Featherside '12 -- The 26th Annual Fowl Ball

September 15, 2012

Your host and hostess, Barry & Belle (VD)

Dedication

This year's party was dedicated to the memory of my Black Swan Hoot and Belle's best friend Kodi, who both passed away this year.

Hoot was 16 when she had a stroke (the swan on the pond is her replacement, Zephyr); Kodes was taken by lymphoma when he was only 6 -- Belle & Kodi are under a table in the restaurant where they met and had their first dates

The Photographers

Amy Fall (AF), Andy Woodruff (AW), Barry Koffler (BK), Bob Hirschberg (BH), Bojan Petek (BP), Joanne Hudela (JH), Joyce Valenti (JV), Liz Thompson (LT), Myrna Figueiredo (MF), Paul Hunnebeck (PH), Stefan Lisowski (SWL), Stephanie Charles (SC), and Vasudha Donnelly (VD)

If you've got any good photos, please send 'em on to me.

Note: A lot of the "portraiture" is at the very bottom of the page -- you might be there!

(VD)

Folks and Food Arrive!

Bob's got his good parking space, as usual (BH)

Johnny B, Tall Todd, and Jo and Suzanne arrive (VD, SC, VD)

Hi Vasudha, Hi Margo (JH)

Hi Karen P (JH)

And here's Diana, after all those years! (SC)

The Feeding Frenzy begins

(BH)

(VD)

(BH)

That looks good (JH)

Wow!! I didn't see these (JH)

raw fish? (JH)

Dedication! Patrick F is grilling swordfish for our pleasure (BH)

Blake is on the job in the kitchen, keeping it all together for us (SC)

Liquid Refreshments Were Also Popular

(BH)

Blair and Henning & Esther were quite sure what they wanted to drink (BH)

Clearly, Carl was undecided (BH)

I have to admit I have no idea what Linda, John V, and Jean-Luc were up to here, but it seems to have to do with liquid refreshment (BH)

Doug M and Pat F may have overdone it a bit (JH)

Eating and Socializing

Alex F, George Z, and Roger dug right in (VD, BH, VD)

Stefan, Madeleine, and Manfred weren't far behind (BH, BH, VD)

Ed, Joanne, and Leslie & Andy (SC, BH, VD)

Jane, Bruce, and Johnny B (VD, BH, BH)

Jimmy and Gil, Larry, and wow, I had time to grab some dessert (BH, VD)

Some folks relaxed while eating, like Charlie & Myrna and Mimi & Liz (VD)

Others were not so relaxed -- I think Sven's worried about competition (VD)

Robert & Peg, Bojan and Paula B (BH, SC)

Raven, Terry K, Patti (BH, BH, PH)

"What is this thing?" -- Susan (known to friends as Rodetis) (VD)

Oh, right -- gotta feed the band! (VD)

Just hanging out and socializing

(MF)

(PH)

(JV)

(BH)

Blair, George Z & Vivi (was Debra), Carl & Lisa, Garrett, Sandy (AW, JH)

Doug H, Molly & Steve B, Linda, John V, and Liz B (VD, BH)

What's with the strange faces? -- Theresa, Bruce and Liz B, Carol K, Rochelle and Raina (JH, VD)

I don't blame 'em, after seeing those faces! -- Thane and Tall Todd (VD)

Rich C, Theresa, Bruce, Liz B, Mary Anne, Will & Wendy (BH)

Patrick F, Carol K, Sally, Max & Stefan (JH, VD)

Belle (who used to be such a "party animal") hung around for a little while, getting attention from Raven and Cindy (BH)

But then she went and hid out in the barn -- I truly believe she was grieving for her pal Kodi, who'd been her date for several previous parties (VD)

Nathan & Paige, Myrna & Charlie - who was Charlie winking at? (JH, MF)

Joanne and Margo, Danny & Judy T (JH, AF)

Raven and Bob H, Leslie and Sue R (AW)

Olivia and Gary, Megan J and Dominique, Kerissa (JH, BH, BP)

Tom Dy, Cindy, Judy W, Bobby, Carol G (JH)

Mary Anne and Roger, Tom Rip, Theresa, and Karen P (BH, AW)

Manfred, Tom Du, Doug H, Molly (what on earth is she doing??) & Steve B, Paige & Nathan (VD)

Terry v and Margaret, Blake and Raven (BH)

Tom Du and Stephanie, Maria and Jay (BH, JH)

The long and short of things -- Garrett and Arlene, Brianna and Nico (JH, SC)

Roger and Tim, Sally and Rochelle (JH)

Molly & Steve B, Red & Sue R, Molly and George Z (VD, AW, BH)

PJ & Martha, Rick & Alex P (JH)

Will, the birthday boy, and his friends, Will & Wendy (JH, SC)

Tom Du and Ralph, Henning and Pat F -- more questionable behavior? (BH)

Patti, Max & Stefan, Doug M and Karen P interacting with people; Mary interacting with a plant (VD, BH)

Marie and Jean-Luc, Sherrill and Mary Ellen (JH, AF)

Mark and Rhesa, Cris & Larry (JH)

George S & Ursula (VD)

Michael C is easily satisfied (VD)

Heading for the Barn

Gettin' ready! (JH)

Joanne and George Z stop to watch the geese (BH)

No comment (VD)

Before heading upstairs to dance, you can always check out those hungry avians (LT)

Margo and I teach a quick Two-Step lesson

They're linin' up for it!! (SWL)

Almost ready (SWL)

Teaching you to Two-Step using my new (and I'm still learning it) wireless mike (gift from my good friend Kitty M) (SWL)

GIRL HOWDY

(VD)

Betsy Dawn aka BeeDee (VD), Paula (BH), Karen (AW), Lisa (VD), Brian (VD), Billy (BH)

Let's dance!

(PH)

(JV)

(VD)

(BH)

Rich C and Kerissa, Bojan and Madeleine, Blair and Marcia, Amy F and Rich C (SWL, SWL, VD, SWL)

Mary Anne and Roger, Carolyn C & Pat F, Sue and Dennis, Cindy and Tom Dy, Bojan & Kerissa (AW, SWL, SWL, SWL, SWL)

Doug M & Amy F, Margo and Tom Rip, Sarah C and Roger, Dan & Judith, Blair & Carol K (BH, SWL, SWL, SWL, SWL)

Rodetis, Margo and Bojan (VD, BH)

Sophia and Dominique, Clare & Walter, Megan J and Dennis (BH)

Deborah and Larry U, Margaret and Terry v, Myrna, Carol G & Tim, Madeleine and Michael C (VD, SWL, SWL, BH, SWL)

Joe & Madeleine, Amy J, Carol G and Carl (VD, BH, VD)

Jean-Luc and Carol K, Martha & PJ (BH)

Sue W and Jimmy, Judy W and Pat F, Steve S and Megan J, Jo and Suzanne (VD)

Kerissa, Jeff and Vasudha, Jan J and Sherrill, Myrna and Rich C, Tom Rip and Rhesa (SWL, SWL, BH, VD, PH)

Raina and Tall Todd, Rodetis, Sue W and Robert (BH, VD, BH)

Jimmy and Sarah, Carolyn L and Paul H, Rhesa and Dennis (AW, BH, BH)

Sue W and Doug M, Nancy and Roger, Rick & Alex P, Jo and Jan S (BH, SWL, PH, PH)

Carol G and Blair, Doug M and Rodetis, Carol K & Blair (BH, SC, BH)

Margo and Steve B, Marissa (BH, VD)

Break Time

I think Mary Anne had too much fun (VD)

Michele, Doug M & Amy F, Pat F & Carolyn C know how to rest! (AW, VD)

The wall worked for Will, Mary Anne, Garrett, and Paula W (BP, VD)

(SC, VD)

Jan S, Olivia, and Fran (SC)

I'd say that Manfred, Gerry, Tim & Carol G had even more too much fun (VD, SC)

Detour to the House

Rodetis -- Don't ask (OK, I don't know the answer) (SC)

Nico enjoyed the fish (SC)

The fish being enjoyed -- on the left a Synodontis ocellifer (an African river catfish) and on the right a Julidochromis marlieri (a Lake Tanganyikan shell-dwelling cichlid) (LT)

Sunday

The first things I see Sunday morning

Jan J & Libby, Theresa (BK)

The sitting room floor (BK)

Coffee time! -- Stephanie and Theresa (BK)

Breakfast time -- Stephanie does the eggs (BK)

Gettin' ready to eat -- Stephanie, Rodetis, and Theresa (BK)

Linda, Stephanie, Theresa, Sandy, Dominique, Mike S, and Mark (BK)

Theresa, Libby, Jay, Linda, and Jean-Luc (BK)

Sandy packs her sleeping bag; Mike S helps, Theresa supervises (BK)

And now out for the chicken running

Wandering over toward the barn -- Michael C, Mimi, Judy W, and Liz T (BK)

Some of the chicken viewers -- Mark, Rodetis, Linda, Sandy, Stephanie, Mike S, Libby, Theresa, and Jan J -- for some reason no one took pictures of the chickens running this year (BK)