The forces came together at the river, with the regulars, past and present, on deck, metaphorically and physically. The riverside deck of Yanni’s Too in New Baltimore is a summertime pleasure, this time hosting our sixth visit since we first visited ten years ago. The forecast heat and humidity was ameliorated by the deck roof while a measurable southern breeze plowed along the river and across our tables.

 Seafood-centric, Yanni’s Too maintains a menu as wide as the barges on the river are stout: the house specialty of calamari, two soups (chowder, of course), five salads, six bites, five sandwiches, two hamburgers, six fried baskets, and eight entrées.

            Add to that their additional specials of eight drinks, ten appetizers, and twenty, yes twenty, entrées. Not finding something you would like is near impossible, and the busy-ness of Yanni’s is testimony.

            Three of us ordered a special – the seafood Cobb salad, a ten inch bowl of lobster, crab meat, & shrimp cocktail, bacon, avocado, blue cheese crumbles, cucumbers, tomato & red onion over mixed greens with a side of balsamic vinaigrette – an eyeful of a visual. The other seven of us found choices that looked promising and mostly delivered.

 Drink orders of coffee (guess who?), beer on tap, soda, gin & tonic?, wine, and water kept us cool on a humid early afternoon. And, yes, I said afternoon, a first for DP8, in danger of acting like LP8. Convenience of schedules and tending to Kalli were the deciding factors.

 Service was adept and a good reflection on Yanni’s.

 The bill per couple ranged from $50 (one drink, two entrées) to $100 (two+ drinks, two entrées).

 The drive to and from with the Adamses, and the two hours at the table allowed us to catch up and to tell more stories even if most of us find out tidbits on Facebook.

 The big story was the inclusion of Tim & Judy, regulars with DP8 from 2002 to 2013. Although physical distance causes regular interaction to become sparse, it is always a pleasure to dine with long-time friends.

 The second story, almost overshadowing the first, was Deb K’s broken wrist. A cast and a likely operation will certainly make regular summertime operations a challenge.

 Other topics included: the well-being of Kalli; a rare lunch date for DP8 in 22+ years (the third after Happy Jakes and Otesaga) , and one that some of us liked; a massive ship structure was waiting on shore a few hundred yards upriver at the Coeymans Yard; a much longer than usual stretch of air-to-wear weather – very warm, humid, and uncomfortable; regular golf outings for the Karneses (until the wrist); Deb T’s art show at the Greenville Library; a bit of family turmoil and new housing; the doings of our children; the doings of our grandchildren (can use the word “our” with the Adamses present); Kriss enduring another bout of Lyme and Bell’s; Ken enduring treatments and waiting for test results; flat house sales in Florida; personal pools getting good usage this summer; regular bicycling for Don; reminders of Finger Lakes and wine-tasting; the challenges of house-keeping; excellent gardens this year; a trip to Peru; the Adamses considering a move to the DC area; and a host of smaller topics and chit-chat that make our dinner dates entertaining and value-enhancing.