😈Told You Once You Son of a Bitch - Now Gimme My Fiddle of Gold🎻

Prior to heading down to the 'Heavenly' cabin in Blue Ridge, Georgia, I made a 3 hour (drive time) detour to go see @thekitchenfairy in Nashville. So glad I did too. She is a great hugger and just as sweet in person as she is online! Plus, it turns out this was her first time ever coming to the United States so in a way, I kind of welcomed her to the country and invited to her to come back. You could even see the Batman tower from where we were sitting on the hotel restaurant's patio LOL! Coincidence?

Getting there prior to anyone else, I had the option of choosing which room I wanted to stay in for the 'retreat'. I checked out one that had a Native feel to it, and another that was more down home but the one I settled on, was just too right. Reminded me of the @welcomewagon! So, had to represent and hole up in there. Check it out:

Getting there before everyone else also left it insanely quiet, peaceful. On the deck were a few lounging wicker recliners and they beckoned me to have a seat. I just sat there, taking in the mountain air and really enjoyed (but also missed) the quiet background of no screaming kids. True, we have our fun, but on a daily basis, there are at least one or two instances of disagreement that get to driving me nuts. I looked long at the ridgeline and decided if no one was there in about 10 minutes, I was taking a nap.

No sooner than my body said, ok, nap time, I hear some tires negotiating with the rocky drive that eventually leads to the cabin. I knew it was my princess. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach at the thought of the 'reunion' because she left quite the impression when she came to Nashville and hung out with me and mine. Luna and Khaldeesi say hi by the way. If Freya could talk, I'd say she would have said something along those lines too. But, first thing was first and I gave her two hugs, one for the fam, and one selfishly taken.

How do you top a gift like that? Again, thank you Katrina. Not sure what to say about that. All I got you was some honey and that was on a whim while I was picking up groceries. I'm a horrible gift giver. Even when I know a person, I don't want to disappoint them so I rarely hand them out. At Christmas and Birthdays, I always hand out money. Money and honey rhymes doesn't it?

That just cracked me up. She knows I love jerky and shared some of this with me. The name though! Naked Cow? Talk about buy it just because it has a cool name! And then what really got me (aside from the extraordinary flavor) was the description below the title. Read it, seriously. No udder stuff, OMG I was rolling as she finished setting her room up.

Katrina and I had a good catching up conversation and really just soaked in the calm of it all. Time slowly crept away from us and realized Cork was due any minute. The sun had already set, daylight was waning and soon we heard the rocky drive alerting us of a newcomer to the cabin. Having spent several hours in a vehicle, the excited Rey-Rey and Thor sniffed around while we got reacquainted with Cork. He decided just to unpack tomorrow and relax the rest of the night with us and grabbed a guitar. The rest of the evening was just that. Relaxing.

Sweetest of the Princesses made me eggs and toast to start the day. I don't know why, but Cork kept winking at me. LOL! And then the water. I felt pretty loved that weekend, no lie. The ladies all present took better care of me than I could have ever asked for or probably deserved as they kept me well hydrated and fed. But, I feel we all slept well and after a good breakfast, I set up down in the rec room for a Words With Witty episode. I did cut it a little short, as some other guests were arriving, and you can hear that happen in this:

It was about 15 minutes after the stunning live performance Katrina put on for us that they arrived. Was really neat when they showed up as it was right in the middle of my talk show adding a splendid flair. Cork's dogs started barking and I got even more excited. Amelia came down and said hello world and gave me a hug and shortly after, Tang came down and did the same. Good for them to get out and enjoy some good company for a bit. They both have some unique perspectives on things.

Amelia and Tang brought their doggies with them. One is some kind of some breeds, I don't even know, but he's a little sweetheart. I forget what you two said he was but gotta be some terrier in there somewhere, the head is just too reminiscent not to be. That is the real HoboTang. And then Gallow, an aging Grey Hound who just loves to run. He dug his heels in the field out there and ran like I've never seen. Was actually my first experience seeing a Grey Hound run in person. Love the way they bob their heads, almost like a horse.

Now this guy, I imagine I will be seeing most frequently of all the STeeMPeePS out here. He is the one that has a team of developers working to build our new @chain.games video game community. Generous and light-hearted as they come, we've also got a silent understanding. We both know we've been through some serious shit in our lives and not much beyond that needs to said. He also brought his boys out and they had a chance to unwind over the weekend. After 3 bottles of wine, you tend to get to know somebody a bit LOL!

Of all the people that came out, he was the one I was most unfamiliar with. He got on the thread while I was posting about it and said he wanted come out. I said hell ya, the more the merrier. Rick and I were already a bottle in to the wine I had bought about the time he showed up Friday. It was already dark, and I had just finished devouring and parsing out some steak. I love red meat. Jerky or steak, I don't know. Maybe it satiates some primal bloodlust in me. But Big Papa here was really cool! He shared a few stories as we broke the comfort zone and got to know everyone.

It was a long night Friday, lot of excitement and laughs and just bonding. One in particular, was good ol Corky. He and I stayed up right until the sun decided it was going to reappear. Him and I and Rick all watched the episode of Hots or Shots @jonny-clearwater aired that day and just laughed our asses off. Being there live and seeing the edits were totally different. But Cork and I had a good heart to heart. Once you get past all the bullshit he's had to deal with, guy really is a sweetheart.

Everybody slept in and we all deserved to. That was the intention behind it all, just to come and relax and be merry. I was up in time for the Witness Chat though that @shadowspub hosts every month. Was an interesting one to say the least. Once that was finished, Katrina and Cork set up for their recording session, Amelia and Tang explored the premises, Rick took a long overdue nap, and @papacrusher and I, well. We went fishing. Didn't catch shit, even smacked a few in the head, but they were just not interested in what I was throwing out there. When I got back, Amelia and I dropped a few balls in the pockets of the pool table. You can hear us on @sircork's reveille video of Katrina.

I honestly don't remember exactly when it was she got there. I do remember offering to help with a few things to unload. She brought a mass array of instruments and even some home made liquor that was just delish! Hickory smoked maple brandy or something, fuck was it good. In my younger days, I'd of killed at least half of one of those pints. And Cori, the girls love the glockenspiel! You gotta see these, an owl flute, a Tibetan bowl, various panpipes, was really cool:

For those that don't know, #thealliance was born in a conversation I had with this guy a little over a year ago. Granted, some nasty shit happened and he stepped into the background, but I came up with the name and idea while talking to him. I guess then, he can be considered a co-founder, as he has never actually left and still supports us in various ways. To finally meet him after a whole year was enthralling. So glad he could make it. Was like reading your favorite book a second time and thinking, how did I miss that part???

These next two pictures really say a lot to me. They show just how comfortable everybody was and the overall good feeling of comradery that was achieved. You can see Cork and Cori discussing the Brandy as I sat at the nook. Katrina and Amelia began a Yoga session. The others just chilled in the living room and swapped stories. You want to know something neat? The TV didn't come on the entire time - except to help appease Eldon and assist in mixing Katrina's music. That tells you no one was bored of each other, gotta love it.

I don't know what John and Mary are really like, but I do know they have a goat fetish. Two of the ones that stood out just cracked me up and I had to get a few pictures of them. Hope you don't mind LOL

Though oddly more comfortable than I have been in many years, I didn't sleep much that night. Kept having these visions of penguins. Don't ask because I couldn't tell you anyway. Honestly didn't want to leave. Some of you I won't see for awhile, some of you live just up the road! I really hope everyone enjoyed their stay at least as much as I did. There will probably be a few local meets before the next big planned one in...Colorado? Talk to me my peoples.