The Apple Butter festival

Even though apple butter is yummy, it wasn't the highlight of the weekend. I'm not sure what was-- too many really fun elements to narrow it down. There was the actual hot springs, from which I emerged with an unfamiliar sense of inner calm. So much that I was still at peace hours later, after that bout of horrendous restaurant service I'd alluded to in an earlier post (not to mention some interesting restaurant entertainment, in the form of a local who shared his medical history with his table, and the rest of us, as his voice carried throughout the restaurant). We ended up at that place after failing to find appealing options in town. Another local, of whom we'd asked directions the day before, warned us against a pizza place that had stolen his house (he lives in a van). "Stay away from them," he said. "They'll nut-rub your food." When he told us he was local, P. suppressed a "really??" It was the nose-ring and strung-out hippie look, complete with the drum tossed over his shoulder, that didn't quite fit with the rest of the town.

Not an hour had passed upon arriving at Owl's Nest, the cabin we'd rented for the long weekend, that an "Idiocracy" reference emerged. Gatorade came up, and I naturally thought, "it's what plants crave!" It wasn't until the next day that I (almost) got a chance to reference Zoolander in the course of playing Taboo. Since I almost did, I got to actually do so by talking about how I almost did, and then Alex further enabled me: what was the underwear reference in Zoolander, he asked? I got to talk about the walk off! I LOVE the walk off! Of course, that would not last as the most memorable board game moment. See, Allen composed a poem. More accurately, a very bad example of one, that had me literally ROTFLMAO.

Owl's Nest wasn't just a catchy name: owl paraphernalia abounded, to be discovered by the hour. Owl imagery adorned mugs, hot mitts, wall decorations, cutlery... you name it. The place also had hideous faux-wood panels. We loved it.

But now it's back to work.