OKTOBERFEST! One question - Why is it that Oktoberfest is held in September?
Regardless of when it was held, definitely a good time. Delicious German food and lots and lots of beer. Oh man. Lest you think the writer of this blog is a lush (after reading my last post about my birthday), I will assert that I am not, and that Jim is my witness. Not such a good witness, but there you go.
Anyway, back to the beer and the food. This pic is from our tasting class, with a guy (the one on the left) who has actually been to Oktoberfest in Germany and was wearing what looked like authentic lederhosen. Not sure if those things qualify him as an expert, but he did seem to know a lot about beer, and it was pretty interesting. Not sure I remember much, other than that Spaten is the authentic beer for Oktoberfest, and it is delicious. Jim liked the tasting experience so much, that, of course, he wanted his picture taken with the guy. He also wanted me to be sure to include our tall skinny "waiter" with the baggy lederhosen (the guy on the right).
Oktoberfest also provided much in the way of entertainment. There were wiener dog races, authentic German music, and lots of drunken dancing. One of the ladies who sang and, yes, yodeled, kept saying "Super!" I think Jim felt a kinship to this funny German lady because of the word, so he threw a major tantrum when we were leaving. He's also taken to saying "Super!" instead of "super-duper," which seems like it would be fine, except that he yells it at the top of his lungs, which is surprising loud for such a small, green creature. And he's taken to yelling it at inopportune times. Like 2 AM. Thankfully he's gotten out of the habit, and is not in the room, looking over my shoulder as I write this, so he won't be reminded and start up again.
This summer, I got to spend some time at a place that is near and dear to my heart - Hatch Lake. My youth group used to take retreats up there, mostly during the fall and winter, and I have such fond memories. So, when I got the opportunity to go, I took Jim along with me. The steps I used to sit on down by the lake are gone, and a few of the cabins look a little different, but it's still pretty much the same place. The feeling of the place was not lost on Jim. He seemed to genuinely have a good time and relaxed with everyone. No snippy comments or rushing in with awkward excuses for his rude behavior. He even asked politely that I take his picture actually ON the lake, rather than on shore looking out at the lake. Very particular, but since he asked nicely, I didn't mind. Maybe he's finally mellowing out some.
Jim finally made it to one of the wonders of the world!! He lazed about when we went to climb on the Great Wall (which was probably good because he would have been complaining more than I was about all the stairs), but he managed to make it to Niagara Falls. Evidently, staring at all that rushing water is mesmerizing to small green aliens as well. The most quiet I've ever known him to be. It was fantastic!
Since Buffalo is so close to Canada, and Canada has so many fun things to do, we decided to drive across the border to explore. Jim hid in my purse at the border. Not sure what they would have done, had the border guards seen a small, green alien at the crossing. Didn't want to chance it. One of the places we stopped was the Butterfly Conservatory. Breathtakingly beautiful, but you get nervous walking around because you feel that at any moment you're going to step on, run into, or otherwise crush one of those amazingly delicate creatures. Jim had a good time wandering around, making new friends. He introduced himself to the one in the left picture spec
ifically because he thought she looked the most like "flying butter." About this one on the right, Jim said that she had the best idea - sunning herself on a rock. An activity he could definitely support. I could tell that Jim was sad to leave that place. He kept saying how wonderfully warm it was, and how much he enjoyed that the creatures were all different colors instead of "boring, ugly shades of tan and brown." And, I think he really liked that they were more his size.
While we were visiting my friend in Buffalo, we decided to go hiking in Zoar Valley. We chose the Deer Lick Preserve trail because it boasted vistas and waterfalls. Jim was excited about being able to lick the deer. He was so amazingly excited that I couldn't get him to listen to me long enough to tell him that probably wouldn't happen. 
