Every year at St. Nicholas Ranch in Dunlap CA, we hold a Cretan Weekend for everyone to go to the middle of nowhere, get a break from “real life”, and celebrate our culture. The Ranch, as it’s called among the few blessed to walk it’s grass (or everyone), has basically no service or contact to the outside world. This means there is only three things to do: chill, drink, and eat. At The Ranch this weekend, that is precisely what we did. During the day, we hung around talking and playing catch until things got serious in the annual Cretan Weekend Football Game For The Ages.  It was a back and forth affair between two teams likely to beat any NFL team, especially the 49ers, filled with many rivalries including brothers pitted against brothers. We played for hours, each team scoring in fantastic fashion but only to see the other team score mere seconds later. You had everything from your unlikely heroes, to blood and sweat marking the battleground. Seriously, I cannot explain to you the intensity with which this game between football gods was played if you weren’t there. Most of you weren’t there so you just have to believe me. There was even a Game of Thrones reference and if you know anything about me, I live for Game of Thrones references! Every single time the bell would ring we would all yell “shame”, it was glorious. Unfortunately my team ended up losing the battle and it will haunt me for my whole life. Night time at The Ranch was a great as well. Roughly 200 of us would surround the cooking meat, I’m talking pork belly, ribs, befteki, sausage, and love all cooking right in front of your face throughout the night. We would chill, drink, and eat till 3 or 4 in the morning just enjoying life as Greek people. Some of us even packed in the bed of a truck to go “hunting” rabbits at the lake hoping we could have stifado but never getting a good shot off. The Ranch is always a great place to hangout with your friends and listen to Greek music, play an epic game of football, drink, eat, and ultimately be Greek. I hope to see you all there next year. To The Ranch! Dilly-dilly!