Pre-Moonridge Report - 2007
I'm finally beginning to recuperate from my wonderful weekend at Moonridge. Monday, June 18th I began my cross-country trek and enjoyed a relaxing two and a half days on the train. I experienced a nice Sentinel moment when we pulled out of Gallup, NM when I spotted a store that was advertising Zuni fetishes.....it made me smile and I was certain it was an omen of good things to come.
I arrived Thursday morning in LA, two hours late and just barely caught another train that would take me up the coast into Santa Barbara where I was meeting my roomie Sally aka Shiredancer. Never having met, we described what we were wearing and it wasn't long before she found me. As soon as we saw each other, I felt like I knew her forever. It is so amazing when that happens and it is one of the best things about reaching out and connecting with other fans. It's all about the friends you meet!
We walked around the Santa Barbara wharf area which was just gorgeous and we drove around after that. I've always wanted to visit Santa Barbara and Sally gave me a grand tour of some of the more interesting places. Of course with only a few hours we just barely scratched the surface. I'll have to return someday with a little more time so I can really go exploring. We ate dinner on the pier at a nice Seafood place called Moby Dick's. Sally's husband Peter and daughter Claire joined us and we all had a great time. After dinner we walked up and down the streets looking at shops, restaurants and the old Spanish architecture that is predominate on almost every building. The gardens all around were in full bloom and I found myself taking plenty of pictures.
Thursday night I enjoyed the hospitality of Sally and her family as we prepared for our two days at Moonridge. Peter made sure the car was ready to climb the mountain Friday morning and armed with a stack of detailed maps we were ready to go. A quick stop for some Chai Latte's (thanks for getting me hooked on those things, lol) and breakfast rolls and we were on our way. Sally was a great pilot and I played co-pilot as we made our way up the winding mountain road that would take us to the Best Western Chateau. A large group of fans were staying there and it was just down the road from the zoo. After checking in and dumping the bags, we bumped into Lisa Adolf and Lucy Doty in the lobby. Sally nudged me and said "they look like Sentinel fans" and sure enough they were.*g* It was like that all weekend!
Next, we ventured off into the town of Moonridge which is only a few blocks long. We did some shopping, some sightseeing and killed time until the others were ready for dinner. I was looking forward to meeting everyone, especially Rae from the UK, who was bringing me my absolute favorite candy (Cadbury Flake), and Janet aka The Quilt Lady as Garett named her, who had my copy of Moonridge 2006 that I bought in the online auction. Everyone welcomed us warmly into the group as we also met Ande, Starwatcher, Snycock, Maaaaa, Gerri, Marilyn and Chriselora.
After dinner we moved outside onto the patio and sat around as our group continued to grow. We were joined by Litgal, Pamster, Luna, Ackablonded, and another Sally to name a few. We just kept going around the table introducing ourselves whenever someone new joined us. While we were talking, Ande got a call from someone at the zoo saying they just heard from Richard and he would be joining us after all and literally 20 women squealed with delight. The conversation around the table was sometimes Sentinel related and sometimes not but it was always lively and very funny. Around 8:00 Sally went back to our room to prepare for her belly-dancing performance. It was her tribute to the writers of all the stories she enjoyed and a way to say thanks. Unfortunately some had to return to where they were staying since most had been traveling and were still adapting to the time change, but our core group moved into the bar to watch. Sally is a professional dancer and has been dancing for almost 30 yrs....she wowed us with her talent.
We continued hanging out and talking until 11pm and then we finally had to say goodnight. Tomorrow was the big day at Moonridge and we all wanted to get an early start.
To be continued.....
I arrived Thursday morning in LA, two hours late and just barely caught another train that would take me up the coast into Santa Barbara where I was meeting my roomie Sally aka Shiredancer. Never having met, we described what we were wearing and it wasn't long before she found me. As soon as we saw each other, I felt like I knew her forever. It is so amazing when that happens and it is one of the best things about reaching out and connecting with other fans. It's all about the friends you meet!
We walked around the Santa Barbara wharf area which was just gorgeous and we drove around after that. I've always wanted to visit Santa Barbara and Sally gave me a grand tour of some of the more interesting places. Of course with only a few hours we just barely scratched the surface. I'll have to return someday with a little more time so I can really go exploring. We ate dinner on the pier at a nice Seafood place called Moby Dick's. Sally's husband Peter and daughter Claire joined us and we all had a great time. After dinner we walked up and down the streets looking at shops, restaurants and the old Spanish architecture that is predominate on almost every building. The gardens all around were in full bloom and I found myself taking plenty of pictures.
Thursday night I enjoyed the hospitality of Sally and her family as we prepared for our two days at Moonridge. Peter made sure the car was ready to climb the mountain Friday morning and armed with a stack of detailed maps we were ready to go. A quick stop for some Chai Latte's (thanks for getting me hooked on those things, lol) and breakfast rolls and we were on our way. Sally was a great pilot and I played co-pilot as we made our way up the winding mountain road that would take us to the Best Western Chateau. A large group of fans were staying there and it was just down the road from the zoo. After checking in and dumping the bags, we bumped into Lisa Adolf and Lucy Doty in the lobby. Sally nudged me and said "they look like Sentinel fans" and sure enough they were.*g* It was like that all weekend!
Next, we ventured off into the town of Moonridge which is only a few blocks long. We did some shopping, some sightseeing and killed time until the others were ready for dinner. I was looking forward to meeting everyone, especially Rae from the UK, who was bringing me my absolute favorite candy (Cadbury Flake), and Janet aka The Quilt Lady as Garett named her, who had my copy of Moonridge 2006 that I bought in the online auction. Everyone welcomed us warmly into the group as we also met Ande, Starwatcher, Snycock, Maaaaa, Gerri, Marilyn and Chriselora.
After dinner we moved outside onto the patio and sat around as our group continued to grow. We were joined by Litgal, Pamster, Luna, Ackablonded, and another Sally to name a few. We just kept going around the table introducing ourselves whenever someone new joined us. While we were talking, Ande got a call from someone at the zoo saying they just heard from Richard and he would be joining us after all and literally 20 women squealed with delight. The conversation around the table was sometimes Sentinel related and sometimes not but it was always lively and very funny. Around 8:00 Sally went back to our room to prepare for her belly-dancing performance. It was her tribute to the writers of all the stories she enjoyed and a way to say thanks. Unfortunately some had to return to where they were staying since most had been traveling and were still adapting to the time change, but our core group moved into the bar to watch. Sally is a professional dancer and has been dancing for almost 30 yrs....she wowed us with her talent.
We continued hanging out and talking until 11pm and then we finally had to say goodnight. Tomorrow was the big day at Moonridge and we all wanted to get an early start.
To be continued.....