RE: " Wave n at da Beach" Nor-Cal Mini-Rally!

[champ521]

 Ab Diver
All s well here. We made it home around 4 this afternoon. We had a great time. The abalone had to be the highlight for me just because DW actually ate it. The only seafood she ll touch is shrimp and lobster. Now abalone. Champagne taste on a beer budget. The G.C. Rally is going to be so huge compared to the intimate setting we just had. Ray truly is the man. You wasted no time in putting the pics on the web. Thanks to Dave for putting this together. The kids all had a great time. They were so wore out they slept almost all the way home. Thanks to Sadie, Max will be asleep for the next three days trying to recover from all the fun. See you all (except you, Ray) in 12 days

[otter]

 Ab Diver
The Otters too are home:  no wash going yet; but one cooler is cleaned out.
 What a wekend.  Meeting the legendary Rebucko ( Nancy and Jerry) AND the reknowned AB Diver ( Elaine and Dave) was indeed a treat!  It took us over 9 months to attend a rally together.  Let s hope it is not so long in future.  
 Jerry, I do hope your doctor can figure out the pain and have the magic wand to fix it.  
 Dave, you are so generous with your time!.  Lon had a ball in the water.  It was an experience he will talk about for a long time.  
 I really enjoyed getting to know Tonia and Kevin and Dave and Kerry too.  We had met before, but this was a weekend to really get acquainted.  
 And what would a rally be without Jeff and Ray leading the way.  
 Jeff you are so right about these kids!!!!  They are fantastic.  I am thinking we should write a child rearing book based on the camping expereince.  These kids are fantastic.  
 Ray you are the glue to this group.  You have to figure out some way to be a part of the Gold Rush....  It just has to be.  
 Sadie and I are exhauisted.  How does that happen when I did nothing but relax and run my mouth all weekend.
 Tops:  the Saturday night potluck and campfire is always the best for me.  Zoom, scary stories, laughter and fun.  
 Finding fellow card players is a real find.  Elaine and Tonia, Kevin and I demand a rematch at Gold Rush:  You name the time.  
 Kids, Kids, Kids:  They give us energy  and hope.
 Will check on the Scampers tomorrow.  Off to slumber land now.  
 Hugs to all

[Ca-girl]

 Ab Diver
Well, we re finally home and unpacked and Kevin and Melissa are crawling into bed exhausted.  I won t be too far behind, but I just wanted to make a couple of comments of my own about the weekend.
 
 What a great time....great food, great drink, super-great company, and a beautiful view to boot....and I haven t even mentioned the nice, cool, non-valley weather!
 
 Melissa is completely pooped from the intense playing that went on...I m still amazed that two girls and a boy between the ages of 7 and 9 can play together ALL weekend, and not have any problems!  As many have said before, and many will say again, this group has the best kids out there...and as a teacher, I see a LOT of kids!
 
 I have a bag of leftover abalone in my refrigerator that is already calling my name, so I m sure it won t last long...what a feast it was.
 
 I ve enjoyed myself so much at every NNC rally I ve gone to, but there sure is something special about the small ones.  I had never met Ab Diver before this weekend, even though he was actually the one that led me to this crazy bunch, but he still greeted me and my family as if we were life-long friends.  He even took over the job of directing Kevin as he backed into the site, which was just fine with me! By the end of the weekend, I was able to spend so much quality time chatting with everyone that I feel like we HAVE known each other for years! I just wish Robucko would have felt better so that he could have spent more time around the fire.  What a cheerful and charming guy for someone dealing with so much pain!
 
 Thanks again for organizing this Dave....it was a great weekend, and most certainly worth the drive.

[Red neff Barchetta]

 Ab Diver
AAhhh!  Now I can rest easy knowing all the NNC ers are all snug in their beds.
 
 Great reviews everyone and great pic s. Ray!

[champ521]

 Ab Diver
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. We took Dave s suggestion and drove 20 to 101. It was pretty curvy and I did not realize that we had one kid who doesn t do to well with the motion. In short, we re changing DD s name to " Ralph" ![: (]

[gsm x2]

 Ab Diver
Just a quick note.
 
 Sounds like the northern group had as much fun and as much great food as the southern group.  The mini-rallies have a wonderful intimate feel to them; the maxi-rallies give us a chance to see a whole lot of people at one time.  They both create wonderful memories.
 
 And in eleven days, we ll have the maxi of maxi rallies.  And I agree, Surfcal HAS TO make it.
 
 See you all there.
 
 gsm x2

[Ab Diver]

 Ab Diver
Grrr... Just stepped on the bathroom scale. I gained four lbs. this weekend!!! Guess no good meal goes unpunished.
 
 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. We took Dave s suggestion and drove 20 to 101. It was pretty curvy and I did not realize that we had one kid who doesn t do to well with the motion. In short, we re changing DD s name to " Ralph" !  
 

 You *were* warned. [] Sorry your little one didn t do well on the return trip. Been there, done that, got the airsick bag to prove it. [: (] Hope she s feeling much better now.
 
 
 Ok, back to work--- this weekend is fast fading into the realm of Fond Memories. Thanks again, everyone!

[SactoCampers]

 Ab Diver
Glad you guys had such a great time!
 
 " Wave n at da Beach"  Rally:
 
 http://nick-neff-cough.org/nnc/id74.html

[Surfcal]

 Ab Diver
Sacto:
 
 Thanks once again for your quick work on getting our website updated.  You re the best in that.  No one beats our group in that.
 
 Surfcal
 
 P.S.  So whazzup?  Everyone just chilling out?

[otter]

 Ab Diver
We did 20 to 101 too, with me driving.  It is windy and sure seems longer thant the quoted mileage.  The ride down the hill into Ukiha (sp) was a treat too.  Both 128 and 20  are wonderful.  We were in no rush...and Sadie (DDg) is a great rider.  
 See y all in  afew days

 champ521
Sounds like you had a great trip.  I like the size of those abs.
 
 We were having the same discussion around my work regarding 20 vs 128.  My oldest gets a little queezy on twisty roads but we haven t had to clean the side of the car [: (]since she was 2.
 
 Did any of you happen to stop at a restaurant called Hamburger Ranch and Pasta Farm at the intersection of bus 101 and 128?  What was your impression?  I ll add your thoughts to my campground and restaurant review page.
 
 Campinggeek
 AKA Jon
 

[Ca-girl]

 Ab Diver

Original: Ab Diver
 
 We managed to catch up to you on the way back at Willits-- did you hear my horn as you drove under Hwy 101 at the Hwy 20 junction?

 Funny you should mention that!!  We knew you were behind us, so on our way to the underpass, we put-putted along until we saw you going by, and then tooted OUR horn [8D][]

[Ca-girl]

 Ab Diver
Oh yea....I forgot to mention...I have my pics up too []
 
 http://community.webshots.com/album/76376728NIDBBY

[Surfcal]

 Ab Diver
Thanks for the pictures Tania.  They look great.  I never got to visit Clearlake on that trip.  You ll have to point it out next time.
 
 Surfcal

[Ab Diver]

 Ab Diver

I never got to visit Clearlake on that trip.

 Ray, I *told* you to turn right, and ride the Old Haul Road all the way to the end. []
 
 Cupla more things... Anybody notice that we didn t have any hay fever problems over there? Me? Not a sniffle, but get home and I m all clogged up and using Kleenex by the box.
 
 SactoBrian: I m constantly amazed at how fast you keep things up to date on the NNC web page. You and Nick do a wonderful job. Our official " public face"  looks better than many large corporations! Thank You.
 
 And Thanks for the kind words, everybody. But I didn t really do anything to wagonmaster this hayride other than suggest a campground and have fun with my friends. The fun time we had would have been greatly diminished had any single participant decided not to join us. So the credit for a great time belongs to us all.
 
 Also, I forgot to mention Red neff Barchetta s corn on my meal report (Doh!...revisionist dining?)  It was absolutely terrific-- tender, sweet, and juicy. And of course Otter s " Death by Chocolate"  fondue. Yummm.... []
 
 Ray and Tania, Thanks for putting up your pics. I dunno yet what Elaine got on film, but your shots will keep the memories crystal clear for me in the future.