an addition

IMG-20110722-01011.jpg, a photo by Wintermute Lives on Flickr.

headed to texas for our annual vacation gathering with my 10 closest friends. of this group, I've known seven of them since freshman year of college, and i'm married to the eighth (two other dudes, whom I also consider very close friends, married into the group).

big news this year is that mcguber is bringing a lady friend (pictured here, from his birthday party a few years ago). he told me that he was considering taking her on his big trip in the fall to new zealand, and I told him that he damn well better take a smaller trip with her first.

while I think we are a pretty welcoming group, I gotta feel for a new person. the collective maturity of the (guys in our) group ranges between 10 and 14 years old. it's one long stream of mom jokes, mixed in with obscure star wars references, and inside jokes that are so inside, sometimes even dr w. doesn't get the reference. and, our new guest will have to sing and hang out in a bathing suit. there's also often a win-or-die-trying board game / made up athletic competition (last year, it was an improvised version of water polo that combined the best part of quidditch, basketball and freeze tag, in lake hamilton).

if she can hang with us for a week, she'll have earned her trip to new zealand.

lots of pics to come when we get back. 12 adults + 6 kiddos.