Summer is for Camping

August is turning out to be a very busy month. This weekend found me back at Izaak Walton in Lynchburg with my modern camping gear and archery tackle. The weather was a bit cool but still warm enough for a good swim and the cool temps were nice on the archery range. Jane and I hiked along the new trail the Boy Scouts laid out around the fishing lake and had a nice campfire sing Saturday after the camp potluck dinner. I've gotten my modern camp gear all squared away so its packed and ready to go at the house. Which makes it easy to put it in the truck and go camping without first spending half a day figuring out what to take, finding it in my house and then packing it up. Excess camp gear has a rendezvous with eBay next spring when camping season begins again. I'm getting very fond of eBay, its really helping me clean out my house. A never ending yard sale on my computer. I love it.

A Very Laid Back Affair

Every August about 70 motorcycle riders gather in Buena Vista and, well, ride motorcycles. All kinds of motorcycles - tour bikes, street bikes, dual sport machines, trikes, one guy even brings a trials machine. We camp out mostly at Glen Maury Park, organize our own rides both on and off road, and have a camp feed Saturday night. Its about the best fun you can have with modern clothes on (remember, I do historic attired events too). This year was no exception; Kat, Jane & I all went, we had a splendiferous time, and we enjoyed our selves to the max.
























Jane rides a scooter & my Harley isn't running right (grrr) so she & I headed off in Kat's car (which we brought instead of my truck 'cause it gets better mileage) on Saturday to Amherst and the Monacan Indian Museum. Both of us have been driving past the museum sign for years. Anyway, its a nice little museum on the site of the now closed Indian school and the still open Episcopal church that both served the Native community there. Well worth the trip. And a drive on a pleasant summer day in the Blue Ridge is almost as good as a motorcycle ride through the same area. The only bummer about the Rally is it does sorta mark the end of my summer. Time with good friends never lasts long enough.





Here's a picture of my friend Jane with the cat that lives at the Episcopal parsonage. A VERY friendly critter with a lawnmower purr.

































Of course no LBA would be complete without the Saturday night camp feed and door prize drawing. Door prizes at the LBA are biker themed but otherwise quite unique. We give away new motorcycles (as in motorcycle shaped lighters, Timex clocks or Matchbox toys), various gag gifts, bungie cords, belt pouches, duct tape - you get the drift. I won a baseball cap from The Dragons Tail in Deals Gap (318 curves in 11 miles, very technical ride), a head cover to wear inside a helmet and a rather large bottle of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum. Not sure what to do with the rum since I don't drink - I tried putting it on the margarita table but it was still there unopened Sunday when it was time to pack up and go home. I'll think of Something. After the dinner and door prizes we were treated to 3 guys playing 'ol timely mountain tunes - a most excellent way to close out the meal.

Run - Run - Run

OK, so I stayed home this weekend and tied up a whole bunch of loose ends. I've finally got internet access to all my bank accounts; the warranty-I-didn't-want has been properly canceled and repayment made; the tents, sleeping bags and cookware are ready for the Laid Back Affair; the laundry and dishes are done; and the bathroom has been cleaned. In my spare time I put things up on eBay, practiced archery, threw my hawk and knife, raked the pet burial area again, watched 2 DVD movies and went to the dentist this morning. Just 2 more days of work and I get to spend time with Urchin and Jane at the ALBA. Bring it on !

OK, so this isn't my kitten, but it sure is how I felt Sunday night !