Paintballs and Family Dinners

A couple Sundays ago Dad, Ellen, Chris and I went paint-balling which, in case you don't know, is the act of shooting another human with a gun that fires hard little balls of paint that pop and splatter as they strike your warm, bare flesh. It's exciting and unpleasant at the same time. The four of us played all afternoon in a "battlefield" made to look like Vietnam. While we rotated teams of guys against gals or Unions vs Villards, we shimmied through barricades, slid through mud, and tumbled over dirt piles. I suffered but one real hit. A close range shot to the backside by my loving old man. Ellen however, was quite colorful when we emerged from the field as I think all of us enjoyed taking out years of Ellen related frustrations on her pint-sized body. 

Being men, Dad and Chris took this venture quite seriously and hurled themselves agains dirt piles, peeking out to locate positions and fire at each other. Chris shot dad square between the eyes. Dad retaliated by shooting Chris in the back when he was neither playing nor looking. It was a sucker shot. "Every father-in-law's dream." he said. 

The games were full of excitement and outrage. On one occasion I lost all composure when Dad lunged out from behind a barricade with the intent to cross the open field. He ran low to the ground, swiftly shuffling across the grassy plain, his gun fixed in his arms like a solider. And then he tripped. His expression changed from militant focus to utter astonishment. He teetered in slow motion, taking wide, desperate steps. He staggered several feet before his upper body tumbled forward and his legs splayed out behind him. 

I let out a blasting cackle, exposing my position and resulting in a paintball to my helmet. I belly laughed as I crossed into the "out" zone and I heard Dad chuckling as he scrambled to get up, fix his gun back in his arms and continue playing like the tough guy that he really thought he was.

Bruised and dirty, we climbed back into our cars when the day was over and then we all headed to Carolyn and Dave's for Sunday Dinner. Dave continued the upstaging with a backyard oyster roast and Carolyn's outdoor fiesta setting. Even the boys came over for this meal which made us all especially happy. 

This is my picture of Jordan and Alston eating oysters and being very sociable.

We sat around a bonfire and listened to all kinds of rap music in an attempt to get Jordan to put on a show for us. He politely declined. 

After last night's Sunday Dinner at my house, Carolyn and Dave asked to be cycled out of the rotations until further notice. It think we've worn 'em out.