We took Saturday and Sunday off.

On Saturday, we had a big potluck dinner. Most of us crammed into the kitchen, carefully managing our limited space and cooking utensils to create a pretty amazing spread. Me, here's how I kicked things off:



This is what all that broccoli ended up going towards:



In addition to that, I took a cue from James and Amy back in Texas and cooked up some black beans and quinoa. Barlow gave it the Spiral Diner seal of approval.

Joe, meanwhile, was up to something special.







Most folks don't know that not only is Joe an ace filmmaker, he's also a keen baker. But we'll get back to him in a minute. First, here's what Jess and Issac brought over.



I just want to say here that I was really touched by how conscientious people were about my diet. I'm pretty used to just not eating much in a lot of filmmaking situations, but everyone here went out of their way to make things that I could eat. This pasta, for example, was amazing. And Kris set aside some of her Southwestern Pasta Salad for me before she added any cheese and dairy. And Amy's greens were to die for.

But enough about that. As everyone finished making their food, Joe took the piece de resistance from the oven and set it on the windowsill to cool:



Great things are worth repeating:



By eight o'clock, we were all starving and ready to eat.



And shucks if hanging out in the kitchen with everyone, cooking and talking and such, didn't feel as much like a family gathering as any holiday meal I've ever been too. I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else in the world.



Afterwards, almost everyone went to see Jo (who filmed her scene on Friday) play a show at Pete's Candy Store. I stayed home, though, so I don't have any pictures from that. Everyone rolled back in around two or three, and maybe it was something in the food that kept all of us up whispering and laughing, slumber-party-style, until the wee hours of the morning. And by all of us I mean Amy and Tipper.