Sometimes it’s as much fun to set the table as it is to plan the menu and prepare the food. You don’t have to spend much time with me to figure out that my camera is my favorite accessory. For years I’ve used it to take pictures of beautiful table settings. It’s sort of an obsession, but one that I refuse to give up. We loaded our long folding tables in the car with some pretty old table cloths (another obsession- my kitchen curtains are made out of one of my grandmother’s table cloths), and a well-stocked cooler and off we went to Monteagle. Caroline met us and we were ready to get our dinner party together.
We resisted the urge to stop at a vegetable stand and buy some of the many fall hued chrysanthemums, and instead decided to see what we could find on a walk around the block. Our walk provided a treasure trove of wild asters, rose hips, goldenrod, pine branches, and pinecones. Like any Monteagle house worth it’s salt, the cupboards were stocked with fabulous mismatched antique dishes. A survey of bookshelves and bedrooms revealed gorgeous old candlesticks. We made flower arrangements in wine glasses, collected acorns and moss covered branches in the back yard, added a little flare with our menu cards, and viola, the table was done. Caroline said it was like a page from an Anthropologie Catalog, but I thought it was even prettier.
The guests arrived looking like a million bucks and enjoyed appetizers on the front porch. We moved to the back porch for dinner and with the candles lit, and a bunch of beautiful college students sitting around, it really did look like a movie set. The night was a perfect, plenty of stars, a bright moon, and with just a hint of chill in the air. The guests lingered for a couple of hours over dinner and finally, when it was bedtime even for college students, they reluctantly went home supplied with generous leftovers for a Sunday afternoon snack. This week they’re all taking midterms, but at least they have a good memory of a really fun Saturday night to tide them over till Fall Break. And I have pictures of another beautifully set table.
