What would you do if your daughter were taking the bar exam in two days and your son was getting married in ten and the sports page had just reported your new job?
Would you
 A.  Freak out over the stress of it all
B. Just be there to offer the kids moral support and a sympathetic ear if they need it and wait by the phone to field calls from well wishers and the press, or
C. Run away, to a remote, undisclosed location with no cell phone service just for the fun of it?

Jay and I opted for C.

It wasn't premeditated.  Jay ran into a friend twice last week, who offered him the keys to his cabin in the woods on a lake about 150 miles north of town.  The second time, Jay accepted.  We tossed our stuff in bags, left Josie at Meg's (where Josie planned to be all week anyway; it's birthday extravaganza week for Meg and Josie) and hit the road.

Jay arranged for someone to repair the cement floor of our garage while we were gone.

We arrived at Club R around 3:30 and it was hot and sunny.  

The cabin was perfect.  If Hollywood central had been tasked with a set that was a rustic, log cabin fishing/hunting lodge, it couldn't have come up with a better set than this place.

A deck spanned the lake front side and wrapped around to the back where the grill and a big sunroom are.  Inside, a long front room serves as the dining room, off of which are the enormous living room and kitchen. the kitchen opens up to the sunroom, also.  the living room features a huge stone fireplace (outfitting with a gas insert; three gas stoves heat the place in winter)  Off the living room are two bedrooms.  We used the one with the 3/4 bath.  Both bathrooms in the cabin were new and beautiful; tongue and groove wainscoting, pressed tin ceilings, cool fixtures.  the shower was small but had beautiful tile work.  The living room and kitchen had cathedral ceilings with fans and skylights.  The first thing we did was open windows and find the bedding.

Then we went out on the boat.

I fell in love with the sunroom.  it's like a smaller version of Steve and Pam's. Windows all the way around, huge, square crank outs going left and right so you can catch the breeze no matter which direction it's blowing.  I plugged in the computer and took notes on everything we did.  No internet, of course, so it was very restful.

No cell coverage.  We had to go into town to call the kids and see how they were doing.  It was great, but we did try to send Katie our best wishes before she took the bar and we weren't able to get through to her till it was over.  She sounded relieved and more relaxed than she's been in...four years.

The woods are so thick around the cabin that you can't see any of the other cabins, although they aren't far away and during the day, we could hear people laughing and calling to each other.  On calmer days, I could hear Jay talking to other fishermen when they were out on the water.

After checking out the cabin, we went into town for groceries.  Jay wanted champagne for mimosas and ran into what he thought was a liquor stone but turned out to be a bar.  He asked if they sold champagne, then ran back to the car before the two bikers at the bar could kick his candy ass.  we laughed all the way to the actual liquor store.

More later, I gotta go...

Okay, I'm back.  I had to go buy shoes for the wedding next week.  I found the perfect pair at the Burlington coat factory; silver wedge two inch heels, silver strappy uppers.  $16.99.  You gotta love the Burly!!  I also bought a two piece linen pant set in lilac; capri pants and a sleeveless top with pleats all down the front.  Clearance rack: $13.99.  YOU GOTTA LOVE THE BURLY.

Then I put a coat of paint on the three new windows in the living room.  they've been primed since June but I never got around to painting them.  Oh, I also ran to the shop and dropped off my orders.  I was hoping the boss would be there to give me the check I didn't pick up on Tuesday but she wasn't.  I'll have to make the $30  left in my wallet last till next Tuesday.  Or hit Jay up for a couple of bucks. I hate to do that.  He doesn't have any money.  Not once the greens fees are paid.

I also baked cookies.  they turned out delicious even though I burned the second tray.  Hey, burnt chocolate chip cookies are excellent for dunking in milk so get off my back.

For that first night, we (Jay) grilled us up a pair of strip steaks which we had with all the trimmings.  Then we watched The Invention of Lying, Ricky Gervais's movie.  We are both fans of RG's and based on his two tv shows, The Office and Extras, I'd say the guy was a comic genius.  The Office has changed the American Sitcom.

On the other hand, to paraphrase John Cleese, when asked if Andy Kauffman were a comic genius; "If I'm not laughing, he's not a genius."

There were no laughs in The Invention of Lying.  I could forgive the fact that it's just an anti-religious screed if it were funny but it's not.  At all.  Even atheists should be offended by how NOT funny the movie is.  The premise is a world in which no one has ever told an untruth; fiction doesn't exist and neither does religion.  RG's character makes up the idea of God to soothe his dying mother's fears.  He begins the idea of religion, which makes him rich and famous which is the only way he can get Jennifer Garner to hang out with him.  She falls for him but the only way he can get her to marry him is to convince her that there is no God, after all.

Yes, it's that stupid.  Normally, I have no trouble at all embracing stupid but this was NOT FUNNY OR ENTERTAINING IN ANY WAY.

I think I've made myself clear.

 

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