The Houghs: Beer Pong

Hey kids.

Houghs, Johnsons, and Stefanie on the drive north to Harbor Springs. . .

Some time ago, back in like April or whatever (I forget), Mitch and Kelli went to that Spring Soiree for the Cancer thingy at the Midland Country Club. You've heard of this before; Kris and I have gone ourselves a couple times in the past, but decided not to this year 'cause they upped the price of admission and, honestly, the food wasn't all that awesome in the first place. That, and the overall douche-ness of the amassed gathering of snobs that a place like the Country Club attracts left a bad taste in our mouths last time around.

But anyway.

The Colliers, Pickvets, and Steven on the long drive up north. . .

So Mitch and Kelli are at this soiree and they're hitting up that whole Silent Auction thing (again, you've heard me talk about this before.) One of the items up for auction is a weekend away at some gigantic, log cabin that can sleep about fourteen people, way up in Harbor Springs (sorta by Petoskey.) Now, they obviously discussed the idea with the rest of the couples in the Tribe first because renting the place for the weekend was a few grand, and nobody has that kinda money in their accounts as throw away money unless they're rich or a Boomer. With the rest of the couples on board (including us), they place their bet and walked away. Hours later, towards the end of the night, they were informed that they had in fact won the auction and had scored this log mansion up in Harbor Springs for a weekend in mid-October.

And lastly, the Larson and Bos couples, driving up to Harbor Springs.

Fast forward to this month. While the cabin itself had beds for fourteen, there were additional couches and plenty of spaces for air mattresses, so Mitch and Kelli weren't worried about having to turn anyone away if everyone was interested in going. Ultimately, however, a few families couldn't - the Sheahans, the MacLeods, Bardens, the Nadgaudas, etc. - so we had eight couples ready to rock this weekend. And for each couple going, we had to drop something like $550, which was a little high for a weekend of lodging but not too crazy. . . and considering how nice the place was (which you'll see in a little bit), it was more than reasonable.

Collier gets himself a buck while stopping for to buy beer.

Originally, the plan was to leave bright and early Friday morning and have the husbands all ride up in a couple cars to some golf range so a bunch of the guys could golf eighteen holes before we checked into our Lodge around 4pm. The wives, meanwhile, would kill time by hanging around in nearby Petoskey and shop and hit up a winery or five or something. I wasn't super thrilled about this plan (because golf is a douchey past time and I hate it with every bone in my body), but I'm a team player so I was willing to go with the flow this time around. Fortunately, God had my back and decided Friday needed some mid-40s and windy rain weather, thereby dashing anyone's plans on golfing for a few hours. And, since we were no longer golfing most of the day, there was no need to get up and get on the road so damn early today.

Hallelujah.

Bloody Marys. The Breakfast of Champions.

So, around 9:30am this morning, our caravan set off for the north (instead of 6am, which would've sucked.) We rode up with the Johnsons (not surprisingly), and also took along Stefanie (her husband, Lonnie, had to be at a football game in Bay City 'cause he's the athletic director for All Saints Catholic schools and has to be at all those big games and wouldn't be showing up until later on in the night.) The Colliers and Steven (his wife was also at a game this evening and wasn't rolling in until later in the night as well) rode up with the Pickvets. The Boses and Larsons would be driving up in the third vehicle.

And now, dear readers, prepare yourself for a crap-load of pics and videos, spread across two lengthy posts, chronicling our weekend away up north in a giant log mansion set in the apex of Fall.

Behold. . .

Say what you will about Michigan, it's hard to beat our state's fall display .

The Colliers and Pickvets had gotten on the road before the rest of us, so they'd be getting to Petoskey - our rallying point - ahead of everyone else.

Our vehicle was the last to arrive, maybe a half an hour behind everyone else. We decided to meet up for lunch at some place in downtown Petoskey, then plan our next move from there while we killed time before our scheduled check-in at 4pm.

Someone in the group had picked out this place as our meeting place, not sure who.

Heading upstairs to find the others upon our arrival.

When we finally got there, we saw that they had staked out two tables already, one for the guys and one for the girls.

Settling in for the first beer of the weekend.

From left to right: Courtney, Lori, Mees, Kelli, Danielle, Stef, and Kris.

From left to right, clockwise: Mitch, Morgan, Cory, Lori, Erik, and Collier.

Kris and I weren't all that hungry (no surprise there, we don't eat as much as some of these other people), and stuck to lighter fare and a couple drinks. As folks were finishing up and planning their next stop to kill time this afternoon, I excused myself in order to run across the street to check out some local shop that sold vinyl.

Downtown Petoskey

Hexagon Records. Not a great record store by any means, but hell - it sure as shit beats golfing.

Meanwhile, back at the restaurant, the rest of the group continued finishing up their drinks and meals. There was a lot of auto mechanic decor hanging up on the walls. Not sure what the theme of this place was, but Collier took some pics of it.

The wives get a group pic out on the balcony.

And one with a few of the husbands, for good measure.

After paying, Kris came out across the street to catch up with me, and found me crate-diving. The selection wasn't all that grade, but I did score one yacht rock LP (reasonably priced) so it wasn't a total waste of time.

A listening set-up, which was pretty cool (I didn't take advantage of this, the record I ended up buying was spotless and VG+/NM.)

Mitch spotted this plaque on a wall somewhere as they were walking around town - apparently Hemingway spent some time up here.

The guys had retreated to a nearby brewery and were asking where I was, so I told them I was wrapping up at the record store and would be meeting them shortly. Mitch sent this gif (from The Simpsons), an inside joke that I go into hipster stores then leave the shop owners depressed when I don't buy anything.

Beards Brewery (Get it? 'Cause hipsters love beards? Lame.)

Upon entering, you pass through a small merch store before coming in to the main dining/drinking area.

They randomly had a giant, stuffed bear hanging out as you walk in. I should look into getting one of these for my house.

Here's where I found the guys when I rolled in.

I went with their version of a stout. I was okay, but nothing worth writing home about.

We only stayed here for one drink - nobody was super impressed with this place's beer, it was just mediocre.

I looked for a tin sign for my bar area, but they didn't offer any for sale, so I didn't end up getting anything.

They did have underwear for sale, but. . . I passed on that.

Making a friend.

There was another bar nearby that someone suggested we hit up, but at the time I didn't catch what the place was called.

I was about to get VERY excited. . .

This may have been one of the coolest places I've ever drank in.

We joked about how awesome it would be for us to open up a place like this in Midland.

Walking into my Graceland.

So it's basically a bar with a bunch of records on the wall, and you can pick out an album and place it in a designated queue. Then, when your record is up, they will take it out and spin both sides of it. That's it. Super simple idea, but genius.

The leather seating was much-appreciated.

They had a pretty expansive collection, too. Lots of popular stuff (obviously), but enough obscure stuff to keep you interested. Lots of classic rock, lots of 80s and some modern and indie stuff - not a lot of punk and metal, though.

I hadn't heard of this band before, but I sure as hell recognized the album cover's homage to Rancid's . . . And Out Come the Wolves (which is, itself, an homage to Minor Threat.) Someone did their homework (and has impeccable taste.) I didn't go with this one, not knowing what it sounded like, but I did find The Clash's masterpiece, London Calling, and added that classic to the bar's queue before ordering a Copper Harbor ale and taking a seat with the others.

Morgan and Mitch, looking out at downtown Petoskey.

In my element, for sure.

Seriously - why can't this exist closer to my home?

The aesthetic of this place was just about perfect.

Mitch, Morgan and Cory

Steven, Yours Truly, and Erik.

They had some kind of a Guest Book sitting out and, being the group artist, someone threw it in my lap and asked me to leave a page showing that our group had been here.

Some folks got down with some random trivia game (or something) while we were enjoying our drinks.

Houghs and Johnsons, partners in crime.

And one with Collier.

A back-lit pic, courtesy of Collier (half of the pics in this post are from him - him and I are about the only two in this group who appreciate taking pics.)

Lori, Cory and Mees

Kris and Courtney

Me, Collier and Mitch

Steven, doing his usual 'take a picture of someone taking a picture' gag - definitely gets old after awhile, but he stays at it.

I was super excited when my record came on (if you couldn't tell.) They placed the worst side of the album's two records, but hell - it sure beat most of the other music this place had on hand.

The Tribe (plus a few drunk old ladies that were sitting behind us.)

Collier and Cory, clapping along to something.

Getting ready to head out and soldier on.

Letting the world know we were here.

About a half an hour drive later, we were pulling into our accommodations for the weekend. . .

The Lodge, up on the hill.

Out in the middle of nowhere, no need to keep the volume down for neighbors.

This place was massive.

Homeboy was chilling by the front door waiting for us. The Bos and Larson couples had decided to go to another bar before heading to the Lodge, and as a result the rest of us were locked out. We started to text the Boses for the code so we could get in, bu they were being really secretive about it, almost not wanting to give us the code without them being there. We hadn't designated rooms yet so it was kind of a first come, first served thing, and we figured they weren't happy that they'd be getting last picks for lodging this weekend.

Growing tired of waiting, Collier walked around the backside of the Lodge in order to see if he could find another way in, and stumbled upon this garden stream rolling down the hill out back.

Steven, Cory and Erik had a driveway beer while they waited.

The wives, getting annoyed with the others for not sharing the code. Eventually it didn't matter, though - Collier had managed to find a way in in the back and, upon gaining entry, opened the front door for us. We were in.

I took a ton of pics of the interior of the place, for your viewing pleasure. I did a seven-minute rolling video while walking around the entire place, but the file was obviously far too long to upload here, so you'll have to make due withe just the pics. Anyway, here's the entrance as you walked in.

Hanging an immediate left, there was a half-bath off the left and a laundry room straight ahead.

The aforementioned half-bathroom.

Said laundry room (I don't think this was touched all weekend.)

The Kitchen and a small dining area was directly to the right as you walked in.

The center of the main floor was the living room, with a large two-story fireplace at its center.

View from the fireplace.

Turning 90 degrees to the left, looking back towards the kitchen.

Lots of dead animal pelts and skulls strewn about on the walls and posts (you know, to give the place that 'hunting cabin' vibe.)

Racks along the second floor railing.

From the living room, you went up this slippery wooden staircase to the second floor (I'm truly surprised no one wiped out on these stairs all weekend - they were pretty sketchy, especially in socks.)

View from the top of the stairs.

Turning to the right, from the top of the stairs, you found a hangout area with multiple couches and chairs, along with a few beds (that the Griffins would end up claiming.)

Nobody hung out here this weekend - I don't think a single TV was turned on all weekend, actually.

There was a little walk-in closet (behind the TV in the previous pic) that the owners had converted into a little kids' play area, and obviously this didn't get utilized this weekend, either.

Coming out of that hangout area/Griffin's sleeping quarters, you walked down this hallway towards two bedrooms and a full bathroom. The first door on the right was a small bedroom with a king-sized bedroom, and Steven claimed that one for him and Alicia (who would be rolling in a few hours.)

Looking down at the living room from the railing as you walked down the hall.

The upstairs bathroom.

Immediately upon arrival, us and the Johnsons claimed this bedroom. We let the Johnsons take the queen-sized bed since they're bigger than us, and Kris and I grabbed the two twin beds off to the left there.

My bed, and a closet.

My lodging for this weekend.

Kris' bed and a couple dressers.

Heading back to the living room, at the base of the slippery stairs.

Circling through the living room, there was another set of wooden stairs leading down into the lowest level.

Coming out into the basement.

The lower level of the Lodge, another hangout area (that was not used this weekend.) The Larsons would ultimately end up setting up an air mattress in that area behind that brown, leather couch there. To the right of the TV you see a couple doors: the one on the left goes into a bedroom, the one on the right another full bathroom.

The Colliers and Pickvets claimed these beds (I'm not sure who got what, though.)

The bathroom.

Coming back out to the main room of the lower level.

Turning in the other direction of the stairs leading up to the main level, you found a small room with a built-in sauna (yes, you read that correctly.)

We'd play around with this a little bit, but no one spent a super long time in here - it sure heated up fast.

Back upstairs, there was a large porch spanning the entirety of the main floor. Collier took a panorama as we set up shop.

A large, screened in sitting area with outdoor couches is through that door there.

Looking down the porch in the other direction.

Definitely a cool view this weekend.

A giant elk rack hanging up below the main, living room window.

I wore one of the lodge's furs around like some kinda viking thane for awhile.

Having completed my video tour of the residency, I rejoined the others who were settling in with some drinks.

Stef, Kris and Mees playing some weird hotdog-tossing game they found among the lodge's board games.

Beyond the kitchen, on the opposite side of the fireplace, was a master bedroom, with a queen-sized bed and its own, private bathroom. We obviously left this for Mitch and Kelli, since this whole weekend was their doing.

A private hot tub in the master bathroom. There was an outdoor hot tub at this place, but nobody got around to using it this weekend (a little too cold out for that sorta thing.)

Courtney sets up a charcuterie board for folks as we roll into the evening hours.

The Bos and Larson couples arrived after an hour or so, and Mitch photo-bombed my obligatory beer pic.

Erik treated this animal pelt like a sock puppet for awhile, hilarity ensued.

Morgan, Cory, Ryan and Erik settling in at the kitchen bar.

Hens clucking in the living room.

Mitch and Kelli brought along their frozen drink machine, so the apple cider mimosas that Kris and I brought along quickly turned into apple cider mimosa slushies all weekend. They were a huge hit with folks.

Cory enjoys himself some sugary goodness.

Rock and roll.

The wives take turns with Steven's breathalizer (why he has one, who knows.)

Later on, some folks were itching to go out to eat for dinner. About half the group - the Boses, Larsons, Collier, and Johnsons - went out to eat, but the rest of us weren't hungry at all (we'd eaten less than four hours earlier, and had been grazing in the kitchen for the last couple hours.)

Getting dark out.

The fire pit (a little too cold and wet out to enjoy it this weekend, unfortunately.)

As usual, Steven passed out at like 7pm and would be asleep on the couch for the next six hours while people messed with him.

In the garage, we found a ping-pong table, so - seeing how its this group and everything - we quickly settled into a beer pong tournament.

Lori and Mees vs. Kris and Stef

Kris and Stef ended up losing, so Mees and Lori needed a new set of challengers.

There were a couple of big-ass spiders out in the garage that one of the wives took a pic of.

It's a good thing Collier wasn't here - he's terrified of those damn things, he makes Mees kill them for him.

I was locked in tonight. I'm a decent player (hell, I went to college), but I never play as good as I did tonight.

Cory and I straight up murdered these ladies.

Taunting the other team.

Back inside, messing with Holty some more. In order to get his breathalizer to work, we had to connect to his phone, which only unlocks if he looks at it. So Cory and Mees had to pry open his eyes to get the device to recognize his face. Believe it or not, they actually got it to unlock.