Mentone Mountain Madness.

This weekend hosted my third trip this year to a tiny mountain town called Mentone, Alabama. I have grown to love this hamlet (so pumped to use that word) nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. It is quaint and out of the way, a parallel universe where time and calories are obsolete. The sun wakes you early, and the company keeps you up late. And, of course, there's no such thing as a diet: hamburgers, hot dogs, and tacos are the usual fare, followed by cookies and chips and cans upon cans of soda. There's no such thing as a bad time in this wooded retreat; you're surrounded by your closest friends and sometimes family, too. The plethora of activities includes Scrabble, Rook, Monopoly, cornhole, and everyone's favorite- Things. Even in solitude, Camp Harvey has much to offer. God's hand is impossible to ignore from the rustling leaves to the rushing Little River (okay, it was flooded this weekend... it's not always rushing), all of which can be taken in by a canoe trip up to the "rapids" or a hike to the "secret waterfall."
Highlights of this weekend:
- "Party in the U.S.A."
- Logan hanging from the rafters during "Party in the U.S.A."
- Erica quotes, like, "He's an equal opportunity employer."
- Blake's dancing, of course
- "...and green beans... but I guess they're just beans to you." and other color-blind jokes.
- Things
- Cinnamon roll birthday cake substitute
- Real Talk with Jacob Russell, something of a departure from Real Talk with Ben Peters
- Sound of Music montage on the dock, featuring Kelsea, Evan, and Lindsey
- Canoeing with four dogs
- 12 hours of SEC football
- Blake's potato soup and Stouffer's lasagna... there were cookies, too, but I burnt them.
- Evan would want tacos to make the highlight list...
- I traded phone numbers with Joe, so now I'm friends with a rock star.
- Photo shoot in the woods/on the dock... but then...
- Evan sat on my camera.

There you have it. Mentone, round 3, was a complete and total success.