Shmeng Party - Kira Date Thursday, April 25, 2024 - 08:44 AM PST Topic Cult I’ve been working on this article since the day after we got home from New Orleans. Now that I have read everyone else’s articles I see a lot of overlaps. But this is my best attempt at capturing the weekend, so it will have to do. I knew we were officially on a road trip when I was awoken by the car coming to a stop, at some god awful hour of the night in some god awful state. Everyone in the car was chattering excitedly about something. I sat up from the back seat still half asleep and look around to see nothing but an empty gas station. And a giant gorilla. I believe the first coherent words out of my mouth were: “What the fuck!?” We spent about 15 minutes taking pictures with the gorilla at Nervous Charlie’s Fireworks, Ham, & Gas Emporium™ before getting back on the road. We never did find out what makes Charlie nervous, but I am guessing it has something to do with people molesting his giant gorilla in the middle of the night. Long trip short, we arrived at the bed & breakfast just a little early. In fact, we were the first ones there. The place was gorgeous, with high ceilings and nice little architectural details everywhere. I couldn’t believe we would have the whole place to ourselves all weekend. The guy at the desk gave us the grand tour, and we selected our rooms. We (that is, Paris and I) chose one of the rooms towards the back, with a huge fan over the bed painted in an Asian style, and a bathroom with a huge claw foot bath tub. The front of the building had a second story porch which looked out onto the street and the neat little houses on the other side. Outside was the intriguing “clothing optional” courtyard and hot tub. I have a few favorite moments that stand out in my mind from the weekend. One of the most perfect Hallmark moments was our picnic in front of the haunted house. Few things in the world make me happier than delicious food, a beautiful outdoor setting, and good conversation. All of these things were present in abundance. I wish I had taken some pictures. Another one of my favorite experiences was shopping with all the girls. All of my life I have had very few girl friends, and so I had never really been on a big girlie group shopping spree. Let me say ladies, that I am and was honored to have the company of such witty, fun, and absolutely gorgeous women. It was great to watch Meranda’s face light up at her first taste of Absinthe, or Daria’s at the corset selection at Trashy Diva. I wanted to write about hanging out after the hookah bar on the patio and in the hot tub. However, my detailed memory of that part of the evening is pretty fuzzy. I’m not sure if this is due to the wine or being caught up in the moment. I don’t think I can blame the chartreuse! I do know that I had an enjoyable time, and naked is the only way to be in the New Orleans humidity. All in all, I had an excellent weekend. I was just coming out of working in a terrible environment, and to have a weekend of escape around totally accepting people was good medicine for me. There were many small, personal moments I experienced that I don’t want to write about, but will hold dear. I will say the weekend felt too short, and I didn’t want to go home just when everyone was getting comfortable. I was sad to leave New Orleans, and for everyone to scatter back to their respective corners of the country. I wish we could all go out to dinner together any time we pleased. And, well…other things on top of that. Major thanks are due to Meranda and Callei for organizing everything. You two did a wonderful job. This article comes from Shmeng http://www.shmeng.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.shmeng.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=711