The "Other" Margaritaville

    Adare Drive, Fairfax, Virginia, from 1983-1986 was where it was happening.  Truly one of the best addresses we have ever owned.  We resided on a "pipe stem" which was different from a cul-de-sac.  The pipe stem shared a mutual driveway (down a slight hill), then branched off to five separate driveways to five homes, just like fingers on your hand.  Think of your palm as the “common area” in our little neighborhood.

    There was always something going on – something fun!  Five houses, nine people, a few dogs, and we all got along.  It was a new development, and as one couple moved in, they were properly welcomed and invited to a BBQ with libations or iced tea, and then the gatherings began to grow, until all five homes were occupied.  There was a book publisher, a dentist, a gas/oil executive, a retirement planner, several military officers, a school teacher, and a budget analyst.  

    We celebrated birthdays, 4^th of Julys, promotions, new car purchases, wine tastings, NFL games, NASCAR races, and gathered for a Kentucky Derby party.  One of the neighbors graduated from the University of Kentucky, so of course he hosted a Kentucky Derby party, complete with mint juleps, and a betting sheet.  What fun!  

    Progressive dinners were one of our favorite neighborhood pastimes.  We would start at one home for drinks, move to the next home for hors d’oeuvres, on to the next home for the salad, the next home for the entrée, then the final home for dessert.  One evening we stayed at the hosts’ home and played Trivial Pursuit until 3 o’clock in the morning!  You could not play with your spouse or significant other and that made the teams much more exciting. 

    Other neighbors up on the main streets looked down on our pipe stem with curiosity and amazement and wondered what all the partying was about and why couldn’t they participate?!  Well, they didn’t “belong” to the pipe stem.  We were special.  They had their neighbors to the right and left of them and across the street.  We had our little group and we liked it just fine.

    And from this wild, wacky, wonderful group of friends developed over a 3 year period, was born Jay’s frozen margarita.  He is now known world-wide for this delectable treat.  The recipe is still well kept, except for a few close friends, who finagled the ingredients.    

    The housewarming party at Christmas was amusing as folks who never drank margaritas were finally convinced to try one.  Once they sipped that frozen concoction, well, they were easily won over.  And they asked for seconds, and thirds…..The best part was that Jay made two different varieties for Christmas – pitchers of red margaritas and pitchers of green margaritas, both with the exact recipe.  But, you guessed it!  After several drinks, the guests decided the green margaritas tasted better than the “unnaturally” colored red margaritas. 

    The frozen margaritas became the “house” drink for every family celebration, every neighborhood party.  “Where are Jay’s frozen margaritas?”  the gang would ask.  “Don’t worry,” I’d say.  “There are pitchers in the freezer and the cooler”. 

    When Jay received his military orders for his final assignment before retiring in San Antonio, the pipe stem gang threw us a farewell party.  And it was over the top.  One of the fellows had small rockets that he shot into the sky, we had the traditional more-than-one-could-eat selections of food, and of course, Jay’s frozen margaritas.  Thanks to our gang, they invited my parents and sister and her sons from Pennsylvania to attend.  So it was a happy, but sad farewell.  And the “margaritaville” banner stretched across the volleyball net – priceless. 

  

    (My Mom is front row, left side; Dad is in the middle of the Margaritaville banner, with Carl Savage between his legs; Kathy Savage is standing at the far right behind me and Jay, with Mark Savage on my lap).

    For the first few years after we relocated, we kept in touch with the neighborhood until the couples  finally moved away (several were military and got re-assigned), but we still are in touch with our favorite neighbor who is also a Dallas Cowboys fan.  He and Jay drank a few pitchers of frozen margaritas one evening during Monday Night Football.  The drinks were so smooth, you didn’t know what hit you – until the next morning.  I remember buying lots of aspirin while we lived there….

    To this day, we have never had the camaraderie in any neighborhood like we did in the “other Margaritaville”.  Time and time again, we’ve had some neighborhood gatherings, but there were lots of little children, the homes were not close together (country development), and large age differences.  On Adare Drive, at that time, at that place, there was that dynamic combination that only comes once in a lifetime, and boy, did we make the most of it. 

    When we tell friends about the “pipe stem”, and all the great memories we have there, I wonder if they really believe us.  That’s okay.  We have priceless memories, and photos.

     Oh, yes, and there was one Saturday we all pitched in and sealed our driveways – together.  The girls stirred big five gallon buckets of sealer while the guys spread the gooey black liquid with huge squeegees.  One of the pipe stem gang was enroute to a wedding, in tuxedo, but he stopped for a few minutes and squeegeed along with the guys.  We all stopped and waved at the folks on the upper road, slowly driving by, wondering what that crazy “pipe stem” gang was up to now?  And yes, there were frozen margaritas at the end of the day.