The Beer Traveller

Next stop was to be Spanish Fort, AL to visit an old college buddy that I haven’t seen since college.  Bill is a great guy w/ a great/sarcastic sense of humor (my favorite).  Since we last hung out, he has travelled Europe & Asia, married a beautiful Thai woman, & had a beautiful baby girl.  Unfortunately there has also been a tremendous amount of tragedy.  My timing was impeccable per usual as Bill had just taken a new job in Mobile & they had been in their house for all of about a week.  Just what everybody wants…a beer-guzzling guest when they have a new house, piles of things that need to be unpacked, a new job, & a 17 month (I think) old little girl.
Needless to say both Bill & his wife were amazing.  We went out for a fabulous seafood dinner overlooking Mobile Bay.  It was great catching up & getting to know the new family.
Highlights for the night included Bill recommending to his wife that they leave little Elizabeth in the car overnight b/c she’ll be fine & the man-eating spider.  Bill & I were on the couch drinking beer when Soi called him in to the bedroom.  Bill quickly summoned me & I went in to find he had cornered a spidered that was about the size of my open hand.  He wanted me to keep an eye on it while he went to get a broom…I was thinking he should have grabbed the .357 instead.  He than came back & wanted me to get ready to open the front door to let him & the spider out.  I was shouting for him to just “kill the monster” as I didn’t want to risk losing that thing in the house that I would soon be trying to fall asleep in.  As he gracefully captured the beast, between the broom & dustpan, I realized he wasn’t kidding.  I wish he would have given me time to at least slip on my snake-proof gaiters.  After we got outside, he informed me that due to Soi’s religious beliefs, he couldn’t kill it.  Another smooth move on my part.
Surprisingly, Soi still invited me back & offered to cook me an authentic Thai dinner.  I can assure you, I’ll be cashing in on that offer.