Judy Green and Monica Collins slice pies in preparation for a lineup of hungry visitors at the Pie Social.

Phew – Up on the Middle Fork John Day River, we are just recovering from last Saturday’s pie over-indulgence. We had about 80 pie aficionados – ranging from small-fry to senior citizens, and everything in between – drop by the Boulder Creek Ranch for our annual Pie Social.

The official count of pies was 37, but I think a few more didn’t get logged in. It was a lot of people and pie to keep track of.

The coveted Golden Pie Server (the people’s choice award) went to Carolyn, whose multiple-berry spectacular was splendid. She confessed it had a secret ingredient (vodka!) although we couldn’t detect it … and we didn’t think anyone needed a designated driver after eating it.

The pie-cutting crew, led by Judy, had a daunting task, but they were up to the job. And we couldn’t have done it at all without the engineering talents of our out-of-town guests – Brenda, Jon, Edith, Mike and Ron – who puzzled out a patchwork of tarps and poles to provide shade for the diners.

The afternoon was all about pie, but a special flavor came from the Bend’n Strings bluegrass band, enticed to attend and entertain by band member and neighbor Karen Lillebo.

Everyone enjoyed the sounds, the pleasant weather, and the calories. We’re already tweaking the plans and looking forward to next year’s event. See you then!