Well, since I wasn’t in any of the pictures I took, I decided to do a little photo manipulation and add myself to the festivities. I’m a bit of an amateur at this, so forgive me if the additions aren’t exactly seamless…
And before you ask, swampy, I won’t add you to any of the pics. You were in our thoughts, but you’re not going to be in our photo album.
Hope you get to feeling better soon, and should you ever get into MAD territory, you durn well better look me up!!
Bear, you told that so masterfully! Miss Moose has been drowning her sorrows since we got back, the poor dear.
I tried to cook the MRE using the something (one of my soup bowls), but alas, it doesn’t work if the food is frozen solid. It did thawed it, so I took it out of the packet and microwaved it for some minutes.
Oh, and the smells that come out of the carton while it is heating are… interesting.
It is today…I told her and she said, and I quote “Awwww…Thanks!”
That’d be me. :o Part of when I was playing with my phone, I was checking the Dope for any updates in the original thread – the phone has a functional Web browser, so I wanted to see whether swampbear had posted anything about why he wasn’t there. I’m so embarrassed.
My favorite thing for the whole day was the canoeing. I didn’t think I’d get to go because they ran out of kayaks, but at more or less the last minute, enough canoes came back that they had one to spare. So everyone was way ahead of me with their speedy little kayaks and their 20 minute headstart, and I was paddling like crazy to catch my big ol’ unwieldy canoe up to them. I finally did make it, just in time to turn around and go back in the group. Still had a blast. We even had to pull a midwater transfer – I had taken Bluesling #2 out with me, but when I got up with the group, Bluesling #1 was a little tired, so they switched. #2 took #1’s kayak, and #1 got in the front of my canoe.
I’m paying for it today, though. A little red, a little sore, but still happy.
And Bear, who just would not rest until he found an alligator – what did he do when he found one? His best to get it to ignore him. Chicken 
It’s okay, Swampy- I wasn’t there either 
On the plus side, I got to watch the first round of the draft… but it sure as hell wasn’t worth it. FCM, I’m disappointed that I didn’t get to say goodbye (and, er, hello) before you go, but I hope everything in MD goes swimmingly.
The rest of you, I’m calling for another one of these thangs soon so that ivylass and the ivyrelations and Swampbear and I can go.
I was soooo looking forward to my first MRE, too.
You know, we really should have more CentFla Dope gatherings. There’s RNATB, Bear, me, the ivys, the Bluesclan, Shibb, the Troubles, furt, Ludovic, Inoshiro, and some I’m sure I’m forgetting. And that’s just between Tampa Bay and Orlando.
Well, we will be in Orlando on the 8th to get the kid moved into her apartment… Although I don’t know if I want anyone knowing where my baby is going to live (OK, so furt used to live in the same complex, but he seems nice enough)
Seriously, if you want to maybe meet for lunch one of the days we’re moving her in (we’ll be down there the weekend of the 8th and the 15th) let me know - my email is in my profile.
OK, back to the fest and my own minor “Wha-the-hey?” moment. My daughter decided to take the dog for a walk along the various paths the park offers (I wanted to do that too, and thought I’d get to it, but I didn’t) Anyway, off she went with the big black hairball. A little while later, I looked up and saw said hairball with Bambi, and no daughter anywhere! :eek: Apparently, she was making a beeline for the little girls’ room, wondering what she was going to do with the dog when she saw Bambi - so she did a handoff and he brought the dog back to our picnic site.
Not near as funny as the gator story, but it’s all I’ve got this early in the morning.
Hey, great to meet you all this weekend! Just wish that Swampy* and RNATB could have made it too. No FWOOSHs at all, that I saw. Which was probably just as well given our, erm, “acquaintance” with the Park’s constabulary. As a bonus the drive up was very pretty, the drive back wasn’t too bad (I was following you for a little while, Bambi, then you made a right (westward) turn for no apparent reason and I kept following 41 south). Even stopped and had a lovely repast of Belgian Ales and Belgian Ale Stew at the St. Sebastiaan Belgian Microbrewery in Spring Hill. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon at all.
Oh, and Tupug Anachi, your comment made me blush. It’s probably someone else’s picture that you were looking at.
I turned onto CR 490, then SR 44, then CR 491 back to US 19 southbound. I had no great desire to go through Tampa and back over the bridge, so I took 19 up and down. Only took about 2 hours, but 19 through Citrus and north Hernando is pretty lonely.
Incidentally, Shibb, I emailed Rue to rub his nose… er, tell him how much we wished he’d been at the Fest, and I mentioned what you told me about him. His response:
(real name removed to protect your reputation) Personally, I think he’s jealous of our cool picnic.
And in case I didn’t mention it, I’m really glad I got to meet you at last! But I forgot to ask you about the vibrating pig… :eek:
Oh, I see how it is. Blueskid the eldest goes to 'fests in Florida, but not here.
I was right. He hates us.
Still have the vibrating pig (thanks again!) although I don’t know that she vibrates so much anymore. More just sort of hums. I think she needs new batteries.
And Rue is just a big poopyhead! Why would I lie about him being smart?
It wasn’t the smart thing I told him about, it was the dark thing. I figure he gets enough ego-stroking in MMPs that he doesn’t need to get any more from me.
All my MMP firends that were there and I couldn’t make it. Snickers (of course) and her kid, Shibb, Screech and Swampy. (Not to mention all those other fascinating people.) I should just kill myself.
Oh, wait. Swampy was “sick” and didn’t make it. I’ll let myself live. This time.
I had a great time, too, folks. It was great meeting you all (and seeing screech again–for more than 30 minutes this time!)
Before we showed up, we went to the KOA, reserved a spot, and set up our tent. After the fest, we went back, finished setting up, had a nice swim in the pool, and then cooked. Yeah! We had porterhouse steaks cooked over charcoal, baked potatoes and corn-on-the-cob cooked in the fire-pit, salad, and a few left-over brownies for desert. SOOOOO good!
Then we had an incredibly miserable night. Loud traffic, loud neighbors, dogs barking, and the usual challenges of sleeping in a tent–temperature changes and an airmattress for a bed. Still, it was fun (more or less) and I was glad we did it.
I will upload my pics as soon as I get a chance. I was only distantly seen in any of the pics FCM or Bambi posted, which is okay with me, since I was in my swimsuit, but I did get a picture taken with FairyChatMoose.
Man, that spring-water felt good after the heat of the sun!
Wow. I’m one of RDD’s 'firends", that’s a notch up from being a ‘friend’, at least in my dictionary**. A two syllable friend is better than a one-syllable friend.
And kindly please do not kill yourself, Rue, otherwise you would not be able to attend anything ever again. And I think the moose would miss you (and speaking of the moose, my gawd, the decadency of her, what with all the empty bottles - I saw the photos of her night of letting her antlers down…).
** And it’s my dictionary, so I can write in new words whenever I want to. Nyahh! Thank you, Rue, for increasing my vocabulary.
Yeah, I saw the cops watching as we took the balloons out of the tree. The balloons were placed on the ground and I could tell what they were thinking. The balloons had been removed from the tree, yes, and thus one of our crimes had been remediated. But the balloons still lived. The BALLOONS STILL LIVED! I knew this caused them great mental anguish as they pondered the implications. “If we allow these balloons to live we will encourage others to come. Soon, balloon armies will march in our streets and humiliate our people.” But for whatever reason they did not act and our balloons remained. A small victory for civil liberty was thus won. Balloon Power!
Ya know, I’m a rule-follower. Been a goody-goody all my life. So I went to check the Park Rules, and nowhere do I see balloons mentioned. We didn’t graze our livestock. I don’t believe we had any firearms or fireworks, and I didn’t see anyone feeding the animals (Bear, you didn’t feed them gators, did you??) There is no “No Balloon” rule to be seen. Nor do I see a “No Moose In The Trees” rule.
Doggone power mad park rangers…
Awwwwww Bambi Hassenpfeffer checked to see if I had posted anything about not showing up and FCM was all worried that I had had an accident or something. Feel the love people! Feeeeeeeeeeeel the loooooooooove! 
Stoopid stoopid damn cold!