Return to Eight Point, Part IV

(Contd.)

Sunday

July 19th

"The 6th Annual Cornhole Tournament"

The calm before the storm.  Today, without a doubt, would be the most raucous and relative-packed day of the week. . .

. . . for today was the 2015 Annual Cornhole Tournament.  Shown here are the first and second-place awards for this year's two best teams (we'd end up fielding quite a few this year - our biggest turnout to date.)

Catching some morning book-and-pipe action in the Cagafuego before all Hell breaks loose. . .

Shortly before lunch - and the importation of relatives and hangers-on for the day-long tournament - I went out with the Whites and an assortment of kids for a stint of tubing around the lake.  I've been getting some pretty badass pictures this week with my telephoto lens, as you can see here. . .

Returning to shore

Uncle Larry, the officiate for the day, reads out the by-laws and standard operating procedure for the day's games.  The crowd is enthused.

We set up a series of brackets for all the teams, playing in double-elimination, which, while perhaps more fair, made the games last a LOOOOONG time.

This was my first time playing in over six years, and I had only played once before that, so I was labeled a 'B' level player, and therefore paired up with an 'A' player, at random (which happened to be Lucy and Larry's good friend Al, who's one of the best players in the tournament.)

From the stands. . .

(Kris, too, isn't very good.)

Rowley and Kevin - on either far end, here - are two of the best players there are, so we'd surely be seeing one of them in the final rounds. . . if Al and I ever made it that far.

My cousins, Mackenzie and Rachel, Kris' cornhole partner (Lucy and Larry's kids)

Shortly after Al (pictured at far right) and I miraculously destroyed the other team in our first game.

Taking on my nephew Blake and his mom (my step-sister), Jill, in Round 2. . . in which we also kicked their collective asses.

Blake's little brother, Bradley, and Cindy. . . both of which saw their teams fall in Rounds 2 and 3.

(Their kids were pretty pissed off at them for losing before the semi-finals.)

During the next couple rounds, Al and I enjoyed a Bye, while Kris' team lost in the first round. . . which meant we got to hang out for quite a while and watch other people make stupid faces while they tossed around beanbags.

Coloring inside the cabin. 

Alayna and Kevin's kid, Lola.

Updating brackets from his command center.

Front row seats aboard the Cagafuego.

Kris.  Thoroughly enjoying not cornholing.

Abby

Pipe break.

Stowaways.

Kris and I (and everyone else) had tried getting my kids tubing on the lake all week, to no avail.  Finally, I offered to pull the kids behind me in the Cagafuego, which, for whatever reason, has a strange pull with little kids.  My cowardly children agreed, so we lashed it to the stern of my trusty ship and set off. . .

Let no one tell you otherwise.  Pulling tubes behind a rowboat is nowhere near as cool as pulling a tube behind a speedboat.

Rounding Cape Buoy.

Land Ho!

(Watson can't stand people splashing in the water.)

Dad and Cindy

Taking a siesta from the water. . .

As usual, we put the Brians to work grilling up dead animals. . .

Coming out of our break between games, Al and I faced off against Rowley and Mackenzie.  Against all odds, Yours Truly finally figured out how to throw a frickin' bean bag, and we prevailed, securing our place in the Finals.  Undefeated.

Preparing to wolf down some meat after a long day of cornholing. . .

Feeding the offspring.

This feast was glorious.

The Whites, Houghs and Grants were all double-eliminated in the tournament, and therefore were lucky enough to enjoy the lake after dinner. . .

. . . Kris even convinced Abby to accompany her on the tube behind the 'big boat' (despite the fact Uncle Brian did little more than troll around for a couple minutes. . . we celebrate mediocrity in this family.)

The first game of the finals:  Al and I vs. Rob and Justin.  This was truly a corrupt match-up, as Rob and Justin were both 'A' players, and had played a string of games back-to-back in a row, so they were warmed up and ready to roll.  Contrarily, Al and I had spent the last two hours eating dead animals and guzzling beer, and not tossing around bean bags.  The odds were stacked against us. . .

Alayna, making offerings to the Lake God.  And yes, I'm being completely serious.  That's what MY kid does in her spare time.

You have to force hugs with this kid.

Rob and Justin defeated us in the first game, but in order to cinch the trophy they had to beat us twice. . . 

. . . which, alas, was probably pretty easy for them.  Al and I put up a fight, but the odds were (unfairly) stacked against us.

1st Place

Victory cigars for 2nd

The 2015 Champions

Rowley with the Joneses, Cindy's parents

The 4th Generation (feat. Rob and his wife, who have to hold up their kids 'cause they're obviously too small to stand on a dock.)  Not pictured: Jeff's kids, and Jax.

Blake lands a bass.  Again.  Kinda to the point where it's no longer news-worthy.  Not sure why I'm still taking pictures of this. . . it ranks right up there with 'Alayna making a creepy face' and 'Brian wearing a weird hat.'

Al and Mackenzie's boyfriend, Matt, lighting up some lanterns at dusk. . .

(There's no way in hell the picture that girl's trying to take with a smartphone is going to turn out.  She was using a flash, for Christ's sake.)

Cherishing a fire at the end of a long, LONG day.

Some smartphone game that appeals to the inebriated. . .

- Brian