GW XIV Photos

Some of the images from Guys Weekend XIV. The rest will be forever locked in our memories. Thanks Amorak for completing the original post!


(Beautiful views from our cabin near Blue Ridge, GA)












And now, the cast of characters:

(Christopher, before he realized that someone had swiped some of his poker chips!)

(And Christopher again, just after making the discovery!)

(Mark, studying up on the surrounding area and local attractions)

(Joe R - does this guy own anything that doesn't say Auburn?)

(Dan the man, getting the feel of the cards in anticipation of an eventual trip to the poker table?)

(Joe A - The first official Wii champion of a Guys Weekend!)

(Scott - Home Run Derby champion yet again)


(Amorak, doing his best impression of Mark and Christopher during the trip)




And let us not forget, the Guys Weekend main event


(The Arena - prepared for competition!)



(Getting ready to do battle)

GW XIV

Full House 2?

This one had much in common with Full House, from the similar lodging high on a mountaintop to the attendance -- everyone was there.

The setting was a cabin owned by Mark's dad's cousin near Blue Ridge, Ga. The accomodations were excellent, and the view was stunning. (I didn't have my camera, so I'm waiting for others to post pictures.)

Joe R arrived first, early on Wednesday afternoon, and spent some time getting to know the rules of the cabin, as well as which cabinets would fall apart at the slightest touch.

Mark and Amorak met up Wednesday morning for breakfast at a Cracker Barrel outside Gadsden, Ala., and drove to Douglasville to pick up Joe A. After lunch at the slowest-ass Wendy's east of the Mississippi, we played nine holes of golf at a lovely little course in Waleska, Ga., on our way to the site. Christopher came in that night, Dan came around lunchtime the next day, bringing his lovely dog Grace with him, and Scott came in Thursday evening.

Most everyone seemed to agree the highlight of the weekend was a whitewater rafting trip on the Ocoee on Friday morning, followed by a nice lunch at a place called The Gondolier on the way back.

A Wii made its first appearance at a GW and provided entertainment for all. Christopher also brought this ESPN football game that was kind of like one of those old-school handheld games, only much bigger and it involved lots of footstomping. We hit a local park for tennis, home run derby (Scott won, as always) and some tossing around of Dan's Frisbee(TM). There was beer drinking and hot tub soaking on the back deck, there was game playing (Flux and that game with the weird food cards I don't remember the name of) on the picnic table in the screened-in portion of said deck. There was some tasty barbecue brought by Mr. R, and bratwursts and burgers grilled on site.

Of course, we played poker. Christopher and Mark could do no wrong, it seemed, and each wound up substantially up for the weekend. I don't think there's anyone else who can say that.

As for me, I got a call on my cell phone on Friday evening that changed my life: a job offer from Grand Valley State University. Since GW, I have accepted the offer, and I begin my new career as a visiting professor a few short weeks. Worth remembering that the call said it was from "Dan Cell," and my first thought was why is Dan calling me when he's napping in the next room?

Those are just some highlights. Hope others post their particular memories, and of course photos. I'll post anything else I happen to think of.

Re: GW10 - Liberal Wieners and ...

Just in case the link Mark inserted in his original post is ever corrupted, or if the web site ever changes or is discontinued, we still have the video!

More photos from GW12

GW12: Hi, Chicago - Chicago, IL (July 2006)

A trip to the “Windy City” was just what the doctor ordered, and when it was over all we could say looking back was that it was ‘100% pure awesome’!

After three consecutive Guys Weekend events in Tennessee, Alabama and Alabama it was time to spread our wings and aim for a little more culture. We were all raised in the South and most of us still call it home, but it was a nice change to travel a little further away from familiar surroundings.

The trip began with a real treat; tickets to see the Houston Astros vs. the Chicago Cubs in the friendly confines of one of the greatest American ballparks ever … Wrigley Field (we are all still very grateful to Mark for procuring the tickets). However this was not just another baseball game. This one was a gem featuring two 300-game winning pitchers opposing one another …. Roger Clemens (342) for the Astros and Greg Maddux (325) for the Cubs. The home town Cubs suffered the loss 4-2 to the Astros, but the beer was still cold, the crowd was still buzzing, and the experience was still one that will always be remembered with great fondness. (Also worth noting: Craig Biggio – now a member of the 3,000 hit club and a likely Hall of Fame inductee – hit a home run in this game).

----> Wrigley Field ... literally!

Other highlights from the trip included strolling through the city streets and taking in all of the sites .... Navy Pier, the Sears Tower, the famous Water Tower, the art disctrict, Lake Michigan, and many others......

.... and one night of the trip we visited a local improv comedy club (thanks to Mark's connections) and the show was fantastic -- well worth the ride uptown on the "L". And there were countless hours spent at the poker table as usual, a staple entertainment option that never seems to loose any appeal. And of course, multiple opportunities were seized to feast on some Chicago deep-dish pizza.

"Waiting for the pizza feast" ... hey, what is that topless lady holding?

Chicago is an awesome city, and was an awesome site for a GW event.


"Guys outside the Seneca"

"Reflections" -- Now add some of your own"

GW10: Liberal Wieners and Right-Wing Nutjobs - Lake Guntersville, AL

A return to our "home" state of Alabama...a wonder since Buzzkill turned out so well! :-) Seriously, this one was "supposed" to be the Vegas trip (as prophesied in the first GW), but alas, none of us really had the money for it, plus Christopher and Anu had just recently had the triplets. We kept it close so he could make it, and though he arrived late, he proceeded to clean our clocks at the poker table (note the appearance of Joe A's green felt tabletop with chip wells!).

Of course we all told ourselves that we were contributing to the girls' college funds, but really Christopher was just "on" that weekend. ("Christopher always/never bluffs.")

The accomodations were nice, but not too nice. Mismatched furniture, wood paneling, knicknacks everywhere--a fairly typical lakehouse, I guess.

There was a nice, wooded back area to the house leading down to the lake. The patio was well-shaded for an old-school Monopoly game; Amorak made good use of the hammock (also the site of a particularly one-sided political debate by a trio of Liberal Wieners); and I believe Mr. R caught a few small fish from the pier. We did a bit of swimming to cool off one afternoon.

Other activities included a trip into town to play basketball at a rec center (a fairly short game--our ages and fitness levels were showing), and we also made use of an actual little league field for homerun derby with our "toy" bats and balls.

The election year provided a bit of a theme as several GW Polls were conducted (and you know how painful THOSE can be!), Guys revealed their true political colors (I think the Wieners outnumbered the Nutjobs), and we enjoyed the JibJab "This Land" cartoon via dial-up.

GW2: Leavin' the Seat Up - Cape San Blas, FL

The earliest known (or at least the only one I can find electronically) Guys Weekend photo. So young!

Roll call

I: Amorak, Christopher, Dan, Joe A, Mark
II: Amorak, Christopher, Dan, Joe A, Mark
III: Amorak, Christopher, Dan, Joe A, Mark, Scott
IV: Amorak, Christopher, Dan, Joe A, Joe R, Mark, Scott
V: Amorak, Christopher, Joe A, Joe R, Mark, Scott
VI: Amorak, Christopher, Dan, Joe A, Joe R, Mark, Scott
VII: Amorak, Christopher, Joe A, Joe R, Mark
VIII: Amorak, Christopher, Joe A, Mark
IX: Amorak, Christopher, Dan, Joe A, Joe R, Mark, Scott
X: Amorak, Christopher, Joe A, Joe R, Mark, Scott
XI: Amorak, Christopher, Joe A, Joe R, Mark
XII: Amorak, Christopher, Joe A, Joe R, Mark
XIII: Amorak, Christopher, Joe A, Joe R, Mark, Scott
XIV: Amorak, Christopher, Dan, Joe A, Joe R, Mark, Scott
XV: Amorak, Christopher, Joe A, Joe R, Mark, Scott

GW8: The Fab Four - Cleveland

Ah, Cleveland...this was a fun trip. Our "fewest attended" with only four Guys, hence the name, but we were undeterred in our tradition of playing lots of Poker.

We had our smallest accommodations, staying in a Residence Inn downtown--I believe I used Marriott points to pay for it, and I must not have had enough for a 2-bedroom suite (or they may not have had them?). I recall we were shown an even smaller option, sort of a studio, with the bed in the main room. This one had a living room with a kitchen and a separate bedroom with a king bed. I believe we had one of us on the couch, one on the sofa sleeper, and two in the king.

Activities included a nice "opening night" dinner at a steakhouse (the name escapes me, but I have been there a second time on a work trip); a trip to Cedar Point for a day of rollercoaster ridin'; a visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; but, in a rare departure from our other "city" GWs: no baseball game. I believe the Indians were out of town.

A great trip, as usual, though we missed Joe R, Scott, and Dan. Mr. Rogers missed due to his second kiddo coming along within a year of the first, and it seems like Scott missed because of baseball for John? This was the second miss in a row for Dan, but he would go above-and-beyond, driving-wise to make the next one in Gatlinburg.

Other thoughts/memories?