Rows Red

Holy cow. Women, you amaze me. In less than 24 hours, actually 16 hours, you filled up the Lake House. FILLED IT UP! I’ve just gotten off the phone with Gretchen, and everyone who contacted me via email and/or registered but had a glitch is in. The list is:

• Amy
• Harriet
• Jessalu
• Maria
• Diane
• Carolyn
• Wendy
• Risa
• Kim
• Leann
• Jessica
• Becky
• Vickie
• Avigayil
• Marjorie
• And we can’t forget me.

This is in the order you registered with me through my form, and the last two ladies are in at Wiawaka, but need to fill out my form so I’ve got all their “official” details. The form makes me happy, humor a gal? So, all of you ARE set, you’re in the Lake House. All registrations after this point will be directed to the Victorian Cottages, or in the main (Fuller) house, which actually does have some singles. At this point there are only two other guests for that weekend, one of whom is (of course) Menga. Menga is something else, she’s a pip, as past attendees can tell you. So anyway, what I’m saying is there’s lots of room in the other cottages, all located on the same grounds within shouting distance, so don’t be shy!

Fuller House

Rose Cottage.

Lake House.

I’m going to go indulge myself with some Jason Statham DVD goodness now. I’ve earned it.

Tags: events, WOOL

Wow. That was intense.

Turns out my website thinks the time is 1 hour earlier than it really is. This translated into an emergency cellphone call from Harriet letting me know my auto-post hadn’t published at 12:01 a.m. Ever tried to figure out a technical problem on two hours of sleep in the dead of night? I think they even had my zombie ass on speakerphone too, as I heard Tim being all helpful like in the background quite clearly. I owe Harriet big time, thank you SO much for letting me know there was a problem. Thankfully I was able to fix the problem in less than 5 minutes and by 12:09 we were good to go.

And holy crap! Messages all over the blog, in my email and on Facebook! Don’t you people ever sleep? I couldn’t believe it. By the time I walked away from the computer, just around 1 a.m., I already had 6 people signed up. Don’t pay me any mind, because of you guys I had a hard time going to sleep, laying there in the dark with a huge smile on my face. Wow. Just wow. Can you tell I’m running on empty today? I had to come in early to finish up a project and that meant being out of the house by 6:45 when I didn’t get to sleep til almost 1:30. When I woke up this morning there were already 2 more.

You’ll notice, I hope, that I’ve created a little graphic there on the right to let folks know how reservations are going. That number includes me. By the time we hit 16 the Lake House is full and we’re into overflow. Don’t worry if you’re in overflow, that’s just where you sleep… the fun’s in Lake House and we have lots of chairs. Well, there and the dock, my preferred spot for fun in the sun. Keep ‘em coming folks, let’s show them what a small group of motivated and frankly daffy individuals can do to a little resort. There’s plenty of room in the overflow… think we can beat last year’s 23?

(Or was it 24? I’m so tired…) Sweet zombie kittens, there’s two more of you already.

Tags: events, WOOL

The light is green, so GO! Registration is now officially open for WOOL 2009. If you’re new to the blog and need a refresher on what WOOL is click here. The process to register is:

• Register with me. This is important, I need to know who’s coming for administrative purposes. If you are having trouble with the link, skip it and register with Wiawaka, then email  (rowsred@gmail.com) or call me for help.
• Follow the link to the Wiawaka registration form.
  • Fill out your information
  • Choose your payment level
  • Your first choice in lodging is the Lake House
  • Put WOOL in the group code/section
  • Make your payment. Ignore the error message and click on “make payment”. If there’s a problem, call Gretchen at Wiawaka in the morning and they’ll work it out. Your room should be held just fine till then.

You will pay ½ up front, and the other ½ when you get to Wiawaka. As always, the rate you’re charged is based on your ability to pay. I don’t make a dime off this event. It’s the honor system; the only one’s who know what you choose are you, me, and Wiawaka. I strongly recommend that you register as quickly as possible as there are only 16 rooms in the Lake House (single occupancy) and all overflow will be diverted to shared rooms in the Victorian cottages. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! They’re actually “nicer” rooms, if you don’t mind sharing.

If you would like to help promote the event, please download and print this flyer. I’d be eternally grateful to anyone willing to post it in their local yarn or coffee shop!

As always, I reiterate that the accommodations at Wiawaka are not fancy. The rooms in the Lake House are sparse, very small, and pretty much the entire experience is like Victorian summer camp, except our building is the only “modern” one, having been built in the 70′s. The building is two floors, each floor having a communal multi-stall/shower bathroom. Everyone can hear everything, so if you’re a light sleeper you may want to bring ear plugs. If you can’t climb stairs, request a bottom floor room at registration.

Breakfast is served early, and isn’t fancy. Meals are made fresh from local ingredients, and there is no choice as to what you eat. The menu is created in advance and posted publicly at breakfast so you know how to plan your day. By plan, I mean that we have a fridge and a microwave in our building, so if you’re picky, keep that in mind and bring your own snacks. I’m picky at breakfast, so I bring my own milk and instant oatmeal.

There are no TVs and no phones in the buildings. Think of this as a media vacation, unless you bring your laptop and pick up wifi from across the lake.

That said, Wiawaka is more fun than you can imagine, and I can’t wait to see you there! It’s full of bawdy women laughing till their faces hurt, and quiet moments of calm introspection. Adventures include skinny dipping at midnight, dawn swims, hollering at the passengers on the Minnehaha steam boat, fireworks over the lake Thursday night, a cookout on Saturday, paddle boats, possible forays down the road for BBQ since the carnivores are sometimes SOL -  and so much more. Bring your sun block, your sense of adventure and your camera. You won’t be sorry you did.

Remember, you’re the reason this event is so much fun, and I thank each and every one of you who helps make it a success each year. Go WOOL!

Tags: events, WOOL