norsegirl | My friends rule!

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My friends rule!

The friends have spoken and I am no longer homeless. I still don't know which offer we'll accept (I do need to at least talk to Jason before I make a decision) but at least there are options that DON'T involve the two people who drive me nuts. They mean well, they really do, they just don't think like the rest of us and I don't think they realize what they say all the time (chronic foot-in-mouth disease). I know some people in my circle of friends have occasionally told them when they've crossed the line, but they don't seem to "get it" in the sense of being able to apply that information in the future. In one ear and out the other. I just can't see myself having a happy vacation if I set myself up for this kind of conflict all week.

Venshaven - Invitation not yet official
Advantages:
* Arnora and Helewis - yay for good, relaxing camp-mates, and lots of potential for extreme fun
* We know we like the site, it's right next to the old site after all
* Near apprentice sister, whose camp throws good party. Will inevitably enjoy visits from Tangwystl
* ~~No children, see below about me not being good with kids~~
Disadvantages
* The site is at the bottom of the hill, it's a long walk but we've done it before, so I'm not too worried about this
* Edit: kids present in small, manageable numbers, just like at the other camps
* Right next to you-know-whos - if I camp there, they WILL be inviting themselves over constantly (that's part and parcel of their
cluelessness, not being able to sense when they've overstayed their welcome) and bugging our hosts as well as ourselves
As much as I'm sure I would have a blast with Arnora, Helewis and company, I don't want to run the risk of ruining their vacation too. Might be best to just visit, and sneak in when *they* aren't looking.

Eoforwick - Invitation extended
Advantages:
* Medb, Wil and Kristie. Wil and Kristie are old high-school mates of both Jason and myself (as opposed to just being *my* friends,
which most SCA people are) and that will make Jason more comfortable.
Disadvantages:
* Aforementioned friends are expecting a baby in June. They may not come. If they do come, they probably will not have slept in days
and might not be fun to be around. Or rather, they'll have much more important concerns than entertaining Jason. Also nervous about
camping with babies as I am BAD with kids. Though office-mates assure me that 2 month olds do nothing but sleep, eat and poop, not
hard to camp with as long as I'm not the one waking up for midnight feedings or changing the diapers. Feel sorry for Kristie.
* Know nothing about site itself, where it is or how close it is to anything. What kind of amenities are there?

Ravenglass - Invitation extended
Advantages:
* Emily and Dru. Two people I dearly love and don't get to spend nearly enough time with. Last Pennsic I saw Emily twice in the whole week. Made me sad
not to see her more. If I camp with her, am almost guaranteed to see her more often.
* Next to Enchanted Grounds, which means a little hilly, but also not likely to be floody, which after the last few is an IMPORTANT consideration. Nothing
like sleeping in a foot of mud to make you long for home.
* Half way between Tang's camp and Venshaven which makes visiting either very convenient
* Further up the hill and closer to the action. Less distance to lug armour and closer to A&S classes, therefore more likely to be on time and not
breathless.
Disadvantages:
* 1 year old camping in the group - again, the whole me + kids = BAD equation.

Is there anything I've missed in my considerations? Any amenities your camp would like to boast? Meal plans, communal stuff, things I'd have to bring to share? Or odd camp rules like no noise after Xpm, or chores I should know of?

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Ummm... I'm pretty sure you're wrong about Venshavn having no kids, unless Tanith has said she's not going in the past day or so and no-one told me.

And if Rosemary and Bernard are coming, they have at least two, maybe three now.

'Nora?

yup:

tanith and pavel have 1,
rosemuire and bernard have 3,
yeliz and fu have 1,
and i think mikhail and jillian may have 1 now as well.

plus eleanor's son will be with us for a few days, but i think only in the first week. he and tanith's boy will be the only kids of the lot actually in camp this year.

are rosemuir and bernard and yeliz and fu not coming? Or are they just leaving the kids at home?

Eleanor?

yeliz and fu are not coming; i don't remember what B&R said, but i know they prefer to leave the kids at Camp Grandma for the duration now, if they do.

That's too bad about yeliz and fu.

I can understand b&r leaving them at Camp Grandma, but the last time I was there, Camp Grandma was on the spit. ;)

actually, there *are* kids in Venshavn, at least tanith's 1 yr old son will be in residence, and garraed's lady's 4? yr old son will also be around for a few days. on busier years, we could have as many as half a dozen youngsters in camp.

other amenities:

we have a water heater and a shower in camp. it's still a fill your own bag setup, but at least it's a "fill with hot" for near-immediate gratification.

tanith manages a food plan in the 2nd week, it's fend-for-yourself or semi-communal cooking in the first week. this year we're allowing people to opt out of the food plan, but you'll have to bring your own kitchen setup if you do, since i promised to keep people out of tanith's kitchen, and it has to come under your personal space allotment.

you don't have to bring anything to share, but everyone in camp pays an equal share of the camp fees (whatever they are on a given year), and is expected to help out with camp chores, including general setup (if you're there in the first week), general camp take down, cleanup after meals, garbage runs to the dumpster, lighting the perimeter candles, etc.

You forgot the lighted privy.

i don't know that we still have or use that particular item :(

noooooooooooooo!

How sad.

You have my attention. I love Emily dearly, but we all know I'm anal retentive when it comes to personal hygene and simply can't live without a hot shower.

For the second week food plan, do we opt into the whole week or just the days that we are there (we're leaving early to drive home)? How much does it run (rough estimate is good enough)? Tanith's reputation preceeds her, and I might be willing to trek back to camp for the promise of her food. Are there snacks provided for people who don't make it back for lunch but are willing to bag-lunch it?

Incidentally, if I'm not on a food plan it's because I'm either buying food or eating out of a cooler. The only part of the kitchen I'd want access to is hot water for tea. Would I be allowed to boil water or should I still schlep a coleman down there for that if I were to opt-out?

And by the way, does that mean the invite is official?

We were in W13 last year (near Ramshaven), so if things stay the same:

Near showers and flush toilets (Whoo hoo!)
Further up the hill than Trin was last year
Large kitchen area provided by Marchmount house (Wil, Kristie, Paul, Petra)
Meal plan if wanted (last year we could buy into only the days we wanted)
The bus goes right by the camp

CAMP WITH US --WE ROCK!!! (as quoted by Dru)

Other amenities, as notes, are the very-very closeness but not downwind/hill of showers/flushies, convienient portos located even closer, along paved roadway. Camp is currently debating food plan for week 2 (any thoghts?), and there has always been a communal kitchen area wiht multi. stoves, etc. Along the bus route, but as already halfway up hill you really won't take it all that often (mostly just to get to cars). Multiple bards in camp (singing is assured!) yet everyone relatively quiet campmates (as bards tend to go out and roam in packs).

And did we mention the awesome people? More Em&Dru time!!! Breakfast company over TEA, each morning! Geek time for Dru & Jason! How cold you possibly refuse?!?

Ok, sales pitch over. But you can see where I'm hopeing you'll choose...

But no shower facilities in-camp?

Last year we built a rickety shower over the stream. Sure, I was showering outside on a splinter-filled wooden pallette, but at least the water was warm. I hear that the real showers are cold at pretty much any time of day. And with my hair, I pretty much need a daily shower.

Incidentally Naga and Grace will be bringing their son right?

So it looks like kids in all camps, which while not ideal doesn't put any one camp ahead of any other. Then again, now that I'm thinking back, we did have a kid in camp last year and he wasn't toooo bothersome.

Do you know where Heather is camping or if she's even coming this year?

Hmmmm, hot showers or Emily... hot showers or Emily...

While we haven't had a camp shower in the past years, there's really no reason why we can't set up a camp shower (palette & tarp comstruction at most basic) -- heck, Dru & I even have a 'solar' shower-bag kit anyway, adn with more people =>more space for shower. It'd be a "boil the kettle then shower" thing, but heat is possible. And if you happened to want bring your own tent-shower thing, then I'm sure you would be most loved (and compensated through camp fees). Mostly though, people have been comtent with the showerhouse, since being close by you can stake it out for short lines, newly-cleaned timeings, and late-night hot water indulgences.

No news on the Heather-at-Pennsic front at this end. Inquiring friends do want to know....

BTW, the Nagaling is a daughter, one year old, and yeah, she'll be there. BUT, that is the only child there is. Everyone else are cool 20/30-somethings, most all in nice stable couples.

Dru has also said he can most likely hook you up with the Marines and their 40-gallon, on-all-the-time, waterheater/showers (They're about the same distance as the showerhouse from camp) if that's your deciding factor.

Oh prrrr. If you can hook me up with that, decision made, no input required from Jason.

Seriously, I DO need access to a shower with warmish water. How the water gets warm is totally irrelevant. But when it takes 10 min just to brush the hair, I can't be standing in icy water that long. And I can't do it in the middle of the night either, because sleeping on it is part of the problem. It's strictly morning maintenance (and after fighting - ewww).

If we were to do some kind of primitive shower set-up how would that work? TN used to put theirs over the stream. How do you deal with run-off when there's no stream in your site? Are we even allowed to set up showers?

Never having made a camp shower myself, I don't really know the details, but we've had to dig our own waste-water pits every other year, and a lot of the other camps seem to have showers regardless of convenient streams. I imagine it's just a matter of finding an appropriate location and digging a suitable pit/trench system to deal with the shower's waste-water. I've heard of no bans for any camping block.

There is no need for these primitive fumblings !!!

I will vouch for you, and arrange for your use of the MIGHTY MARINE SHOWERS. You will be happy, you will be clean, and they might even ask you over for a supper or two. (they eat MEAT!!!!)

Corrig

Seriously, I will pay for clean warm showers. I have no problem with pitching in for their camp fees if you think we can get me in there.

I'll bring a solar shower bag anyway just in case, and maybe a tarp, what else would we need?

There has been much drama about picking a site to camp at this year, with obvious pull from Ravenglass (which I was VERY tempted by) but I will be up with the Tudor group at Hold Horotus (aka Camp Decadence OR Camp Farthingale :) tucked in the back again. Although all of my friends are down in Ravenglass, Odette really wants to camp up top and really, it's hard to argue with a camp that is literally beside Midrealm Royal with a heated shower etc. Although I HATE the camp master (he is the EVILLLLL man who kicked the bards out of troll last year) the site is very sweet...no walkin' up Runestone Hill in MY armour :). However, Ravenglass is super close and god knows I'll be down there all the time...when I'm not fighting, chiurgoning or dancing. I'm going for the full two weeks this year!! ALSO...Em, make sure you have some middle eastern garb and we can go dancing this year, I still have memories of my first time with you! But this time I can claim that I kinda know what I'm doing....

LOVE!
Heather

You got in to camp Farthingale - damn I'm jealous. I asked too late and although Tang never got back to me officially, last I heard from her, she suspected there was no room left in camp. If only I'd known earlier that no one from Trinovantia was going to come this year. Part of the perils of living so far away.

Next year I'll book early with Tang and company and won't bother holding out for London friends who might not come anyway.

Cute icon by the way.

By the way, good to hear you'll be at Pennsic, even if we won't be sharing a camp. But when you say the whole two weeks do you really mean the WHOLE two weeks? I only ask because my wedding reception (to which you are invited) is on the Sunday of land grab week (the 7th). I'll be sending out the invitations by mid June I think (if not earlier). If you've already made your plans and can't make it, that's cool. I just thought I'd give you a little advance warning.

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My friends rule!

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Amenities

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PICK ME! PICK MEEEEEEEE!!

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Heather @ Pennsic

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