Yay, frands!

So we were thrilled when we were finally able to get around to buying patio furniture. And this coincided with our best man, Vasili, being in town. What better excuse for a party?

From a distance.

From even farther away. Hi Mary!

From a more casual distance.

We got the Augusta set from Target. The set is metal, which was important to us, because we want it to last, but it’s painted in a streaky manner reminiscent of wood grain, which we think is both aesthetically pleasing and more cozy than a metal finish. We also got all captain’s chairs, because they have a circular bottom instead of legs, and they swivel around. We felt this would be best for a flagstone surface, since the circle distributes weight and will help split the difference between uneven surfaces, and the swiveling will reduce the frequency of needing to drag the chair around.

One day in and we are of course, pleased. But due to the hefty price tag (patio furniture is kind of ridiculously priced to start, and getting all captains chairs was added expense, too), we are anxious about durability. I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes!

We also got some shrubbery for the nice terracotta pottery we scored on sale. Clearly we’ve got more to obtain!

Unfortunately, it is time to spray the yard again for mosquitoes (bummer – we were hoping to get away without it after clearing our all that nasty underbrush in the back), so we took the party inside for a rousing game of Quelf – a ridiculous game that should only be played drunk. And after a brief celebratory dance.

On an interesting – or nerdy – sidenote, Quelf seems to have undergone a major redesign, both in marketing and in content. We have what I am assuming is the original iteration – with really goofy copy and character game pieces. And painfully awkward gameplay. In this commercial for Quelf you can see the board got a facelift, and you play as yourself, so as an awkward persona. For those of us who have played this version, you’ll notice the commercial shows a much more Cranium-like gameplay. Anyway, enough friendly banter and onto the embarrassing photos.

Ashley had to wear this piece of paper taped to her head for the rest of the game.

I had to make a snorkle and wear it for the rest of the game.

When I tried to drink my Mike’s through my snorkle, I got the giggles, choked and nearly died.

To wrap up what turned out to be a psuedo-game review of Quelf:
We say that we hate this game. But we continue to play it whenever we have a large drunken group, so there must be something going on. Possibly sadism. Also, I think it would be interesting to play the new version and compare the changes.

Ashley also had to wear the game box under her shirt the rest of the game.

Most importantly of all, Vasili had a good time, and a good send off. Until next time, Vasili!.