Thanks to many factors, the church "congregation" grew substantially over the summer, and attendance was pretty regular. We also had occasional "guest" parishioners. We had begun having services at outdoor cafes whenever we could. I think that this delightful circumstance attracted people like flies.

Early in the summer, church began to evolve from just a sit-down dinner to a whole-evening experience. We started throwing in a leisurely trip to Washtenaw dairy for dirt-cheap and damned-fine ice cream. This dairy is a legendary neighborhood hangout which draws patrons from all the surrounding neighborhoods, and stays open until 10 p.m. at the height of the summer.

Then one night, there was an art gallery we just had to see. After that, no one really wanted to go home, so we had non-alcoholic beverages at a coffee shop, and when we closed them out, we retired to an on-campus mall. We sat by an elaborate fountain and joked around and talked some serious talk until late into the evening.

We had several services at Conner O'Neil's, and extremely popular Irish pub. Their outdoor seating was terrific, though difficult to come by sometimes, and the food wasn't terribly expensive. Conner O'Neil's is the home of Guinness beer in Ann Arbor.

One of our Conner O'Neil guests was Chris Attarian, a member of the old crowd of which Ian, Jason, and Michael were members as teens. Unlike some teen cliques, this one has lasted well into adulthood - these guys are in their early-to-mid thirties now. It was a blast to have Chris there - we had a damned good time, and apparently, the fun just rolled on after Ian and I left.

Josh Wright was also a guest - but at a swankier sidewalk cafe. This was Cafe Palio, an Italian restaurant, where the sidewalk tables had white table cloths, and one did not leave the table for under $30 or more without having had "the works". That night we'd gotten a table for six, and then squeezed three more in as people just dropped by. Josh was also part of the old crowd. I found him mesmerizing simply because he looked to me like John Malkovich. I have to say that that night was one of the most memorable of the summer. As the evening wore on, the red wine flowed freely.

Another memorable night was at the Full Moon sidewalk cafe. We'd actually already eaten at Sabor Latino (indoors), but then Bill had showed up as we were rounding up money to pay the bill. Since no one really wanted to go home anyhow, Sabor hadn't served alcohol, and Bill was really hungry, we set out in search of a sidewalk cafe with enough room to accommodate what had become a rather large crowd.

The Full Moon sidewalk cafe was a great location, and we had a hilarious time. The food was pretty bad, so I don't think we'll go back. Otherwise, we had plenty of people, and most of them were in a randy mood, so the talk was dirty. I felt bad for the poor couple sitting next to us - they were probably trying to have a date. But we probably ruined that.

In addition to the night we had church at Ian's and my house because of my bike accident, we had one other church evening at our house. Our house is great for church because of the screened-in porch. We can be (sort of) outside without having to endure the bugs we'd get if we were really outside.

As summer evolved into autumn, and the temperatures began to fall (as did the rain), sidewalk cafes became a thing of the past. Attendance has dropped, although we still occasionally reserve a table for six only to have to find room for three more late in the game. We are trying different venues in order to appease different pallets and pocketbooks. But the days of all-evening church are rare now. The only one we've had recently was when we went to Jason S' place to watch the movie "Hero" after eating at Arbor Brewing.

I am looking forward to the return of summer for many reasons, but one of those reasons is so that we can return to the days of glory - the days of feeling like we were part of the Ann Arbor "scene". Staying out late on a summer night in a town that's just bursting with energy is an experience that is difficult to replicate in any other way.