In the Beginning...

Conveniently, I was already planning to be up that week, for the SCA 30-year celebration, and so me and two of my friends rode our bikes up in an attempt at the Iron Butt Association's Saddlesore 1000 (and if we ever get the paperwork in, maybe we'll know for sure if we made it, but that's another story for another time).

Anyway, after a week of living like Medieval people (which is also another story for another time), we were more than ready for some carnage!!

Bikers vs. Goat in Hot Contest

This year Martin basted differently too. Last year it was the old sprig-of-rosemary-as-a-basting-brush trick; this year, it was marinade in a spray bottle. Chris Spindler arrived early, and was put to the grueling labor of lying in the hammock and getting up whenever the timer rang to spray the goat.

By the time John and Greg and Billie and I had finished having Yet Another Adventure involving that goddamned pickup truck (long story), there were already lots of bikes outside Martin's place. Gotta wonder what the neighbors think... ;)

But then, there're lots of bikes outside Martin's place at least three times a year, so they oughta be used to it by now. That big brown pickup with the camper is the one that gave us so much grief...

Eventually, the entire driveway is full, and all up and down the street. I've almost never seen Martin's driveway not in this condition...

How the Goat was Got

First of all, get the goat off the fire...

Make sure your implements of destruction are nice and sharp...

And dig in!

I think Martin enjoys this far too much...

Please, sir, can I have some more?

Watch your fingers!

All over but the shouting...

Well, I hardly have to say I thought it was great, and really inspiring. So I'll cede the floor; here's Martin's post-mortem, and Wendy Dahl's brief acclaim.

From Martin

Since we left the day after the party (just as the last party guests were wending their way Seattleward with the dumpster debris) I never got to say thank you:

Thank you all. WetLeather parties _friendly_. (Partying WetLeather is our second favorite hobby, and it's a LOT cheaper than motorcycles.)

The food was great, even though we didn't make it all. After the success of Rob's Buffalo wings and Roy's fried bananas, we've decided it's OK if other people want to cook. (We were a a bit worried about delegating the responsibility for feeding our friends.)

I figured with the fish fry a short month before and the Gather coming up a month later, it'd be a smaller crowd. Oops. Somebody counted 57 people. Next year, I'm going to have to arrange for a bigger goat. We're _ready_, Jon's powered spit and our Canadian autobaster made the roasting entirely effortless.

Did I mention, "Thanks for coming"?

Martin