Giant Game Weekend

I had a fantastic weekend!  And oddly enough, it was chock full of giant games... weird.  On Saturday S and I went to his parents house where he changed out the oil on his car and I utilized his dad's power tools to (quite belatedly, I admit) make a giant jenga game for J and B for their holiday present.  I know, I'm two months late.  The game was fairly easy to make.  I cut down five 8' planks of whitewood into 11" segments, then used a wood file to get rid of splinters and slightly bevel the sharp edges, and finally took some fine grit sandpaper to ensure that the outer sides and edges were all smooth and splinter free.  It definitely took some time, but the result was spot on! (see our first experience with the game here)

That evening we went to J and B's house for their son A's birthday and I brought the giant jenga.  After the party (which was a blast as well: make-your-own-pizza, Taboo, and Catch Phrase!) we moseyed out to the backyard to test out the new game.  I'm shocked at how long we kept that tower standing!  We actually reached a point where there were no more boards to remove and stack on top - we beat the game! 

The weather was so fantastic the next day that we decided to walk over to one of our favorite local eateries, Eatsie Boys, for their chef's choice brunch.  I ordered the chicken tamale with black beans, fresh cheese and avocado crema and S had the pork loin rolled with chorizo and jalepeno cornbread.  We seriously haven't eaten anything there yet that we haven't loved.  After brunch we went next door where there's a giant chess game on the patio.  Neither S nor I had played chess in a while, so it wasn't exactly a riveting game.

I do well with my defensive strategy, but I'm not so great on the offensive.  So we kept the game going for a while, but I wound up losing in the end.  Need to practice more!  And after giant chess, since the weather was still impossibly gorgeous, we proceeded to walk around the Montrose area.  It was phenomenal.  I love my new neighborhood!  Sunday evening we accomplished a bit of productiveness around the house (the dining room is complete!  Pictures to come tomorrow!) and then hit up Torchy's Tacos for a yummy dinner.  If you ever go you MUST try the Independent and the street corn - they are insanely good!