For those of you who haven't heard the story of Jeff Schwartz: In late spring or early summer of 2011, the Mufti began casting about with e-mails and phone calls asking whether anyone in the hash knew Jeff, who had signed up to host one summer day. No one did! No one had ever heard of Jeff Schwartz, the putative host for a run from the Reston Community Center by Lake Anne for the third of August. Jeff had provided an e-mail address when he registered to host, but did not respond to messages sent. Quickly skipping over the question of who had played this prank in questionable taste, the Mufti issued his decree: the hash will go on! I'm Not Dead Yet and Mini Schlonga volunteered to set, and any handy local restaurant could host the on-in. And so it happened, and last year it happened again, and tonight was The Third Annual GFH3 Jeff Schwartz Memorial Hash.
 |
| Everyone looks around to try to find Jeff. |
Same hares: INDY and MS, though this time they pre-set rather than live haring as at past JSMHs. Same On-In, Kalypso's, where no one has yet figured out how to deliver food and drink efficiently to an uncertain number of people arriving at irregular intervals and all wanting something different plus separate checks, please. Same weather, or close enough: summer in NoVA means humidity and who cares beyond that. (Actually, it wasn't blisteringly hot, just quite warm, and cloudy enough to make the threat of thunderstorms believable.) Same popularity: more than 30 showed for this event, ready for fun.
The runners rushed clockwise around Lake Anne, albeit a large and zig-zaggy clock. The walkers strolled a closer, widdershins trail. It is difficult to piece together just what happened on that runners' trail, but it seems likely that a lot of hashers took short-cuts and long-cuts and side streets to nowhere. People returned at
very staggered intervals and took up a gigantic table and a couple of satellites (Kylie and Abby were welcome only at the very edge of the outdoor dining area).
 |
| Yay for umbrellas; bonus yay for not needing them. |
And then it's BRING ON THE FLAMING CHEESE!, which is reliably delicious, especially paired with Bell's IPA. There was plenty of seafood and souvlaki and burgers making the rounds as well, though a few of the less-hardy snuck off to find faster service elsewhere. Mufti bellowed his roll without regard to other diners, and claimed run number 1,490 for himself. One senses an epic poem coming on... And Beef Strokemoff hit the triple ones, while Roger made it, nine years after his run #1, to the double 9s. There
was a meeting of the executive committee, and a very successful one, too. Next week the hash will be just a few blocks from Lake Anne, and Roger will be sporting a handsome light-blue t-shirt with his slightly-less-handsome new name emblazoned on it. Can't wait.
A few photos here, including this really lame one of flaming cheese:
No comments:
Post a Comment