25th Anniversary Party - After Action Report

What was to be a one day Anniversary Party turned into a 4 day Party Encampment.

Folks started to arrive last Wednesday with the northern Minnesota crowd. This worked well since both groups brought their own homes on wheels and we could get them arranged by the house.

Marlys had been here all week and I drove up on Tuesday night, giving us time to get everything arranged.

We were also well stocked with wet and dry provisions, so the starting flag was dropped and the celebration began.

We couldn't have gotten better weather which was chancy based on previous weeks experience. It was hot and dry with only a brief tunderstorm on Thursday late afternoon which most folks just sat through...until it started to hail. It has to rain pretty hard up here before you get wet.


By this time the place was in full party mode, but because of the altitude (8300'), which most folks were not use to, it collapsed by 10:30pm after a firepit sit around.







This also made for a later start each morning, except for the dogs, which pushed a few of us to keep to the regular schedule.

The place had a real lived in look to it. I think that is the PC way to say that.

More folks arrived each day leading up to Saturday, with the emptying out process not getting going until Sunday. This place was full! My concern all weekend was that with the number of folks we would drain the water cistern. We rented a porta pottie to reduce the use of the house toilets. In the end we used about 3/4 of the stored water capacity, so everything worked out fine.
The porta pottie did need some modifications by Tom J. , the Sultan of Satellities , to actually dispense TP and hold the hand sanitizer. I think it only took him about 3 hours and multiple trips up and down to the shop to produce this work of art.

I believe he also took it for a few test runs (?) before releasing it to/on the public.



It will be kept in the archives for a possible 25th Anniversary - Sequel celebration or our 50th, which ever comes first.


BTW, I believe that Tom is going to submit a patent or design mode to Satellite and try to make a buck off of his sweat equity investment. Who knows maybe Tom has a furture as a "crapper customizer". As the Mayor of Garage Logic would say "Good Luck".



Friday and Saturday folks took advange of the area by hiking, going to the Gorge or washing their car...which John did several times over the weekend.


11 miles of dirt roads can be a bitch on a black Vette.


Marlys took a group up on the wagon trail road around east Anelope for a hike and the pictures don't do the views justice.







Our place is just above my sister Maureen's right shoulder at the foot of Ceyote/Samson peak.




The rain we have gotten made for a real green area, which is kinda unusual for this time of year.



By mid-afternoon on Saturday everyone was ready for the real thing. We took some pictures.


The Girls of course, since this was there annual summer weekend replacement event. Try and point them out as the day-night progress'.

Marlys and I, hadn't changed a wink since our wedding day.


Well Marlys anyway.


I think I use to have more hair...and it was darker...and I was more svelt that I am now and had a better memory.


Big Burger World showed up with more food then we have still been able to consume and the feedbag was on, to carbo load for the evenings festivities.


Most everyone was here by now, at the Rock (Thanks Joy and Tom).

We received a number of great gift/momentos, we even played on at the dance. I lost my voice singing to Colorado Rocky Mountain High, it didn't come back until yesterday.

Derek gave a toast. Which he is becoming more acustomed as he has reached the age where friends are starting to tie the knot.

Even the group from Derek's school had arrived, and taken over the shop, which had been outfitted for the basic human needs.


There was a some time spent letting the meal settle before, some of us decided to take a walk down to the shop to see what the young'uns were up to, since we could already hear it.

Let me do some context setting before getting into the next part.

When we started the planning for this party we invited Derek to bring some friends over and they could take over the shop, set up their DJ equipment and have some fun. We also thought that some of the younger crowd may also want to join them to dance and whatever.

Marlys and I thought we would show the flag then stay with the mature crowd up top listening to classic oldies, since the music that Derek played tended to be like the "techno twins" in the AT&T (?) commercial.


Derek had told us about the DJing gigs over the last couple of years, but we had never been to one since they tended to be in Gunnison or Vail. I pictured a couple of turntables, an amp, some speakers and vinyls which he had absconded with from our vintage stash over the years.


So walking into the shop was a surprise. There were the turntables and amps, but the speakers were huge and formed a wall around and under the table where there was also a big Mac desktop, mixers, effect generator and lighting controls. Arching over everything was a light truss.
This was the real deal. He even had to show me around the setup. And in the shop that meant safety glasses.

Hell, I even recognized the song being played.

Also setup on the workbench (I won't call it mine, since Marlys uses it at least half the time now) was whated looked like a double ended plastic beer cup bowling alley.

But before this got going, the lightweights were deserting the ship, especially the chief grey goose consumer.



Wait can't say that since even though I have been known to have a cup. Later transfering the contents to my lap.



They had to go home, something about putting horses away. Heck, the way they are trained, all they need to do is put a timer on the stall doors and they would put themselves away.


Now some would say having a dance in a shop, where there are sharp things and power tools around, would be asking for trouble, but I say "hell no" it a great place to spend time.





Even some of Derek's pals knew there was a hammering in the offing.


Things didn't start slow.

What I now knew as beer pong was active.









There were rules taped to the bench.


..but they seemed rather dynamic in there interputation. Any arguments were all in good fun though.


As the night went on it appeared that we had a couple of ringers at one end of the table. The rules always went their way...but I think they wrote them and were probably the only ones that could read them without helpers.


By the end of the night there were many winners and losers at the game table. And no, the cougars were not on the prowl.

The dancing was intense.

Especially when the turntable/MAC got highjacked.











Bill and I seemed to be wearing about the same color of everything, so since he is taller then I, whenever you see a big ass from behind it is probably him.









I was much mistaken in that regard, on the narrated first run through of the pictures on Sunday. Sorry Bill for stealing the spotlight from you.




And that must be him that spilled the gg in his lap.



How is this for a family portrait. Maybe we should blow it up and have it applied to canvas like the last one. I can see it hanging from the wall in the living room.

As the night rolled on into an early Sunday morning, even the "Dancing Queen" was running out of gas.

About 12:30 am we called it quits and headed for the rack.

I think some folks probably are thinking that should have headed there sooner, not quite sure what the private drive sign means:>.

I haven't danced so much in years, who cared that I was in hiking boots and wearing safety glasses most of the time.

Well all good thing must come to an end and so did this weekend.

Some folks took off on Sunday after preparing their own breakfast using a secert Park Rapids recipe taugh to all by Tom and Joy.

Pretty simple, everything you may want in an omelet is put in a bag and boiled. It was pretty good.

By Monday we offically stuck a fork in it with the return of the facilities.

When evening arrived we were ready for the next event at the Rock.