Party with perhaps no guests

last year

last modified: last year

Here's the invitation I created for Kevin's birthday party for next weekend (without full address and phone numbers). His birthday is the 16th, but he wanted the party on a Saturday. I emailed invitations to everyone I knew in Palm Springs (sadly not that many) and included our real estate agent, who had told me earlier that he would invite his friends so that we could have something of a crowd. He had invited me to a party about two blocks from our house that was well attended, and I liked all of the people there. However, when I sent him the invitation, he responded with regrets saying that he would be in Idaho that weekend for his grandmother's 100th birthday. If he does not come, then his friends would not either.

I also posted the invitation on Facebook (for friends' viewing only), but I don't have that many friends on FB (I rarely go there anyway), and only one who is in Palm Springs. He is a film maker that I met in San Francisco in 1982, but I haven't seen him in 40 years. I did send him a personal invitation and told him to invite friends, if he will be in Palm Springs that weekend.

I did not put RSVP on the invitation, to make it more casual, but so far, no one has told me that they will attend. Most of the people we know are in L.A., or much further away, and we've mostly only had contractors and workers at our, and mostly not for entertaining. Kevin has friends at work who live only about an hour's drive from Palm Springs, and he said possibly some of them would drive in just for the day.

I do not think it would be easy to get hotel reservations in Palm Springs for that weekend, since it is peak tourist season and may also be Spring Break. Also, it will be St Patrick's weekend, and some people may be going to other cities for that, according to Kevin.

I'm not exactly sure how to prepare for this party. I do not want to have too much food, but I want to have enough. We will be going back to L.A. the Monday after the party.

I plan to make a fair amount of pizza dough and store most of it in the fridge. Then if more people show up, I will have it. If I have excess dough to use, then I will make some flatbread to have with hummus that I will be making. I'll also make bean dip and probably a bleu cheese dip, and I think these will store easily, if they do not get used up. I hope there are still lemons on the lemon tree in our patio, but I'm taking some anyway.

What would you do in this situation?

If anyone will be in Palm Springs that weekend, message me, and I will give you the correct address!

Featured Answer

sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)

last year

A month or so before the Superbowl i decided on a pizza party. Good choice. Easy to prep for and customizable. I ended up making 8 but preparred for 12 pizzas and a paket of grocery Siete garbanzo bean tortillas just in case. (a good friends wife avoids gluten). Two teens loved making their own. Extra credit i made homus, guacamole, a mild cherry tomato/basil salsa and a kick-hot green salsa. A big shaved salad--fennel, celery, cucumber, pickled red onion. Big bowl of arugula and basil for finishing toppings. DH was preparred to make a batch of nachos if needed but the pizza is always a hit. I got lucky and had 10 perfectly ripe avocados.

We are perfectly happy celebrating holidays and birthdays just the two of us. Especially the past few years. The last thing i want in my home or yard is strangers, enevitably in my home, needing to use the bathroom. So many other ways to support your community without entertaining them at home.

My last big BBQ was pre-pandemic. LBGTQ. My close friends are artists, writers, actors, muscians. My home is a 'safe' place for my close friends. Who knows where a strangers politcal, social norms fall. My ExBIL is racist, homophobic, and sexist. I have nothing in common with my sister but our relations/contacts are just once a year. Turns out my ExBIL was a fraud. Maxed out credit cards...the big fancy kitchen, the fancy car. The only Thanksgiving we attended he tossed a bag of two dozen locally made bisquits and the entire massive turkety in the garbage...i caught it in time and took it all back to my parents home. For next day breakfast sliders and stock/soup. My elderly mother is shy and whispered, "he always does that". He says, "left-overs are for po' folk"...what a red-neck. (sorry, small rant about racists)...i grew up in that screwed up small southern town. When my sister left, he had no income so had to sell everything.

That said, enjoy the small crowd, those you and your brother know, making pizza outside that you seem to enjoy and seem to have mastered recently. --i pre-baked my crusts 3-4 minutes each early that morning. Easier for our system. (colder outside temps and unpredictable weather)

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Comments (97)

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last year
I though the same thing. But I don't think Lars minds. However, just out of curiosity I Googled using three words and found his full name and biog. What does concern me rather is that, although Lars might not mind for himself, he has made some of his relations identifiable by association.
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
last year
last modified: last year
If you think there is too much personal private information disclosed in Lars' invitation, think again.

I have been very careful with everything whenever I do anything with the internet, but if I Google my name, I find information about where I live now and where I live before, my age, my work, my profession, my friends, my family --------- .

If the Pentagon's system can get hacked, and you expect privacy?

dcarch
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Lola Bojackie
last year
I bet you can't find anything about me. If you knew my real name, of course you could. But I'm 100% anonymous here, using a screen name. Lars disclosed his street, along with photos of a pool. Google satellite view can provide his exact house, just using the partially obscured address + looking at the shape of the pool and its associated pergolas.

I don't expect privacy online, no - but I also don't post personally identifiable information on public forums where just anyone can read.
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
last year
last modified: last year
Lola, you should not have posted what you did.

I found out the first second Lar posted this thread based on the exact same method you described. I did not say anything to Lars. While this is not a very sophisticated method but I did not want some not so sophisticated nasty criminals to know. Now the whole world knows.

May I suggest to you to please go back and re-edit your response?

Thanks.

dcarch
Lars thanked dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
Lars
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
I do not have a blog, and so I am not sure what you found.

If you found anything online about me, then that information was already available.

I used to have a web design business, and my full address was available online at that time.

Because Lola described how to get my address, I edited the invitation.
martinca_gw sunset zone 24
last year
Lars, you and Kevin are two of the nicest brothers I have ever met. Have a beautiful party…for 10, 8 or 2! …and a big Happy Bday to Kevin.

Marti
Lars thanked martinca_gw sunset zone 24
annie1992
last year
Happy Birthday to Kevin, Lars. I wish Michigan were closer, I'd come and bring my swimsuit. Being from Michigan, 80F is like bathwater, plenty warm for me!

Hugs to both of you. I like small parties better than I do big parties, so I'd be happier that way anyway. No matter how many guests, I am quite certain that the food will be delicious, the host(s) will be gracious and charming and the drinks will be cold.

Annie
Lars thanked annie1992
l pinkmountain
last year
I had a "porch warming" party when I moved into a new neighborhood some 20 years ago. Invited some friends and all the neighbors. The only people who came lived 50 min. away. My neighbor kept opening her front door and giving us dirty looks. That was an eye opener as far as how friendly my neighborhood was. Folks either get entertaining or they don't. Wish I had more around my town who did. Some folks have never been to a party outside their own immediate family and are not inclined to start. I never seen ANYONE entertaining in my neighborhood other than the occasional graduation party. This was before the pandemic. Perhaps some places are more friendly . . . Or maybe that ship has sailed. Hard to tell. Hopefully you will get to know even a few nice folks at your party. That would be a good start. I'd come in a heartbeat, YUM!!
Lars thanked l pinkmountain
Lars
Original Author
last year
Our neighbors in Venice had parties almost every weekend, and they invited us. I became fairly good friends with them, even though they were much younger, and I would give them a lot of leftovers that I would have otherwise thrown out. Since they were male college students, they very much appreciated this and would eat anything I gave them. I could see their small patio from my kitchen window and could hand food to them over the wall between my kitchen and their patio.

The people in Cathedral City have parties at Christmas, but they only invite their families.

Venice was almost too much of a party neighborhood, but the parties we gave there were always well attended.
sjerin
last year
A very Happy Birthday to Kevin. I think youll both have a fun time at the party!
Lars thanked sjerin
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last year
Biog. not blog.
Lars thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
sealavender
last year
Well, it sound fun to me, and I wish I were able to attend.
Lars thanked sealavender
Islay Corbel
last year
I think everything has been strange and different since covid. So many conventions seem to have gone out of the window. - like answering an invitation and saying what you intent to do. It does make life more complicated. Whatever you decide to do, you'll have fun!
Lars thanked Islay Corbel
agmss15
last year
Happy birthday to Kevin. I hope you both have a great day. And a lovely gathering! As many mentioned I wish muddy Maine was closer to sunny California. Did I mention mud? Mud season is starting here. Pizza, 80F and a birthday party sound wonderful!
Lars thanked agmss15
Lars
Original Author
last year
Marti, thanks! Kevin and I loved the party you gave, and it was great to meet everyone there. I wish we could do something like that, but our location is not all that convenient. Still, we will have a handful of guests - all Kevin's friends - but this was meant to be his birthday party, and he was the one that wanted it. I'm still not sure what I'm giving him - possibly just paying to heat the spa! He will be cooking the pizzas with me and will be happy to serve anyone who shows up.

We are planning our schedule for this week so that we will have everything ready with time to spare. Kevin wants to spend some time visiting the Desert X art installation, which should be fun and is close by. I want to visit Joshua Tree and see if it still has snow. It may have melted by now, but it is close, and so we can go there anyway.

Weather for our party is now predicted to be 77°, which should be very comfortable.

:Here's a video of one of the first pizzas we cooked on the Ooni oven:

We're much better at it now, and Kevin does all of the cooking. We also use a wooden peel to launch the pizzas instead of the metal one, as they slide off more easily, but we use the metal peel to remove them. You can see how quickly they cook.
l pinkmountain
last year
Anyone who misses this party has no idea what a great time they are forgoing! Jealous!
Lars thanked l pinkmountain
texanjana
last year
I love those pants, Lars. I would come to any party you hosted in a heartbeat if I didn‘t live so far away. I hope Kevin has a wonderful and fun birthday.
Lars thanked texanjana
bpath
last year
Happy Birthday Party to Kevin! How did it go?
Lars
Original Author
last year
As an update: two° guests showed up yesterday, and they seemed to have a great time, and Kevin was not too disappointed that there were not more people, but there was still a significant amount of disappointment. Actually, one of the guests was more upset that more people did not show up, but since most of the people that Kevin invited live in L.A., it was understandable. Some of them had been in Palm Springs the weekend before and were not ready to make the 120 mile drive each way so soon again.

Weather was pretty much perfect - about 77° in the afternoon, and so it was very pleasant to sit outside. The spa did get used.

I made quite a bit of food for the party, not knowing exactly how many people would show up, but I did cut back on the amount of pizza dough. I was going to make enough dough for eight pizzas, but I changed it to six, and then while making the dough, I divided it in half and stored half of it in the fridge, where it still is. I think I will freeze it, and see how that works out. At any rate, it's mostly flour and so not expensive.

Since I do not have a KA mixer here, I found the dough to be a bit difficult to knead - until I divided it in half. It's a 75% hydration and therefore very sticky. The first pizza was not a pizza but was cooked with only some olive oil and za'atar sprinkled on it - to have with the hummus that I had made. No one ate hummus, and no one ate the za'atar bread, but I'm okay with that.

I also made bean dip (which no one ate) and had some carrot and celery sticks plus some blanched broccoli to have with a Roquefort dip that I made. People ate some of the vegetables but only had the dip with the potato chips that I put out. In fact, the potato chips were what people ate most, plus the chicharrones that Kevin bought at Cárdenas yesterday morning. He also bought guacamole there along with tortilla chips, and some of that was eaten as well.

I'm fine with all the leftover food. I'll freeze some of it, and the rest we can have over time.

I made two Margherita pizzas, but the second one was just to use the dough and for us to have the next day. One of the guests had brought Vietnamese egg rolls (about two dozen or so), and I heated up six of those because I knew that was what he wanted to eat instead of pizza.

I did not take any photos - I thought it was too sad.
nickel_kg
last year
Well, it's too bad that more folks weren't able to attend. Maybe next time. I hope Kevin knows that everyone at the KT sends their birthday greetings :-)
Lars thanked nickel_kg
Jilly
last year
Aww, Lars. I’m sorry more people didn’t show up. But it sounds like you made it a fun and festive party anyway.

I would love your homemade bean dip! Bean dip is one of my favorites.

What nickel said — tell Kevin we all wish him a happy birthday!
Lars thanked Jilly
Lars
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
@Jilly, here is my bean dip recipe, which I make often. I first made it for a student ASID party in Austin. I had agreed to cater that party and created this recipe for it.

Texas Bean Dip
- 1-1/3 cup dried pinto (or red) beans
- 1/2 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 2/3 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
- 1 can RoTel tomatoes (10 oz.) or similar tomatoes, diced with green chilies
- 1-2 Serrano or jalapeño chilies, coarsely chopped (or 2 dried chiles de árbol)
- 1 tbsp dried oregano 1 tbsp soup base—vegetable or beef (or 1/2 tsp salt, to taste)
  Cook the beans your preferred method – I've been using a pressure cooker lately and follow the instructions that came with it. Drain the beans after cooking and discard most of the water.
  Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and process until the beans are pureed. I remove the seeds from the chilies but they do not affect the flavor. Add some of the bean cooking water if it comes out too thick, but you should not need more than a couple of tablespoons.
  Serve warm or cold with tortilla chips.
  Yield: one quart.
Jilly
last year
That sounds wonderful! Saving it, thank you so much for sharing!
Lars thanked Jilly
Ded tired
last year
Im glad someone came and it wasnt just you and Kevin sitting looking at each other. Too bad for the others, they missed some great food.
Lars thanked Ded tired
mtnrdredux_gw
last year
You were so sweet to do all of this for your brother, it sounds lovely. It is hard to host a party so far away, I get that. I am glad it was a beautiful day and leftovers are not too shabby!
Lars thanked mtnrdredux_gw
nekotish
last year
Disappointing for you I'm sure. 120 mile trip is a long way to go for a party, so that was probably the only reason more people didn't come. Sounds like you and Kevin will be eating well for a while!
Lars thanked nekotish
OutsidePlaying
last year
last modified: last year
Disappointing that so few showed up, but understandable for some. The food sounds wonderful and I’m sure Kevin appreciatednyour efforts immensely. Leftovers are always nice to have. Happy Birthday to Kevin!
Lars thanked OutsidePlaying
Fun2BHere
last year
Thanks for the update, @Lars. I was wondering how it went. I wonder if the low turnout might also have been the result of too much St. Patrick's Day drinking the night before. Just bad timing all around, I guess.
Lars thanked Fun2BHere
jojoco
last year
Happy birthday again to Kevin! Can you imagine if all of us were there? (I wish!)

You were there and made a grand production of it and that is what counts. And thanks foor the recipe--I can tell just by reading it that it will be great.
Lars thanked jojoco
cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
last year
I am sorry more people couldn't make it, but your food, the weather, and the use of spa (!) thanks to the weather all sound delightful. I am going to save that bean dip recipe, so many thanks for sharing. Enjoy those leftovers! You are not only a spectacular brother, but an outstanding host no matter how many guests show.
Lars thanked cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
Lars
Original Author
last year
Next time we will coordinate earlier with our real estate agent, as he has promised that he can get people in our neighborhood to show up.

It was kind of helpful to have a trial run, and I know better now how to deal with the pizza dough - I am going to need more containers for storing it temporarily. The ones I did cook yesterday came out very good, and so I'm happy with that.

The day before the party, Kevin bought some cushions for the outdoor dining chairs we have that came with the house:

We're glad we have these now, even if it was overkill for the party. Next time they will get used more, I hope.

Here's the kitchen the day after:

There is a pizza with only one slice missing - which I ate this morning.

The lemons on the table kept falling off the lemon tree while people were close to it in the spa, and so Kevin collected them and brought them inside. He said they made quite a sound when they hit the patio, but these lemons have a thick skin and are not damaged.

I'll post some more photos later. I only took photos after the party.
lat62
last year
Thanks for the update, Lars. I'm so glad the weather was fine (no rain/snow from FNM :))

That the spa was used sounds delightful ! Is the pool still warm from heating it, did anybody use the pool (or is that the said spa?)

As I mentioned above, my son's birthday was the 16th, so it was fun to see and follow your party plans as we also pulled together a small gathering.

Your pizza oven looks amazing! Cool video :))
Lars thanked lat62
cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
last year
Oh my, I love your kitchen! Are the cabinets metal? I would give anything to find some perfect or near-perfect St. Charles ones for our galley kitchen in our 1960 home. Your outdoor space is perfect for parties and next one will be terrific, I am sure! Thanks for the update and photos.
Lars thanked cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
Lars
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
The pool is 68° now, and so it is too cold to use. I could have heated it to 78° (minimal temp for swimming), but I knew no one wanted to just swim. Weather has been 10° colder than normal for high temps, although the lows are not as low as normal, due to cloud cover and rain.

The kitchen cabinets are HDF and have a soft finish that looks almost matte. We had to replace the cabinets because the lower cabinets had rotted because of water damage under the sink (which also damaged the wall), and the upper cabinets were cheaply made builder grade. It is so much nicer to have new ones now.

The two party guests are the only visitors we've had since redoing the kitchen, and they had no appreciation of it. One guest asked if we had just painted the original cabinets.

I put some of the food back out for us to snack on this afternoon:

This photo shows the sewing machine cover I made a few days ago, using fabric that I bought in Fiji.

I made this magenta throw for the dining table the day before the party, using a scrap of fabric I found in my sewing closet that happened to be the size I wanted. All I did was serge the raw ends of the fabric, after squaring them up. I thought the serving dishes would look better on this than on the bare wooden table, and I had neglected to bring any of our tablecloths (and we have many) from L.A.

Three of the serving dishes came with the house: the Mexican hat, the tri-shaped glass bowl, and the Mexican three-bowl container with handle.
Fun2BHere
last year
Ready for Cinco de Mayo!
Lars thanked Fun2BHere
Lars
Original Author
last year
We also have the ingredients for Margaritas, but one guest said that she does not drink Tequila. However, she did drink everything else and became quite demanding for "shots" as she called them. At the end she said, "Give me a shot before I leave." I wasn't sure what she meant, but Kevin told me that she had recently been in rehab, and I guess it didn't take. She took an Uber back to her hotel, and she may have gone to a casino from there.
jill302
last year
Sounds like wonderful food, so sorry for the low turnout. If I had been in the desert, I would have loved to come by to meet you and Kevin. Hopefully another time. Happy belated birthday to Kevin.
Lars thanked jill302
mtnrdredux_gw
last year
I assume Kevin's birthday will be March 18 next year, too? It will be a Sunday. I can make it!
Lars thanked mtnrdredux_gw
bbstx
last year
…I guess it didn’t take...

Lars, you are a master of understatement! 😂
Lars thanked bbstx
plllog
last year
last modified: last year
Lars, the throw looks great with the dishes and really sets off the seats! Very cool vibe.

@cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA), I don't know if you specifically want authentic, or the price, but there a couple new companies making metal cabinets, one, at least, who do powder coated. I've only seen their website, but I was impressed with Moya: https://moyaliving.com/
Lars thanked plllog
Lars
Original Author
last year
mtnrdredux_gw, Kevin's actual birthday is March 16, but he wanted to have the party on a Saturday.

We'll be back here next year, and so you are definitely invited for his next birthday party! Maybe I can get the planning started a month or two in advance, and maybe people can come here for that.

We also tend to come here for my birthday, which is three weeks before Kevin's and always happens during Modernism Week. So far, I do not know of anyone on Houzz who has come to Palm Springs for Modernism Week, but it is worth visiting at least once.

February and March are when most of the event happen here.

Desert X is going on now (March 4 - May 7), and we visited a couple of the installations in Palm Desert.

This one on Thursday, Kevin's actual birthday.

This one on Friday.
foodonastump
last year
I'm just skimming this thread, sorry you didn't get the turnout you wanted but it sounds like there was still fun in your gathering. I watched your pizza oven video - Wow! I always thought you were exaggerating the speed of that. Couldn't believe it.

Sorry if I missed the explanation but it's seemed to me you and Kevin go back and forth as you wish. If your birthdays are close and you want parties and most of your friends are in LA, why not have the parties there? Even if you just went back for the weekend it seems a lot easier than having everyone drive four hours round trip.
Lars thanked foodonastump
Lars
Original Author
last year
The original idea was to have Lucio (our real estate agent) and Jon invite their group of friends to our party here so that we could meet more local people. Also, and I wanted Lucio and Jon to see how our kitchen turned out, and the party was a lot about the kitchen, since I just finished at the end of December. Kevin has a couple of friends in Cathedral City, but as it turned out, they were out of town last weekend, like Lucio and Jon.

I'm kind of over having parties in L.A., and it is a lot more work there to get everything ready. Also, we have a larger lot in CC with more room for an outdoor party, and the weather is better here in March than in L.A. In April or May, we could have a pool party here, which I think could be fun. There is the newness factor here that we don't have in L.A.

Kevin was the one who wanted this party, and he wanted it here, thinking that some of his friends would show up. A lot of them live between L.A. and Palm Springs, and so the drive to here is not much different from the drive to our house in L.A.
foodonastump
last year
Makes more sense than I originally read it!
Lars thanked foodonastump
Lars
Original Author
last year
This was the first party we've had at this house, and so it was a learning experience. This house really is set up better for entertaining and parties.

We closed on the house in June 2019, and then I started renovating the pool, which needed to be resurfaced. After that, I did both bathrooms, replacing both tubs with walk-in showers, which we really like. Lucio told me that no one takes baths in Palm Springs, and we have the spa in case anyone wants to soak in hot water. I don't think any children live on this street. The setup we have would have been great for vacation rentals, but the city banned all STVRs the month after we bought the house, and so now we are the only ones who use it.

We've had a few house guests here - we do have a guest room - and one has visited twice. The others were my sister (and BIL) and one niece, who visited last August.
sheesh
last year
last modified: last year
Lars, we eat lots of pintos in various iterations. I never thought to use Rotel in dip, though, but I will later today. Thanks!

While I’m here, excuse my nosiness, but as a fellow “sewer” who admires your work greatly, I wonder why your serger doesn’t also have a beautiful cover. It must feel like a poor step-child… :(
Lars thanked sheesh
texanjana
last year
last modified: last year
Lars, I am sorry that more people couldn't attend Kevin's party. It sounds like it was lovely, and what a kind thing to do for your brother. Thank you for that dip recipe-sounds delicious. Your pool area looks very inviting!
Lars thanked texanjana
Lars
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
I haven't gotten around to making a cover for the serger, and I only made the sewing machine cover last week, although I've had that sewing machine for 30 years - it is a Viking Husqvarna and was made in Sweden. I've been using the plastic cover for it, but since it is now out in a public area, I decided that the old plastic needed to be covered. I've draped fabric over the machine in the past, I'll think about making a cover for the serger.

I make my bean dip on a regular basis and use it to make burritos, tacos, taco salads, migas, and tortas, as well as just a dip. Sometimes I heat it with cheese for a dip - it is especially good when warm.
sheesh
last year
Thanks, Lars. Frankly, my machines are just draped in cloth, too. There are so many other things to make!
Lars thanked sheesh
cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
last year
OT: pillog, thanks for that. I had totally forgotten about Moya. I did find them a few years ago, but didn't redo the kitchen. It needs to wait another year nayway, but now I will remember them! Thanks so much!
Lars thanked cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)