JUST A HIPPIE GYPSY

Yesterday's #10 Reverb


Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.

I can not talk about the reunion party with the Frat brothers over and over. I did have a heck of a good time at the reunion party with the High School I did not attend and mainly because I was with my BFF from Florida. I had a fabulous time at the surprise 50th birthday party for my brother-in-law. And then again there was the Hayride party! Now that was a hell of a good time even though we showed up at the tail end of the party but we started part II which continued well into the wee hours of the morning. We had numerous impromptu gatherings at the Eagles Nest all summer, they were fab. Maybe somewhere in the next 20 "challenges" I can elaborate about each them. But the best party aka social gathering of 2010, is the same one of 2009, and before that 2008 and all the way back to maybe 1998 (I could have the year mixed up) when my brothers and sisters, sometimes Mom and Dad and some special invitees & extras and more recently, long lost cousins gather together. Yes, I am talking about the annual four day week-end at the lake house held each year in June (thought we had to have it in Aug in 2009 because of scheduling problems).

I look forward to it every year and every year it never lets me down.

The early years brought the inception and execution of Treasure Island when a boat load of young children first made way to an abandoned island (courtesy of TVA) and hunted buried treasure with a pirate map! What was found? Jewelry and dinosaur bones, dolls and board games! Oh the treasure you will unearth by being able to follow a map and decipher clues. One year a bottle of special tequila, made to look old and decrepit, was hidden (as a joke for the major Trouble maker) and found by his young son who said, "Yuck" and proceeded to toss it with all the might of a seven year old intent on smashing the horrible looking liquid. My other brother in law, quick thinking and fleet of foot and prepared to take one for the team, made the ultimate sacrifice of diving full length to catch the expensive bottle before it crashed into a tree. All the loot, and a limping slightly boat captain, made it back with a ton of fabulous prizes.

And then, they grew too old for such games and in boredom invented a game called "Smash everyone with the heavy wet soggy water balls as they bounce up and down on the water trampoline and try to swim from said trampoline to the dock." It sounds complicated but it was about 15 minutes of total hilarity with screaming and splashing and smashing and then more! The other brother in law, all six feet six of him, standing on the dock with his back to the floating island of young super shots, shaking his large butt at them singing "Na na na na na, you can't hit me....na na na na na." He was ultimately taken out and down by 10 kids!

Then as night falls and mosquito's come out we retreat inside the house to play charades, the most anticipated and discussed game of the week end.It is always a random pick for teams and you always have a mix of young children (keep it clean guys!) with college aged kids and then, of course my Mother (when she is there). The kids are relentless and take no prisoners when it comes to making it as difficult as can be "picks". For example, pink fairy armadillo in the animal category.

The one that stands head and shoulders above all other charade years was a Movie category, "Moonstruck". Yes, my mother got mooned and was laughing so hard she couldn't get "Moonstruck" out, even though she knew the answer.

I look forward to it each year. It can't come soon enough and it passes like the breeze over the lake.

It is easily the best time of year and the best times of my life. Family.