Summer Adventures

For the past few years, since we've been living in separate states (or countries), my best friend, Brett, and I have made it a point to get together every summer. We usually try to have some sort of memorable adventure. However, though we can usually remember the adventures, the details of chronology have begun to blur as time goes by. Hence, the need for a short chronicle:

1999 (NYC)

Met in Chicago for a couple days in late April--I with my mom and aunts, Brett presenting at a psych conference.

Went for a week to NYC in mid-May as part of a spring term theatre and dance class (the last class of my undergrad career). Watched a number of Broadway and off-Broadway plays, including Death of a Salesman, Stomp, Fosse, Art, and Cabaret at Studio 54. Also went to a 3:30am opening-night showing of Star Wars, Episode I at the Ziegfeld Theater . Completed the Dark Tower walk, noting the sites and having lunch at 2nd and 43rd (the center of the universe).

2000 (Europe)

Spent much of April at old Theta Chi in Alma.

Most of May, Brett and I backpacked Europe--our greatest adventure to date. Rode the Eurail, and visited Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungry, Italy, France, and the Netherlands again. Managed to come in under $25/day for all expenses except transportation. A great many memories in such a short time.

June and July: spent the summer at Brett's doing (or at least, trying to do) webwork and preparing for the move to Hawai'i; worked for Brett's mom out at Glen Lake school; a lot of afternoon Sunfish sailing; Jesse; Jenny got married; Erin; first Wild Weekend.

2001 (Canada)

[Me: Fiji and Australia in early June with my parents.]

Late July: second Wild Weekend. Early August: Canada roadtrip--from TC, up through the UP, across to Montreal, down through northern NY, into Toronto, and back through Alma. Mid August: the week of picking up Steve--the Farmers', Ali's, Steve's. Reunion camp-out at Steve's Quonset in TC after orignal beach camping idea called for rain.

2002 (North Manitou)

[Me: July in Abu Dhabi]

Early August: Camping at Baldy with Katie; legal herb. Sailed from Glen Haven out to North Manitou Island--the Sunfish's final voyage.

2003 (Evening at Steve's)

[Me: Fiji in early June with my parents.]

July: Fateful barefoot Sleeping Bear Dunes hike; cherry "hunny". Going down to see Steve in Ann Arbor, and the evening in Ypsi seeing Adam play, followed by a failure to ride the wave even after 2 hours of nursing it, but coming back for more, and then being oh-so-hungover at the Art Fair.

2004 (Ann Arbor)

July: In Ann Arbor--crashing on Becky's couch; great restaurants and beers; ear candles and Indian-in-a-bag; Frisbee and piglets at the park; Counting Crows and Cake, live; Becky slices her finger (and, meanwhile, Stacy falls down). In TC--Leaves of Grass reunion (except Jenny) at Mabel's; chipmunk in the bear cage.

2005 (Albany, TC)

July: In Albany--The Lionheart; Abbey, Lauren, and Cash; barBQs and my first dinner party; Diablo/Hellfire and D&D ("The Gantry Problem"); Cake and Tom Petty, live; Saratoga horse-racing; the over-valued "Million Dollar" beach and the Lake George hike of the flies; side trips to Boston and Montreal (jeans!); zombie movies.

Early August: In TC--goodbye to the 5th St. house of Brett's childhood and 13 of mine own summers; darts with Adam at Pete's.

2006 (Albany II, Boston, TC)

Early July: In Albany--Jackson and Maya; dog-park and river swimming; Matt's pool party; D&D(finished Gantry); Becky's quesadillas.

Mid July: In Boston--me at AAAI-06 conference for a week. Road trip there and back, including a day in Gloucester.

Late July/Early Aug : In TC--Brianne's wedding; days on the beach (with running!) at different points with Becky, Adam, Steve, Michelle, MomII; recovering the firepit; beers in town with Adam; an evening at Long Lake; D&D(thru Triumvirate Keep to portal, past a dragon and medusa into Elsir Vale); tubing the Platt with Adam; renting a 14' sailboat with Steve; a day on South Manitou with my parents and MomII.

2007 (Albany-TC III)

Late June: In Albany--barBQ at Matt's; the Wii is introduced.

Early July: In TC--a yellow sports car rental; frequent evenings at the Loading Dock with Adam, Steve, Pete; Wii; Mackinac Brewing Company with Adam and Steve ("balls and all"); Jenny and little Claire; Fishtown sandwiches; sailing with Adam; Brett's blue honu tattoo; D&D(taking out Skull Gorge bridge).

Late July: In Albany--music in the park; Oliver's (Beast and Samael); Wii; Holly and Brian's; smoking on the fire escape (and dancing in the kitchen); kayaking on the Mohawk; movies, Firefly, and Six Feet Under; D&D(evacuating Drellin's Ferry); CarnEvil and mini-golf with Charlie; road trip to the Atlantic coast and up to Ogunquit, ME.

2008 (TC-Albany IV - Summer of Wildlife)

Early July: In TC--barBQs and TV at Brianne and Pete's (Ninja Warrior; Code Monkeys; "Don't drop the egg"); the firepit revisited; Zach's bee-stung clubfoot; D&D(Drellin's Ferry ambush; road blockade); Mackinac Brewing Company visits; an evening of Warner at the Quonset with Adam; Steve's 4-day window; a "new" blue Sunfish and a single maiden voyage; Fishtown's delicious sandwiches (with otters); learning the summer night sky ("Delphinus!"). Breaking up the long road trip home with a stop in Ypsi; Fluffy/HMAW and Aunt Cherie's amazing sack lunch in the car.

Mid to Late July: In Albany--Brett and Becky's new red house; dogs in the backyard; Wii (Mariokart, Metroid, Resident Evil 4); lunches from the Delmar Marketplace deli, with Dog Whisperer; Brett's lyme disease; lazy TV weekends and grilling on the back porch; D&D(into the marsh); afternoon pool and darts at the Lionheart; beer journaling; Tamarin coding; runs in rain and thunderstorms (seeing a deer, only one squirrel, rabbits, and a whistle pig). Saratoga horse racing revisited; Dark Knight; a bat in the house, over and over again; an evening at Matt's; WoW; Brett's fall through the ceiling; ribs and Wii at Holly and Bryon's.

2009 (Albany-TC V)

Late June to mid-July: In Albany--blacked out/seizure on arrival; jetlag with dawn runs; Fluffy+Instant Game one-off by B. (saving the wonder otters); shooting zombies (Resident Evil 4; "Going to shoot ya in the penis!"); brewing Basement Porter; puttering along on my Demeter implementation. Dinner at Shay and Paula's; 4th at Kevin's; B.'s birthday with Annalis and her man; canoeing and camping on Pope Island in Lower Saranac Lake with Holly, Bryon, and Kevin; running Maya on North St.

Late July: To TC--through traffic (2 hours for 1 mile) and stopping in Ypsi to see Farmers, Wellers, Art Fair, and Shadow Art Fair. In TC--MomII quitting her job and selling house; seeing the stars and ISS; walking through Kid's Creek to construction; hanging with Pete, Brianne, and Adam; seeing Jesse at U&I; one dip in the lake at Empire; planning TorLomlin; D&D(taking out Yarshag for 5 hours); seeing my uncle and grandpa (who then got in a car accident); coffee on the pier with Steve; bocce at P+B's; a final sunny day on the Sunfish with everyone on the beach. (Meanwhile in Albany: kennel cough and prep for Anne's wedding.)

2010 (TC-Albany VI - B+B's Wedding)

Early July: DTW Comfort Inn, then up to TC for a quick weekend--Bachelor party: paintball, so much food, good times, too many drinks. Airshow, Fishtown, and a quick dip in the bay. Picked up Becky near K'zoo, with a night in Ypsi. DRYH on the drive.

Early to late July: In Albany--Thai food multiple times, evening movies and Six Feet Under, Wii's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Metroid, NYC Ballet's Midsummer Night's Dream, Brown's Whiskey Porter. Brewed a pale ale. Marlinspike afternoons and nighttime rollerblading runs with B. Disc golf (with misplaced comments during and after). Hannah and Tim, the bachelorette party, and a dawn departure.

Early September--Return for the wedding! DTW Comfort Inn again. MomII pickup to Weller's, prepped the venue, rehearsal dinner at Sidetrack, crashed with Mom + Dad. Afternoon errands, and then an evening service; warm receiving line in the cold, best man speech, and My Dear Disco into the night. An awesome day. Ypsi brunch, a dozy afternoon, cough drops and air mattresses. Another dawn departure.

2011 (TC-Albany VII - S.'s visit)

Early July: S+I picked up by B+B in DTW followed by drive up to TC for a short week. A day on Lake Leeleanau with Fishtown sandwiches, tubing, and a game of Cups on the sandbar followed by barBQ and midnight Meijers. A hike on Baldy (though the beaches littered with little dead fish). Boating to Power Island and fireworks for the 4th. Downtown, Fishtown again, West End Beach. 3 little raccoons. Stopped at Niagra Falls on the Thursday drive back.

Mid July: In Albany, while Becky to WI for the weekend: Wii, movies (including Paranormal Activity x 2), and a drive to MA. Then S. home on Wednesday. Worked on a conference paper during the days with movies, Wii, cooking TV, barBQ in the evenings. An alpha audition of Zilch and card-based dungeon gen, a blind porter flight, Kaaterskill Falls & Mexican Radio restaurant.

2012 (TC-Albany VIII - Better late and abbrev. than never)

Late July to early Aug: Thrice delayed by trip to Alaska (me and S.), trip to New Orleans (B+B), and syncope (me) and twice redirected (from ALB to DTW to TVC). Exhausted bruschetta toothpicks and fun barBQ visit with Brianne and Pete on arrival. A family visit at my Uncle Greg's and a boating evening on West Bay. A couple trips to Empire beach to run the undauntable Frisbee-devoted Jackson. A couple nights at Brianne and Pete's, meeting the new Junior, with Wii and Olympics on the TV. A day on Front Street (saw the Wilsons' new store, with more Wilsons on the way) and a quiet evening sharing new beers and Euchre. Individual pizzas with Adam over. Fishtown, Port Oneida, North Peak, and funnel cake with Steve. A day on Torch lake, with burning marlinspike seamanship and Cups on the sandbar. A long tubing down the Platt under darkening skies but in warm water. A long straight drive home (with a little improv 2dF-based RPGing in the car).

Early Aug: Four days in Albany with some Tamarin-hacking and gorgeous summer evening runs; sushi and fishstick tacos and Bangkok Hot thai; Path of Exile and Louis CK.

2013 (Albany IX - New Lives)

Late May: Palantir a month ahead for me and "Max Dragon" on the way. Hacked on Skald during the cool afternoons. Path of Exile; sushi at two different places and Mexican out; tasty dinners at home; new beers, including the Founder's Breakfast Stout and a blind stout flight; Michelle on The Voice. A long Memorial Day weekend with drizzly temps in the 40s: Three hikes (Christman, including sliding down the muddy hill to the waterfall; behind Indian Ladder's waterfalls with Becky and Jackson; sunny Vrooman's Nose and the peregrine falcons), evening movies, and a variety of night-time runs, including two with B. A one-evening Trim20 adventure in the sewers of Caspar.

2014 (TC X - New Families)

Late Jun: Stacy and I married in SF/Palo Alto

Late Aug: Sudden major overhaul at work underway as I leave. Joined by Stacy for this trip. Met Claire for the first time on the way home from the airport. Farmers (grandparents and Cherie), Clinch Park, and splash pad. Showing Stacy downtown and my old library. Catching up with Steve and Jenny. Poker in the evenings at the kitchen table; paper airplanes on the lawn. Clan Warner at Fishtown. Pete and Brianne's Junior and Roxie. A day in Glen Arbor, with a stroll down the spider-covered Heritage trail.

2015 (TC XI - Glen Arbor)

Late Jun: Stacy and I on honeymooniversary to Edinburgh + Northumberland

Late Aug: Alone to TC; S. at home for work and the cat. In a day early to see my parents. To a rented condo at the Homestead in Glen Arbor. A day on Lake Leelanau in Pete and Brianne's boat, with Aunt Cherie, just before new Aiden's second heart surgery. Going to the beach in front of the condo. A few cool and cloudy days. Running on the beach in each direction. Kites. Big Block Singsong, Seasame Street, and Elmo's letter app on the IPad. Regular naps for me and Claire. Great Lakes Children's Museum. Steve over for a couple nights. Half of a 5e one-shot.

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