The social event of the 2009 season

Last year, I took you all along to the social event of the season. Everyone seemed to have a good time, so I thought I'd take you along again.

This soirée is held annually at neighbor Frank's place to mark the occasion of his and neighbor Juan's birthdays.

Here's birthday boy Frank with Cousin Larry. I could listen to them swap stories all night long.



I never did figure out who this fellow was. Shame on me, but I was captivated by his braided mustache with the blue rubberbands holding the ends together.



Here's the other birthday boy, Juan, holding his own at 82.



Juan held court on the benches that edged the dance floor. A few of his buddies were well into their first bowls of green chile stew, trying to stay warm.



Now this guy with the rattlesnake hatband is the reason there are no secrets in the middle of nowhere, New Mexico. Everybody around here, myself included, hires him to do whatever needs doin'. And since he works for everybody, everybody else knows what he's been doing and where he's going next. We may not see each other for months, but we all know each other's business because the resident hired hand keeps us in the loop.



I think Frank's dog may have remembered me from last year.



Everyone at the party was in a festive mood despite the wind and unseasonably cold temperature.



If you didn't bring a jacket, there were other things to keep you warm from the inside out.



Dancing seemed to be the preferred method for staying warm.



And watching other people dance and have fun can warm the soul, too.



Frank hires a disc jockey every year to keep the music flowing, and the dance floor is a deck off his front porch.



In these parts, helping Frank and Juan celebrate their birthdays is a fall tradition right up there with green chile roasting, and I feel privileged to be a part of it.