Wellspring Notes V - Final
Our campmates left Monday, so a lot of our daylight time was spent helping them tear down and pack up. I forgot to put sunscreen on my feet, so I added sunburn to all the spiderbites. Once the Pittsburghers were gone, the camp felt so empty, and I couldn't help but feel the post-festival malaise set in. Chris and I discussed a number of things we'll be working on over the next few months - he had a brilliant flash about the Kindred that I really hope he'll develop in written form. We worked out some of the structure while we sat, and just enjoyed the gentle peace of the now-empty field, hiding behind the van to avoid more sunburn.
The night of the Symbel, drubear was visited by Skip who asked him about renewing his clergy credentials, and asking him to stop by and discuss it before we left. As the sun set, we walked up the hill to Skip's camp, and sat with Caryn and Fran. They never did get to that conversation, but we did manage to discuss some ritual issues and general stuff. Caryn told a few stories about things that had happened in her Grove, and we laughed. Fran shared some resources for Slavic cooking, and we chatted more until the cold started to get to us. By the time we got back to the campsite, I was ready for a hot shower and some time in the hot tub. We gathered our stuff together, and headed to the pool house. Just the hot water itself was enough to defrost my poor, tortured feet, but getting in the tub turned out to be problematic. The burn on the tops of my feet was such that getting in the water proved painful -- still, I persisted, and the hot water was an immediate relief. We chatted with some folks living on Brushwood, then headed back to camp to sleep.
The trip back was pleasant and uneventful. We talked more about Chris' idea, listened to the Sassafras CD a few times, stopped at Bob Evans in Erie for breakfast, and eventually made it home with very little traffic. Leaving the day AFTER Memorial Day seemed to be the way to go. We were so exhausted, but still had to return the rental van, so off to O'Hare we went. We were going to just take the El back, but Chris suggested taking a cab. Money well spent. When we finally were able to put up our feet and relax, I was practically asleep.
Well, it appears that our landlush has taken an offer on the building, and the new landlords are taking possession sometime in the next few weeks. THANK THE GODS! Our neighbors upstairs moved out yesterday (with one last shouting match with said landlush) so we're to have the place to ourselves until the new owners can find renters. We finally got a signed lease, and are safe at least for another year. Apparently, the new owners are thinking of converting this into a single-unit building some time in the future, but it's still a few years down the road. I'm expecting a huge rent increase next year, but we'll cross that road soon enough.
Class continues to be an exercise in teeth-grinding. I keep repeating under my breath, "...two more weeks, two more weeks..." I doubt I will have anything good to say in my instructor's assessment. I haven't learned much of anything, and the instructor is either absent or flighty. We have a three-week break between semesters which I'll throughly enjoy, then it's a portfolio class and an advanced web design class, then DONE!
The night of the Symbel, drubear was visited by Skip who asked him about renewing his clergy credentials, and asking him to stop by and discuss it before we left. As the sun set, we walked up the hill to Skip's camp, and sat with Caryn and Fran. They never did get to that conversation, but we did manage to discuss some ritual issues and general stuff. Caryn told a few stories about things that had happened in her Grove, and we laughed. Fran shared some resources for Slavic cooking, and we chatted more until the cold started to get to us. By the time we got back to the campsite, I was ready for a hot shower and some time in the hot tub. We gathered our stuff together, and headed to the pool house. Just the hot water itself was enough to defrost my poor, tortured feet, but getting in the tub turned out to be problematic. The burn on the tops of my feet was such that getting in the water proved painful -- still, I persisted, and the hot water was an immediate relief. We chatted with some folks living on Brushwood, then headed back to camp to sleep.
The trip back was pleasant and uneventful. We talked more about Chris' idea, listened to the Sassafras CD a few times, stopped at Bob Evans in Erie for breakfast, and eventually made it home with very little traffic. Leaving the day AFTER Memorial Day seemed to be the way to go. We were so exhausted, but still had to return the rental van, so off to O'Hare we went. We were going to just take the El back, but Chris suggested taking a cab. Money well spent. When we finally were able to put up our feet and relax, I was practically asleep.
Well, it appears that our landlush has taken an offer on the building, and the new landlords are taking possession sometime in the next few weeks. THANK THE GODS! Our neighbors upstairs moved out yesterday (with one last shouting match with said landlush) so we're to have the place to ourselves until the new owners can find renters. We finally got a signed lease, and are safe at least for another year. Apparently, the new owners are thinking of converting this into a single-unit building some time in the future, but it's still a few years down the road. I'm expecting a huge rent increase next year, but we'll cross that road soon enough.
Class continues to be an exercise in teeth-grinding. I keep repeating under my breath, "...two more weeks, two more weeks..." I doubt I will have anything good to say in my instructor's assessment. I haven't learned much of anything, and the instructor is either absent or flighty. We have a three-week break between semesters which I'll throughly enjoy, then it's a portfolio class and an advanced web design class, then DONE!