NEW GAMES/ACTIVITIES: Baseball was new - I don't recall ever playing it before. Nothing else new that I can recall - we better think of something for next year! (Added later:) OK, I remember now that we played "forest baseball " at Cypress, but it wasn't quite the same thing!

OLD FAVORITES BACK AGAIN: Beer Darts, Slingshot Paintball, scaled down Bike Jousting (which still managed to result in an injury), Soccer, Plastic Cup MIni-golf, "Chicken" Mini-golf (I don't even want to know), the Ubiquitos Washer Boxes, Baggie of Wine and Water Battle Royale.

ATTENDEES (in chronological order) Scott, Kandi, Erik and Connor went out Tuesday. Duncan came out Wednesday Night in his Red Tiburon. Steve and Shelley and Mel and Amber arrived at the same time as Holly, Murray and Debbie on Thursday. Jeff and Kathy and Joey arrived an hour or two later. Sacha, Nola and Sean arrived later Thursday afternoon. Matt and Kathy and Teri came out Thurs Eve. Alyson and Kirsten arrived Thursday Night. Kimberley and Krista arrived so late on Thursday that it was actually Friday Morning. Paul and Shannon came out sometime on Friday. Leen came out Friday at the tail end of the water fight, and hence got completely ambushed and soaked. Ryan and Loni came out with Mikey on Saturday from Saskatoon. Russ and Sheena arrived Saturday afternoon as well. Fred came out with Mark on Sunday, just in time for the Group Photos. Auntie Julie and Shelley's Mom came by a couple of times, once with little Randy, who was about Joey's age.

CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT: John and Trudy and Kieran, Adam, Tasha, Kevin and Sheila, Gail, Fred's cooking (What? Not a real entity? You obviously haven't tasted it!), Dave (as always).

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

• "A hobbit lay here..."
• "Are you going to eat that pancake?"
• "And the pouty face" (source unknown)
• "George, George, George of the Jungle. Oops, I mean Sheena!"
• "Eleven!"
• "Subway Monkey!" (I don't know what it means, but its in the book)

Best Event of the weekend:

The water fight - hands down. What excellent fun! And Erik is one sneaky kid!

Worse thing that happened at the campsite:

I did NOT drink enough beer. Thursday sure, but after that my constitution wouldn't take it!

Best drink you personally consumed:

Bailey's in Coffee. What a way to wake up. Almost beats "the sound of breakfast cooking".

Best behaved child (and why):

Why is it always Kirsten? Just because a child doesn't speak doesn't make her the best behaved. I mean, there are many kids that talked all weekend non-stop and were still just as well behaved. First there was, oh wait...uh...but also there was...oh, darn, forgot about that...uh..
OK, Kirsten wins... :)

Worst behaved adult (and why):

Leen and Murray. After making a pact to sonsume the rest of the Dutch Gin on Sunday Night, neither drank any! We'll probably have to endure that horrid bottle next year again! Jeff, bring lots of water balloons!

What was your favorite thing that happened this weekend?

Too many to narrow it down.

Tell us about your favorite game of the weekend, whether it was watching or participating:

Water Fight!

How does this year's RLW rate vs. other years, which year is #1, and why would you put it at that ranking?

I can't rank them myself. I just ask this question to get people to think about it and maybe get the old memory juices flowing. ;)

Matt:

NEW GAMES/ACTIVITIES:

The Water Balloon cannon was pretty damn cool. Even if I was the target for many of the launches. Amber is a pretty impressive shot.

OLD FAVORITES BACK AGAIN:

Beer Darts / Washer Boxes / Slingshot Paintball / Soccer Game / Throwing the Football rate high in my books.

CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT:

Fred. Glad he could make a Cameo.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

There were many during the weekend, but I cannot recall any of them now. :(

Best Event of the weekend:

This is a hard question to answer. The water fight was epic to say the least. Lots of fun. Throwing the football around in the lake was lots of fun, probably top of the pops for me.

Worse thing that happened at the campsite:

Leen and I lost a game of beer darts.

Best drink you personally consumed:

Guinness (It is not just for Breakfast anymore).

Best behaved child (and why):

Kirsten continues to be a role model for the adults. Someday we may rise to that challenge. :)

What was your favorite thing that happened this weekend?

The water fight was lots of fun this year. There was a tense moment when I thought Debbie was going to chase me with an axe, but thankfully, that passed.

Tell us about your favorite game of the weekend, whether it was watching or participating:

Football toss in the lake. Lots of quality time "in" the water this year. That adds a lot to a weekend for me.

How does this year's RLW rate vs. other years, which year is #1, and why would you put it at that ranking?

2006 was #1 for me.

NEW GAMES/ACTIVITIES:

deciding which of Joey's injuries warranted a limited # of bandaids, second to hit Russ in the finger with a dart, which also warranted a bandaid.

OLD FAVORITES BACK AGAIN:

washer boxes, of course

CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT:

dignity :)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Kandi "I was willing to sit on Shelley's mom's lap if it meant not getting water dumped on me"

Best Event of the weekend:

Water fight

Worse thing that happened at the campsite:

my GD air mattresses deflating every freaking night

Best drink you personally consumed:

Mimosas!

Best food:

Holly's brie and carmelized onions

Best behaved child (and why):

The perfect Kirsten! Good Lord, how on EARTH did that happen?

Worst behaved adult (and why):

Fred for not cooking for us.

What was your favorite thing that happened this weekend?

Joey had a blast from the time his little feet exited the tent in the a.m. until he konked out in the p.m.

Tell us about your favorite game of the weekend, whether it was watching or participating:

washer boxes with Shannon

Describe something new you learned about one of our friends (DO NOT reveal any secrets that were confessed):

Sean knows a lot about the solar system.

If you could have altered one thing about the Round Lake Weekend this year, what would it be?

Fewer extra 20's somethings. (not that any of them weren't likeable, I just prefer not fighting for space around the campfire with hormonal young people; other than the ones we've given birth to.)

How does this year's RLW rate vs. other years, which year is #1, and why would you put it at that ranking?

Not sure on this one. I think I've had more fun, and I've had less fun. Every RLW seems to have a really high point, and I don't think I'd be doing justice to any one of them by ranking it. Of course easy for me to say, I wasn't at Madge... ;)

Did you have a moment where you felt at peace and at one with the Universe? If so, tell us about it in as much detail as you can (we won't laugh, really):

My bike ride alone with my husband.

Jeff:

NEW GAMES/ACTIVITIES:

• water balloon slingshot toss
• piggy back golf
• telescope star gazing

OLD FAVORITES BACK AGAIN:

• paint ball
• beer darts
• water fights!!!!
• bike jousting causing injury to participants / spectators
• kite flying
• baseball (wish we'd had another game after Thursday)
• Orcs and Adventurers (Australian Rules Version)

CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT:

• sing-along with John
• FRED!!!!

Best Event of the weekend:

Too many too fun

Worse thing that happened at the campsite:

Saturday Night Soaps

Best drink you personally consumed:

Kathy's Mimosa

Best behaved child (and why):

Kirsten, Kirsten, always Kirsten (I'm beginning to think she's not actually related to Leen) although it was a toss-up between her and Erik.

What was your favorite thing that happened this weekend?

Fishing / boating with Leen, Kirsten, Amber and Joey. Seeing the moons of Jupiter through the telescope.

Tell us about your favorite game of the weekend, whether it was watching or participating:

Oooh..... Paint ball was fun, but not as raucous as last year. The Great Friday Water Fight was a complete blast, both to watch and be part of.

How does this year's RLW rate vs. other years, which year is #1, and why would you put it at that ranking?

Describe something new you learned about one of our friends (DO NOT reveal any secrets that were confessed):

Debbie doesn't like having water poured on her. Shelley doesn't like having cranberry juice thrown at her.

If you could have altered one thing about the Round Lake Weekend this year, what would it be?

Saturday Night Soaps.

How does this year's RLW rate vs. other years, which year is #1, and why would you put it at that ranking?

Middle of the pack somewhere. 1989's "Pronoun Spiral" still ranks pretty high, as does the 2004 Post-Storm clean up. But the best one was, of course, 1999.

Did you have a moment where you felt at peace and at one with the Universe? If so, tell us about it in as much detail as you can (we won't laugh, really):

On the boat back from fishing, sitting in the front, flying across the waves in the sunshine. Most peaceful moment - standing on the sand dunes with my wife at Sunset Beach watching the waves crash on the shore.

Leen:

NEW GAMES/ACTIVITIES:

ID the screaming/yelling drunk/s from the comfort of your own tent

OLD FAVORITES BACK AGAIN:

Soon to be olympic sport beer darts, washer boxes,

CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT:

Johnny boy and rest of the Kennedy clan

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Joe O'brien upon entering the lake and yelling "OH, MY NUTS!!!!!"

Best Event of the weekend:

The "chick hugging" ceremony at the end of the weekend.......there may have been some guys there too, but I blocked them out.

Worse thing that happened at the campsite:

The bottle of Dutch gin was not consumed.

Best drink you personally consumed:

Scott's cointreau to honor Andy

Best behaved child (and why):

Kirsten, Joe, Connor, Eric, Amber all deserve honorable mention as they were all excellent.

Worst behaved adult (and why):

No comment, you know who you are.

What was your favorite thing that happened this weekend?

Hearing about the romantic excapades of Scott and Kandi. It's nice to know that romance is alive and healthy after 4 kids.

Tell us about your favorite game of the weekend, whether it was watching or participating:

The first and only Matt vs Leen Beer Darts confrontation. Two warriors of equal ability and demeanor, if not weight, fighting a close battle until the last dart when it was obvious to everyone watching that two forces of good should team up in order to better battle the forces of evil and other ne'er do wells,.....mostly ne'er do wells. It was a great game, not to mention a defining moment in beer darts history.

How does this year's RLW rate vs. other years, which year is #1, and why would you put it at that ranking?

This year was good. My favorite in recent history is still 2006 as it was a year of few arguments, peaceful, fun, relaxing, and no out of control drunkenness(though much controlled drunkenness). I may have had better years, but many of the early years are quite hazy(whether from alcohol or old age)

Describe something new you learned about one of our friends (DO NOT reveal any secrets that were confessed):

Scott and Kandi have a trapeze and mirrors in their tent......is that a secret Scott?

If you could have altered one thing about the Round Lake Weekend this year, what would it be?

Matt and I would have clubbed Sean and Krista like the baby seal upstarts that they are. As it stands now, we have to confer on them the status of proteges in order to assuage the embarrassment of being resoundingly beaten by them.

Holly:

OLD FAVORITE GAMES BACK AGAIN:

Mini Golf with Amber

CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT:

John and His Guitar

Best Event of the weekend:

I enjoyed the multi generational water fight >

Worse thing that happened at the campsite:

Can we just avoid this question this year?

Best drink you personally consumed:

Black Currant soda, Tonic and Tanqueray Gin

Best behaved child (and why):

Miss Van Marion

What was your favorite thing that happened this weekend?

It was nice to see so many of our young adults making such a good effort to attend. I think it is amazing when your children want to spend time with you when they are teenagers and young adults.

If you could have altered one thing about the Round Lake Weekend this year, what would it be?

That it was longer.

Did you have a moment where you felt at peace and at one with the Universe? If so, tell us about it in as much detail as you can (we won't laugh, really):

Staying up with Kimberly and having the Deer come eat popcorn twists beside us .

Shelley:

NEW GAMES/ACTIVITIES:

I do not think there were any new games but I would like to see the balls on a string game.

OLD FAVORITES BACK AGAIN:

Washer boxes

Best Event of the weekend:

I would have to say the water fight and Lui and I tubing.

Best drink you personally consumed:

All of them.

Best behaved child (and why):

All of them, except me:)

Notes from "The Book":

Highlight of the scrub game - Kathy "Ozzie" O'Brien snagging Duncan's line drive.

This was my first year and hopefully not my last. You guys made me feel so welcome. I had so much fun even though I only stayed for 2 days! The wine kicked me in the behind haha Keep on Rockin' it! - Loni Schuster

Once again it was a great time. Was great to see everyone again. I've gotta make sure to not miss another ever. Untill we meet again friends...Ciao! - Ryan G. Eckstein (aka Squeeze Bug)

Things Teri Lewis learned at Round Lake:

• It is never too early for beer darts
• It is possible for humans to fly ... ask Kim!
• A full 26 of spiced rum induces deep philosophical thought.
• You don't need certification to do tattoos.
• Two grown men cannot give a proper terapeutic massage, no matter what qualifications they claim.
• Beer and football = a lot of falling down.
• Beer and schnapps and baggie of wine = awesome Saturday Night

NEW GAMES/ACTIVITIES:

The Mother of All Water Fights. It took me quite a while to end up involved (thanks a lot, Lew ...) but once you're wet, it's great fun. My wife got soaked and I DIDN'T pay for it. It was most fun to get the two Kathy's; can't really explain why. And I'll hand it to Erik for being the Drive-By Ninja of Water Fights. P.S. Thanks to whoever noticed Duncan on the roof, as I probably would have paid a nasty price walking by.

The "chicken golf" was interesting, but definitely best played early in the weekend.

Murray and I had a rather good game of chess. I got up on points - unexpectedly - but Murray managed a quick counterstrike in the late going that won it for him. Yeah, only geeks get it, I know, I know.

The Grand Clipping of Paul's toenails will have to be repeated next year ... whether they need it or not.

The foot spa was a big hit. I wasn't allowed in the pool, of course, but anything that makes so many womenfolk happy is just good karma.

OLD FAVORITES BACK AGAIN:

Slingshot paintball was a hoot, but there were too many dang thorns! One got into my shoe, and it wasn't until we got home that it ended up sticking in my foot. Yes, even 550 km away, I was still picking away at slivers with a borrowed needle. (And thanks for that, Debbie. I'll get it back to you next year).

Thank you to Matt and Jeff for loaning some protective gear, and of course, paintballs. Doh!

CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT:

Not that I missed him more, but I think Duncan was looking forward to playing guitar with John.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

• "Oh, look, she's wearing the pouty face!" (referring to Kathy O, after a vicious drenching)
• Leen: "Given a choice between wearing a thong and going naked, I'd go naked."
• Matt: "Uh, Leen, is there a door number 3, please?"
• Unknown: "Leen, what's the English name for that Dutch gin you brought?"
• Murray: "Crap."

Worse thing that happened at the campsite:

Matt and Leen got supernaturally lucky in beer darts against Steve and me. They were throwing uphill and into the wind, which actually is an advantage.

And although Murray's ribs claim to be recovering, I do feel badly about tubing him into submission on the lake. The same goes for going a bit hard on Teri. Sorry, folks, I get a bit competitive.

On the plus side, Kim managed to get a LOT of blue sky between herself and the water. And, Kathy and Shelley did not vow to skin me after their own tube ride. I made them scream like little girls! Which, of course, they still look like. In a good way.

Best drink you personally consumed:

Parrot Bay. With my (I mean, Kathy O's) orange juice. Ahem.

At least I got a Mimosa out of it ...

And while it's not technically a "drink", I did soak my pancakes with Kandi's homemade chokecherry syrup. (Shameless sucking up to spouse freely admitted). And did I mention, those are the chokecherries picked from the Douglas Park tree two years earlier? Synchronicity.

Best behaved child (and why):

Leen showed a remarkable improvement from two years ago, almost as quiet as Kirsten.

(Stunned silence from the audience).

And I guess my own kids deserve a little credit, too. A little thanks to Holly on that one, I hear.

Worst behaved adult (and why):

Jeff waited until Joey was in bed before he jumped over the fire. Good role modelling, yes, but ENTIRELY too responsible.

What was your favorite thing that happened this weekend?

I managed to relax more than the last couple of RLWs. Yeah, I know, how could I NOT relax, but this year came more naturally than some others. I played football in the lake, had some great conversations, and got to see the Milky Way again.

How does this year's RLW rate vs. other years, which year is #1, and why would you put it at that ranking?

This one was good, but not the best. The first Douglas and both the Cypresses were a blast, and the great Good Spirit Deluge was much fun as well.