Quest for Wit and Wisdom

I'm in a funk today because a few hundred of my closest friends will be camping this weekend and finances, my health, and Joe's job are preventing me from joining them. Instead of my usual beady posts, I'm offering a tribute to their fun and hoping some benevolent spirit will allow me to join them next year, because this is now the 3rd year I've had to miss for one reason or another. No, the site doesn't have running water, as the rows of porta-castles at the far end of the fields shows.

Fencing at the bridge. And yes, that is an active train trestle. Friday night is usually the big party night because no one is going to be getting any sleep over the sound of the train anyway. And every time a train goes by, on the first night at least, some idiots will yell "TRAIN!"

Baroness Rhiannon and a friend.

A different kind of pick-up match.

Sunday morning hurley, anyone?

Joe and Candy.

The sound of swordplay comes from the grove.

Myself and some relatives. I'm the one on the left.

Leslie and Ruth.

These guys look like they mean business!

Yes, I wish I was there. These pictures were, I believe, taken in 2004, one of the rare years when we had perfect weather. There have been years with scorching temperatures and years when the early morning dash disturbed the frost on the grass. There was a year when it rained so much my clothes never did dry out. One year a very heavy storm caused a large tree limb to fall on my tent, crushing it (I was getting a cup of coffee elsewhere.) I have never been sorry I went.