Fun At The Wood

UK invited TK, 4M and myself to his Kirkwood cabin once again this year. We got out Friday around 2:30 but traffic was pretty messy for the first half of the trip. We made a couple stops for caffeine and beer and found out that the Kirkwood Inn was serving a full menu until 9pm, so we were In like Flynn.

The dinner started out auspiciously. TK took a Syrah shower and I popped a crown. The pain would have brought most men to their knees. I just laughed and poured cold beer on it. The manager bought us each a shot of Fireball. He must have mistaken us for frat boys.

Back at the ranch, we took to the deck for most of the evening. It was a middle-aged rave. We ragged on each other, sipped our drinks and re-told the same old stories. I hit the hay around 2am, but could not seem to sleep. I checked in with my host to see if perchance he had sleep aid, but he was unable to accommodate me. I managed to slip off around sun up and slept until after noon. We then went out for lunch at Sorensen's Resort.

Saturday evening turned out great. We ate at Ciera in the MontBleu casino. The maitre d' Tommy treated us well. We started with a champagne chosen by our wine expert 4M. He also brought a magnum of 2002 Karl Lawrence Cab. I don't know wine but I know good. This was great. We each enjoyed an expertly prepared steak, except TK. He got the rack of lamb, which turned out to be the price performer, with three huge chunks.

Towards the end of our meal there was a bro invasion. About 20 guys in their 20s and 30s, some quite large, took over the room. They were loud but not completely obnoxious. I still felt bad for Tommy. And the guy whose date ended up over at their table. Check please.

We then hit the floor to make new friends. After a quick tour to take in the casino fauna, I settled into a $10 minimum blackjack table and 4M went with video poker. It worked out well as I got at least an hour in and came away up $100 after my normal, generous tip. I was seated between a couple large breasted math wizards. I think it was the one with the man made pair that asked the eternal question; Should I hit 18?

Sunday morning we took an alternate road home past several of Amador County's wineries. We stopped at Villa Toscana for lunch, which I took care of with my MontBleu winnings. I point this out because I expect a free sandwich next time, damn it!

Stay classy folks.