I wouldn’t say Sharaun and I are big partiers (is that a word?), but we enjoy hanging out with friends and having a good time. Yesterday I had an itchin’ for some kind of social gathering. So I crafted up an e-mail and sent it to the regular crew. Surprisingly enough, everyone on the invite list showed up. So the night began with two cases of Beerman’s Lincoln Lager, four 2lbs tri-tips, and some tasty appetizers (courtesy Sweet Grass Dairy). All indicators pointed towards an impending good time.
The evening went well, with the food turning out mighty tasty. We managed to polish off all the meat (and by the wee-hours, the last of the beer too). At some point during the night, it was suggested that I break out the fog machine and black light, to give the Halloween setup some “burn-in” testing. Who knew a fog machine could be so much fun? Our buddy (and close neighbor) Dan showed up near the tail end of the party. He had been working on constructing a covered deck in his backyard, and was returning some tools he’d borrowed. For some reason, he also brought along a level that was laser-equipped. The completely coincidental pairing of the fog and the laserbeam ended up producing a cool visible laser-line akin to Mission Impossible or something. Anyway, we played “fog-laser limbo,” “how high can you jump over the fog-laser?,” and “optics fun with fog-laser reflection.” That last game required that we bust out some mirrors to reflect the laserbeam around the room, we’ll get back to that later. Here are some pictures of the foggy good time (as always, you can click each pic for a larger version):
 late night fog-and-laser play. |
 ben uses a blank cd to bend the laser in the fog. |
After a successful evening, Ben took off in my truck on his way home. Shortly thereafter, I received a phone call from him telling me he had been locked out of his own house. So, Ben made the drive back and crashed on my couch. Sometime as the sun came up, Ben awoke to the smell of burning wood. Seems that the cosmetic mirror we had out during the laser-fun was left on the dining room table, and as the sun rose, it hit it in the exact right place at the exact right angle to burn a moving line in our table as the sun rose in the sky. Seeing and smelling the smoke, Ben thoughtfully moved the mirror. Below are some pix of the char that demands sanding and refinishing, as well as some general “aftermath” or “morning after” snaps. Enjoy:
 what are the odds? |
 a closeup of the fiery results. |
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 50+ beers ready for the garbage |
 midway through the cleanup process. |
OK, that’s enough blogging for the weekend. I’m of to make some tombstones. Peace.
Also written on this day...
- evolving - 2018
- just some new pictures - 2010
- fathering gold - 2007
- champagne and scallops - 2006
- is anything real here? - 2005
- i hate 80s cover bands - 2004
I don´t think the sun had a choice where it hit the mirror. I´m sure you meant to say that the mirror was in the exact spot needed to focus the Sun´s entense ultra voilet rays onto the top of the table. But after watching you pour beer over your phone so you could let Ben hear that the kegarator was empty, I realize this may be a stretch for you.