The battle was hard fought, and attracted warriors from as far away as Ottawa, Sudbury, Owen Sound, and Toronto. It pitted husband against wife, sister against sister, friend against friend, stranger against stranger. Alliances were formed and the line in the snow was drawn and crossed.
But once it was all over and the snow had settled, a truce was negotiated and the weary combatants retired to the mess hall to feast on fresh bread and hot chili (a vegetarian version was also made available).
We had quite the time yesterday afternoon. The temperature hovered around the zero mark, and it snowed most of the morning. The parking lot was covered with fluffy snow and was very slippery, and no one had thought to bring a shovel to clear the surface. Fortunately no one was hurt. Very seriously.
At the end of the day, Team Napoleon ("The Ligers") defeated Team Pedro. It was close, but I don't think we kept score after the first hour or so. Some things haven't changed from when I started playing, like Denise and Rachelle being on different teams and eventually fighting (not seriously - what started with snowballs ended with stealing each other's hats and filling them with snow). A couple who have been good friends with my sister and her husband for a few years were also on separate teams, and it was funny to watch them arguing good-naturedly about what would happen if the one scored on the other.
Supper was good. Since most of us were from out of town, we weren't able to contribute much to the affair. A few locals brought some munchies, and we all ate well. The plan was to hit a bar-type establishment after supper, but it took a while to get everyone moving again (a combination of being full and being exhausted from running around all day). I was the only one who didn't go because I was dead on my feat, and I knew that the loud atmosphere of the pub would only make me more tired. Instead, I stayed home and cleaned the kitchen, showered, and retired for the evening.
This morning my sister made breakfast for everyone, and we watched The Emperor's New Groove while eating. The rest of today has been spent in decadent sloth with my parents, who came up this morning. Rachelle heads back tonight, and I'm leaving in the morning. It's been fun, and I'm looking forward to next year.
