Germans Have 7th Going Away Party

We gathered once more at the Grabinger estate in bucolic Johnston County. It was the same as it always has been, except different. An illusionist set up in the garage, doing his dark work, the devil's artisan come to deceive fuzzy Rotter minds. He made cards appear. He made them disappear. He made Mike's cigarette disappear. He made other stuff appear and disappear. He made people come up with stupid theories about how he did it all. We were confused, and we liked it.

Then, a new honorary Rotter named Tinker began to stoke the fire with diesel, an old Johnston County fire tending trick. You can just barely see him in the picture above, given his stealthy use of camouflage. Tinker would occasionally drift in from the woods, throw some petrochemical on the fire, and the melt away back into the wilderness. Was he too a devil's artisan?

Such was the 7th or perhaps 8th going away party for the glorious Grabingers. The meat, the beer, Brian, the pretzels, the large drinking vessels. This was one last party in their honor, if you don't count the four or five others that would happen in the weeks ahead. Our hearts will miss you, but our livers will be glad to see you go.