g m w

this is a photo of me in a life jacket on caddy lake, taken during a "gentlemen's weekend".

about seven years ago, one of my best friends developed a serious form of cancer. the doctors gave him a 10% chance of surviving. he went through some drastic surgery. but he made it, and is doing fine.
going through this ordeal gave my friend a new perspective on life, and made him realize what is truly important in life... family and friends.
he realized that it is harder for us old buddies to get together now, with wives, girlfriends and children in our lives. so he decided to start a new tradition... the "gentlemen's weekend" or "GMW" for short (named with tongue planted firmly in cheek). it would be a weekend with friends... no girlfriends, wives or children allowed... just us guys. it would be a way to rekindle our old friendships... friendships that now go back more than 25 years. we have grown up together as adults. and we have seen each other through everything imaginable, so we know each other very well.
so every spring and fall since then, we spend a weekend together at a cottage. each of us brings enough food, drink, music and movies for a week, and we just hang out together for three days. it is a weekend of excess. a weekend to be guys.
the first versions of the GMW featured a lot of red meat and a lot of beer... not much else. but over the years, we have refined our tastes a bit. so now we end up with a kitchen countertop full of fine scotches and a fridge full of exotic beers. we have a Saturday supper of barbequed steak and lobster, with salads, baked potatoes, and red wine. someone usually brings a projector and sound system, so we watch movies and listen to the rock music we grew up with. we listen to a lot of music. it is a common thread that binds us.
these are three days when we can let go of our responsibilities at home for a little while, and catch up. it is a celebration of our friendships. and it has become a wonderful tradition that we all value.
long live the GMW!