sad, sad day (because of Michael, but also the fact that we are leaving)

Well, it has finally come upon us-- our final beach blog. I know all you avid readers are quite disappointed, but DO NOT FEAR!! We will still be uploading many pictures and videos so that you can truly have a sense for the wonderful world of Rehoboth. I just wanted to provide that little piece of comfort before we left you with our last set of stories.

Last night we ate our last supper with Richard at Planet X. Their menu of "exotic" food included the tofu curry dish Lea indulged in, Tuna and an interesting Zen spin on crab cakes. Saying goodbye to Richard is always tough. The man has made this trip possible year after year and it always feels (at least to me) like there's no real way to thank him. Though we joked that one day when I'm a wildly successful journalist (oxymoron?) I'll fund the trip.

After dinner we treked over to the what not to wear party--looking pretty cute (pictures to come). The party, which was at the Cultured Pearl, was kind of a let down...there weren't very many people there. Susannah had left by the time we arrived but we did see the woman who was made over looking very drunk, but very happy with her new look. We were later approached by a couple, who due to our polished look and sophisticated outifts probably thought we were more involved in the show than we actually were (what now Susannah!) We explained to them what was going on with the filming and that we were only crew groupies.

Now the good stuff starts. We met Austin and John for a game of miniature golf--a rematch from two years ago. The game had been built up over the last two years and the boys were out for revenge (they put up a pathetic performance last time). As we climbed the stairs up to the rooftop course, the friendships we had developed over the past two years turned quickly into a cut-throat competition, rooting for the other team's failure.

The boys showed they had been practicing taking a quick 3 stroke lead against us. Worry struck immediately when Lea, last year's MVP, realized her game was starting out subpar. Julia was having a suprisingly good top nine and kept it close. We had a one stroke lead at the end of the first half. The girls had momentum and the boys started bickering, a sign of team weakness. It should be noted that this whole time we were dodging small children and ceramic animal statue decor, not exactly Augusta.

Then things got interesting in the back nine. The girls seemed to have the game locked up when they increased their lead quickly in the back nine...but then Julia began to choke. It was her poor math skills that affected her game more than the poor golfing. She convinced herself after two 5's that there was no way we could possibly win, ignoring the 4 stroke lead we had developed prior.

"She gave me that look, like 'it's ok, you tried your best.' At that point I just knew it was over. And that it was all my fault," Julia said after the game.

Then on the 17th hole, it was explained to Julia that the game was in fact very close (though we chose not to hear the score, since we had a prior history of choking) Julia's first put was abysmal, landing awkwardly behind a rock and a hard place (but literally...behind a rock) Lea, with unyielding confidence in her struggling partner said "I know you're going to make this shot. You're just kinda lucky. It's what you do."

And then, the player who had struggled with the one foot puts and the straight on shots, some how managed to propel the ball from behind the rock, up the slope, off the bricks and into the hole with brilliant and professional grace.

After the 18th it was time to tally. The boys had a smug look about them, sure that the math would come out in their favor. We crowded around the bench watching John tally, and all trying to do the mental math in our head but getting thoroughly confused. In the end. It all came down to one stroke. 87-88. We had won the game. Lea's well played back nine (41) had kept us in the game and victory never felt so sweet. (literally because loser had to buy winners ice cream)

Post game we had a Michael Jackson themed party of sorts. Playing his music, and incorporating his song titles into games we played. We decided that John, Austin and the two of us would be "summer friends" though in retrospect putting a seasonal qualifier on our friendship with them may have come off a little rude. We did however discuss possible off shore reunions, including Medevil Times, Philadelphia and Hershey Park. We are confident that at least one outing will happen.

So here we are. It's 12:03, we're three minutes late for check out. And yet another year has come and gone like the mighty tides of Rehoboth (see entry on Lea's tango with wave). It's sad to admit that we're not sure of our future here--next summer internships and faraway places might hold us back from our dream destination. But because of our summers here, our future as friends is far less uncertain*. Thanks Rehoboth. It's been great.


*You are supposed to read that statement in a mellow dramatic (and not really serious) English accent.