Spindle Camp

The first annual Trans-Sierra Spindle Camp kicked off late Friday afternoon at Lake Francis, as we straggled in from all over the region. The setting was a gamble because we knew so little about it, but we have wanted to do this for a such a long time and decided to stick our necks out and give it a try - it's a winner, with qualifiers, not included.

Amy is a queen spindler and also collector of spindles, so we coaxed her into a show-and-tell. The absolute favorite of the whole group is the Golding ring spindles - want one. Ken Lendbetter's were also popular, followed by a mixed smattering of Greensleeves and Hatchtown.
We ate potluck while mega-
visiting and then stood around a nice wood fire with dessert and glasses, camp mugs, or canning jelly jar of red wine. The end of a work week for many, we folded early and the day trippers returned home. Day One.
The neat thing about the open space and camping is that little groups formed spontan-
eously and morphed continuously. It was like round-robin friends and fiber - they go together so well. Barbara Sue has her back to me and I'm sorry I didn't catch her marvelous hat with giant braids that mimic her own thick dark ones.
The subtitle, and I can't think of a clever one, would have been foodies. The table is a gathering point of adoration, and it was so laden that a secondary table was called into service. Notice the giant Easy-Up - very important.

Here's another group of spinning and visiting. I didn't manage to catch anyone drop spindling and there was plenty of it - asleep at the switch. I was one of those who spindled, and it was part of what made the groups so easy to change up, walkabout. The afternoon was lovely and most of us walked to the camp resort restaurant for dinner at 6:00 rather than cook.
And while we were eating a stupen-
dous dinner (the cold leftover part was my breakfast today), the rain began to fall, and fall, and fall. We knew we couldn't get dry and warm if we walked back, and so we waited, and every diner that left the restaurant Barbara Sue asked- excuse me. Is that your van? All were sympathetic but one lady offered to help and took Jan back to camp and to her car. Jan then ferried us back in stints - no small deal since the campground is a labyrinth of paths, so much that even we were afraid of straying too far and not finding our way back.

Meanwhile, those few who remained back at the camp gathered all the scattered equipment, chairs and personal items under that blessed salvation called Easy-Up - it was a huge task and they were wonderful. It was like someone poked a knife into a sky bladder. Remember, I live in the high desert and that's what I know. Maybe this rain is normal elsewhere. We profusely thanked those who took care of our precious items. Day two.

Virva and I bookend this morning grouping with Sarah and Marty. Virvia is Finnish and a slip of a thing, but man, oh man, can she camp.

We ended up being the only tent campers the second night - other others opted to rent a resort cabin and a good idea in a drenching torrent. We awoke to find ourselves alone - kinda surreal. Virva built a fire and we set about making caffeine. She might be the smallest, but you want her on your team, at least I do. I dibs Virva.

This is just about half the frosh alumi. Rain, heck. We will be back next year and we spent the morning today looking for the sites we want next year. The resort is awesome because they offer a mix of tent sites and cabins. It might not rain next year, and even if it does, we'll just bring more Easy-Ups.