John the Baptist and his brother, Cecil

I just got back from my yearly vacation to the Deschutes river. We have a core group that has been going on this trip annually for about twenty years now. Sometimes we catch alot of fish, sometimes not. Sometimes the weather is perfect (like this year), usually the wind blows really hard in the afternoon (not this year though), and sometimes it rains. The one thing that never changes, though, is the entertainment provided by The Core.

Now there are always others that show up and stay a couple days or so, lots that say they are going and then don't show, but The Core is always there to set up camp and to take it down at the end.

The Core consists of:

Me (Resident Smart-Ass, Newly appointed Voice of Reason [I quit drinking a while back])

Sam (My Dad, the Idea Guy, usually outsmarts himself)

Bob (The Expert, The Boat Guide, King Fisherman, and Most Likely to Throw Up after Drinking)

George (The Worker, The Partier, Best Laugher, and Most Likely to Fall in the River)

Steve (aka "Watt-Man". The New Guy. Only been going for about 5 years. Comic relief specialist, though rarely on purpose)


There is always one night (sometimes more) when George, Bob and Steve get really really drunk. This year it was the first night, and the first night provides the title for this entry. This was the exchange between Bob and George after some 7 bottles of wine had been consumed:

George: "Knock knock."
Bob: "Who's there?"
George: "John."
Bob : "John who?"
George: "John the Baptist!!!"

At this point, George throws all the red wine in his glass at Bob, "baptising" him, which also gives him an instant tie-dye shirt.

Bob, never to be outdone, replies with "Well this is from John's brother, Cecil!!", and then throws his glass of wine at George.

Both men had horrendous, well deserved hangovers the next day.

More to come...it was a long trip!