We had a very busy week and only managed to squeeze in one game of Ark Nova. It remains my favorite game for two players.
We also had some family over with whom we played some games before even though they are not that much into boardgames. They usually play lighter Euros like 7Wonders Duel of the like. We introduced them to Castles of Burgundy. It was a gruesomely long game, at least 3.5 hours. In particular one of the relatives was stuck in analysis paralysis for a long time. Even though he was the last player, it felt like he did all the thinking when his turns start. However, Burgundy remains a really strong game and I usually just try to reach at least 200 points towards the end of the game.
The good thing was, since the game lasted until 2am, we had the prime-time window for the Peresid Metero Shower which was really spectacular. One was so strong that its tail remained visible for much longer than normal ones and was not a thin streak but more a thick line tapering on both ends. We also spotted Andromeda with our Binos.
we also got out at midnight to watch the Perseids. We've been doing this for a few years now and never seen such an intense shower. Like you said, we also saw some fat ribbons across the sky. Not a whole lot but very impressive one. We also had a lightning storm on the other side of the valley.
I never considered using normal binos to look for Andromeda. What magnification do you have?
I have a Celestron C71256 10 x 50 and if the night is dark Andromeda is visible like a big smudge in the sky. I like to use the Great Square of Pegasus to find it. In fact Andromeda lies kinda smack in the middle between Perseus and Pegasus