Day 4 & 5

Outer Banks, NC

Been a doozy of a few days, so here is a 2-in-1 blog post to hopefully get us back on track!

February 27, 2024

Had a lovely first morning in OBX, North Carolina! Started off with a hearty breakfast comprised of eggs and toast, and then we went to go throw some pigskin on the beach. We also built a giant sandcastle (our seafood temple to the Bird Gods) with a moat, walls, and a bridge, decorated with remains of dead fish and crustaceans that were littered on the beach. We even got some resident crabs that were eventually offered up as sacrifices.

We also got this great video of Sexy Brett:

Sexy Brett, 2024

Owen and Leo made us some bomb bacon mac for lunch, and then a few of us played the card game “Castle” (also known as “Palace”). Later on, some of the others played a game called Startups - the rules were a little doozy, I think we got the hang of it by the third round. 

For dinner, we had the first team of the competition present their dish. For those new to the G=Men lore, we split the group into 3 teams and cook for each other, and then vote on the best dish and experience. Winners sometimes get a prize? Anyways, Leo, Varun, Chirp, and Sam prepared Leo’s Lemon Pepper Fettuccine with shrimp and Varun’s Penne alla Vodka with sausage. We only got one photo of it (which doesn’t do it justice because it is very blue from the blue light), but that sh** was incredible. Varun literally put everything he had into this pasta - literally, he ended up in the ER. Luckily, everything ended up being OK, and after a late night at the hospital, we all headed to bed.

February 28, 2024

After the previous nights emergency, we all took it easy the next morning. The sandcastle was gone, hot tub is broken, and somebody (not naming names but perhaps rhymes with Bowen) may have caused a severe plumbing issue in the house. We are in shambles.

We decided to make some crepes for breakfast (one of Varun’s favorite breakfast foods) with fresh strawberries, blueberries, chocolate chips, and nutella. Thanks again to chef Leo for such a delicacy! We took it slow the rest of the day, saying goodbye to Varun mid-afternoon, we’ll see you back in Ann Arbor buddy. After, Owen and I went on a nice walk on the beach.

At night, it was time for Luke’s team to cook. Luke, Owen, Ryan, and Frank prepared Owen’s spicy honey glazed salmon, with steamed broccoli, and a baked potato bar. They also provided some strawberry shortcakes for dessert, wrapping up a second night of delicious food - seriously, I would have paid money to eat this at a restaurant. The guys then started watching Dune (part 1) in anticipation for Friday’s excursion to see Dune (part 2) in Harrisburg… we have high expectations but are super excited!

Looking forward to meeting the groups in Williamsburg! Will check in tomorrow.

Max