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Off the keyboard of RE

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Published on The Doomstead Diner & SUN4Lving on October 9, 2016

Discuss this article at the SUN Table inside the Diner

For those of you Diners who don't follow the Diner Forum and are mystified as to where I have been and what I have been doing over the past weeks and why I have been so scarce, the last month we have been getting the SUN Project launched in Inman, South Carolina. The trip actually began though in Norfolk, Va and then travelled through Morgantown, WV and along with Inman in SC, we also rented a Lake House in Saluda, NC. I will be writing further over the next few weeks and months with our plans to follow up developing the SUN Project in this neighborhood.

If you are interested in helping us with the project, please visit the SUN website at SUN4Living.com and join the Forum there for discussion of sustainability topics.

RE

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« Reply #7 on: September 14, 2016, 06:58:58 AM »

I started my packing yesterday with the intention of using my fairly large rolling duffel as my one FREE checked bag you get sometimes get these days on the airlines, or at most $25. This is not gonna happen.

First off, when ordering all the stuff for the SUN☼Vocation, I did pretty good and got all the stuff sent to LD & GM directly. Unfortunately either me or the shirt company screwed up on the shipping and sent all the Logo Polo Shirts to me, and I have to bring them. By themselves they fill half the duffel. Then there are some nice Yellow Windbreakers I saw at Walmart ON SALE, along with Yellow Alaska Ballcaps. Then there are tools and toys like my FRS Walkie Talkies I thought might come in handy. (BTW, if you have a set of FRS Walkie Talkies and can fit them in your luggage, additional ones might help) In the end here using the duffel, I got no room for clothes for 2 weeks.

So I am now in the process of shifting everything from the duffel to my largest suitcase, to see how that fits. I have an even larger trunk that everything certainly fits into, but this is somewhat unwieldy to move around. Also, I would have to empty it of all the preps currently stored in that trunk. Tht is not a project I really want to undertake.

Hopefully, the big suitcase does the trick.

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« Reply #15 on: September 16, 2016, 05:06:25 AM »

Made It to Ted Stevens airport. Cab was an hour late. Fortunately I gave a huge buffer in case of something like that occurring. Right now I am stuck outside security because Delta doesn't have anyone working the baggage check desk. Probably won't open for another couple of hours. RE



My bag was over weight by 3 pounds costing me an additional $100. I gotta get a scale at home.

Security was a breeze, I got pre cleared and didn't have to take off my shoes or belt or take out my laptop. No pat down or xray jusr had to walk through the metal detector.

They're supposed to call me. to board first and I should get transportation between . terminal gates at Seattle and Atlanta.

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« Reply #16 on: September 16, 2016, 07:26:29 AM »

In the air! I bought a day pass for gogo $20.

Flight is jam packed and I am in a middle seat. No way to pull out the laptop so I have to work on the phone.

At least the people sitting to either side of me aren't fatties.

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« Reply #18 on: September 16, 2016, 10:40:34 AM »

Safely touched in Seattle. swallowed my pride and took my first wheelchair ride around an airport. Good thing I did too because SeaTac very big and the terminals were far apart. airport is jam packed. I am sitting right across the women bathroom and the line is about 20 people long to get in. men's room does not look like it has a line. gotta be ready to make that run for the bathroom. LOL.

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« Reply #19 on: September 16, 2016, 06:28:42 PM »

Am now safely esconced at the last gate in the journey, in Atlanta waiting for the plane to Norfolk, which appears to be on time. So far the trip has gone flawlessly, even though the cab driver was an hour late. OK, being 3 pounds over on my suitcase and getting charged $100 for that was annoying, but it didn't mess up the schedule.

I finally got Nature's Call on the last leg, and I was fortunate my seat position was in the far back and there was an open bathroom. So the tragic disaster was avoided for this trip.

I am amazed now how many people are in wheelchairs nowadays. Every airport has a HUGE number of wheelchair jockeys to push all these folks around. It never was like this when I was a kid.

Two basic reasons for this. First is the aging demographic and the fact such a large percentage of the travelers are OLD. They're the main ones who can afford to be flying around, visiting grandkids etc.

The other aspect is of course the large number of fat people nowadays. So they need a lot of wheelchairs. This is good newz for immigrants and underclass black folks, that is who is doing the work. In Seattle it was immigrants from Ethiopia and the Philipines, here it's the black folks.

So far, the airlines don't charge you anything extra for this service, but it definitely makes it more expensive to move around disabled people.

It's also an ideal job to automate with electric scooters and robotic guidance systems. I think we'll see that pretty soon.

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« Reply #20 on: September 17, 2016, 04:42:50 AM »

I arrived in Norfolk on the stroke of midnite, 5 minutes early despite the fact we left 20 minutes late.

I got another nice ride around the Norfolk airport from what appeared to be a Malaysian Wheelchair Jockey, and Surly was waiting out by the baggage check. The overpriced 53 lb suitcase came up pretty quick on the carousel, and we headed for Surly's McHovel, with a stopoff for beer & smokes at 7/11. Surly thought you could buy beer anytime in VA at a 7/11, I wasn't too sure on that. Few states allow Beer sales after midnite. Turns out I was right, the beer fridges were locked, 11:45 PM is the latest for beer sales here. good news is the cancerettes are CHEAP! Half AK prices. I will need to buy a few cartons. Other good newz, Surly had some vodka at home so I picked up a bottle of OJ to make screwdrivers.

After we got back to the McHovel we stayed up shooting the breeze with Contrary for another hour, then hit the sack for a big day of exploring Norfolk today and planning the road trip until Monsta hopefully has as much luck as I did and arrives on time tonight at 9PM, then more Norfolk exploring on Sunday and then ont he road to WV to visit the Scooter Factory.

The Big Worry now is not so much the weather as it is GAS Shortages in SC. The pipeline rupture has completely disrupted gas distribution logistics in the south east, and as of this weekend it is still not fixed. LD says many stations have no gas, and if they do there are long lines. I'm hoping by midweek they will get alternate logistics in place and truck in the Go Juice to that neighborhood.

We'll buy some Jerry Cans with extra gas as a prep for the trip.

Kind of ironic this would occur right on the weekend we are presenting what will happen when the oil flow stops.

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« Reply #24 on: September 18, 2016, 04:19:42 AM »

We had our first Big Glitch in the Plans last night.

Monsta was due to arrive here in Norfolk at 9:30 PM last night after flying in from the UK. Unfortunately and not totally unexpectedly, he was held up so long by Customs & Immigration that he missed his flight to Norfolk, and has had to stay overnight in JFK airport, in one of those situations where it is too short a time to go get a hotel room but way too long and exhausting staying overnight in an airport where you can't really get any sleep.

He was due to get on a 6:30 AM flight and arrive here at 10:30 this morning, a little over 3 hours from now. I asked him to call me again prior to boarding this flight to make sure he got aboard safely, but I haven't heard from him and am concerned again that he has been further delayed.

I will update again on this issue later in the day.

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« Reply #27 on: September 19, 2016, 01:45:19 AM »

We picked up Monsta and took the scenic route back to Surly's McHovel so Monsta could at least get a quick overview of Norfolk, since we are going to leave for WV later today. When he returns with Surly & Contrary next Monday, they will basically be driving straight from the Lake House in Saluda to the Norfolk Airport for his flight back to the UK, so he won't have time to see much of Norfolk then either.

After getting his stuff settled in we shot the Collapse Breeze for a couple of hours, then we headed out to a house in VA Beach that friends of Contrary are selling as they are retiring and heading to Iowa, original home of of the husband of the couple for retirement. After selling this place, they will get even more luxury in Iowa, given the difference in RE prices. This place was already quite luxurious though, with a nice salt water pool and plenty of toys like Fooz Ball and Air Hockey to play. Contrary decribes them as a couple of overgrown kids who never grew up or had kids of their own. LOL.

On the way back we stopped to pick up a Chicken Dinner to take home from a local take out chicken shop which is supposed to be the bet in Norfolk. While waiting outside for the order to be ready, we were approached by a very nice and polite Homeless Person who was looking for money for food. We all gave him some so he had enough to buy a real nice dinner and also breakfast the next day. His current home is a bench across the street from the chicken shop. The chicken was very good.

This morning after Surly wakes up we will go SHOPPING for some of the food for the BBQ, I found a nice shop that sells Organic humanely raised meats from CSA farms around here, and then we will fill out with organic foods from Cosco. Then buy some locally brewed beers for the Beer Tasting event. After that we will go pick up a rental minivan for the road trip. Surly's car isn't big enough for everybody's luggage, 4 people and the two coolers.

We should be leaving for WV some time in the early afternoon and get most of the drive done before finding a Bates Motel for the night, then visit the Scooter Factory on Tue morning. Then onto LD & GMs place on Wednesday to do assembly of the Dome and various grills and smoker for the BBQ.

The Road Trip Begins!

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From Surly:

« Reply #29 on: September 19, 2016, 04:07:13 AM »

You know how there is always a certain amount of anticipation when you meet someone after corresponding with them for years? Well, it was thus on meeting RE. He is completely as advertised, bristling with opinions and ideas. And he does not bear them quietly. We've already had long conversations on my side porch (the favorite room in the house) with Contrary. (To whom I must give a big shout-out for allowing us to impinge on her notion of domestic tranquillity.) It has been a great pleasure to get to know my fellow reprobate in person. It is not as if we don't know what the other person thinks…

We collected Monsta yesterday. If you've formed an opinion of him in these pages, you would be pleased to have it ratified in person, as he is even more pleasant, thoughtful and well-spoken in person. M was a trouper yesterday, holding up under the day's events even though having had almost no sleep (aside from that which can be collected sitting in terminals or sitting on planes) for two days. Such is the strength and grace of youth.

The only bad thing that happened yesterday is that Contrary slipped on a wet tile floor in the kitchen of her friends' house and landed right on her knee. When I came in she was icing it, and it looked like someone had inserted an orange under her skin. As I write this she is still dozing, so it remains to be seen what sort of shape she'll be in. If she walks with a limp, she'll fit right in with RE and me. The Gimp Family Singers.

Getting ready for the day's events. RE is keen on visiting this scooter factory, which entails a trip west into northern WV. We'll be spending an awful lot of time in a small metal box. But it will be an adventure. Can Wally World be far behind?

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« Reply #32 on: September 19, 2016, 07:41:18 PM »

Day 1 of the Road Trip went pretty much like clockwork according to plan.

We got rolling early to go food shopping for Organic Meats first, then headed for the airport to pick up a rental minivan for the trip. However, at the desk Alamo offered an upgrade to a Suburban at 50% off, and with the amount of luggage and food we are bringing, it seemed a wise idea to take the upgrade. Second bonus to renting this behemoth is I won't have to also rent a truck for moving all the materials around between LD & GMs place, the Festival & the Lake House. Together with LD's Hemi and the trailer, this should be plenty to move all the shit around.

We headed back to the McHovel to park Surly's car and load all the luggage into the Suburban, then got on the road for WV. Unfortunately we forgot we had one more stop to make at another organic butcher and didn't realize it until we were too far past to go back. So I busied myself looking for another one somewhere along the route while Surly did the driving.

When we left Norfolk it was mostly sunny, but as soon as we passed through the Hampton Birdge-Tunnel, We ran into a massive line of powerful thunderstorms. Water coming down in BUCKETS, virtually no visibility. This lasted a good 30 minutes at least of white knuckle driving for Surly. It finally let up to a light drizzle and then finally disappeared altogether once we passed through the front.

Looking at how far we might make it, and after calling the Scooter Factory to confirm the appointment tomorrow, Cumberland seemed like a plausible destination. Surly suggested a stop in Fredricksburg for dinner. I also found an organic Butcher in FB, so we headed off the interstate there to go find the meat and get some eats. Got spme cool flavored sausages then we found a REALLY good Italian Restaraunt for Dinner and got back on the road.

Made it as far as Hagerstown and now we are esconced in a Bates Motel (actually a Comfort Inn, and it's quite nice), and tomorrow we'll start out early for the visit at the Scooter Factory. Darus the owner says he has some units for me to test drive and it's the slow part of the season so he will have plenty of time to talk.

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« Reply #33 on: September 20, 2016, 10:30:55 PM »

Very LONG day of driving here on Day 2, but now we are in Striking Distance of SC for tomorrow.

We made the stopoff at the Scooter Factory and I had good discussions with the owner and his son on building interest in these devices in our community. As I had hoped, the scooters are contstructed with fabulous technology, very efficient units and state of the art. Although I was fairly convinced by the photos and literature and my email exchanges with the owner and chief engineer, I had to see them in person to verify this stuff before continuiong on. It was well worth the extra miles, time and money on this trip to do this. There are numerous different types of these vehicles on the market, and finding the really good ones at value price is not too. EZ.

Besides the scooter expedition, another QUEST on this journey that has evolved for Surly and me was to find Lumbar Support back rests for our seats in the SUV. My spine issues are well known, Surly has his own as well although they are just appearing recently. After Day 1 of driving, his back was feeling none too good, and we improvised lumbar supports utilizing my Neck Pillow and by rolling up a Jacket to stuff behind the lower back for added support, but this is rather a Kludge in both cases. As an ex-OTR Trucker, I know what kind of back pain you get without good lumbar support when sitting in these seats 8-10 hours a day.

I also KNOW there are specific Memory Foam supports which do a great job of resolving this issue, usually available at the biggest chain truckstops of Petro, The Flying J and Truckstops of AmeriKa (aka TA). Unfortunately on this route we didn't pass by these particular establishments while on the Quest, except for one Flying J but we blew by that exit before I realized there was one there.

We took a few detours off the interstate to smaller independent Truckstops looking for these devices, but they generally are poorly stocked overall, few independents have all the toys and necessities for Road Warriors. We even tried the automotive dept at Walmart and they didn't have them either! I was beginning to think they no longer are manufactured, but FINALLY we hit a TA at our final stop of the day, and lo and behold they had exactly 2 of them, and I bought them both. :icon_sunny:We'll test them out on the final leg of the Road Trip tomorrow to South Carolina.

At the same exit we parked it for the night in another Comfort Bates Motel, this time a "Comfort Suties" instead of a "Comfort Inn". This design in their chain has a slightly bigger room arrangement, but basically the same design. By sheer COINKIDINK, we also got EXACTLY the same room number on both nights, 108. Bet this number for Collapse, it will occur on October 8th. Of what year I do not know though. LOL.

We finished with dinner at a local bar, shared some beers and collapse speculation, and retired back in Comfort for the night to recharge for the adventures of tomorrow, which includes getting the damn Geodesic Dome assembled for the Festival as well as finishing off the drive.

There was one other Adventure today where RE nearly DIED, but it will remain a TOP SECRET amongst the Three Musketeers on this Road Trip. Some things it is better NOT to tell EVERYONE about.

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« Reply #40 on: September 22, 2016, 07:18:03 PM »

Another long but productive day doing some final revisions on the presentation booklet for printing tomorrow. We also have to pick up the helium tank and tables and chairs and do quite a bit more food shopping.

We also are now esconced in the Lake House which is as advertized, quite beautiful. It is way out in the Boonies though and not a lot of services around, so you need to make sure you have all your stufff. Last minute Beer Runs are out of the question. lol.

Final preps for the weekend and big meeting tomorrow night.

RE

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« Reply #41 on: September 26, 2016, 09:52:25 AM »

Miss me?

For the first time since the last convocation more than 2 years ago I missed a couple of days of posting up to the Diner Forum. I also missed getting up a Sunday Brunch article on the blog this week. I have an article written but no graphics in it and I was too exhausted on both Sat & Sun to spruce it up for publication.

The last 3 days since Friday were non-stop work from dawn to dusk, actually pre-dawn on Saturday since we had to get up at 4:30 AM to get to the Festival site at 6AM for set-up, and then with the take down afterwards we didn't get back to the Lake House until 7PM.

JD arrived on Friday afternoon while we were visiting at LD & GMs house, and then he followed us out to the Lake House. Eddie & Wife arrived on Friday Night. Surly, Monsta & me met up with LD & GM for setup on Sat morning, unloading the trailers and getting the tents set up. We dispensed with setting up the geodesic dome (too much work) and substituted Bamboo Tripods to hold up the hanging plants.

Getting ready for the BBQ on Sunday I had to get up early again to go into Hendersonville to pick up fresh bagels to go with the Alaska Nova Lox I brought with me, Eddie did the driving for that trip and Surly got the opportunity to sleep in a bit. Even so, prepping up for the BBQ was non-stop work until the appointed time of 1PM, when we were just about ready for arrivals.

The musicians were the first to arrive, and then everyone else was fashionably late coming in after 2PM. As a result I eliminated the sit-down dinner, since the buffet we set up by itself was more than enough food. I seriously overbought food for this shindig! lol. We now have several pounds of various kinds of gourmet sausages, and more pounds of organic chicken breasts. LD & GM are the beneficiaries here of an enormous amount of leftover foods and booze and soft drink beverages also.

The BBQ presentation went very well, GM opened up discussing domes and a community center and storm shelter for Inman as the beginning project for SUN☼, then I followed with a history of how the SUN☼ evolved and the need to prepare for a lower per capita energy future and re-develop local production of the many things we take for granted brought to you from halfway around the globe through JIT delivery. After the presentation we did an open Q & A session and the attendees showed a lot of interest in getting this off the ground. We had a representative from Trey Goudy there as well as the head of the City Council and the city administrator. Numerous people from local businesses and volunteer organizations also were attending.

The BBQ ended around 6PM and then we did cleanup followed by a post BBQ Party for the SUN☼ people staying at the Lake House. A few intrepid adventurers went for a swim in the "Lake" which is really just an artificially created Duck Pond and only maybe 4' deep at its deepest point. You could just about walk across it. The party didn't run all that late, we were all pretty exhausted plus Eddie & Wife had to get up early for their flight back to Texas. It's about a 2.5 hour drive from here to Charlotte and their flight was for 11AM. Surly and Monsta also took off for the drive back to Norfolk, and Monsta flies back to the UK tomorrow.

All in all, the kickoff week for SUN☼ went very well, and now next week I will be meeting with Real Estate people to look at land, and also with the main commercial property owner in Inman to see about office space in town for SUN☼ Offices until we can build the first Monolithic Dome. I will be flying back to the Last Great Frontier on Sunday.

The amount of work that went into this thing was enormous and without all the help from the Diners who showed for the convocation we never could have pulled it off. Everyone contributed mightily, from the moving of equipment, to food preparation, to all the driving and shopping that had to be done. Special Thanks to Surly who got the thankless job of "Driving Miss Daisy" around for most of the adventure from Norfolk to here in South Carolina.

I'll be compiling a full article with many of the pics recapping the adventure over the next couple of weeks, to publish for Sunday Brunch on Oct 9th probably, although it might take more time and go up the 16th.

GM & LD will be taking off in a little while to return the Helium tank for the balloons and the rented tables and chairs. I have the Lake House for one more night and will stay here and relax, then tomorrow LD will return to pick me up as well as the vast quantities of food and booze left over that wouldn't all fit in his pickup and trailer on one trip.

Pretty much the whole adventure went like Clockwork and according to plan, and we had fabulous weather for almost the whole trip and particularly fabulous was the weather for the Festival and BBQ, although a tad too hot for me. So while it was a big bite to chew here,it wasn't TOO BIG, although it took everyone who showed up working non-stop to make it happen.

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From Eddie:

« Reply #47 on: September 27, 2016, 06:38:11 AM »

Based on my experience, the expertise of the SUN foundation leans toward the ability to cater future fund raising events.

The party we threw for the town fathers and interested citizens of Inman, SC, was a real humdinger. From RE's hand-made bagel h'ordeurves and smoked ribs, to Surly's meatballs, to JDWheeler's gourmet burgers, to my organic salads and Gypsy Mama's deviled eggs (prepped with the assistance of Mrs. Eddie), we closely resembled a seasoned team of catering professionals.

The hired musicians were a hit with the crowd. The house RE found on Lake Hosea was a really lovely remodeled 60's era vacation home from the height of Industrial Civilization.

Tables, chairs, displays, rapidly assembled by Lucid Dreams and Monsta, and just as rapidly taken down and returned to LD's lowboy trailer for the trip back to wherever they rented them.

Props to all those who manned the booth at the Inman Festival (it was really hot, and I managed to completely dodge that assignment). But next year we should sell food. We are the Foodmeisters of Doom!

Late Sunday evening, after it was all said and done, it is reputed that several Diners descended the steep gravel roads down the hill and jumped into the small mountain lake. Even though they were not quite as quiet as they promised themselves they would be, no police showed up, and no one was arrested.

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« Reply #49 on: September 27, 2016, 03:42:13 PM »

As far as the festivals are concerned, Food sales are the way to go. Nobody buys anything at those festivals except food. It's a good place to get yourself known and recognized in the area as far as Brand Name goes, but in terms of making any money, you can only do it selling food.

Doing food this year was out of the question because we need to get insurance for that and get licensed as a food vendor Next year however this is a priority, and part of the reason I bought all the portable cooking gear to begin to assemble what will go in the Food Truck.

Besides food preparation, we intend to be using as much of our own organically grown produce as possible, and also acquire meats from the local CSAs around Inman.

Considering the very short amount of time we had for food prep on this occassion, what came out was very good, and pretty much everything was completely consumed except the Salad.

About the only minor disaster is I got a message from the house owner saying they are missing a Salt and Pepper grinder and one of the Large Knives. We did find the salt grinder but neither of the other items. To maintain a good relationship with the owners I will buy replacements but besides the salt grinder I am sure we didn't take the pepper grinder or knife.

In other newz, the owner of the Feed Mill met with me today about using his land behind his Feed Store and Tire Store to put up a SUN☼ Dome. It's in a great location on the Asheville Highway and he has a very large plot of commercial property of around 8 Acres. If we can work out a deal he would get a tax deduction for donating the use of his land and we would get it for free, except of course the cost of the dome. Bonus, there is already a stand of Bamboo on this property which LD can hopefully cultivate for Bamboo Shoots.

Tomorrow I meet with the head of the City Council and the main commercial property owner in Inman to see about getting some Office Space donated. Really about the only thing missing now is a sufficient size grant to cover operating expenses and dome construction.

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« Reply #53 on: September 28, 2016, 09:18:27 AM »

After most of the Diners left on Monday morning, LD & GM decided to stay for a day of rest and relaxation with me at the Lake House rather than going back right away to the normal life of School & Work.

In the afternoon we decided to go down to the lake for them to take the boys out on the lake in the pedal boat and do some swimming, and I went cruising around the lake ring road on the scooter. On my first pass around I forgot about the Speed Bump at the end of the road and I was going over the speed limit of 10mph for this gravel road at about 25 mph. The bump twisted the handlebars and DOWN GOES RE! LOL.

Fortunately I did not get too injured, just hurt the right wrist and elbow a bit breaking the fall. Nothing broken and no blood though. I was able to get back up and on the Ewzz to finish the loop around the lake, and once they realized I wasn't mangled enough for a hospital trip, LD & GM found the whole thing hilarious. GM got most of it on video.

Worse than the Scooter Crash right now is the Sunburn I got on my arms at the Festival. I never sit out in the SUN☼ so long and I always wear long sleeves these days so my skin is totally pale white. I actually got 2nd Degree burns with Blistering on my arms.

Interestingly, it is more itchy than painful, which might be an artifact of my CNS problems. I put on some of GMs Skin care oil for her exzema and Vitamin E oil as well to try to help it heal up. In the future I must remember to put on sunblock whenever I am outside in situations like this.

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« Reply #54 on: September 28, 2016, 09:26:00 AM »

Here's a clip of the musicians we had playing during the BBQ which GM just put up on the SUN☼ YouTube Channel.

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From Gypsy Mama:

« Reply #55 on: September 28, 2016, 11:06:31 AM »



Late Sunday evening, after it was all said and done, it is reputed that several Diners descended the steep gravel roads down the hill and jumped into the small mountain lake. Even though they were not quite as quiet as they promised themselves they would be, no police showed up, and no one was arrested.



Lake NINJAS!!!!!! Life Experience. That was a great end to the night– and celebration from the stress and planning of the weekend.

P.S.– Eddie is the DUDE!!!!

The food was excellent.

I have eaten about four Eddie salads so far.

JD Wheeler– I made chili from your leftover burgers. I didn't have much of an appetite during the BBQ, unfortunately. Too much nervous stomach churning, I suppose. I froze a few of them for later.

The boys had a great time. They were drinking ginger Ale out of the bottle. LOL. uh oh.

Anne and I had a great hot tub discussion. We are going to form a strong women club.

The house was beautifully decorated and very comfortable. RE really did a great job booking that place. I'm glad we got to experience a rain while there (Monday evening)– as the house had a metal roof. That's such a comforting sound.

I have had a few phone conversations with people who were at the BBQ already. People were very impressed with us. One lady, Zylphia (Blonde in the lace dress), has shared a few great ideas of ways to help us. She has began talking about fundraising opportunities….

A local business owner has offered for us to use his land to build a dome. He also has our flyers displayed in his store. (Carl from the Feed store).

Many people came up to me after the event and told us how happy they were to have been our guest. There were also many heads shaking (the up and down, good direction) during our speeches and square yellow table discussion.

I feel great about our future. THANK YOU to all who came and helped with this. I think we are going to see many more great things ahead for SUN

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By sheer chance and serendipity, the SUN☼ Booth was right in front of a local Inman Bizness called "Everything Under the Sun"

Here's LD doing more Bamboo Promotion to interested community members.





Finger of God at work again!

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« Reply #52 on: September 28, 2016, 08:13:42 AM »

Here's a shot of LD splitting Bamboo for the crowd.





We changed the Booth setup later in the morning to put the Bamboo Table out front.

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From Gypsy Mama:

« Reply #55 on: September 28, 2016, 11:06:31 AM »



Late Sunday evening, after it was all said and done, it is reputed that several Diners descended the steep gravel roads down the hill and jumped into the small mountain lake. Even though they were not quite as quiet as they promised themselves they would be, no police showed up, and no one was arrested.



Lake NINJAS!!!!!! Life Experience. That was a great end to the night– and celebration from the stress and planning of the weekend.

P.S.– Eddie is the DUDE!!!!

The food was excellent.

I have eaten about four Eddie salads so far.

JD Wheeler– I made chili from your leftover burgers. I didn't have much of an appetite during the BBQ, unfortunately. Too much nervous stomach churning, I suppose. I froze a few of them for later.

The boys had a great time. They were drinking ginger Ale out of the bottle. LOL. uh oh.

Anne and I had a great hot tub discussion. We are going to form a strong women club.

The house was beautifully decorated and very comfortable. RE really did a great job booking that place. I'm glad we got to experience a rain while there (Monday evening)– as the house had a metal roof. That's such a comforting sound.

I have had a few phone conversations with people who were at the BBQ already. People were very impressed with us. One lady, Zylphia (Blonde in the lace dress), has shared a few great ideas of ways to help us. She has began talking about fundraising opportunities….

A local business owner has offered for us to use his land to build a dome. He also has our flyers displayed in his store. (Carl from the Feed store).

Many people came up to me after the event and told us how happy they were to have been our guest. There were also many heads shaking (the up and down, good direction) during our speeches and square yellow table discussion.

I feel great about our future. THANK YOU to all who came and helped with this. I think we are going to see many more great things ahead for SUN

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From Gypsy Mama:

« Reply #56 on: September 28, 2016, 11:21:30 AM »

Here's a video I came across on the web– shot from a drone over the Inman Harvest Day Festival

https://vimeo.com/184138499/bfd7700bba

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BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME!