Pete asked me last night (he has never really been hip to the whole camping thing) if I was "done" camping. Like it was an experiment or a new hobby.
For those of you who haven't heard I had a real live nervous breakdown Saturday night. (So much for being at least half sane eh, Ia?) Normally I am kinda twitchy during bad weather anyway-- but Friday night was a spectacularly terrifying electrical rain storm. We survived. I created the new mantra--"Tarrach's tents don't fall down".
Saturday dawned windy, but clear and bright. Things are MUCH less scarier in the daylight. I was lulled into calm, court went off without a hitch. I was fascinated by the fireworks. (and cow) We all sort of ignored the rising wind. Look at the pictures, gowns flapping ALL day. People kept making the comments about the flags "snapping" it was kinda cool in a no access to the weather channel kinda way. Pete consulted the oracle on his tiny phone; and the X that marked Vermillion had at least two pixels to either side of the cloud mass. There were actually two masses-- but we kinda had a channel of no clouds around us. The stars were brilliant. We were on top of a hill and could see for MILES, so it seemed that all was well. As usual many people came to party in the common area. Fina and I retreated back into the tents and I was contemplating either falling asleep to the sounds of my friends laughter or actually getting up and having a drink because that was Zig's voice and I barely know this (glistening) guy. Then all freaking hell broke loose--one pin sheared off Jurgen and Ia's tent pole.
*Where Isabel was sleeping.*
The wind had shifted and caught the fly like a sail. The constant erratic wind pressure just fatigued the metal so much...well...Because Jurgen's tent had to come down that meant the shade fly had to come down. Half of me remembers seeing strongfolk in motion. Isabel was whisked to our bed in T&F's tent, all of their gear was dispersed. Men fighting to bring these giant sails down without losing the cross beam.
My brain stopped.
I was shaking like a Chihuahua.
I clung to the center pole of Fina's tent just so I could stand up.
Paula tried to move my quaking ass out of the way and I totally lost it. I couldn't leave Isabel. I couldn't let go of the pole. I could not function. Poor Agnar got assigned to pat me and he told me very funny stories about something. But the wind wasn't blowing him off his feet to so I clung to him instead of the tent pole. Gwyneth tried to poke me into Paula's tent but I wasn't going anywhere w/out Iz, but I couldn't make my feet move anyway. Finally all the canvas was down and Petey got the truck for me to sit in. Apparently I still looked like an escaped patient from Bedlam because I was sent to the B&B and got to be inside a real building. Thank you G.
and in response to Pete's question...No. I am not "done" camping. But, maybe ..not on a hilltop... in a tornado.
