Painting the Town

When Big Mike called an hour or so after civilized people's customary dinner hour, I wasn't surprised.  When he asked me if I'd tied on the feed bag yet (I hadn't), I started hoping for a night out.  Mike suggested the Grass Skirt Tiki Room, Columbus, which is a tried and true restaurant in Columbus.  His argument was that since California Dave was coming into town next month, we had to make sure the Tiki room was still good.

It was.

When I walked in I thought I might have made a wrong turn into an art gallery, or maybe some kind of team building sensitivity training event.  Nope, not a chance.  This is a fairly new activity in Columbus called Paint Nite.  I took a few photos of the would-be Rembrandts, and was suitably impressed.

I expect that some of the people reading my personal slice of the Internet have a good amount of artistic talent.  I don't, but it's clear to me that the participants in Paint Nite do, and I was impressed with their results.

The Artist at Work

The Finished Work

All of these appear to be good enough for a living room wall.  My living room, anyway.  I can't speak for the rest of you.  The thought of Glen Filthie hanging a painting anywhere is beyond me, unless the subject matter is illegal, immoral, and fattening.  His wife, sure.  Glen?  No.  And if he did, his wife would likely... never mind.


The Paint Nite Event at the Grass Skirt was a great success, as you can see by the finished work. The master artist is Shawn McMillan, who did an outstanding job of organizing, teaching, and helping make this an enjoyable event for everyone. Here's a hoist of my afternoon bourbon glass and a tip of the old fedora to you, Shawn. You did a good job.

While I'm at it, I'd also like to compliment the bartender at the Grass Skirt, who demonstrated conclusive evidence that hard work and competency are two highly desirable qualities that are not lost and gone forever.  The man in question worked the entire room alone, and Big Mike and I got good service along with everyone else.  The room, by the way, was packed.  We showed our appreciation with a decent gratuity and a few compliments on our way out.

Some of you might notice that I'm tending to ramble on a bit.  This is due to the concoction I imbibed in last night: Painkiller - which is Pusser’s Navy Rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, cream of coconut, and fresh nutmeg.  (Soggy Dollar bar, British Virgin Islands, circa 1971)

The thing about this is that the coconut and pineapple combination is delicious, especially when you're thirsty.  The trouble begins when you fail to notice that the demon rum is sneaking up on you, causing your mind to wander and your conversation to not make a whole lot of sense.  Even an experienced professional (like myself) can fall victim to this nefarious brew and over imbibe just a little.  Then you wake up the next morning and discover your eyes won't uncross and you don't care about spelling mistakes, or grammar, or pretty much anything else.

If you're ever in Columbus, stop by the Grass Skirt and beware the Painkiller.  Enjoy the food and the ambience.  While you're in town, try Paint Nite, and make sure you get Shawn.

I'm off to have a little hair of the dog.