National Champions!

I had a long, lonely weekend, as Brian left town with three friends to camp in the wilderness. I still managed to get to my parents' for a backyard barbecue and had a couple friends over this afternoon to watch the Oregon State game and barbecue lunch. Sammy was here to spend some quality time with Erik, and he seemed more relaxed than ever around her. She played a little harder to get as well, except for the time she embraced him from behind as he stood eating his lunch and they went over backwards. Erik simply stared at the ceiling and kept right on chewing, which made me laugh. I barbecued shrimp and some chicken skewers served with spicy satay peanut sauce and a nice fruit salad. Brian's friend Ben will stay with us tonight. He is down the hall in the guest bathroom showering off the thick, protective layer of dust the desert left on him now, and Brian is downstairs packing the fish Ben caught in freezer bags and preparing a load of laundry. I have sorted and packed away their collection of leftover light beer, sausages, cookies, and chips. I made certain the Doritos and chocolates were immediately stowed away out of my sight, as last time I checked I was down 12 pounds! The boys looked homeless in their unshaven and absolutely filthy state from three days in a makeshift camp with no other humans in sight, but they were grinning from ear to ear like teenagers when they arrived. They are already talking of making this a new yearly tradition. There is nothing like having friends with a history that stretches back for decades, and I am happy to say I am lucky enough to have friends like that of my very own.

Now I must wait to hear the tales of their adventures. I am happy they didn't encounter any of rattlesnakes on this journey, but I get the impression there are even better tales to be told over our morning coffee tomorrow.