Weekend to end all weeks

***Disclaimer: This post is a mostly factual account of our weekend and contains very few (if any) humorous or interesting bits. Proceed with CAUTION.***

Labor day weekend. Alice and I celebrated by laboring diligently...to PARTY like it was a national holiday!

We started our weekend off with a short camping trip up to Lake Jennings. It was hotter than reheated H-E-double hockey stick up there. We drove up there Friday evening with Matthew and Malerie Weed and Peter and Rachel Hawkins. Had a little tin foil dinner, a little peach cobbler, a little oppressive, mind-melting heat, and unfortunately, no swim in the lake (it is a drinking water reservoir and the rangers are apparently familiar with some of my more unsavory swimming habits). This campsite was unusual in that it is situated in between several neighborhoods and a Jack-in-the-box. There was also an elementary school style playground right next to our site. But the camp atmosphere was restored with a few burning pallets and dutch oven cooking.

Then we drove the 2o min back to our place the next morning. We polished off Saturday with a little stint at the temple.

The Hawkins invited us over for dinner on Sunday so after church we made a berry upside-down cake to bring with us. Alice found the recipe in Better Homes and Gardens. I didn't realize it was in the 'Healthy Food' section until it was too late. I was already half way through mixing the batter. I loudly proclaimed that there was no way this cake could taste good, coming from the 'Healthy Food' section. Alice mostly ignored my complaints. It didn't turn out too bad. Not our best dessert, but still edible. The Hawkins made a meat lovers pizza and a pesto pizza with pears, prosciutto and Gorgonzola. We washed them down with virgin Sangria and ginger ale.

On Monday we packed in as many activities as is humanly possible in order to maximize the unofficial last day of summer. I got up at 5:30 and went surfing. Then we went to the zoo for two hours with the Weeds, the Hawkins, and Nick and Jenny Wegner. We saw a polar bear fight and swamp monkeys picking on an otter (monkeys are apparently mischievous in real life as well as in cartoons). Then we went to the Original Pancake House, which is not actually the original Pancake House, but merely one of many copies in a chain of restaurants all claiming to be the original. The food was superb, even if it wasn't original.


To the beach we ventured next. Soaking up some cosmic rays and being healed by mother nature, as Malibu would say (thanks for the link, 84rkr). A little body surfing was done under the tutelage of Matt Weed, a semi-pro body surfer well known for his incredible distance.

After the beach, we all came back to our place for Matt and Malerie's signature homemade ice cream. After a long weekend with the Hawkins and the Weeds, we probably know each other too well. Alice thinks I'm lucky they are still talking to us after some of my shenanigans.

It's hard to come back to work after an action packed weekend like the one we just had. But Alice pointed out a silver lining: our offices have air conditioning. Alice is considering putting a Costanza cot under her desk to avoid sleeping in our stifling apartment. Maybe she can make it a double cot.

P.S. Thanks to Matthew for the fine pics.