It wasn't strawberry-rhubarb, it was chocolate cream pie.

The party was a pretty good time. We played volley ball, horseshoes, ate lots of barbeque, plenty of kelaguen, lumpia, brownies, kimchee, and soda and beer. We had door prizes and music.

Then it was time for the pie-in-the-face event. They auctioned off the right to push the pie in our faces. The auction was a riotous event. Our boss, the commander, was very active in the bidding. My partner in crime, the other branch head was auctioned off for $16. The CDR paid and gave the right to the branch head's wife. I went for $21. The high bidder was the father of my young intern. He gave the right to the intern. And the other person, the woman who set up the pie-in-the-face event, went for $26 to a coalition of people. The other brach head was first. We gathered around as he perched himself on an overturned bucket. His wife stood beside him and after some good natured banter she carefully pushed the pie into his face and slid it up on to the top of his head.

And then it was my turn. I stepped up to the bucket and remained standing. The intern stepped up to me. I was threatening him with dire retribution if he went through with it. He pretended to stumble and the pie went into my face. I caught the pie pan before it fell. Everyone was laughing. The intern was bent over he was laughing so hard. I reached over with a handfull of pie I'd scraped from my beard and patted him on the head. Then I took the pie pan and chased a couple of the people who had voted for me.

I was barely able to see. I had pie in my eyes and dripping down on to my shirt. I could barely make out the tiff when the woman was pied. She apparently tried to share the wealth with the woman who delivered the pie. Everyone was laughing and having a good time.

The tug of war, which I expected to be more organized turned into a rout with everyone from upstairs on one end of the rope and the downstairs people on the other end. Those of us from upstairs trounced the downstairs group. I tried to shanty but the gang was so rowdy and everyone was laughing, shouting, falling down and staggering back to the rope that there was no hope of a shanty being heard.

After all the excitement I got my 12 string from the truck and found a quiet spot to sit and play. One or two people joined me. There was a breeze blowing in off the water and it sighed in the casuarina trees. Boats and ships sailed by in the harbor. It was a lovely day and a beautiful evening.

I left the party with a plastic bag full of BBQ. When I got home the neighbor's dog, Spaz, was chained out front. I tossed him a few pieces of meat and made his day.

Good day over all.