Afterwards...

I ended up taking the rice after all, the almost the entire pot (3 cups of rice originally) was eaten up, so I guess people liked it, though it was burnt at the bottom instead of crisp, mushy instead of having each grain distinct, the way it was supposed to be. But I am very glad I went.
The house in which the party was held was exceptional. It was facing the ocean in Capistrano, overlooking it, really. When I got there this afternoon, a circle of multicolored sailboats were gathered directly in front of the window, like a painting, and every wall was covered with plein air oils (0riginals of course). There was art in every crevice, from carvings taken from Mexican and central American churches, to museum quality Chinese ceramics and Japanese bronze sculptures, to painted tile covering every surface, and it was eclectic, but somehow all harmonized wonderfully.
We had a tour from the host, who is a businessman and collector of art, a good one, with a very strong eye. He said that his wife's parents had lived in a house on this lot, but the house burned down about 28 years ago, killing his mother-in-law. His wife wanted to build a house there, so he dreamed one up. He designed everything, even a little room adjoining the bath for drying underwear or bathing suits. He said that usually when one imagines something and then realizes the dream, the actuality generally leaves something to be desired, but in the case of this house, which he built in the unbelievable space of one year, the actuality was far better than the original imagining. I can believe that, because this place was as close to perfect as any I could imagine.
It was a Spanish hacienda, two story, with wonderful carved doors and nooks everywhere where a person could sit and read or simply look out the window, and a wonderful jungly garden in the front of the house. I am very glad I went to that party.
Usually I am not impressed by opulence. I have been to many beautiful homes that could have been in House Beautiful, but I could never imagine living there. This place was different. It was like visiting a museum for living. And the food was good too.