A true Woodlochian Day!

Just because I didn't blog yesterdy doesn't mean there isn't anyhting blogworthy to blog about.

The day really, truly, I kid you not started with this Karen(Amster) asking to speak to the (dining room) manager.

I desperately wanted to return to the main site for the last three dinners, even 'though it's been sold out to legitimate guests on the meal plan for weeks now.

Dining at the Club House was nice, but it was not..Woodlochian. And it's not because--not just because--it's not "all you can eat"--I'm not that gluttonous(clearing throat sound) but because..it's a Club House.  On a golf course. With no lake view.  With wooden paneling and the background noise of exhausted golfers.  And a wait staff who makes you wait.  And wait.  And wait until you're not enjoying your overcooked steak au poivre, you are stressing that you're going to miss a show.  

And who wants to be late for the show and miss a guy who swallows fire and swords and dares every kid in the audience not to follow suit?

We  weren't late for the Tuesday night show, or the Wednesday's, that showed yet another AGT contestant try to apply chap stick with dinosaur arms. He also contorted his body through a tennis racket, toilet seat, and picture frame.

Been there, done that.

And yep, my Karen-ism worked..we're back in our comfort food zone. On-site dining for the remainder of our stay

The athletes in our gang, (Jim, Todd, Evan, and Phebe,)showed off their prowess at a challenging game where one of the scorekeepers was the popular Big Tom, and after a particularly tough puzzler, Evan said to Big Tom, "this is like something you'd see on 'Survivor'" and Big Tom replied without hesitation, "never watched that show" which was hilarious because we all know that his son Tommy was the ultimate "Survivor" just a few seasons back.

I actually saw Big Tom in the nightclub later, and said to him, "the tribe has spoken!" like I'm the only fan to ever use that line in a context other than the show.

While they showed off athletic skills, I played a game called "Finishing Lines" where the judges were sticklers for conjunctions and prepositions, which is why I deserved to lose when I allowed my team to finish the line, "with the thoughts I'd be thinking" with.."I could be another Lincoln."

Dorothy Gale was not the one looking for brains, although hooking up with three grown men when she was a teen wasn't the smartest thing a gal from Kansas could have done.

I knew every lyric from that movie from about age seven..I should not mix up propositions like I do in these blogs that nobody reads.

And..I got my group to show up for an event!

As a team!

Wearing "Karen..calm down!" t-shirts that make us the most visible family here.

The game was called "Nailed It" and we had forty-five strictly timed minutes to recreate a cake display of sculpted things like a BBQ grilling chicken, a hot dog,  a burger,a rib, an ice cream sandwich, a slice of watermelon, and an ear of corn on the cob.

We had to recreate the display with only plastic utensils, piping bags filled with messy frosting, and a distraction.

Miriam is a patient genius and a baker.  She supervised as as Marissa and Todd made a realistic looking ear of corn on the cob out of a rice krispie treat; as Evan turned a rice krispie treat into a watermelon slice, as Jane turned a corn muffin into a cheeseburger with the works, as I turned a mini biscotti into a BBQed rib that looked nothing like a BBQed rib, but it was a FAMILY EVENT!!

And we held our own...

And Steven, bless his soul, not only made the checkerboard table cloth for our display, he constantly replenished a supply of wet paper towels for our hands.

Our prize was camaraderie, much more valuable than a  "I Almost Won a Free Weekend!"pot holder.

I enjoyed my quality alone time in the pristine lake, Evan and Phebe took out some water crafts and had a horse-drawn carriage ride to themselves, and Eli and Shoshana gave us wonderful photo ops driving bumper cars.

Eli's three--and a far better driver than I am.

This very special day was capped by what Jim called a life-changing martini and the best eggplant he ever had.  Evan discovered he had and still has no idea what "ancient grains" are, but he knows they are delicious with chicken.

Eli stayed back at the rental with his Mom..a day of mastering the froggy water-slide resulted in a very long nap--but the rest of us enjoyed the entertainer who removed his underwear in front of the whole audience(it's a family resort--he OBVIOUSLY did it while still wearing pants) and that was followed by yet another challenging trivia game.  Phebe ran through the Disney movie songs category like she was Usain Bolt.

It was a long exhausting day of making fun family memories, and we got back just before midnight--to be greeted by a very fully rested three year old.

He was animated and hilarious, asking if Phebe was planning to sleep right through until Shabbos, even 'though she had no idea what he could possibly be talking about.

He then prompted Alexa to name songs about every bodily function that a three year old boy and his sixty-five year old great aunt Karen would find hilarious--you wouldn't believe how many of THEM there are!

A lot of the family has to leave tonight but these five days have felt like we've been vacationing together for weeks.

The memories we've made will last a life-time.

Long after we scrub those last remaining bits of frosting out of our "Karen..calm down!" t-shirts

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