Celebrations

It has been nice to be home this past weekend to spend time with local friends. The past two weekends have been filled with birthday celebration and weddings #5 and #6. The first was my friend Colt's wedding at a Lavender farm in the picturesque Shenandoah Valley.

"A Lavender farm? Really Scott? That isn't very manly. I expect more from you."

Don't worry. The men wore flannel ties, there were mountains in the background, the groom was literally named after Samuel Colt's famous revolver, and the father of the groom goes by the name Snake. Try an tell me that isn't manly. Enjoy the pictures.

The second wedding was my friend Taylor's in Charleston, SC. I've never enjoyed Charleston before and I'm convinced that after last weekend and with the exception of June and July, I could live there. The Live Oaks, Spanish Moss, abundance of porches and amazing restaurants, walkable atmosphere, and waterfront views make Charleston a gorgeous place. I forgot my camera so the internet will provide all Charleston pics.

Taylor's wedding was at a country parish surrounded by these Live Oaks. If you know me, you know my love for anything country. The reception was what was really over the top. It was on Seabrook Island, a place I'm not sure I could ever afford to even breathe in. The view of the ocean and estuary was magnificent, full open bar, and delicious food. I know you are asking me, "Did you dance?" Heck yes I did. There was a wedding band, led by Issac Hayes' daughter, Heather. It was almost more like a concert. Her crew was awesome. Great food, great people, great cake, great dancing, great weekend.

Back at home, my roomate got a dog. His name is Spot and is an Australian Shepherd/Blue Heeler mix. He minds me so good, unlike Jobie. He is really chill and only gets excited at 5:00 am and at the first of the 3 of us to return from work. He is a great running companion, only making me look dumb when he zig-zags right in front of my legs. Halfway into our run today I stopped in a field to run some sprints. His slight yelps of encouragement made my urge to vomit a little more bearable. He almost never actually barks, only whimpers in sadness when we all leave. I guess that's a little separation anxiety. The best part: he doesn't poop when you take him on walks. I made it a life goal awhile back to not have to pick up dog poop. I'm higher on the food chain, so I feel entitled not to do that. So (knock on wood) I haven't had to pick up any of his feces yet. Lord willing, that trend will continue.

Hello college football

I had to take a break. I was worried that my hasty emotions following the recent collapse of Hokie football would be spewed all over my blog. You deserve better than that. With that said, the fact that Hokie football runs through my veins requires, at the least, that I provide my thoughts regarding current Hokie status. I was worried this past Monday that I would receive some pokes and prods from those at work and I was right. I never thought I would say this, but I would be ok with a coaching change. I've grown up with Frank as my standard for college coaching, so it is hard to go against what he says. With that said, I've never been a fan of Bryan Stinespring, our offensive coordinator. I liken his play call decisions to many a college freshman's alcoholic consumption decisions: irrational and dangerous. I'm not football genious, but I think that if you are ahead of a team (Boise St.) and have 3rd and 7 with 2 minutes left, run the ball and punt. Don't attempt a stupid low percentage pass, giving the other team a full 2 minutes with which to work. I feel bad for Ryan Williams, a preseason Heisman contender, who can't get yards with these poor play calls. If you want me to talk about JMU, forget it. I might say some things I regret. Jim Weaver, if you're reading this, please hire some new coaches and then resign. You have made plenty of poor choices in your career at VT as well. Put Bud in charge and find somebody who knows what offense is. Stinespring recruits well so make him the recruiting guy. Do something.

In other news, my fall hockey season kicked off last Thursday. Our best players got moved up into the A-league, leaving our team weak. I used to be at the bottom of the talent pool, now I'm a little above average. That's not good. We won our first game 2-1 because the other team didn't have any subs. We lost last night 8-0. I take some blame because I went to Golden Corral beforehand. Don't. Do. That. Ever. That decision was about as smart as the aforementioned Bryan Stinespring choices. We have a girl on the team, a 40ish woman. That isn't weird, but the fact that she shares a locker room with us is. Enough said.

Goodbye Maine

I'm sorry I haven't finished my Maine trip yet, but I'm sure you have made it through ok.

August 13, Day 6

Today is our last day in Maine. Tomorrow morning at 315, we will begin the journey home, this time bypassing the big cities and the $30 in tolls. Today's big adventure is a kayak ride. We rented tandem kayaks with our JMU friends, Lauren and Molly. They are starting their own vacation adventure and were gracious enough to spend their first day with us. We kayaked out of Bar Harbor to some of the surrounding islands. Due to my clumsy nature, I left the camera in the car. We saw a Bald Eagle, did some climbing, skipped a few hundred rocks and ate a picnic lunch. I even got to paddle up to a lobster boat and watch them in action. Not exactly Deadliest Catch, but fun nonetheless. Bar Harbor gets its name from a land feature that is dry at low tide, and submerged in 4-5 feet of water at high tide. Fun fact, let's move on.

After throwing some frisbee and relaxing in the local park, we spotted the Bar Harbor brewery offering free tastings. Only their blueberry ale is sold down south, so it was good to sample their full line. I also still had a few culinary goals to meet. Blueberry ice cream and real clam chowder. We had clam chowder one night on the campfire, but canned just isn't quite the same. After a few restaurant searches turned up high prices, we found a local bar with some great deals. Real clam chowder and a fried haddock sandwich. Todd and I had agreed beforehand that today will conlude with blueberry ice cream.

So we walk into "Ben and Bill's" ice cream shop and my senses are instantly on high alert. The sights, sounds, smells were overwhelming. They sold so many types of food: chocolates, toffee, fudge, ice cream, gelato, etc. I noticed the folks behind the counter didn't speak english and they didn't acknowledge my presence as I had a laundry list of flavors I wanted to sample. Eventually I realized that Ben and Bill only hired eastern Europeans. Weird. Finally after much effort, a nice girl from Bulgaria named Krasi helped me through my sampling. I knew I'd settle on blueberry, but those other flavors aren't going to sample themselves. Thanks to Krasi, I have good ice cream.