Tonight was the Navy Birthday Ball at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. We arrived late (it began at 6:30, the same time Shabbat ended). It's like prom night at the Academy. Everyone dressed to the nines, women in leis.
The lei is much nicer than a corsage. Our dishes were glass and kashered, all wrapped in saran, waiting for us. Food was brought in. I believe it was Mon Cusine, microwaved, but nice, a fruit plate for dessert.
Our arrival was perfect. We missed the speeches, but arrived in time to sit down to dinner. We were placed by the door for an inconspicuous entrance, but that meant away from SUBPAC. After dinner, toasts to all. There was an odd one to our Commander-in-Chief (President Clinton), not as respectful as it should have been, but then again, we're far from Washington. This was followed by toasts to the Four Forces, followed by the cake cutting. It's traditionally done by the oldest and youngest on the force. We schmoozed with SUBPAC then had pictures taken and off to home.
All in all, a lovely night out. Next year I hope we can sit with SUBPAC and do a little more socializing and networking.
