LLCCILDT (Lost Lake Country Club Invitational Lawn Dart Tournament). The rest of the story.
John and Tom have been close friends since they were youngsters and classmates in Aberdeen/Hoquiam, WA. Their long term mates, Mollie and Elsie, grew up there also. I met these guys when we all worked at Allstate Ins in Seattle in the early 70s, our first job after leaving the military. John and Mollie now live in Beaverton, OR; Tom lives on Lost Lake near Shelton, WA.
Twenty plus years ago J & T scrounged up a few sets of lawn darts (outlawed long since) and invited several of their classmates to Tom's place on the lake for a tournament and pot luck. Yesterday was the 19th such event and about 50 people attended, most of whom participated in the lawn dart competition. Prior to the start of play, someone sings The Star Spangled Banner, the scoring rules are read, and a blessing (irreverent, funny) is given by a 'man of the cloth'. Teams are then determined and announced, and the tournament is started; play starts about 1 pm and it takes about 5 hours to get through the double elimination format.
Winners' names go on a trophy (a 4"x4"x8" block of wood, painted gold), losers' names go on the booby prize, and a there's a special Helen Keller award for the most erratic thrower - usually the person who manages to toss a dart into the lake, 20' off course. This year, one person threw 2 in the lake, meriting 2 white canes instead of one.
It's alway great fun and this year was no exception. Our friends from Spokane, Dave and Verna, participated for the first time. John and his partner won, the 4th or 5th win for him; Tom has never won so everyone cheers him on; Mollie's been in the winners' circle 2-3 times. I've won 3 times but was really lousy this year, darn near got the booby prize; Trish won her first year but didn't get to the finals this time around.
We're off to OR this morning, heading for a campground near Scappoose for next few days. I like that name, Scappoose, much more character than Columbia City - where I lived for several years - in a house that's still unsold, been on the market for a year plus.
Sounds like a lot of fun. I'm sure a few beers helped straighten the throws out and increased the likelihood of getting the Helen Keller Award. Old friends and a history of good times is the best!
ReplyDeleteNow that you mention it, I do recall that one of the guys had a brew.
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