Genevieve
	Waking	Sleeping	Sign	Repose	Wish
	The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam...

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and it was good
2002-08-05 - 4:37 p.m.

Land grab was fairly uneventful, for our camp. Unlike last year where the N18 discussion was still going on until 1pm or so, it was over and done with by noon this year. Yay Theo for the great land negotiation. The Calvary arrived just before 1pm this year and we immediately got to work. We unloaded trailer, and set up the common tent (with strange fly), then Mel's tent and shade, then the Casa Gravesend followed by Chateau Delamore. Then Kevin and I helped David put up his newly acquired 20' round tent, and then we took a leisurely break. Lastly we put up what will be Kevin and Giuliana's home next week, leaving off the fly for ease in unloading. Theo and Alan walked the rest of the land, marking of spots for the next tents to arrive, and all was marked and well. We even got the tables and benches set up in the common tent, part of the kitchen set up and laid out, and had time to mellow a bit. We each also had time to futz in our own personal tents before we decided it was time for food.

Saturday was approximate 30 man hours (6 folks working 5 hours) of labor. In that we accomplished camp layout, 6 tents, some furniture and lots of unloading. By 6pm we broke for food and went out to lounge in the luxury of an air conditioned Suburban named Earl and Ruby Tuesday's for ribs for dinner. While the boys waited for a table, the girls made a run to Wally World and picked up a few supplies for the rest of the weekend and then some. Yes, Theo and I still ordered the same food and drink for dinner, and even both enjoyed a milkshake for dessert. After dinner in A/C, we then went to the Beer 4 Less, since they were open til 10pm, and picked up beer and cider supplies for those that were staying the rest of the week. Yes, our heathen bunch likely had alcohol on sunday night, and enjoyed it.

When we got back, we futzed around a little more, setting up our personal domains, lit the new and improved great pumpkin for the first time (it was being tempermental, weren't we all?) and then decided to meander. We leave David practicing carving and watching the camp and decided to go visit some friends to see how their encampment was going. Much to our shagrin, it was not a happy place at 10pm when we got there. They were still erecting tents, er poorly I might add, and the girls were frustrated with teh boys and the boys were crackheads, and well, it was just a sad and interesting sight. I can say with great authority that I love our camp and set up crew even more now. Perhaps our boys are just better trained.

Eventually the cold got the better of us, and we headed to our new home (for the next couple of weeks) and cratered in bed, sound asleep easily, in part due to exhaustion.

Sunday, everyone works, nobody quits. We get up, sit and enjoy breakfast of caffiene and carbs, and get back to work. Kevin, David and Alan dig shower sump. Alan and Roland set up shower stalls. Theo and I decorate a bit, and set up the pennons and the camp walls we had to make it all cute and scream (these people with these devices live here!) heraldry. It was hotter, the sump was dug in stages, the boys all switching off. Then the hose was trenched across Steirbach and Ponte Alto, and another break was achieved. Theo and I set up Kevin's fly since the bulk of the stuff had been loaded into the tent. We are girls that know how to use hammers.

Funny, come to think of it, we saw lots of hammer abuse in those first two days of war. I asked the group assembled why that person over there was using a rubber mallet to bang an iron stake into the ground. The answers were lovely: Just plain stupidity? He doesn't like his mallet? It's quieter? He doesn't like his forehead? And then we saw someone who shall remain nameless trying to pound stakes with a normal nail driving hammer to set up his tent. This was after seeing a relatively simple tent to put up being erected the most inefficient method possible. After the giggling, Alan and Roland helped that poor soul. Hammer abuse, it's just wrong.

Then we had all done in camp but getting our lovingly trenched hose hooked up to the water pit. Theo was insistent that showers be available today, dammit. So, we helped our neighbors who would also be using the water brought up to lay out the hose along the road and hook it up to the copper at the end of the block. So, we drag all the hose, hook it up, or try to, figure out it is backwards and flip it, and then trench the hose in front of one group's gate, and leave the rest lying there for someone else to trench. We figure that since 4 groups are benefiting from the water line we just hooked up, the other 3 can pitch in burying the hose along the road later this week. And Theo was right, after Kimberly brought us lunch of cold cuts, cheese, bread, fresh fruit, chips and cold drinks, we did in fact take showers. It was a little awkward with no pallets yet, but all in all, I say it worked out quite well considering. And more importantly, I got to climb into the truck for the drive home, not with smelly stinky sweaty men, but with nice clean shower gentlemen, who were almost fit for polite company. ;)

Ohhh! And Reynard complimented us on our chairs. Yes, those new and wonderful chairs I have badgered you with images of. They have Reynard's seal of approval, well, if you count "the best attempt I've seen so far" as a seal of approval. It was a triumphant moment for Alan, Rob and David.

Gen got home by 10pm, and pushed the boys back on the road homeward bound to NoVA. I got in bed by 10:30pm and sleep before 11:30. It was decadent I tell ya. It was a very good weekend. The camp looked awesome when we left, I had great road partners, and all was well. Except that I left my CD case in Earl. Stupid Gen! But Alan left the Hobbit on CD at home, so I may score that for the road trip back to War.

And I didn't break a single nail by putting up tents. No way! *sheepishly* I broke one by packing the truck, and had to trim them all back to insanely short so the one that broke didn't look out of place. I ranted and raved about it for quite a bit more than was strictly speaking necessary. Sigh, it seems when I try to be more girly, I just fail...

But the camp looks great!

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