Camp BlownStar - Part I

I have to say it right from the outset -- SuperGurl has set the bar impossibly high for anyone planning a blogmeet any time in the near future. The location, quantity and quality of food and the impossible volume of booze -- every damned detail was superb.

When you hear that you'll be in cabins in a place called "Toad Hall," you certainly don't suspect you're going to be in four-star lodgings. In fact, we had two "cabins" that by any other standards you and I would call lovely homes. The small cabin:

The large cabin:
Between the two I counted one patio:

One big, beautiful deck...

... and at least four screen porches. It's definitely a place to make yourself at home.

Comfy nooks and interesting furnishings abound.

For fair-skinned northerners with no tolerance for the noonday heat, this room was a welcome respite:



Outdoors, you can find a spot under a tree just about everywhere you look.


There were plenty of spots to hang around:




The views from the back were outstanding:



The fire pit got ample use at night!

And then, there was the "swimming hole":
Really, you should have been there.











So who was there? The Old Friends:

My favorite pilot and chili king, Walrilla (no, that song is not for me), and his faithful navigator and sous chef, Robert I (blog son extraordinaire!).

Science goddess, island chef and all around great gal Holder flew in from Atlanta.

Super hostess, SuperGurl, who could probably start a whole new career just organizing blogmeets. She's smart, funny, sassy and a darned good friend to one and all.

T1G, in a surprise visit from the left coast. (Well, he has to go somewhere every once in a while to recharge his conservative batteries, right?)

Everyone's little sis, the lovely Miss Erica made it in from Brooklyn... although her luggage went in the opposite direction and ended up in Switzerland.

St. Jerry stepped in and introduced our city mouse to the joys of Wally World, with special emphasis on sale racks. It wasn't pretty, folks.

Miss Nancy and da 'Pup brought killer tamales, fresh tomatoes, tall tales and a ton of laughs. Don't let these folks with their tame gardening blog fool you -- they're hilariously funny when you get them wound up!

Speaking of hilarious when she's wound up, Becky had me in tears of laughter so many times that I lost count.

This video is for Becky, Nancy and Robert I. They'll all know why:



Ahem.

Hammer... ah! He's simply the greatest. Great cook (outstanding ribs), great conversation, best hugs ever.

Kerrcarto and his sweetie of a missus, Chelsea. If SuperGurl was responsible for the booze, Kerrcarto was responsible for the beer -- mountains and mountains of the stuff. (They're going to need two dumpsters to haul all those bottles and cans away...)

The Grouchy One hizzownself. Having him pick three [insert any two or three superlatives of your choice here] bottles of Pinot Noir to sample was a delight. Same for getting to sing a little harmony with him. It wouldn't be a Blown Eyed meet if he wasn't there.

New Friends:

Fat Hairy Bastard and the lovely Denise. What fun folks. Just wish I'd had more time to chat. Next time, okay?

Paul, originally of Texas and lately of Seattle, and his friend, Robert II. Nothing but trouble and a twinkle in the eye, the both of them!

CharlieDelta, who just about everyone has adopted as a blog kid of their very own. I'm calling him a stepchild, myself. 'Nuff said.

Robert III, friend of Kerrcarto, who dropped in on Saturday night for the beer and the music and stayed for the great conversation. We'll have him blogging yet.

Missing in Action (and sorely missed):

El Capitan, GuyK and Sweetthing, the Confabulator, Hairboy, Elisson and Shovel Boy. Missed most of all? Old Crankypants. He'd be proud as hell that we're all still remembering him and reminiscing about how he started so many of us down the blogging and blogmeet path.
_____

Note: Kerrcarto, Paul and CharlieDelta claim they will soon be starting their own blog, which will be entitled, "We Gotta Get Drunk First." Keep a lookout for it. For some reason, this reminded me of the three of them as they were preparing to embark on that joint blogging venture:


more cat pictures

Guess which one is Bob?