Hi, Echo - Hi, Kelly

[oregontocal]

They came in last night while we were still at the Bluegrass Festival - set up and everything. After getting back from town this morning, I went over and said "HI!" It's always so nice to put faces to names. Not sure how long they'll be staying here, but hope it will be longer than a day or two.

[avalen]

You all watch out for very heavy rain, they just had Blythe listed on the news
as a really bad storm area and its already raining here too. They are expecting
lots of flooding so I hope you are not in a low area.

[oregontocal]

We had some rain last night and a little today. Supposed to be more tonight along with some thunderstorms. So, will wait and see how it goes. The water pretty much sinks into the ground around here, so that's good. They need the water very much - lots of agriculture in the area..

[Echo]

Hello!!!!

Well we did some number crunching and we think we have our bases covered! Whew!!!! So we will be here at least for another week. We need to get up at the crack of dawn on Wednesday to get our butts to Parker and standing in front of the bank when they open the doors. Probably be broke again? But we have been there before.

Yeah it rained off and on all night last night and was still sprinkling this morning when I got up. I guess it suppose to rain for the next 4 days. Good news! The tent that was given to me by our boss at the Lodge doesn't leak. WOOHOO! And because of the full cover tent fly I no longer have privacy issues either. It even has a vestibule which if need be we can put our camp chairs in there and sit out of the rain and/or wind if it gets too bad. I can keep our emergency bucket out in the vestibule instead of inside my tent so that is cool. Usually put it in my tent as mine is the biggest. We've got a screen house but it doesn't have solid side walls. The wind did start picking up today so I have staked down the corners of the screen room. The tent I staked down yesterday when I set it up. I don't usually worry about but this new to me tent needed it with the tent fly style it has. The very worst part of getting a lot of rain will be the mud it will cause. This whole camp ground is grass for sites and very deep dirt/sand for the roads between the rows of sites, didn't bring any muck boots. Suppose we could use our snow boots?

Feel a whole lot better knowing that we can stay planted instead of ripping down and trying to pack everything away tomorrow in the rain. That would not be fun.

Ahhhhhhh! Camping......yep in the rain is a family tradition. All set up and got supper cooking. Gourmet meal too. Mac & cheese with smoked Cheddar Cheese Brats. YUM

[snowball]

you guys are close!!! just over the hill about 20 miles...this week is the big doings here in Q QIA Powwow starts on Weds through Sunday and the big tent is up and vendors up to the ye yang! and feels like a gazillion amount of people note feels like!!! signed up to help make salads for the meals at the powwow from 2-6
but hopefully will catch up with you some time
sheila

[Echo]

Oh RAIN!!! Yep it's raining pretty good at the moment! Oh horrors!!! Kelly says she has a leak in her tent. Says it must be in the tent fly as her head got dripped on. Dang it all to you know where!!! Ya'll getting rained on in Q too?

Only time I've ever been camping and not gotten rained on was last April over in Paige AZ. Shocked the heck right out of us both that we never saw even one drop of rain.

Sheila, just told Kelly about the Pow Wow and she's all excited. If it starts Wednesday we will have time to come over and attend! YeeHaw, she and I both enjoy going to Pow Wows. Will have to see if we can find ya.

Hope we don't float away here.......

ps. forgot to tell ya'll that Kelly is in bed and I'm sitting at the picnic table they brought over to us this morning. I'm inside the screen room, a tarp is kinda covering the one side of the table waiting for me to pull it up and over when I go to bed and I am also half sitting under an umbrella to keep the drips off my laptop and off me. Well for at least the parts of me it can cover while propped on the table!!! But I am keeping my laptop dry!!!!!!!!

[snowball]

this is not a rendezvous nor a genuine powwow as in Indians it's the I think the world's largest gem and mineral show about 400 vendors and worth seeing free unless you buy something and I will be in the kitchen making salads from 2-6
look forward to seeing you oh Kerry (gmc........can't remember rest) is here too
sheila

[Echo]

Well that is still kool beans even if the Indians wont be in attendance!

I'm always picking up rocks and stuff. I will have to be very, very hard on myself to not load up with all my new and future findings.

Kelly just came out of her tent and we threw the rain fly to my other tent up over hers. It's not tied down so if the wind gets crazy it might go flying for real. But just maybe it will help keep the rain out of her tent and off her. First chance we get we will have to spray her tent to waterproof it. Should have been smarter and done it today while it wasn't raining. (dummies)

I also now have a wet dog to deal with. While we were out throwing the fly over Kelly's tent Shade decided to come out too. Oh what the heck, made her go potty too. Might as well, she was already wet. I've got my towel so will have to dry her off before she gets in my bed! Nope no wet soggy dog in my blankies!!!

We will do our best to catch up with you this week.

[Nasoosie]

Holy Cow, Echo!

Your descriptions are reminding me exactly why I finally gave up after years and years of tent camping! I still love tents---when it's NOT raining! I still own about 10 tents, all of which look better than those tents I saw of yours at the FL GTG. I so wish I could get one of them to you without spending a fortune on shipping. My tents are big enough to stand up in, with divided rooms, and all have good fly sheets. You'll have to try to get up here for the summer GTG and I'll give you a good tent! OR---maybe I'll get out there to visit you!

[Echo]

Hey Soos.

The tents we have are decent enough. Altho I'm unhappy with the Coleman tent. It would be fine if the tent fly fit like it was suppose to. I could order the correct fly from Coleman and might? But with the tent that was given to me I'm just not sure if I want to bother with ordering a new fly for the other one. I believe this tent is a 4 season tent as the fly covers the whole thing and reaches the ground. The Coleman is a 10 x 10 and this other tent is an 8 x8. I can stand up in it with no problem as the height is at least 72" and it does have a room divider. Kelly's tent use to be mine and while I love that tent I gave it to her cause I hate not being able to stand up straight inside. Her's is so simple and quick to set up and that makes it great if your in a hurry cause of weather or in the dark. It's got a center hub that the poles are permanently attached to, put the pole sections together and then hook the quick clips and throw on the fly. No sleeves to fight with to thread the poles thru. If I could find another one just like it only bigger and taller I would buy it in a heartbeat.

Use to belong to a 'Tent Campers' forum on Yahoo. Use to really bug the he77 out of me when newbies who had never tent camped would join and their very first question would be to ask everyone which/what tent they should buy to start out with. More people would jump in and tell them to buy Northface, Eureka, Kelty all the expensive tents. Good grief! Why start out with your very first tent costing that kind of money? I'm a nut over tents and love window shopping in the stores or online for different tents. Holy smokes some of those tents cost $800. Why tell someone to buy an expensive tent to start with when maybe after the first experience of tent camping they might end up hating to tent camp. I would usually jump in and tell them not to be nuts and to go to WalMart and look them over and buy one there that would fit them or their family. To go with the basics first, less money, until they found or figured out that they liked tent camping. Then if they really did decide they enjoyed tent camping that they could start buying better later as they went on. My first tent I bought was from K-Mart and cost me $40. Was a 10' dome tent. Had that thing and used it for lots of camping trips for probably over 8yrs. Only reason I had to go buy a new tent was that someone stole the tent right out of my back yard while I had it set up. If I could have ever found out who stole that tent I would have shot them. It still makes me mad thinking about it. My aunt went and bought a big cabin tent for her and the family for camping down by the river front of the property that my X and I owned. They liked that tent and it had room enough for them but I hated that thing. It was a bear to put up. Nope give me simple and easy and I'm happy. Shoot we still have one of the small dome tents the kids use to use. Cost $20 and not one single leak. Good tent to use for one person tho it will fit 2 if ya don't mind being cozy. Have kept that tent for using on a bike or quad if we ever get one. This one is David's old tent, he bought himself a backpacking tent. Kelly screwed up and left her little tent in Seattle when she moved back home. She cried when she realized what she had done. That's the one reason I gave her the one she's using now and got myself a bigger, taller tent.

Even after we are able to buy our own RV, like you I will keep the tents! Just to many opportunities to use one. Like for a small side jaunt when you don't want to tear your RV camp down and take the whole show with ya. Maybe just an over nighter in the boonies where ya have to 4 wheel in and can't take a big RV!

[snowball]

looking forward to seeing you...it is rainy today will hope that better weather comes!
had a thought but it's gone byebye!
sheila