As a perk of premium membership on Slow Travel. I get this cool blog! Travel, planning more travel, especially to Italy, reading about travel, cooking, eating, entertaining, jewelry-making, scrapbooking, and endless hours on Slow Travel/Slow Talk, keep me busy enough. I also am a licensed Marriage, Family Therapist, and I supervise a number of interns who are working toward their license.

I have no idea how to begin a blog, so I will jump right in with a major event, a Slow Travel Desert GTG at our home in Palm Desert.

As I had such a good time attending my first couple of GTGs and meeting other Slow Travelers face-to-face, Brad and I decided to host on October 28. Preparations began when we returned from Italy in September. I posted the idea, set a date, and soon I had over twenty people saying they would attend. I planned the menu, and asked guests to bring an appetizer or wine/prosecco.

I had lots of fun thinking up creative ways to decorate for this fall party, using fall colors Italian dishes, and the Slow Trav logo whenever possible. I painted pumpkins for the table with nametags, and set three tables for dinner in the back yard. There was the “Sunflower Table”, the “Lemon Table” (the first dinner served on the Positano tabletop!), and another sunflower themed table for six.

I decided we needed something “extra” to do for fun. We planned a Slow Travel version of “People Bingo” as a game, I wrote new words to old songs for entertainment, and when I heard that Kathy Wood was able to fly in from Tennessee, the idea of a “Mystery Guest” evolved. Everyone could guess who would be attending that was not local, and it would be a contest with a prize.

Now, about those songs! I didn’t want to get up in front of everyone and sing by myself. I needed backup girls! I asked Kathy (Teachick), Kathy (Kaydee), and our neighbor, Diana, to “sway” behind me, and sing the chorus. Gail flew in for the party, and made the perfect fourth, and at our first (and only) rehearsal that morning, Palmabella and the Slowchicks came about. Kathy B. choreographed the group, I provided blue and green scarves, we all wore ST hats, and taped the letters S-L-O-W on the backs of the “Chicks”.

The party was a great success, with great food, a wonderful group of fun people, and Pauline’s video camera to introduce the Slowchicks to the world!

Party photos

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