We had a huge weekend around the hideout – and – I’ll probably tell you all about it – in bits and pieces. Today – though – I want to focus on the thrill and excitement that came about from being part of a real hootenanny of an adventure.

Everything started when some pals got bussed from the big island city out to our neck of the woods. There was a birthday involved – and with it came a birthday surprise. One of the best kinds of surprises that there can be – I think.

It was going to be a double-switcheroo – how-do-you-do – nineteen-skiddoo blind drop-off – and it required some very delicately nuanced signals and planning. Basically . . . the visitors had been bussed out – but I was going to be driving them back towards the city – all under the ruse that I had something important to do in that direction – where more delights would unfold. I was an important cog in a much larger machine that was whirring along all around me.

The day was nice – not really July – but probably the nicest day of the year. The plan for the end of the day was far back in my head – because I wanted to enjoy the visit – unfeathered – and – so – it would only poke up when something was mentioned that was tied to how the day would unfold . . . confused?! There was a little hanging out and some really good brunch – the place has fresh made doughnuts filled with raspberry jam – yum! Then – after a little more of the chit-chatting . . . the meat of the heist was under way.

We would take the traditional Montclair tour and then would hop down the road – in theory – to the train station that would lead the guests back to their city abode. Along the drive . . . the unsuspecting surprise receiver was talking about the night ahead and what would be eaten for dinner – or whatever – never knowing that the evening had already been laid out. The best part was when we were almost at our fake destination . . . at a traffic light in front of our surprise destination . . . and a big conversation about how nice of a place the surprise destination was erupted. It was the perfect segue for me to speed into the entrance of the secret destination and announce with a flourish that the secret location was the actual location – the end of the line . . . so surprise! It was kind of a “Have a blast!” – type of thing. It was like being on one of those television shows where someone wins something – and they don’t even know that they are playing . . . it was just that fun.

At the end – after my part in the excitement was over – I was so giddy that I had to stop and get some cajun fries and a coke at 5 Guys Burgers and Fries – and it was good. It more than made up for the mountain of fibs and white lies that I had been spinning at different points in the day. It more than made up for the fry deficiency that I had been living under. It was my surprise destination for the day.

If that didn’t make any sense . . . I apologize. I was under instructions from my head of media planning (Socks) to keep everything as vague as possible – and he is definitely the boss around here.

Hooray.