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Aug. 13th, 2014 01:12 pmWe came to Pennsic site late this year, in the middle of service week rather than at the beginning of it. That started us off in a very surreal mood. A dear friend, Treestone, came to camp and helped us erect our loaner tent... he was working the night shift so I appreciated his kindness and was in a rush to get everything done as quickly as we could so he could get home and go to bed. Not to mention his girlfriend was in town for a visit and waiting for him back at his house.
While we were setting up the tent other staff members came by to welcome us back. To each one, as they complimented the pavilion, we explained that we were borrowing it and had plans to sell it for the owners during Pennsic-tide, to be delivered when the event was over. (And thusly we wouldn't have to pack it ourselves at the end when we would surely be the most tired and sore.) One staff member bought it right then! Even after seeing the silly dayshade.
We divided the tent as we had planned with curtains separating out the rounded ends. Bossman devised curtain rods of PVC pipe with holes drilled into the ends of the wall-side of the poles so they would fit over the tent pole spikes and be more secure. We had a connecting piece for each pair in the middle where the support poles for the ridge pole were, and after putting the 'raw' edges into that connector the whole mess was securely lashed to each support pole. As it turned out, the small section of curtain rod that Bossman cut into an "L" shape so he could drill a hole in it was a bit too long and poked out a little beyond the wall pole's spike, just enough to allow water to leak a bit into the tent at that spot during rainstorms - four spots in total. But the leaks were minor and by putting the tent poles on the bare earth rather than near our tarp/ground-cloth, the water simply flowed down and away from the interior anyway.
Our little 'bedrooms' were oddly shaped but we were able to fit both beds in there, albeit smack in the middle of each curved area, with the rest of the furniture on either side of the bed. Kitchen items (storage and garbage container) crowded in on one end since there wasn't enough room for them in the designated kitchen area. The drinking cooler and 'room temperature' water bottles were on Bossman's side while the stacked cases of drinks, the garbage container, and our dirty clothes hamper was on my side. It wasn't too bad but certainly not optimal.
One thing I hate about camping is the daily emptying of water from the ice chest before each ice refill. A couple of years ago I solved that in the food cooler by adding in three containers dedicated to storing the ice - they get filled and the rest of the cooler stays dry, so I no longer have to deal with coming back to camp to find water-logged cheese goo or pink water from leaking meat containers. And the daily routine is a simple matter of removing the ice containers one at a time to be drained and refilled. It is much easier on the back. This time, I took our left-over 'leveling wood' (the bits brought along to act as wedges to level furniture since we were camping on a hill) and used them to build a platform to put the big cooler on. Oh, that was nice! It was about the right height for digging into if one was sitting on a chair. Prepping dinner and putting away groceries was much easier than in the past! My back thanked me.
Our 'drink' cooler was filled in the normal way, bottles and cans covered in ice. It had to be drained everyday but it didn't weigh nearly as much as the food cooler did and was easier to maneuver around. It was also handy for storing store-prepared salads on top of the ice since I usually ate those within a day of purchase. They didn't fit well in the food cooler.
Through all the rain and the unseasonal cold, we were comfortable enough to be able to lend extra blankets to other camp members. I love wool blankets! I especially love wool-silk blankets! I've been using lengths of fabric to make blankets for camping since they store better than purchased blankets and I can be more sure of their content. Well - except for my Pendleton Wool blanket, that is. I just buy seven yards of material, cut it in half and then divide one half lengthwise to sew to the selvage edges of the full half. That gives me a good queen-sized blanket with the joining seams (mostly) along the edge of the mattress. After sleeping on a linen-covered pillow for the last two years, I've now decided to do the same with lengths of linen and make sheets for my bed too, if not for Bossman's. He's a little less 'adventurous' when it comes to bedding and holds tightly to his sleeping bag and bedrolls.
While we were setting up the tent other staff members came by to welcome us back. To each one, as they complimented the pavilion, we explained that we were borrowing it and had plans to sell it for the owners during Pennsic-tide, to be delivered when the event was over. (And thusly we wouldn't have to pack it ourselves at the end when we would surely be the most tired and sore.) One staff member bought it right then! Even after seeing the silly dayshade.
We divided the tent as we had planned with curtains separating out the rounded ends. Bossman devised curtain rods of PVC pipe with holes drilled into the ends of the wall-side of the poles so they would fit over the tent pole spikes and be more secure. We had a connecting piece for each pair in the middle where the support poles for the ridge pole were, and after putting the 'raw' edges into that connector the whole mess was securely lashed to each support pole. As it turned out, the small section of curtain rod that Bossman cut into an "L" shape so he could drill a hole in it was a bit too long and poked out a little beyond the wall pole's spike, just enough to allow water to leak a bit into the tent at that spot during rainstorms - four spots in total. But the leaks were minor and by putting the tent poles on the bare earth rather than near our tarp/ground-cloth, the water simply flowed down and away from the interior anyway.
Our little 'bedrooms' were oddly shaped but we were able to fit both beds in there, albeit smack in the middle of each curved area, with the rest of the furniture on either side of the bed. Kitchen items (storage and garbage container) crowded in on one end since there wasn't enough room for them in the designated kitchen area. The drinking cooler and 'room temperature' water bottles were on Bossman's side while the stacked cases of drinks, the garbage container, and our dirty clothes hamper was on my side. It wasn't too bad but certainly not optimal.
One thing I hate about camping is the daily emptying of water from the ice chest before each ice refill. A couple of years ago I solved that in the food cooler by adding in three containers dedicated to storing the ice - they get filled and the rest of the cooler stays dry, so I no longer have to deal with coming back to camp to find water-logged cheese goo or pink water from leaking meat containers. And the daily routine is a simple matter of removing the ice containers one at a time to be drained and refilled. It is much easier on the back. This time, I took our left-over 'leveling wood' (the bits brought along to act as wedges to level furniture since we were camping on a hill) and used them to build a platform to put the big cooler on. Oh, that was nice! It was about the right height for digging into if one was sitting on a chair. Prepping dinner and putting away groceries was much easier than in the past! My back thanked me.
Our 'drink' cooler was filled in the normal way, bottles and cans covered in ice. It had to be drained everyday but it didn't weigh nearly as much as the food cooler did and was easier to maneuver around. It was also handy for storing store-prepared salads on top of the ice since I usually ate those within a day of purchase. They didn't fit well in the food cooler.
Through all the rain and the unseasonal cold, we were comfortable enough to be able to lend extra blankets to other camp members. I love wool blankets! I especially love wool-silk blankets! I've been using lengths of fabric to make blankets for camping since they store better than purchased blankets and I can be more sure of their content. Well - except for my Pendleton Wool blanket, that is. I just buy seven yards of material, cut it in half and then divide one half lengthwise to sew to the selvage edges of the full half. That gives me a good queen-sized blanket with the joining seams (mostly) along the edge of the mattress. After sleeping on a linen-covered pillow for the last two years, I've now decided to do the same with lengths of linen and make sheets for my bed too, if not for Bossman's. He's a little less 'adventurous' when it comes to bedding and holds tightly to his sleeping bag and bedrolls.
