We got there around 9:30 a.m., so of course, our room wasn't
ready. We didn't expect it to be. Off to the dining room for breakfast. There
we dug into some scumptious foods from the buffett table. Wayne went up for
seconds and came back with a large cereal bowl full of bacon. I'm not kidding.
For those who know us well, you know that we eat a lot of brown rice, chicken
and veggies as well as spinach salads. So when we're on vacation… Oh my!
With full stomachs it was on to play time. SkiBall, ping
pong, and bocci ball at the Sports Palace. I won the first game of bocci ball.
Then I won the second game. Wayne is not a good loser. He said we had to play
until he won. Fortunately, it only took two more games. Yes, I won the third
too.
We then went to the Morris & Obie Café where I won a
game of air hockey. I was on fire. But he did win the second game. We didn't
have my finger and arm protectors with us, so we didn't get to do any archery. We
did shoot a few baskets on the indoor court. Well, Wayne got a few in. I shot
one. It took me so long, I was totally wiped out! So we decided to take it easy
for awhile.
We made our way to the Lookout Lounge and had a beer
overlooking beautiful Lake Wallenpaupak. Out to the outdoor bar, Tan Lines, for
another beer. There was a water gun competition going on. Contestants pumped up
the power water gun and tried to shoot empty beer cans off of a table. It may
sound simple and maybe even boring, but it was neither. Some very competitive
people were involved. We decided to just watch. Next we thought we'd soak in
the indoor hot tub for awhile. We didn't stay long because there was a bingo
game coming up next. Bingo? Really? It's lots of fun. There are jokes and
stories and with the resort being so packed, it was sure to pay big. But alas,
we were not to participate. Because just then, Wayne's phone buzzed. Our room
was ready! Bingo / pool in the room? Yep, we'll skip the bingo this time.
Moving on to dinner time. We met the greatest bunch of
people. Bianca and Bruce from Queens, Geneva and Mike from New Jersey, and Erma
and her husband (I think his name was) John from somewhere down south. I'm not
sure where, because he talked about so many places he traveled as a truck
driver and so many places they visited, I forgot. Bianca's husband never said a
word to us. He smiled and laughed a lot, but only spoke quietly to his wife.
The rest of us sure made up for him!
John and Erma told a story about a relative who owned a
tire and auto repair shop. A friend dropped by and commented on how slow
business was. The owner said not to worry about it and took off for a drive.
The next thing people saw seemed to be that owner driving down the road waving
at everyone. In reality, he was throwing nails out onto the road. Business
really picked up that day. John and Erma only learned about the story at the
man's funeral. There were so many stories and so much laughter at dinner that
night, I'm not sure how many hours we sat there.
After dinner, Wayne and I went to the nightclub, the
Champagne Palace. The band was very good, and so was the comedian, Carole
Montgomery. There was also a little game between the paid entertainers that
involved people from the audience. Billy O, the CXO (Chief eXcitement Officer)
asked for five women to come up to the stage. The contest: Put an Oreo cookie
on your forehead and using only your facial muscles, maneuver the cookie into
your mouth. And hilarity ensued. Then Billy O asked for their husbands/boyfriends
to come up. They were not expecting to be called up. This game involved
balloons. Each couple had to blow up and tie three balloons. They had to put
one between their chests and hug until it popped. Next, one person sits on a
chair and puts the balloon on his/her lap. The other person had to hop onto the
balloon facing the audience to pop it. The third balloon went on the lap, but
the jumper had to face the one sitting. Oh, and they were being timed. The
first couple did OK. One minute and 40-some seconds. And the game went on. Did
I mention that hilarity ensued? One poor girl was so thin, the chest balloon
just wouldn't pop. He picked her up, chest to chest, and swung her around as
her short dress flew up, exposing her undies. One of the very competitive
couples from the water gun competition blasted through all three in 45 seconds.
And then came the last couple. They couldn't get the balloons blown up, and
when they finally did, they couldn't tie them. The whole place, including the
inept couple, was in hysterics.
Day Two: As we were waiting to be seated for breakfast,
Bianca came running up to us and asked if they could join us. Oh hell yeah.
Bruce actually did say a few words that morning. We had a fun, laugh-filled
breakfast with them and two other couples.
Although the weather forecast called for dreary weather,
Mother Nature had other plans. It was hot and sunny and beautiful. So after
breakfast, we went directly to the Marina to enjoy a speed boat ride. It was
great! A couple we met at our first breakfast was on the boat with us. We stopped in at the Lookout Lounge and ran
into Erma and John. We talked a little and said we'd probably see them around
later.
After a quick game of pool (we both suck at that), we
thought we'd go to the Gift Shop. As we walked past the tables and chairs on
the lawn near Tan Lines, we heard someone shout, "Debra and Wayne."
Erma, Geneva and their husbands. So we sat and chatted for awhile. I was
dressed a bit warm for the boat ride, so we went back up to the room to change,
since the temperature was rising quickly.
With the weather so unexpectedly beautiful, we decided to
spend some time at the outdoor heart-shaped pool. We filled the cooler with
beer, drove down to the ice machine outside the Lounge and as Wayne got back
into the car to head back up to the room to change into swim suits, he said,
"I think our gang is still over there." So we walked over, and there
the four of them still sat. We talked and laughed awhile. After the beer was
cold enough, Wayne pulled out some cans. There was an ongoing joke from the
night before about Wayne always having beer so it was quite appropriate. The
guys and I had some. Erma and Geneva were fine without it.
Talk somehow turned to cigarette smoking. Wayne and I
talked about when we quit. Geneva quit when she was baptized. But John had the
best story. His kids asked if they could please have a smoke-free Santa. He
begrudgingly agreed to go to a hypnotist's seminar. He said he really had no
intention of actually quitting. But that hypnotist really knew his stuff. John
never picked up another cigarette. His kids then asked if they could have a
booze-free Santa. He said no way was that ever gonna happen.
We sat there for several hours, having a fun,
laugh-filled time. A few times our laughter got so loud we were drawing looks
from everyone around us, including the Tan Lines bartender. There were many
other activities we could have been doing - scheduled games, indoor archery,
and all the other included sports and games - but we were having such a good
time with the four of them, why leave? Time went by and we all had to get ready
for dinner. We decided we would all meet.
None of us saw Bianca and Bruce during the day to invite
them to join us. We did see them walk into the dining room. They were seated
near a corner of the room, and no couples were seated with them. So we decided
to ask if they wanted to join us. There were two open seats at our table. It
turns out Bianca wasn't feeling well, and they had requested a private seating
for dinner. Her stomach was bothering her, so I gave her some OTC pills. Geneva
also told her that she had Alka Seltzer in their room and freely told her their
room number. We had that kind of trust among us.
Next morning, Bianca came over to say good-bye. She had
my contact information and said she'll be in touch.
The evening after we arrived home, Erma called to see
that we made it home OK. I texted Geneva a few days later when they were
supposed to be home. We exchanged a few more pleasant texts since then. Maybe
we'll keep in touch. Maybe we won't. It doesn't matter. I'm sure none of us
will forget the great time we all had together at Cove Haven in the Poconos.
