Prologue: Apologies in advance to those tagged multiple times. I'm not spamming!
I'm a bit late to the party, posting about the amazing meetup that took place in Thompson's Station, TN, but I drove a little over 14 hours each way to be there, and am just now caught up on sleep. It was rough, but soooo worth it.
I want to extend my utmost gratitude to @jonny-clearwater and @instructor2121 for hosting this epic event. For those reading this who may not know who they are (where have you been??? lol), go check out their pages and show them some love.
I didn't take very many pictures, because I wanted to meet and interact with people without our electronic leashes, and there's plenty of time to post on Steemit and Discord about it before and after. I left my phone in my car for most of the day. Nevertheless, I couldn't resist a few opportunities:
I forgot how much I love porch swings. Always had one growing up, but they're not exactly common among apartments (anyway ones that I can afford) in the NYC area. Hung out for a while on this one, chatting with a few of my co-conspirators fellow Steemians. It was hot and humid, but a gorgeous day, and still a lot nicer than I imagine Tennessee in July or August.
@sircork was telling me to take a pic of the inside of the bell, so here it is.
Much has been said about the conversation between @lukestokes and @sircork. @lukestokes was on his way back to his family, when this spontaneously occurred. @sircork was his usual diplomatic self (#sarcasm), but they both stated their cases and listened to the other for the most part. I was surprised to find, after sitting down to film an episode of Hots or Shots with @jonny-clearwater, @liberty-minded, and @freedompoint, that their conversation was still ongoing. My best one-word description of this epic meeting of the minds is "productive". @lukestokes really impressed me with his patience, because while @sircork is a friend of mine and I wear several hats in his organization, he can be a pain in the ass sometimes. @lukestokes earned my witness vote from this encounter.
a little video of @sircork grilling, with @enginewitty and @anarcho-andrei. watching burgers cook was less exciting than I imagined it would be, so I kept my camera rolling while I took a stroll around the back of the property. hi @benfranz!
So yes, I was a guest on Hots or Shots. @jonny-clearwater brought a sauce specifically to kick my ass, which I deserved because I had been talking a lot of shit in the weeks leading up to it. And it did. "Only" 337k Scovilles but holy shit it hits hard right away and then gets more intense. That was the only one that gave me hiccups. Most sauces with the world's hottest peppers are flavor followed by heat, and you can't prepare for how fast this one's fire hits you even if you are as used to one-million-plus Scoville hot sauces as I am. I forget the name of the sauce, but now I want some. All I can say about it before the episode airs is that I didn't tap out. And I don't care how much my eyes were watering and my nose was running for the rest of the episode. Stay tuned ...
I stuck around 'til about midnight to watch Hots or Shots being filmed with @sircork, who flipped Shots. @jonny-clearwater can hold his liquor like a boss. After 13 shots, it was barely noticeable that he had been drinking, while @sircork was hunched over a picnic bench semi-conscious. He's gonna brag that he didn't get as drunk as @lukestokes, but @lukestokes had 19 shots ...
We made an after-show video of everyone at the table asking the person next to them one of the questions from the Hots or Shots list. I'm looking forward to its publication. Sitting around a barn in rural Tennessee with y'all at the end of the night was probably my favorite part, aside from being the only one at the meetup who could keep up with the amount of cannabis @sircork consumes. I really hope there's a next time, though I'm not sure I'll be willing and/or able to drive for almost 30 hours for it. NYC area, anyone? :D
@enginewitty and 
@anarcho-andrei. watching burgers cook was less exciting than I imagined it would be, so I kept my camera rolling while I took a stroll around the back of the property. hi 
@benfranz!
@katrina-ariel