(Most of the pics are already on FaceBook so this will be a relatively simple writeup.)
The Olean crew arrived nice and early on Friday afternoon, having enjoyed an extra day for their ride out. Their expectations were that they would get into town by 5 or 6. Well, their arrival was a bit earlier than that; about 3 hours earlier, to be exact. But that’s ok, we still had some running around to do and didn’t get a chance to get over to the hotel to say hello until 5 anyway. From there, we shot up to Chickie Flynn’s for eats and drinks. After a number of hours (and rounds), it was time for some of us to excuse ourselves while most of the crew went back to the hotel to play cards. Cindy and I were two of the folks opting to put the partying on hold - it’d been a long week and we needed some down time before the following day’s festivities kicked off.
The following morning dawned bright, warm…and early! Stupid brain – can’t sleep when there’s so much excitement in the air! But no time for contemplation – we had to go meet up with the cooking crew for breakfast. We tried a new place this year; one down near where we were getting the pig from. General consensus is that we won’t be patronizing them again, but no matter; our bellies were full, and we had a fun-filled day laying ahead of us.
Back at the house, we set to knocking off the myriad of last-minute things that always pop up for something like this. And before long; folks started to trickle in. I always get a bit nervous when the crowds don’t rally early, as there is a ton of food being prepared, but each year, the crowds don’t let me down. This year was no different, and by 4 o’clock, there was a sea of smiling faces, both in back, and out front.
And speaking of out front, the excellent weather brought out a grand showing of bikes. I didn’t do a count, but the driveway was filled with them. Some coming, some going, but mostly staying put (until the wee hours, that is).
The one downturn for the day was when the new bathroom in the basement became plugged up. Compounding things, the bathroom upstairs became plugged up a few minutes later. McCarthy and Lovenbury jumped into action on the downstairs one and I managed to get the upstairs one working (much to the relief of the female guests). The downstairs one took much more time and effort, as it was the ejector that was jammed. We had to yank the manhole cover and get to the pump itself. After a bunch of nasty bailing, some dirtying of tools, and a trip to home depot, they managed to get things working again. Then, it was bleach time! (McCarthy wisely handed the cooking duties over to Scott, as we were pretty sure the guests did not want to see the guy who was just elbows-deep into the septic issue, then handling the food they were eating. There just isn’t enough bleach in the world to appease some folks.) Huge, huge gratitude to those guys for diving into a nasty situation and fixing things for me!!
Thankfully, the rest of the day was issue-free, and there was much enjoyment to be had. There were compliments aplenty about how good the pig was, not to mention the huge amounts of food that others brought with them. Oh, and the luge selections? Outstanding this year; I have enough liquor left over to officially open my basement bar now. Sweet!
As dusk began to settle, it was time for the Moment of Silence, followed by the Toast of Life. Participation in the Moment of Silence was excellent this year, with a number of folks tossing names out, and that was very nice to be a part of. After the brief bit of quiet, we roused ourselves with a hearty rendition of the Toast. It always brings a lot of smiles from the first-timers, as they’re surrounded with those that know the words.
Then it was time to kick back. Or perhaps “step back” is more appropriate. Step back from the fire, for this is the moment that the pyros have been waiting for; they get to kick up the fire! A couple pallets, a bunch of branches…all good fuel for the flames. But these guys had their eyes on something more; they wanted my picnic table! Ah, what the hell. It’s 11 years old, has been fixed more than once (and was in sore need of more fixing) – sure, go ahead, have at it. But instead of simply setting it onto the fire, they sought height in their creation! They stood the table on end, so the flames would be all that higher! Thankfully (in my mind, anyway), the table collapsed early into things, leaving the disgruntled fire-feeders to pile things back onto the fire, but in a shorter stack.
When the flames (and the heat) had died a bit and it was safe to approach the firepit, Jerry pulled up a chair and recited some stories for us. It was an excellent way to wrap up the day. Thanks Jerome!
By now, things were getting late and folks began to depart in larger numbers. It’s what happens after a long day, and it’s not entirely unwelcome to the hosts. We had some much-appreciated help with the cleanup from many folks, and by the time everyone who was leaving had left, things didn’t look too bad at all. Cindy, myself, Bill and Tara tossed a few more logs onto the fire and collected our thoughts on the day. We were just getting ready to turn in, when we began hearing giggling from out front. Tara took a stroll up the side and peered around the corner…then came running back down. “All I can see, is legs!” she informed us. Ha ha, someone was getting lucky out on my lawn! Oh well, good for them. For us, though, it was time to turn in. As tradition dictates, it was time to grab the luge and toss it onto the fire. (For the record, we found out the next day who the fun-loving couple was and it didn’t involve anyone you might be thinking of. I won’t put their names into this story, but we were happy for them that they had fun.)
The next morning, we were up early again, more cleaning and straightening up, then off to meet the Olean crew for their departure breakfast. Some more laughs and good memories, then out to the parking lot for the customary departure picture. Hugs and handshakes, and they were off (word I’ve received so far indicates they’ve had mostly sun-filled skies and are doing well on their return trip home).
We locals mosied back to the house and mulled around a bit, wondering what we were going to do with our day. Sustenance is often needed for this sort of mulling, and soon someone cracked a beer, followed by a second person cracking one, and then we all had one in our hands. The day was clear and warm, and I had shade and a picnic table…and cards. So we set to polishing off the frosties that my prior day’s guests had been kind enough to leave me. Ahhh, sunshine, friends and laughter. If I tried real hard, I might be able to think of a better way to end a great weekend, but I would have to think long and hard on that, and that’s just too much work (not to mention; open to some debate).
A few pics for ya;
The Harley birthday cake that my baby got for me. At least she didn't make everyone sing to me...this time...
The bastards broke my wheelbarrow!! :-D
So another successful year has come and gone. My best-guess at attendance, both from memory and looking at Facebook pics, is 118. Down a bit from last year, but the 2nd highest yet, so not too shabby at all.
And there you have it; the 2012 Cinco de Roasto!! Now it’s time to get ready to ride! In 4 days, we leave for Rolling Thunder!!
Ride Hard, Take Chances!!
No comments:
Post a Comment