traveled from three states to celebrate our youngest brother’s birthday.

      The house was amazing and I thought of the Winchester House in San Jose.  (You know that one the crazy lady kept building night and day until she died because she thought if she stopped building it, all the ghosts of the people who died from that rifle her husband made, would come and get her.) This house just went on and on too.  Since there were fourteen of us, plus only three puppies, it was perfect. 

      We don’t usually need entertainment since we ARE the entertainment, but we had tickets to see Jeff Bridges and the Abiders.  We are all fans of the movie “The Big Lebowski” and we have watched the movie so many times that some of us can say the lines right along with The Dude, (“Or El Duderino, if you aren’t into that whole brevity thing.”)

      His music is good as well.  As a matter of fact, after hearing it in person I am a bigger fan than ever!

My handsome nephew.

      We had our own party on Friday night, complete with presents and party favors. (Big Lebowski bumper stickers and posters.)  We did wild things like eat stuff and exchange gluten free recipes.  I don’t know what was so funny about anything, but my face was sore from laughing.

      We had a plan to go bowling, too, but had to give that idea up. Getting fourteen people through the showers is quite a task, especially when we found it necessary to keep going to the grocery store because we thought of something yummy to make.

      My sister made this dip:

1 pound of grated cheddar cheese,

1 pound of softened cream cheese,

6 (or so) jalapeno peppers, deseeded and    

    chopped up,

1 pound of fried and crumbled bacon

a little garlic powder.

Mix it all up and put it in a 13 X9 inch pan and bake it until it is hot and melty and a little brown around the edges.

Scoop it into your mouth with whatever chip or cracker you wish. (Or just use a spoon if no one is looking.)

      You can adjust these ingredients if you wish, say, if you think a whole pound of bacon is a bit outrageous.  We do not think in those terms. Ever.

The green toes are significant.  "A toe? I can get you a toe.  I can have a toe by 3:00."

      Saturday evening we headed off to Harrah’s to eat at the buffet, put some money into slot machines, and attend the concert.  I ate prime rib, shrimp, crab, and steak in order to get my money’s worth.

      The concert venue was small and intimate.  We had a large booth so we could all be together.  This is a good thing because we cannot do anything without commenting on it to one another.

        Jeff’s daughter Jessie, opened for him.  She has a sweet voice and just released her first album. 

      Then Jeff Bridges came out and captured our hearts.  We called out to him all through the evening.  “Tron!” “I love you, Starman!” and of course, “Dude!”  

Someone hollered for him to “play some Eagles!”  He told us that the Dude didn’t like the Eagles, but he does.  He also said that he finds himself at parties with members of the Eagle’s band and he always catches some flack. (If you haven’t seen The Big Lebowski, you don’t know what I am talking about.  You should see it!)

A person who must not be named told him he’d buy him a White Russian. The Dude drinks White Russians all through the movie. Some people play a drinking game and drink one every time he drinks one.  I should imaging no one playing the game sees the final credits.

      After our weekend, we all confessed (on facebook) that we were having withdrawals from the family.

     

Mikey and his beautiful wife Paige

     

The Dude