RE: 2003 NNC Winter Rally- Olema

[Nick]

 Civil_War_Buff
*********IMPORTANT MESSAGE***********
 
 It was brought to my attention by the early arrivers that there is no sewer hookup at our sites.  So bring your totes if you need them.

[Red neff Barchetta]

 Civil_War_Buff
Thanks for the message Mike!
 Just loaded it.
 Btw, please tell whoever called with the message that we all say THANK YOU!
 Again I say, what a great group!
 
 Mike - I just e-mailed you my # in case anyone who s already arrived without a tote needs an emergency 5 gallon bucket.  Call me by 8:30 a.m. tomorrow if I need to pick any up.

[SCCS]

 Civil_War_Buff

 Hope that everyone has a great time their. Haven t checked the board for a couple of days, been busy.Looks like the weather will be really nice this weekend,for camping,[] but I got to work tomorrow[:@].Everyone have a safe trip.

[The Memory Maker]

 Civil_War_Buff
Hello all-
 I can t believe what a great weekend that we ve had with all of our (NNC) friends. I also too can t believe that we re one of the first to post(other than Surfcough), with having to get all the way over to Stockton.
 Anyhow, We all arirved safely back home and we already miss the group. Larry(sammyslave)- I think that for the next rally I will bring you the Chinet plates so that you won t have any more " slip-ups" .
 I ll post the pictures to my yahoo website tomorrow morning.
 More stories to follow, the boys need their baths!
 This was a great weekend to see all of our old NNC friends as well as meet a great group of new NNC friends.
 
 Scott & Genevieve

[Red neff Barchetta]

 Civil_War_Buff
Wow!  What a terrific w/e with some great people who simply love to camp!  No rules or politics with just the right amount of organization to at least make sure we all arrive at the same place on the same w/e.
 Nick s brew!
 Missed Ab Diver (Dave & family) but at least knew they were alright back at home.  Hope your leg is alright Dave!  Arrived around 11:00 Friday morning to an empty CG, ha.  The Thursday arrivals were off on day trips so I rummaged through their PU s for goodies and such, oh wait, j/k.  I knew I was in the right place because even with only 3 NNC sites taken at that point I noticed with my site map that Ray was not in his assigned site, lol!  Beautiful NNC move.  Well, by 8:30 Friday night and the arrival of our wonderful tenting NNC ers all was well in the world of NNC.  That is, except for the 6Quigs.  We all hoped they were fine and like true PU ers they arrived unscathed Saturday morning - unhitched and followed us for some lunch before popping up.  Everyone is really becoming friends after just a few rallies!  This rally had the most first time NNC ers that I have seen and we really enjoyed meeting each and everyone of them!  I hope they all had as much fun as we did and that they will join us again!
 Nick s brew!
 Ralph, CA Girl, abbear, Duane Family, Nick s 2nd brother, and CWB s relatives were all a great addition!  I hope to see you all again.
 Nick s brew!
 Ray sat me down and aimed a camera at my face and interrogated me regarding NNC.  Hope I didn t crack your lens Ray.  I didn t mind the questioning, but I thought the heat lamp and you sitting in the turned around chair was a bit much!  It was briefly mentioned and then run away with that Ray would now become " SurfCough" , so we expect that screen name change soon Ray!
 Nick s brew!
 SammySlave s cooking was amazing as ever and I must mention that Larry, Rita, Scott, & Georganne are always so willing to have their sites become general stomping grounds for the group and we really appreciate it!
 Nick s brew!
 Our 3 year-old was pretty sick last night and kept us up until 1:30 or so which was not good considering we realized that almost everyone around us was probably wishing that they had hard sides like CWB, Ralph, & CA Girl, ha.  Sorry about that everyone, but as Kevin & Margaret (6Quigs) both said at different times; " When I realized that it wasn t one of mine I simply rolled over and went back to sleep" , lol.  It is nice when it s not one of yours isn t it?  Amy & I have the same thought when ours are sleeping too, ha.  So if we were not too bubbly this morning I hope you understand.  I can barely focus while typing this as a matter of fact.
 Nick s brew!
 Well, I must get sleep now so I ll check in later this week.  Lots of work starting tomorrow so I ll stop by in a few days.
 Did I mention the amazing beer that Nick made?  How can I buy a keg?

[Red neff Barchetta]

 Civil_War_Buff
Forgot to ask Holly -
 Did Pete think there was a Raider game on today?  You guys hit the road early!  Maybe you just wanted to get home and make sure all of the Snug Harbor details are in place, huh?
 
 Scott & Georgeanne - Where are you?!!!  Hope your drive was uneventful.  You 2 are amazing travelers!  NNC wouldn t be the same without you!
 
 While unpacking the PU I got to listen to a replay of game 5 of the World Series.  Pumped me up for spring training!
 
 Now I really am going to sleep.
 
 Nick s brew!

[The Memory Maker]

 Civil_War_Buff
O.k. you guys that didn t attend, here are some more details-
 Mike(Nick) kudos to you for your hard work this weekend at putting together such a great rally.
 Larry(Sammyslave) & Mike - anybody that is on a diet or watching heir weight had better not attend an NNC rally. Is there any meal that you DID NOT cook for us for? I guess Saturday afternoon was the only time we cooked for ourselves.
 The (civil) war between Larry(CWB) and I has now been declared over(although there will still be some rousing) since I have the official TMM portrait of Larry and Veronica in front of the Trailmanor.com.(BTW Larry- YOU started it, not ME!)
 Holly- Jr and I are still talking about you abeskeevers(sp.). These are the greatest thing since Krispy Kreme s.
 Jeff we too heard the crying and thought " is that one of our boys?"  then realized that they were both asleep and quickly went back asleep for another 15 minutes until our youngest woke us up too.
 More later.....

[Hybrid Holly]

 Civil_War_Buff

Forgot to ask Holly -
 Did Pete think there was a Raider game on today? You guys hit the road early! Maybe you just wanted to get home and make sure all of the Snug Harbor details are in place, huh?
 
 

 We got out of the campground at 8:15AM, not too bad for the Petester.  We drove down to Cupertino for the day to visit Pete s sister who was here visiting from Oklahoma.  Got back to Davis at 7 PM, long day!  Even they dogs didn t want to get up this morning.  
 
 Had a great time as usual.  Nice to meet all the new people.  
 Had lots of fun watching the tent trio play horseshoes.  
 Great food everyone.....what happened to Hors d oeuvres only for Saturday night?  I think everyone forgot!  But yumm, it was good!
 
 

[Civil_War_Buff]

 Civil_War_Buff
Had such a great time...I truly enjoy every outing with this group....Here are some of the shots that I got from the weekend...enjoy!
 
 http://community.webshots.com/album/64669906OhHXzs
 
 And...
 
 http://community.webshots.com/album/64673898XouGuX
 
 I have some of individuals and the kids that I will send to the families to do with as they wish.
 
 Great seeing you all again, and TMM, I hope that you don t (or haven t) taken the ribbing seriously, I enjoyed the concern that it had generated among the group. [][]
 
 Thanks for the photos, and I sure wish I could buy a couple of those " negatives"  so they never get published..you KNOW what I am talking about!![][][]
 
 Happy Campin  <><

[Surfcal]

 Civil_War_Buff
Hello all:
 
 Hey, what happened to the rest of the reports.  Reporting the events and recounting the sordid details have been a Nick-Neff-Cough tradition and I know that Ab Diver, Otter, Sactocampers and the rest who could not go can only live vicariously through our stories.  So let s start filing our stories.
 
 I had a great time.  CWB, again, it was nice to have a chat with you and I will soon have some sort of production done.  Did I ever tell you that you have a nice voice?  Nice delivery dude and I m a professional.
 
 Most of all, I want to give credit where credit is due.  Nick worked really hard to make it happen for all of us.  This has been the biggest of them all, the first to surpass the Bodega Bay Rally.  So Nick, even though you brought in three other family members (nepotism) to kick this up to 19 groups, what a glorious event.
 
 And Nick, how did you like that site assignment fiasco?  Right out of the gate on Thursday afternoon, it was Rabble Rousing.  I got Larry all fired up for taking his precious space.  Then Larry got Calstate out of kilter because Larry took his spot.  And then the whole thing rippled to The Memory Maker whose space was taken by Calstate.  Eventually, Scott the Memory Maker got bumped to a completely different loop, the Annex.  It was vintage NNC Rabble Rousing.  Larry got all pissy in the beginning  and even got me to walk down to the front office to get it sorted out!  It was like taking a walk to the principal s office.  GSM X2, the diplomat that he is, went along for the walk trying to calm Larry down.  Then we broke out the Gin and that got Larry calmed down.  Larry, I love you man!
 
 Nick s beer was the best.  we started drinking early on Friday and proceeded to get soused the rest of the day.  By 7:00 pm that night, I was pretty much useless.  I don t know how I hung in there for the rest of the evening.  I think drinking on an empty stomach could have contributed.  But the most peculiar thing about the beer was that it was homebrew, no presevatives with active yeast and the result was, well...  let s just say you should not have incindiaries in any enclosed space.
 
 Scott and Georgeanne, it wouldn t be a Nick-Neff-Cough event without you two there.  You folks define the NNC spirit.  And thanks for the interviews.  For all the things you couldn t express Scott, Georgeanne was there to complete your thoughts.
 
 Neff, the ever gregarious NNCer, everytime I see you, you had someone locked into a conversation.  You are ever so entertaning, punctuated by little dashes off to care for your boys who are always getting tangled with the unexpected.
 
 Holly and Pete, you are the fastest packers NNC has ever known.  You give CWB and his TrailManor some competition.  Holly, thanks for those whatchamacallit skeevers, yum.  And Pete, silence speaks volumes.
 
 6Quigs, TMM, Calstate and all the new folks, I m sorry I didn t get much of a chance to circulate amongst you all.  I m actually user friendly, but Neff had me tied up and beyond that, I had an obligation to consume Nick s beer and do the NNC documentary.  Then I bolted.
 
 And lastly, Larry and Rita, you are the heart of these rallies.  You open up your site to become the headquarters along with the use and abuse of all your possessions.  But more than anything, it is in the kindred spirit of fellowship that you promote that binds us at any campground.
 
 On the way out, I was stopped by a neighboring Dark Side camper and she mentioned that she was really impressed by our gathering.  I jokingly said, " so you re really complaining about the noise?"   " Not at all,"  she laughingly replied, " my husband and I are just a bit envious we aren t part of it."
 
 And so I must say that I am glad to be part of such a Rabble Rousing group.
 
 Surfcal (or as some would like it, Surfcough)

[Ab Diver]

 Surfcal

 

ORIGINAL:  Surfcal
 
 
 Hey, what happened to the rest of the reports.  Reporting the events and recounting the sordid details have been a Nick-Neff-Cough tradition and I know that Ab Diver, Otter, Sactocampers and the rest who could not go can only live vicariously through our stories.  So let s start filing our stories.
 
 (snip)
 
  Surfcal (or as some would like it, Surfcough)
 

 Yeah, what he said![] Thanks, " Cough" , for the summery.
 
 And Larry, thanks for getting the pics up. I m basically sitting here under house arrest with my foot in the air, and your pics really brightened up the morning for me. Made me wish all the more that we were there. []
 
 Signed: " Arm-chair"  Ab Diver, who has to use a precious week s vacation while the leg heals....
 

[Civil_War_Buff]

 Ab Diver

 

ORIGINAL:  Ab Diver
 
 Made me wish all the more that we were there. []
 
 
 
 

 Dave,
 
 Well you were missed, everyone was asking each person as they arrived if there was any update on your condition.  You were there in spirit I know.  I offered to let G-Whiz use my oven to cook the ham, but there was SO much food that the ham was not really missed.  There was talk of cutting it up for ham and eggs breakfast, but Nick s moms  biscuits and gravy were such a hit that even breakfast went by hamless.  
 
 Keep off the leg, let it heal, and make sure that you save enough vacation to get out soon!! Can t wait to see ya again. We had a member of the group experience a problem with their furnace, and in YOUR absence they asked if I knew anything about it...we looked, and couldn t do much, but by your lead we had auxillary heating readily available for the family...in the truest abdiver tradition!!  So, see even though you weren t  there, your giving spirit has and will prevail in this group for a LONG time.
 
 Get well my friend, but leave your raccoons at home.[][][:@][][&:]
 
 Happy Campin  <><
 
 

[duanefamily]

 Surfcal

Hey, what happened to the rest of the reports. Reporting the events and recounting the sordid details have been a Nick-Neff-Cough tradition and I know that Ab Diver, Otter, Sactocampers and the rest who could not go can only live vicariously through our stories. So let s start filing our stories.

 I thought I d try to jump into the fray and give everyone a newbie s perspective.  Reading about all you crazy folks could never quite prepare me for what it?s actually like when a newbie first enters their first NNC rally!  
 
 After loading up the two wigglies... we headed north.  Towing our Niagara was fine until I realized there was a line of cars, trucks and poptops behind us.  Then my shoulders tensed as I wondered  if going the speed limit was actually considered too slow.   A beer later rectified this just fine!  We arrived at the campground but blew past our designated campsite since it was very empty.  Hence, everyone had to wait for me to turn around and get out before they could get in.  Sorry CWB and whoever else that was!  I guess I was a bit more nervous than I needed to be... but then again, I had heard rumors of web cams watching newbies back into their spaces so I didn?t know what to expect.  
 
 When we got to our site.. I couldn?t believe my eyes.  It couldn?t be further from the action (which later turned out to be a blessing) or a more un-level site!  Tree roots caused the pavement to ripple and bulge.  Sammyslave told us that Nick had checked it out in advance to make sure we were properly challenged. ;-)  Frankly, we were challenged enough with the screen names versus the real names.  It didn?t help that almost everyone at this rally shared the same first name.  I think there were two Larry?s and two Mikes and at least three Scotts, etc.  Sammyslave came to the rescue with all sorts of chocks, blocks and levels.  Although, when it was all said and done, the kids were still sledding from one end of the pop top to the other.
 
 Sammyslave and Rita were the ever prepared grand poohbas(sp?) of the whole affair.   There was a multitude of rotating, welcoming  hosts.  Scott (with all the hats), Red Neff, and CWB and his wife, went out of their way to make our family feel comfortable and we were mightily appreciative.  Tonya?s family kept our kids more than occupied and I suspect Ginger the dog will need to be cloned soon! Larry?s cooking left me crazy for more!  In fact so crazy, that when we left, I drove the pop top to the Johnson?s Oyster Farm.  I wish someone had mentioned that dirt road to me... or I might have thought twice.  I think only a few cars fell off the cliff and into that bog while trying to pass me.  Sammyslave, can I have that bread mixture recipe for the oysters?  
 
 Our 4 year old son met two delightful teenage sisters.  They were newbies too, although I don?t remember them interacting too much with the main group.  Their family was delightful although I can?t remember their screen names (can anybody help with this?)  It was great the way the children had so many playmates.  They all did remarkably well, despite the fact that many of the children were too excited to eat or sleep properly.  I will forever have images in my mind of the Quiggly?s little one stamping his newly cleaned feet in the mosh pit, near his campsite, for the umpteenth time!  A true punk rocker in the making!
 
 I sat next to Surfcough a few minutes before he passed out.  He asked me if I wanted to try some of Nick?s brew!  He said... ?It taste?s just like Sierra Nevada.?  Well, thank goodness I had a six pack of Sierra Nevada or I would have suffered Surfcough?s fate.  I was told that there were many an explosive rumbling heard from his tent in the wee hours of the morning.  Many folks situated in close proximity mistook these noises for snoring.  I may be wrong but I think someone told me that Surfcough burst forth from his pop tent in fear for his life due to the pressure he caused to build up inside the pop tent versus the air pressure on the outside!  Luckily he survived Nick?s brew and will live to experience the many joys of hearing his tale again and again as it mutates over the decades of his life.
 
 Next time I?m going to take Sammyslave?s advice and bring some speciality items rather than 10lbs of BBQ chicken.  Frankly, this group reminds me of the comradery I experienced in College while living in a student co-op with 100 other students.  It?s kind of like one big dysfunctional family... but there?s a lot of food, a lot of love and just enough booze to take the sting out of most any uncomfortable situation.  
 
 There was plenty more adventures... but I thought I?d share some KB for the other newbies.   
 
 duanefamily mamma
 

[Red neff Barchetta]

 Ab Diver
DuaneFamily Momma,
 I am so glad you had a good time!  Your family is terrific and fit in perfectly.  Great review and I especially like your description of NNC as a dysfunctional family, lol.
 I know myself and most of the others, like it exactly that way.  If we start having rules, meetings, dues, etc.. then I think that will spell doom for NNC.  Nobody will ever go hungry, cold, or sad (at least for very long) during the w/e and that s all that matters.  The rest is whatever you feel like doing or not doing.
 A few more times out with the PU and you ll be a pro!  You guys did well popping down yesterday morning as we all watched you from behind trees and such.  Just kidding!  I still commit a SPUT every time out - this time it was forgetting to pop open the vent on the grey water tote and having the sink drain as slow as when we first bought the PU and had the ridiculous original Coleman drainage set-up.  Luckily, I noticed it Friday night and pulled the tab and was back in business.
 
 Nick -
 Brilliant move to bottle your brew with non-twist tops and then make sure you had the only bottle opener in the CG!  That way we all had to come find you and shower you with accolades (wasn t he the Greek God of compliments?) when we wanted some more, ha.

[The Memory Maker]

 Ab Diver
I have my pics posted at:
  http://community.webshots.com/user/thememorymakernnc
 I did not post the images that included children(other than the group image)as per our semi-agreement after Del Valle.
 I also have some great images of the Point Reyes lighthouse that I will post later(see, I didn t include the ACTUAL time that they will be posted-I ve learned my lesson Kevin)