welcome home; or, we bleed blue and white

Last weekend was really busy, so I am going to break it into two posts. The first post (that would be the one you are reading presently) is going to cover the crazy that was homecoming weekend at CGA.

It was Papa's 10 year reunion. He somehow (I have labeled it as the "inability to say no," you can call it something else if you like) became the default chair of his class's homecoming planning committee. He was pretty busy and taxed his usually introverted self, what with all the socializing, and socializing. It was fun though. Here are some highlights (this will, admitedly be of more interest to you if you either 1) attended CGA, 2) graduated from said institution in 1998 or, 3) just want to see some cute pictures of the Seal Pup, aka Progeny 1.0).

The weekend started with cadet drill. The Pup has decided that the best part of drill is the end when the cadets clear the lawn and he can run on the parade field (running is better with friends).

Friday night there was a party at Camp Rell. We were in a cabin that had stuffed and mounted animal heads around the room.

While the decor was charming, it left parents with the need to be overly creative when explaining the decor to their impressionable, and in some cases frightened, children.

Saturday started out with a dedication ceremony at the CGA chapel for Kevin Carpenter, a classmate who passed away during his second year at the academy. The class of '98 helped to install a patio extension to the Chapel and laid a stone marker in Kevin's memory.
The ceremony was well-attended by members of the class.

After the dedication, there was a tailgate party before the football game. There was much socializing.

There was also a great deal of consumption of beverages containing alcohol. The pup was curious to know the location of the juice boxes.

There were no juice boxes but he got a fine explaination of the virtues of seasonal brews for Octoberfest. Oh, well, maybe next year when the class of '99 throws the big show.

After the tailgate, the celebrating 5 and 10 year classes did the homecoming march-on onto the football field. The class of '98 was not told that they should be in any sort of formation...so they weren't.

But they had a good time, and they looked really snazzy in the CGA homecoming gear. Papa sported some of the head gear during the football game.

We won the football game, but I had to hear about the win later (not that I minded this, of course, as being a spectator of the great American game is not high on my list of things to do--if we are being honest here). Papa had to get back to organizing and planning, and the Pup and I were tired and worn out. Also we had to prepare for a little adventure for the following day. But more on that later in the next post.

There are more pictures in flickr. Members of the class of '98 who might be interested in the rest of the pics from Friday and Saturday just e-mail us, we can send a disc to you.