Fruitcake Fling 2013

It went like this...we met up at 3 p.m., tested all the flinging devices out, ate some chili, socialized, and parted ways.

Okay, now for the details. Pete had been concocting plans for his fruitcake flinging contraption since Thanksgiving. His idea developed into an air canon, which eventually turned into an actual creation on Friday of last week. We tested it out with a wad of aluminum foil and a paper towel acting as wadding. At 40 psi he fired it, and it was a dud. So today when we showed up to the actual event (5th annual Fruitcake Fling, to be exact) there weren't high hopes for a winning device. Pete went last in the line-up of the fruitcake flingers. With an air compressor he filled the tube to 40 psi (once again) and released the turnkey, sending the fruitcake flying with a loud and very unexpected pop! I wish I could share the look of surprise on his face at that moment (more surprise than even the onlookers had!). His fruitcake had been rocketed 200 feet across the front lawn (marked with measurements courtesy of the host). Pete had done it! He had taken first place again for the second year in a row. I'm thinking that by Thanksgiving this year, he'll have a new, bigger, more powerful idea for what will be flinging the fruitcake of 2014. I guess I'll have to wait and see what it turns out to be (and yes, I'm a little excited).