What the @#$% is that? I reveal it, along with the winner!

So yesterday, I introduced you to a new blog feature called What the @#$% is that?

I also introduced you to this:


I loved reading your guesses about what this mystery object might be. Some of you are pretty darn creative and some of you…well, you might want to consider therapy.

Before I reveal the object’s true identity, I’ll tell you about the first time I ever saw one.

It was the first Valentine’s weekend after Pythagoras and I started dating, and he was working as a ski school director in a town a few hundred miles away.

He came to visit that weekend, and after the preliminary greetings, gave me a funny little smile. “I have a Valentine’s present for you.”

One half of my brain was delighted.

The other half said, crap, I didn’t get him anything.

But neither half of my brain was prepared when he pulled that thing out of his overnight bag.

“Um,” I said, struggling for the words to properly express horror and fake appreciation. “It’s very – uh – big.”

He gave me a few seconds to consider fleeing before offering what he thought was a reasonable explanation.

“It’s an oversized race-base with a competition hinge,” he informed me.

“Of course it is,” I replied, having no idea what that meant, but pretty sure I didn’t want him coming near me with it.

He tried again. “It’s a base for a flex gate used in ski racing and it screws into the snow—“

“The snow?” I felt relief flood my body – some parts more than others.

“And you can’t really have it,” he continued. “I just wanted to see your reaction.”

Happy Valentine’s Day to me.

So there you have it, a charming tale of romance and courtship.

And in case you’re as perplexed as I was about what Pythagoras is talking about, here are a few more photos:

The object, along with the drill bit that's used to make the hole in the snow.

See how it bends?

A gate anchored in the snow with a race-base for a Giant Slalom event.

So all you perverts who thought this was anything other than an object used for winter sporting events…uh, yeah. I’m right there with you.

And now, I must pick a winner.

You were all so funny and creative that I couldn’t possibly choose on my own, and after my elaborate winner selection process for the last blog contest, I knew I needed to do something different.

My friend Larie and I came up with this idea last night over a bottle (or two) of excellent Gewürztraminer, so I’ll admit that when I woke up this morning, I was skeptical about whether it would work. But I was willing to give it a go.

First, I wrote down all the names on pieces of paper:



Then I loaded them into the hose for the Shop-vac and located the “blowing” end. Did you know Shop-vacs had a blowing end?



Next, I attached the hose and flipped the switch. The entries (and a whole lot of dust) went flying out the end of the hose.



I had decided that whoever traveled the furthest distance would be declared the winner. As it turned out, the winner ended up in the fountain in my entryway. The fish who lives there was not amused.



Who could the winner be…?



Congratulations to Carrie Kei Heim Binas (also known as CKHB). You are the winner of New York Times Bestselling Author Laura Kinsale's recent novel, LESSONS IN FRENCH (a new release from my fabulous publisher, Sourcebooks). This was the first Kinsale novel I’d ever read, and I enjoyed it immensely. Carrie, email me your address and I’ll get your copy in the mail ASAP.

Thanks to everyone for joining in. We’ll play again sometime soon!