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Camp Decadence, Sacramento, Summer 2003 |
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Thursday, July 3 - Sunday, July 14: Carousing in The Compound!
The solution? Camp Decadence 2003! For this gig we invited Decadence stalwarts Paul and Gen, plus their pooch Cosmo; Anya, with furry companion Tessa; Graham, who condescended to join us and lounge by the pool; Greg and Deia, who arrived armed with boxes of photo paraphernalia and their two dogs, Joey and Zelda; and a cadre of the Chabot Canyon Tennis Club, which included Karen, Wendell, Mario, Mary, and Hilarie. Oh, and the two house dogs, Sabrina and Amber, who were a bit puzzled by all the commotion. We kicked off the vacation with a couple of mellow days poolside. Graham discovered the joys of snacking in the sun, while C.C., Anya, Deia, and Gen devoured the latest fashion magazines and worked on their tans. Meanwhile, the boys cordoned off all the new Holland landscaping with bright-orange construction fencing, the better to preventing canine cavorting through the bushes. (Who says you can't make the Great Outdoors dog-proof?) By midweek, it was just the intrepid foursome of C.C., Dave, Paul, and Gen. They made the most of their downtime, swimming, boating, playing tennis, shopping (er, that is, running errands! Yes, that's right -- errands!), getting massages (to compensate for the intense sporting activity, of course), and discovering that all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets are not to be taken lightly. (Ha ha.) Tired of watching Cosmo from shore, Lucky took her first tentative steps into the pool...and within a day, was bobbing merrily along behind Cosmo, wading like a duck. (Swimming next year, maybe?) They also filled their time fixing things around the house. The boat got a tune-up. The tennis court got washed. And Dave got an impromptu shower when he (unsuccessfully) tried to improve the water pressure to the water fountain by the tennis court. Evenings were all about grilling, movies (good and not so good), and early bedtimes. By the second weekend, the gang was ready for some more socializing. And the Chabot gang obliged! They began arriving on Friday night, to the accompaniment of many margaritas and caipirinhas. Saturday morning kicked off an intense round of tennis, culminating in the Decadence Cup: Dave and Paul versus Mario and Wendell. Wendell immediately began with an unfair advantage: he removed his shirt. The spectating ladies were so distracted they found it difficult to watch the tennis. The match was close (really, it was!), but in the end, Wendell and Mario hoisted the Decadence Trophy. What better to do after tough tennis than jump in the pool? How about some pool volleyball? The gang split into two teams and began a spirited competition. Karen discovered, to her chagrin, that there were only a few spots she could stand and keep her chin above water. Dave and Paul took great delight in trying to shove her into deeper shores. However, she showed her mettle by not only staying afloat, but by becoming the most hard-core player of them all! Her play kept rallying her team to victory. Goes to show, a "little" Karen goes a long way... Saturday night brought an epic barbecue dinner, in which all stuffed themselves way, way, way too much. Sunday brought more tennis, more pool volleyball, and more general bacchanalia. While the Chabot gang departed on Sunday, the four hardy Hollands and honorary Hollands made the spur-of-the-moment decision to call in sick on Monday...and extend Decadence one last day. Alas, all good (and decadent) things must come to an end, and this experience was no different. After an exhausting day cleaning, scrubbing, weeding, scouring, carrying, moving, and weeding, they declared the place good as new, and returned to their humdrum lives. Now, to plan Decadence 2004... |
With the Holland parental units vacationing in Turkey, we had a dilemma to solve...what could we possibly do with The Compound in their absence? After all, five bedrooms, a pool, a jacuzzi, a tennis court, a trampoline, a boat, and associated toys couldn't possibly be left alone for two weeks.