A PORCH PARTY

from Valdosta Magazine - Summer 2020

Valdosta Country Club’s Couples Golf

Friends Family Food

As much as things have changed in the past year, some things never change. The love of friends and family and the comfort of good food that helps bring us all together is a constant in our lives. And, it has been strengthened over the past few months. Once again, this issue focuses on our thanks for the “…food before us, the friends and family beside us, and the love between us.”

Friends, Kim & Bubba Highsmith and Carly & Dude Thomas, on the Thomases’ front porch for a “Porch Party.”

A Porch Party

Life Needs More Front Porch Moments

STORY BY MATTIA GODDARD PHOTOS BY WES SEWELL PHOTOGRAPHY

When the world ground to a halt in March, everyone found themselves home. Home alone, home with family or in some neighborhoods, home with close family friends right down the street. Carly and Dude Thomas spent quarantine with their family and close friends, Kim and Bubba Highsmith. Because they live so close together, seeing each other daily became their quarantine routine. It began with morning walks in the neighborhood and progressed to enjoying the pool as Valdosta heated up. They grilled together and began a family game night. Kim and Carly made

Bingo and Family Feud interesting by organizing actual prizes. The competition became fierce, the quality family time, priceless.

Carly and Dude were overjoyed at having their two college children home. Kim and Bubba got to have their eldest, Madison, home from the University of Alabama as well. There was quality time spent doing loads of yard work. Their youngest, 13-year-old Elliott, with no school to go to, began heading to work at the shop with his dad.

The Thomases’ front porch is a perfect spot to gather with friends. With a charcuterie board, and specialty cocktails and wines from The Pour House, serving pieces and décor from Perfect Settings, and a vase of fresh flowers including white hydrangea, white stock, sword fern, and silver dollar eucalyptus from The Flower Gallery, it’s easy to plan a porch party. Carly and Kim settle down with a specialty cocktail from The Pour House served on a white Melamine hostess tray from Perfect Settings.

Colby, a sophomore at Mercer, worked out with Parker Highsmith in the family gym. Both young men are D1 athletes so keeping fit during this downtime was a priority.

“I knew that having my boys home from college for an extended period was a once-in-a-lifetime gift,” Carly said. “Once our kids are off at school, we don’t get them back under our roof. This was a special time with the whole family back together that we did not take for granted.”

The two couples, accustomed to dining out, quickly switched gears and began planning home-cooked meals. Dude's grilled chicken thighs and steak fajitas were popular favorites. Kim and Carly would make the sides and a simple cheese tray for the group. After dinner, the two families would enjoy impromptu sing-alongs, with Dude on the guitar and his children joining in on guitar and vocals. Dude said, “It was just like when a storm comes through and knocks out power. Everyone and everything slows down. That’s what happened at our house.”

Vivian said, “I got to reconnect with my brothers who were home from college. I also got to spend time with Madison who is like a sister to me.”

Setting up drinks on a tea cart draws attention to the serving pieces and creates a unique drink experience even in this intimate setting. The specialty cocktail, a raspberry shandy, made just for the occasion, adds flair, excitement, and color. Specialty wines provide guests something new to try. The Cranberry Wine from Pasek Cellars, in an acrylic ice bucket from Perfect Settings, is a musttry from The Pour House.

The Thomas kids, Grayson, a senior at Alabama, Colby, a sophomore at Mercer, Vivian a sophomore at VHS, and Elliott a 7th grader at VMS, and the Highsmith kids, Madison, a sophomore at Alabama, and Parker, a senior at Valwood, all spent the spring and summer bonding over card games, billiards, yard tennis, golf, and fishing. They enjoyed finding new things to do, plus plenty of sleeping late and sleepovers. Madison baked homemade chocolate chip cookies almost every night then walked them over to the Thomases' house to share.

As much fun as the two families had, they also celebrated several milestones while in isolation. Grayson turned 21 and, in between keeping up with on-line courses and studying for graduate school exams, celebrated in a far more subdued way than most 21-year-olds would’ve liked.

RASPBERRY SHANDY from The Pour House

Ingredients:

• Pour House Fresh Squeezed Raspberry Lemonade • Pour House Raspberry Syrup • Fresh Raspberries • 2 oz. of Raspberry Vodka • Georgia Beer’s Raspberry Blonde

Muddle the raspberries in the bottom of a glass, fill with ice, and then add the lemonade about halfway. Spoon in a little of the Pour House Raspberry Syrup and top with Raspberry Beer. Add fresh raspberries and mint sprig to garnish

Al fresco dining has become especially popular this year. Having various seating groups allows guests to spread out and enjoy their own space. This seating area is made very comfortable with a Turkish Towel throw, and a flower arrangement from Perfect Settings. The serving pieces include Juliska acrylic iced beverage glasses, and a Tobacco Leaf tin plate on a white Melamine tray, which are all perfect for outdoor and indoor parties. To fluff your space, pillows, from Perfect Settings, are an easy way to change the mood and show your personality.

“We found unique ways to do different things than what we were used to that added more value to our lives. We were all conscious that with so much going on in the world, we were grateful to be able to spend time together.” – Bubba Highsmith

Vivian turned 16 in quarantine and was one of the new drivers who got her license without the usual birthday road test. Parker, who is ranked second in the state of Georgia for Junior Amateur, 2020, made his D1 scholarship selection without an official tour. He chose the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to continue his golfing career. Colby was leading his Mercer baseball team in home runs when their season got canceled in mid-March.

As the months have progressed, gradually everything began opening up again. Carly reopened her pediatric dentistry office, employing Vivian and Madison as she adopted new patient screening processes. Parker is on the golf course. Colby is back to playing baseball.

The college kids have returned to campus. Vivian and Elliott will soon begin school, but one thing is definitive, each of them has lifelong memories of the quarantine of 2020.

Kim said, “As the summer winds down, we miss having all our kids together, but we are glad they can get back to school and sports. Parker is looking forward to his senior year because he’s missed his classmates and the routine of everyday life.”

The Pour House also makes decadent dessert trays. Parker and Vivian sneak away with this dessert for themselves to enjoy on the front steps.

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