Lake Arrowhead 2007 Day 2

I woke up early. Couldn't help it. Normally I'm a very good sleeper, having perfected the art over many years of dilligent research and application. However, whenever I'm at Arrowhead, I'm too excited (and it's too sunny) to stay in bed once I've woken up. So I crept upstairs and read a little out of Three Cups of Tea, a wonderful book that I'll blog about at Exponent Blog my next time.

So, originally, the plan was for everyone to be ready to go for geocaching around 1000. Didn't happen. Most people weren't even awake at that hour, much less changed and eaten. However, Shimai J, GB and Laughtear were, and we reached a concensus that Shimai J would make a special type of pancake, for which we needed flour. Quick run to the store, and then we were ready to partake of the deliciousness.


Finally, the geocachers were ready to go. Gadget Boy, Shimai J, Little Red-Haired Girl and Girl Friday in one car, and Drummer Boy, HSAAL, Mr. Giggles, Super Man and I in the next (especially good times for Gadget Boy and myself!). GB had mapped out a bunch of caches in the area, and we'd decided to go for the ones with really good views, so we headed down the 173. The first cache was at a little trail area. We were searching for something just off the trail, near the mini-monument, located between a rock and a hard place. Shimai J found the first cache. We all knew it had happened when she gave a little shriek followed by a triumphant shout. She further distinguished herself by ingenuously unlocking a couple's car ... they'd locked themselves out, and were looking at a long wait for AAA before Shimai J came and rescued them.


The second cache prooved a bit trickier. On a hillside, with paths slipperified by a myriad pine needles. There was much futile searching. However, Mr. Giggles decided to use his noggin, and set about decoding the clues. Mind over matter, Mr. Giggles found the second cache of the day.




As for the third cache? Well, they really tried. However, the caching gadgets were giving widly differing coordinates that just didn't make sense. In the end, we ended up calling it a wash, and heading back to lay in the lake.

Back at the house, I changed into water friendly gear and headed to the lake, Drummer Boy following. Yikes! The lake was really, really low. The lake algae, which we could barely see the tips of last year, were laid out along the lake surface like seaweed grown too tall for the ocean. This wasn't a problem for DB, who only wanted to lay out, but much more problematic for me, since I wanted to get into the water. And while I have no trouble with algae on a theoretical level, I don't like to see it, much less be enveloped by it. So, we trolled along the trail for a deserted dock with a covered boat. Found a conveniently located (and unlocked) one toward the opening of our small bay, and settled in.

I didn't ever actually get in the water, but I did douse myself with water regularly whenever I wasn't hiding under the cover of my beach towel. DB and I chatted about sundry things ... cabbages and kings and how Mormons-who-don't-fit-in fit in the Mormon church. The more I meet MWDFI, the more hopeful I am that the doctrines I have trouble with are temporal and not eternal.

At one point, I thought I saw several people from the house by the trees near the dock. I waved, but they didn't see me, and I doubted myself. Later, we saw SM and GB in the inflatable rowboat launching the speedster remote boat they'd gotten at the electronics store (which boat spent the remainder of the weekend on the mantle of the house).

Hunger then drove us all back to the house, where we found Improv-er, who'd been delayed by church responsibilities. A couple of showers later, and we were all headed to the local ribs house for dinner. Unfortunately, the place was incredibly small ... our whole party would have overrun the place. Fortunately, they had just enough food for us, and we got everything to go, at a very reasonable price. As we were exiting the place to get some more drinks and sides at Jensen's, the last two cars pulled up. After explaining everything, I sent them back to the house to get the tables ready.

When Paintbrush finally pulled in to the house, I heard drumming from the front room. "Good! Everyone's in a fun mood." I thought as we walked to the door. When I walked in, after hearing the thunderous, "SURPRISE!" I almost screamed! Balloons and streamers galore for my birthday! Can't even say how shocked and happy I was. It was totally by accident that Arrowhead was the weekend of my birthday, and I'd long since decided not to make a big deal of it. And aside from some felicities from T-Diddy in the morning, I'd pretty much forgotten about it. But really, it was my Best Birthday Ever. Ribs with all the trimming. Two kinds of cake (WW had called ahead), and then the music.





After dinner, some people headed up to play Halo, but the rest of us stayed downstairs while the boys got out their guitars, harmonicas and percussion instruments. MM had brought up a mini set of bongos, a mid-size modern bongo, a large single drum with an African design, and tons of different shakers and percussion instruments. HSAAL started up an impromptu birthday song for me, during which Improv-er displayed his Skiiilllz, and where WW even took a turn. HSAAL lead Mr. Giggles in a guitar jam by calling out chord progressions. Drummer Boy reprised the Primary Song Blues, and lead in a special Emo primary song medley. We sang old favorites like Hotel California. And everyone just jammed along with all the different things in MM's bag of tricks. Honestly, this was my favorite part of the whole weekend.





Probably the most hilarious and memorable event of the evening was Gadget Boy's creative and innovative towel dance. We'd been bugging him about performing all weekend, and he'd been most coy and evasive about it. However, the wait was worth it. It was the most I'd laughed in ages!

Sometime around 0100, we moved to the kitchen and started playing Catan. With Improv-er there, WW's supremacy was definitely challenged ... he won three of four games. Again, I was contender enough to threaten, but not enough to win. At some point, Mr. Giggles and HSAAL moved their two-man riffing gig to our table, and entertained us until the end with jokes, riffing, and breaking out into song. I didn't uderstand the references for half of what they were talking about, but they were so hilarious that I was compelled to laugh along.

We stopped playing around 0330. Most everyone went to sleep, but MM and I stayed to catch up on year's worth of events. I hardly ever see MM during the year, so its always good to catch up with him in person at Arrowhead.