We packed up the family and travelled to my Uncle John's farm yesterday. We always have a great time eating, laughing and, well, doing farm things. There is something visceral about being on a farm, mountains, lakes, clean air, whatever, that makes men want to pitch a tent and live off the land. My father and uncle have always been avid hunters and fishermen and have lived the lifestyle. Me, not so much but I grew up with it so I understand.
There were three generations of Malgioglio men on the farm that day so you know there was going to be some muscle flexing. Matthew is now at that age where a boy transitions into a man. On the farm that means shooting guns and driving some heavy equipment, so, that's what he did.
It wasn't really planned, it just happened. It stared innocently enough with some BB guns. Malgioglio men have always been good at shooting and Matthew is no exception. Since he was doing so well, we decided to break out the heavy artillery, the .22 rifle. Okay, it's not really "heavy artillery" but it is to a 12 year old boy.
After 20 minutes of safety instructions from all of us, it was time. He loaded the rifle, took aim and hit the target. Well that opened up the flood gates. Guns came out from every where. Shot guns, pistol, rifles, it was the wild, wild west all over again. I'm sure the neighbors were thrilled about that but we didn't care, we're men. After we shot up the place, we moved to the vehicles. In particular, my uncle's ATV.
Matt looks forward to riding on it ever since he was a little guy. It was the main reason that he wanted to go to the farm. One year, the ATV was broken and when Matt found out, he decided it was time to go home. No ATV, his day was done. Anyway, we rode the ATV as usual, me driving and Matt holding onto my fat as I jiggle down the rode. This year, I let him drive, with me on the back telling him what to do. I'm not sure why I decided it was time. Maybe it was the smell of gun powder in the air or my man's intuition, (yes, men have intuition too). He did a great job driving us around, we were laughing so hard that we almost puked. This trip was definitely a testosterone fest and Matt loved every minute of it. Maybe next year I will teach him how to chew tobacco. On second thought, maybe not.
Tony's birthday is the official end of summer for us. I usually throw a bash for him and we invite the usual suspects to help close out the summer and celebrate another year. It was great that the driveway was finished off and we were able to accommodate all the cars. We had gorgeous weather and to top it all off, we all had a great time. I spent the past few days preparing for this event. Shopping, cooking and cleaning up the place. People arrived, two gas grills were going full speed, as well as a charcoal grill going for the lamb kebobs. Since Tony and Anthony (Matthew's Godfather) share the same birthday, I felt it was appropriate to celebrate his birthday at the same time. So, in the usual style, we had not one, not two, but three cakes. We never know when to stop and we seem to do things in excess. I always believe in having too much than too little. We can't help it.
After all the food, the coffee and the cake, Tony broke out his stash of cigars and shared it with all his friends. The men stayed outside to enjoy their cigars with either Port or Jack Daniels while the women, went inside to clean up. But that didn't stop us from doing our own shots. We did Bek Sei Ju shots. Korean ginseng wine. Who said they can have all the fun? 
The kids were busy outside with their little bonfire and dancing around it. It was a shame that I didn't have any marshmallows. They could have been making smores outside. As the day came to a close, the men came in to end the night with a few rounds of Blackjack at the kitchen table. Anthony was the dealer and everybody was gathered around the table. Not too sure if teaching Matthew how to play Blackjack is such a great idea. Then again, he's shot a BB gun, drove an ATV this month. Why not let him have a chance to play Blackjack? I draw the line when he starts to learn to chew and spit out tobacco.
