Eric and I made a TON of Brunswick Stew, Eastern NC style BBQ, and cornbread for la Día de la Bandera (Flag Day).  We spent a good part of Separation Day (Tuesday) cooking 6 pounds of ground beef and pork together with two whole rotisserie chickens for the stew, plus 5 big pieces of pork and three batches of cornbread.  We ended up feeding 18 people, most of which ate ALL day long, just as we had hoped they would.  At least four people told me they were taking breaks from their diets for the day because they just couldn’t pass up food this good.  I love it!  Check out the quantity of food we had…and this doesn’t include the additional huge pot of stew we left in the fridge:

We were glad to see so many smiling faces and shocked that we went through so much food!

Later that night – and I know this will surprise you all – we had a roda.  Jorge and Jessie had an epic battle.  They each took each other to the floor once, then went again…and ended up calling it a draw.  It was incredible.  Both of them are great capoeiristas.  Marcus (the American who joined me for Fashion Week last week) even joined in as one of the few non-CDO folks in the crowd and held his own pretty well considering he’s never trained.  He’s in good shape, had plenty of energy, and knew a little of what to expect, all pluses.  He’s a lot of fun, and capoeira is always better when you’re smiling while you’re playing.

I also played with Lourdes, who is a huge challenge for me because of her high energy and aggressive style.  She’s also just plain incredibly skilled.  That’s one thing I love about capoeira – it’s new and different every time!  There’s always a new challenge.

All in all, it was a great day with some dear friends.

Around 9:45 pm we left for the airport, leaving behind the remaining guests to guard the leftovers while we picked up Eric’s parents from the airport.  We’re excited to have them here!  Today we’re off to Casco Viejo (the old city) and then Eric will show them the Canal while I go to capoeira over at the Canal Administration building.  Tomorrow we’re heading to El Valle de Antón, a mountain town that I’ve mentioned before where it’s about 10 degrees cooler.  We’ve rented what looks to be a beautiful house with a pool for a good price and we’re looking forward to a relaxing weekend.