I feel that people should write aftermaths, yo. Feedback ++


Checkit: http://pie.pirateship.org.




Hey kids! It's almost fall! Ah, fall, the one season in which it's almost always not only tolerable but nice outside. The sky starts to turn crisp Van Gogh blue on a regular basis, the scarves and gloves emerge from the back of the closet, the air carries bonfire smoke and cool decay into your suddenly clear head, the maples turn all shades brilliant, and in such scenic locations as Michigan and upstate New York, the apple harvest falls due.

ARE YOU HUNGRY? Well, I am, and as such,

chancel and Chris-O (and jmc and LadySun as well, naturally) present:

Two States, Five Senses: The Michigan and New York Apple Gathering
(of doom).

Saturday, 12th October 2002
12 noon EST1
Masker Orchards in Warwick, NY
and
Spicer Orchards in Fenton, MI.

An excellent excuse to:

  1. spend a crisp autumn Saturday outside in an orchard,
    • picking apples,
    • having leaf fights,
    • avoiding bees (NOTE: there are usually lots of bees in orchards; if you are allergic, watch out!),
    • appreciating the fact that it's actually fall, FINALLY,
    • working up a healthy appetite,
    • achieving rosy cheeks in the actual cool outside,
    • and dragging full pecks of apples back to the
  2. cider mill, where we can
    • eat fresh doughnuts,
    • drink fresh apple cider,
    • buy some more cider to bring home,
    • experience some excellent cameraderie with fellow noders,
    • and leave, laden with apples, full, and happy.
  3. If you are in MI, you can come back to my and jmc's apartment in Ann Arbor, where we can
    • make pies or crumbles
    • and maybe caramel apples, or at least caramel for dipping,
    • and drink more cider, or beer, or whatever,
    • and either make dinner (IRON CHEF APPLE BATTLE!) or go out, at our collective discretion,
    • and potentially play video games or watch movies,
    • or go party downtown,
    • after which we come back home, eat more pie, and sleep in piles on the floor.
  4. Then, in the morning, we can
    • sleep in (or wake up way too early, if you are me),
    • drink copious coffee,
    • and either make lots of breakfast (apple pancakes?) or
    • go have brunch somewhere.

But that's not all!

In the spirit of community and family and co-location: copious communication with the party in upstate NY/New Jersey, and potentially with that in Portland! Bring your cell phones and your laptops, and we can, through use of space-age technology, talk with similar apple-picking noders 1000 miles away! Compare apples and foliage with the greatest of ease! Take pictures and post them for all to see! Maybe we will even set up a streaming webcam for recording our cooking and other home-oriented activities! And we can use too many exclamation points into the bargain!

We here in Michigan will be gathering at the Spicer Orchards, located at 10411 Clyde Road in Fenton, MI. It's a half hour drive north of Ann Arbor, where jmc and I (and lots of other noders, somehow none of whom we have yet met! We need to fix this problem, people!) currently reside. It's very easy to find. Just take highway 23 north from Ann Arbor (or I-94, or I-96) to exit 70, Clyde Road. Turn right, and the orchards are on the left before you hit a cross street. MapQuest directions are entirely accurate for this one as well. U-Pick apples are $7 a peck; parking et al is free, but there is plenty of cider and doughnuts and mums and old fashioned candy to buy at their store. Their website is at http://www.spicerorchards.com, but it seems to be down at the moment.

Travelers are more than welcome to descend on us Friday night: /msg one of us and we will get you directions et al, and proceed to entertain you that night as well. I usually go to the farmer's market up the street on Saturday mornings; if anyone is awake enough to come, they are quite welcome. We have accomodation available for about ten people in the apt, and could probably scrunch in a couple more. There's a twin bed and a double futon up for grabs, and reasonable carpet otherwise. We have some extra blankets and things, but it's a good idea to bring a sleeping bag and pillow. Our DSL kit is supposedly being delivered tonight, so we should certainly have it up and running by October for your noding/chatting/whatever pleasure. And there is always something going on in Ann Arbor. For instance, Rasputina is playing on the 11th for $10--so there's something to do Friday, if necessary.

Goodness will prevail! Or apple-flavored goodness, if not the Platonic form of goodness, and that's good enough for me. Um, yeah.


So. Here is the roster.

People who came:

* = staying with chancel and jmc

People who have expressed interest thus far:

People who send their fond regrets:

  • ideath, who is busy hosting her own gathering!
  • fuzzy and blue will be kickin' it neoimperialist style with ideath!
  • Frankie is in England, I believe!
  • jpfed can't get the day off!
  • Ryan the non-noder said "Oh yeah, was day was it? Oh, man, I think I have a wedding to go to...it's my sister's...yeah, and I'm a groomsman...and it's in Wisconsin."
  • Litbolt claims non-vehicular vehicle issues!
  • the gilded frame regretfully declines as well.


Please come! We like you!

Yay!




1 Contrary to popular belief, Michigan is actually in the eastern time zone. You may now plan accordingly.