MANcation 2011

It's that time of year again. The temperature is slowly rising, the grass is turning green, and baseball is about to start up. This means several things. About 5 years ago, it meant a wedding just about every other weekend. (As I get older, it's gone from frequent weddings to a birth announcement every few weeks.) It also means that people are coming out of their winter slumber, and planning all kinds of events. We usually have BBQ Cookoffs, more weddings, and golf outings. Perhaps the greatest occurrence this time of year though, is the annual MANcation trip!

For several years now, we've gotten a group of friends together from the Hill Country and made the trip to Ruidoso, New Mexico for a long weekend of general debauchery. The cast isn't' always the same, we add a few and lose a few each year (marriage, babies, work, etc). Even with the fluctuating attendance though, each MANcation somehow tends to up be better than the last one!

We try to leave on a Wednesday afternoon and make the almost 550 mile trek to the Land of Enchantment. While we're there we tend to stay pretty busy between the Inn of the Mountain Gods Casino, Ski Apache snow skiing, golf courses, and the bars. It's usually a pretty long drive back home on Sunday, but plenty of stories are swapped on that ride!

Last year we played golf at a country club called Cree Meadows. After a pretty long 18 holes, we finished around 4. We were going to run back to the house and make dinner, but we had to retrieve our drivers licenses that were being held hostage until we returned the ice chests that so conveniently hook onto the golf carts. The Pro Shop was already closed, so we had to run up to the restaurant/bar to make the exchange. We decided to grab a drink at the bar before heading back to the house. This somehow turned into several hours, and making a ton of new friends.

Luckily, one of those in attendance brought a video camera, and we managed to catch this greatness. The names will be withheld to protect the innocent.

This year's MANcation takes place mid March. Here's to hoping it'll surpass last year!!