I met a fellow BDer!!

[Volo]

Thank you, Aganzir, for the wonderful post! It does tell quite a lot about the week although you could have left out the photo of me in pink and leather.

The meeting was really interesting, one finds so many new sides in people when met face to face. Though ironically, skip spence was the only person of the lot I hadn't met before - but neither had I communicated with him on the Downs which made meeting him all the more interesting. While truly fascinating discussions were scarce (and somehow tended to to follow the amount of alcohol consumed), the general atmosphere was at all times really warm and amusing.

Apart from learning a lot about every person there, other wonders for me were the proof-tasty food (both by Nogrod and Aganzir & Co.) and stories. It is fortunate that we seem to share a certain kind of humor and are not offended by even the nastiest of Rune's jokes - though this time he was more of a target to nasty jokes himself.

While I feel like having many friends on the Downs, meeting someone live creates a stronger bond. Thank you for either organizing or flying to meet us. Even while we might not meet often due to distance and expences, I will always keep you in mind when travelling in the area.

PS: Someone - I'm guessing skip - forgot their shorts, towel and toothbrush at our place.

[skip spence]

Originally Posted by Volo

PS: Someone - I'm guessing skip - forgot their shorts, towel and toothbrush at our place.

Hey, it's unfair pointing me out like that! Could've been any of us - and I have you know I still have my shorts with me.

The towel and tooth-brush you can keep if you promise not to take any DNA-samples. I will probably post more on here later on.

[Nogrod]

Thank's for the wrap-up Aganzir!

I'm just echoing what the others have said: it was fun (again) to meet all of you guys!

Everyone's welcome the next summer!

[Nogrod]

Btw. Aganzir already told you Rune was having an identity-crisis here. Well here's what it was about.

[Boromir88]

For the record, three people in the photo (skip, Rune, Nog, Annina, Green, spawn) are werewolves. Can you guess who?

Greenie definitely looks like one, with that sneaky face. The rest it's hard to tell. Nog's kind of got a thoughtful expression, one that I imagine he gets when he is innocent and trying to figure everything out. For the other two wolves...difficult to tell, I'll guess skip and Rune. How wrong am I?

Back at Volo's, we ate the delicious blueberry-raspberry pie Greenie had made earlier that day, and Volo dressed in leather pants and a pink t-shirt.

Now that is just hilarious. Now if only Volo decided to sport a pony tail, as I used to have a major obsession with anyone who put their hair in a pony tail.

[wilwarin538]

Wow, looks like you all had quite the fun time! I have to say that I'm quite jealous and am very tempted to plan a little trip to Helsinki to get in on the action! haha. Love the pictures!

[A Little Green]

Originally Posted by Boro

Greenie definitely looks like one, with that sneaky face. The rest it's hard to tell. Nog's kind of got a thoughtful expression, one that I imagine he gets when he is innocent and trying to figure everything out. For the other two wolves...difficult to tell, I'll guess skip and Rune. How wrong am I?

Quite wrong, I'm afraid - only one right out of three. I was a wolf, though in that picture I'm already dead.

Other than that, I can only second everything that has been said and add that last week made me wonder how it's possible for all the 'Downers I have met to be such sweet and delightful people. I guess it goes without saying that all of them are funny, kind and absolutely lovely. I'll just add that Kath has a lovely voice, the only fair part of Rune is his hair and if I had an older brother I'd want him to be like skip.

I'll post some pictures if I have any I consider worth being posted here or any Agan hasn't posted yet.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I am really starting to dislike Nogrods tendency to secretly record conversations.

[skip spence]

Guess I should give a brief account of the trip as well. Before leaving, friends were questioning my judgement as I had decided to spend valuable holiday-time visiting "who now?" in Finland of all the places (see, Finland is not very exotic to a Swede nor is Sweden to a Finn I assume). At one point I was beginning to do so myself too but now I'm very happy to've made the journey and met these great people. It's been a long time since I last played hide-and-seek games in dark woods. Too long.

Agan and Lommy I'd met a few week before of course, and they are both very warm and friendly girls that I feel familiar with already. Love you guys (Annina too)! Nogrod is much like his on-line self (though slightly less coherent late at night) and a great out-doors cook. Rune is a top bloke who can hold his liquor quite well (and the rumour regarding farm-house animals is nothing more than a half-truth I'm sure). For some reason I didn't get to know Legate as well as I should have liked to, but I'm hoping to make amends at some other time.

The other people I had had little interaction with on the bd's so I didn't really know what to expect. Volo is a quirky fellow with an interesting fashion sense (as you've seen, no doubt). I've information from credible sources he's been performing miracles involving water! Kath was also a nice new acquaintance I'd like to know better - she is a great conversationalist and an enthusiastic cheer-leading coach. Greenie is a really sweet girl, very smart and mature for her (or any) age. I've already got a little sister or else I'd adopt you as one, but perhaps we can assign you another part? Last, but not least, Spawn is a girl I only met briefly, with little or no one-on-one time, but I'd very much like to change that in future.

Well met all of you and hope to do it again soon!

Originally Posted by Boromir88

Now if only Volo decided to sport a pony tail, as I used to have a major obsession with anyone who put their hair in a pony tail.

So the day Volo sports a pony-tail your lonely days are over?

[Volo]

Originally Posted by skip spence

So the day Volo sports a pony-tail your lonely days are over?

Next time, Boro, next time...

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I was privileged to meet the lovely and accomplished Nuranar during a recent trip to the U.S. She hasn't been active here in the past years, but I did get "acquainted" with her on the Downs and have continued to read her blog regularly, as we share a passion for fabrics and sewing. We had a wonderful shopping spree, exploring fabric warehouses and other stores, having lunch together, and conversing during the long drives it took to get anywhere in the Metroplex.

The awkwardness of meeting someone you do and don't know lasted only about 1 1/2 seconds at our first greeting; it was very easy to converse with her and great fun to look through bolts of fabrics, some beautiful, some horrible. All in all it was a wonderful experience, very entertaining and even educational; I learned some things about historically accurate fabrics from a very knowledgeable seamstress and reenactor. More important, I feel that I found a friend!

Oh, and we did document the event with a photo - I'll send it to the BD photo page for display.