The Beer Traveller

Gwen & Zach made the decision to get married @ a YMCA summer camp that Gwen was working at.  This was one of the most laid back & fun weddings I’ve been to.  The laid back part may have had something to do with the 90 degree heat & 95% humidity of an Alabama summer.  Kinda sucks the energy out of ya…well that & the hangovers.  Guests including myself started arriving Friday.  The wedding was planned for Saturday evening with guests free to stay throughout the entire weekend.
Most of the summer kids were gone for the weekend, but there was a few stragglers including some camp counselors.  A Christian summer camp for kids leads to an interesting dynamic when it comes to a wedding.  This occurred to me as the Christian parents arrived to pick their kids up Friday & glared @ my Beer Traveller garb.  I can only imagine what was going through their minds as they wondered if I was one of the counselors with whom they had left their kids with.
Lodging involved several reserved cabins w/ approx 16 bunk beds on each side.  There were 3 toilets & 3 showers in the center.  You do the math.  Toilets & showers were in the same room which provided excellent opportunities to meet your bunk mates, both male & female.
The wedding was held outside in a nicely wooded chapel w/ thunder rumbling in the background.  The climax (before the wedding night) was the tornado warning that blared   about 5 minutes post wedding.  The game plan was to hit a Mexican restaurant after the wedding for dinner (& drinks).  This plan was obviously postponed due to…well a tornado!  Unfortunately we missed the tornado, but the sheets of rain, lightening/thunder, high winds, & blown water toys did provide for some quality entertainment.  It also gave a reprieve from the ridiculous heat & humidity.  The wedding occurred @ about 6PM & we arrived at the restaurant around 9PM.  I’m sure I don’t need to go into the mood that we all were in.  I never thought a Margarita & chips/salsa could taste so good.  The dinner ended well with some imported Japanese sake (wedding gift that was shared with me) & tequila shots at midnight to celebrate the brides birthday.  It was than back to camp to sip Coors; that’s about all you can handle in the heat. Sunday was more recovery; this consisted of standing in waist deep pee temperature brown water while the sun zapped the alcohol out of ya.
It was a great (& interesting) group of people; a vast majority were highly educated w/ doctorates in Environmentally focused majors.  There were stories of buying escorts for dentists, smoking crystal meth, exotic foods & the aftermath, & chiggers in all the wrong places.  Local fare was delicious, including serious Bama BBQ, fried catfish, fried okra, & fried pickles.  Thanks Gwen & Zach for putting everything together & I wish you the very best in your new marriage.