UMTravels

To quote Jack Nicholson… “I’m Backkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!”

And don’t I look calm.

Wow, a week without the “Daily Show”. And yes, I did actually have a connection to the zeroes and ones (that’s the Internet in non-geek speak). Logged on Wednesday, but only because I was doing a “mercy log-on” for a Minnesota faerie that spaced out filing for unemployment insurance on Monday. It was the ecological solution — it saved the gas for a drive into the closest pay phone which is in Detroit, Oregon, 20-20 minutes away. Apparently it’s easier to move zeroes and ones rather than a 2,000 pound rag-top. And cheaper.

So — how was it?

The answer is, I gave away the “Drama Queen” crown too soon. Now I wish I had a picture of it. It went to the “Queeeeeen Registrarrrrrr” for the gathering — it was a crown after all, and with a  small pair of scissors you could delete the “Drama” out of the damn thing.

Here is the slide show in case you are bored:

Actually that is for the whole trip.

Highlights and low-lights of the gathering…

• Arriving two days early (+)
• Arriving to find a camp full of people who don’t smile or acknowledge each other (-)
• Not having to move cabins in the switch over between regular and faerie camp (+)
• The heat — as much snow as there was this summer, it was the degrees this summer (-)
• The food seemed to be better (+)
• I devised a new way to torture drag queens — cut 1/2″ off every left heal in the shoe collection (+)
• Became smitten with a nice Canadian and made a fool of myself (-)
• Many good conversations with friends I don’t spend enough time with (+)
• Took the recycling (well, the booze bottles) home (+/-)
• Mark and Onyz were roommates (+)
• Didn’t make it to the meadow pools — or the sauna — or the medicine wheel tubs (-)
• Took in a stray (Stellar Jay) who proved to be a good roommate, i.e. didn’t snore more than the rest of us (+)
• Had (again) too many people for cocktails on my last evening (-)
• Finished all the magazines and Three Cups of Tea — the present from the new owners of the church (+)
• Had happy thoughts about the folks who gave me Three Cups of Tea , the new owners of the church — good read. Uplifting. Makes me want to donate money. Makes me realize how lucky I was to visit India and Nepal for six weeks in 1976. (+)
• Ended up crying at one point — see Canadian item above (-)
• Got a gift of “vestments” in the early afternoon, and then two hours later the priest asks if he can have wine for Sunday mass — as he’d left his “tools” at home. He got wine AND vestments (+)
• Found a new home for my collection of religious iconery (except the small St. Rose of Lima carving) with a priest and his hottie boyfriend that were burned out of their house in Vancouver, BC (+++)
• Left a day early (+)

Over all — more pluses than minuses. I just ran out of steam for being on the road and around people. My nerves get fried after too many days. I need my quiet time.

[218.3 in an afternoon weigh-in]