Derail (sort of):

Amber~ Did you get the scooter/chair rental taken care of?
Had my air fixed about a month ago, it seemed not as cold the last couple days. So, I took it in and they said they put some more
juice in it and it is ice cold now! YAY!

Love reading all of your ladies "10 Things", just haven't had time to participate. :-(

Rerail!

Susie cars are the best!!!

(Well, don't tell Susie, but sometimes I really miss my old car Annie Acheiva lol)

Still trying to get the camper packed on the road. Dancer is at my friend's house. I have to hitch up and pull the camper around front to load up the car again. I was hoping to get away around 1pm, but it looks more like 2. I had to leave everything to the last day, or rather the day of departure. It's hard on this 60 year old body, lots of breaks for cooling and rehydration.

This would be one of the hottest days of the year. I'm sitting now in A/C with a chill towel around my head/neck. And drinking cold water. I see a cold shower in my immediate future, right before I get on the road.

Katie* and I are heading out now! We rented a car since Susie will just not make it. I am sad, but will have peace of mind on the drive. SO! Look for us in a greyish blue ford fusion (Florida plates LOL)...we'll probably have the TRIXIE BELDEN and DETROIT banners out. SEE YOU ON THE LAND!!! ahhhhhh!!!!

ps I still have planners, now by donation to support our rental car fund LOLOL Find me in the Line!

SISTERS! How was your fest???

Mine was very healing... I expected to be healed by talking solo walks through the Land, visiting the meditation circle, and going to healing circle. Instead I was healed by spending many lazy hours with my sisters at the campsite, having a good chat with EVO during our workshift, and staying up til 6 am everyday talking with my new BFF by the Zone firepit. The Land provides exactly what you need in unexpected ways :)

I had a lot of fun this year.

I'm thinking about doing orientation CCE next year.

RV workshifts ROCK!

AND I DANCED ONSTAGE WITH LESLIE & THE LY'S! Best day of my LIFE.

1 – I had a great Fest.

2 – Work was paramount and I got to work with a fantastic crew.

3 – Fest always brings down walls and when I needed the support I got it.

4 – I asked for a healing fest and I got it.

5 – Because of physical limitations I was tired a lot and slept more than usual and did not get around like I would have wished.

6 – Gabby the trailer had her virgin voyage and was all that and a bag of chips.

7 – I hardly got to interact with friends, see #2 and #5.

8 – Better planning will resolve #7.

9 – I did get to see Trixie on stage!

10 – I did get my picture taken a few times, more bow ties next year.

11 – My GF eats fire and is hotter than hell!

12 – My daughter and grands are awesome, just sayin…

13 – You were there, every day, everywhere.

1. Fest was amazing, healing, joyous.
2. Many friends, old and new, helped me deal with lack of mobility, making me feel truly loved.
3. DART should be used as a model for accessibility by the entire world.
4. Had a blast working Orientation with Trixie. Hope we can do it again next year.
5. I LOVE lesbians!
6. When I grow up, I want to be as cool as Lisa from the DART crew.
7. There is a fly in every ointment, but it doesn't have to ruin everything.
8. I need to spend time in wbw space in order to cope with the normal world.
9. The most important thing is just being there.
10. I do not plan to miss another fest.

1. Fest was everything I hoped for and more.
2. Having an electric chair helped with my mobility and fatigue.
3. Both the Dart Crew and the Sprouts Crew rock and I couldn't have done Fest without them. My son has separation anxiety and he was ASKING to go to Sprouts! I had so much fun at my Sprouts workshifts. I will miss them next year when my little guy goes to Brother Son.
4. Talking with Amberlight was so nice and reminded me to live life to the fullest and to also take the time to "just be". <3
5. I, too, slept ALOT more this fest (especially on the rain days). Most nights I was in bed before midnight.
6. I made it to at least part of two dances and had fun watching the little one dancing with womyn. At the last dance, he was on stage with Molly and a few other womyn joined in to learn his "frog dance" before long a whoe group of womyn were doing it on the August Nights stage! Funny and sweet how womyn take to little ones.
7. This Fest went by faster than any other in 18 years.
8. I finally made it to a workshop, along with a dozen others, an interpreter, and a one world delivery of a boom-box and the presenter didn't show up. :-( (and it was scheduled in a tent...so rain should not have been an issue.)
9. We had 3 Festie Virgins in our living room (screen tent) most days/evenings (one who traveled with a camp-mate) and it was AWESOME seeing/living fest through there eyes and experiences.
10. I LOVED staying til the last minute Monday. I will probably never leave on Sunday again.

(so much more...but there's 10 things! lol)

Red - I only got onstage with Leslie because of your AWESOME gem sweater!!!

Gleweliz - Orientation is so fun! I like that day and time too (lunch comes to me, still a good amount of women coming in). We should BOTH do CCE next year!!!

Is it really true that fest could not happen next year because so few women came this year!?!? I don't know how I could go TWO years without fest! I would have to take the week off and go camping somewhere with my sisters, that's for sure.

Trixie, wait until Red loads her pics of you on stage. She got some totally excellent photos of you.

1. i hit chicago at the same time as the torrential foggy rain and did not have an accident
2. i cant believe i drove the tank all the way to michigan and back with no troubles... she runs like a trooper
3. i only got lost a few times and made quite a few folks smile and 1 laugh when i asked nicely where michigan was
4. i met someone special
5. i met alot of fine people
6. i got to work in goldenrod..... what an honor...... and a joy
7. when ones sandal breaks moments before the butch strut one struts with one sandal off and hopes no one notices the new fashion trend
8. (((((alma, suji, lisa, dusty, all my bag folks, to the gal with the rows who helped my melt down go away, spark, chris,patty jean, latrice, elizabeth, nelson, your lovely lady and quinn, shannon, the drummers who helped me drum right before gates opened, chicago and waterloo who shared the spot by front gate, and everyone else who made fest such a wonderful place to be))))))
9. less shirts more shorts and some kinda rain gear
10. i will not throw away the envelope with the ice money

and as a bonus........ glitter poodles

1). Been a way long time since I posted here
2) but it's the start of a new year, so when better?
3) loved Fest this year - conversations frivolous and deep - all were sublime
4) connections were strengthened and found
5) learned the hard way that even if you don't need a winter coat for five years running, you'll need it the sixth
6) after having tried the full range of m&m's, I love the peanutbutter ones the best
7) tofu nuggets are the best breakfast ever!
8) womyn really do appreciate a woman in a party dress loading their gear at Triangle
9) I am committed to doing whatever I need to do to bring more womyn next year - we need a 10 to 1 ratio of campers to workers to be viable. That means 4000 campers.
10) grateful - simply grateful for all of you

-i'm still in the beautiful state of Michigan, R&Ring by the Great Lake.
-i didn't really take much of a physical pounding this year, but the 8 hr day in the cold rain doing continuous walking trash sweeps of the stage bowls and community spaces alone would justify some beach time.
-and i praise all the gals who attended for being so thoughtful about not leaving trash on the ground even though one almost desperately wants to find litter bigger than a cig. butt or fruit sticker when actually doing these sweeps just to make it seem not quite so brain numbing. (Actually, the sweeps can be quite meditative in nice weather, but i unfortunately lack the mental discipline to get into that state in the pouring rain.)
-So, no sooner had i left the festival property and entered a public bathroom when it was pointed-out to me that i was in the wrong one.
-i don't get it. After crewing for a month i can appear (and feel) a little feral, but i don't look like a man. It must be the baseball cap and short hair. But, such mistaken identity moments don't now bother me so much as amuse.
-I think if there is a Michfest next year (and i think there will be) it will look and be quite different from what we as both workers (especially) and festival goers have grown use to.
-So i hope when folks do their feedback, they let the office know what they most value in the experience and their ideas for both downsizing and revitalizing the community. If we could just approach this as an opportunity to bring the festival more to the for-front of the needs and culture of the times, this could be a truly radical and cutting-edge opportunity for the festival to explore.
-Kip! you're back. (now if only Sugarpeas would appear) You absolutely know i appreciate your outfits (esp. the addition of the fishnets this year). So fun and rewarding working with you.
-And,yet again, i failed to meet in person the allusive Artemis (whose posts i always enjoy).

I have been "sirred" three times in the past two months. I am a fat womon with a big butt and large breasts. I have concluded that it's not about what we look like as much as it's about people not paying attention. I too find it mildly amusing. No one has ever tried to kick me out of a bathroom though.

A) wish I were still r&r ing on Lake Michigan. But r&r in upstate ny has it's own perks
B) really glad Bb is home safe from the hospital
C) my gf and I heard a new song at the no talent talent show.
D) it fit us perfectly and after 3 1/2 years, we finally have a song
E) I looked it up on YouTube
F) it is a webkinz song lol!
G) Wrinkles! You are one of the main reasons I'm back :)
H) sitting down tonight to write a lengthy feedback letter filled with austerity measures I could envision happening
I) ironically, this includes creating an all night dance space downtown, and making the community center area 18+ from 10 pm to 6am
J) I've been rereading the "our culture" pages in the programs from much earlier fests. Interesting, passionate, and worth checking out.