amymarquis

On August 29, Tom, Suki, and I will leave Virginia, travel cross-country in our Airstream, and eventually settle in Boulder. But not before a proper goodbye to our favorite friends. Some details...

DATE:
Friday, 7/31 through Sunday, 8/2. Big party on Saturday night if you can't make it for the whole weekend.

LOCATION:
The Cove Campground in Gore, VA, about 90 minutes from DC. Look for Toto, the Airstream, on a private 13-acre lawn at "Camp VIII": www.covecampground.com/gpage5.html

PACKING LIST:
- Your favorite bumper sticker-- we'll use them to decorate Toto. It's our way of taking a little piece of you with us.
- A tent, if you decide to camp.
- Camping stoves, chairs, coolers, and other supplies. We should also have access to several fire pits, and will most definitely have a bonfire.
- Food for the weekend-- even better, food to share. We'll do a potluck dinner on Saturday.
- Beverages of your choice. We'll provide a keg and liquor on Saturday night.
- Bikes, swimsuits, hiking shoes, fishing poles, kayaks, cameras, guitars... whatever you need to pass the time.
- Kids, dogs, friends, family, whoever. The more the merrier. We'll have tons of room, and should be isolated enough that we won't have to worry about our noise level.

CAMPING DETAILS:
- Check out the different campsites: www.covecampground.com. If you're bringing kids, you might consider a cabin or one of the more family-oriented campsites near the lakes. I can't guarantee that our site will be quiet after certain hours.
- If you're not into camping, there's a brand new Holiday Inn 10 minutes down the street near Winchester.

COSTS:
- A tank of gas. Campground's 90 minutes from DC.
- An entrance or camping fee-- unfortunately you have to pay to use the campground, whether you stay overnight or not. Should come out to about $25/couple-- a little more with kids. See the rates here: www.covecampground.com/gpage.html

PARTY DETAILS:
- We'll tow Toto onto the field and turn him into a bar. Our guest beds are already spoken for, but there will be tons of room for tents around us. Ya'll are welcome to go in and out as you please, but our black water tank can only hold so much, so we'll keep the bathroom closed off.
- I'd hoped to hire a Bluegrass band to come out and jam for a few hours on Saturday night, but so far, everyone's booked. If you have any ideas or connections to the live music scene, I'm all ears-- but we might have to fall back on iPods and satellite radio, so bring your favorite playlists.
- I've asked a few of my photographer friends to bring their gear so they can capture the scene, so don't be shy! Photos of you will help us feel closer to home when we're 1,700 miles away.

Questions? Call or email me (after Wednesday, please-- we're in house-moving hell right now). Otherwise-- WE'LL SEE YOU THERE. =)

Love,
Amy, Tom, Suki, & Toto

Update on Monday, July 27, 2009 at 07:04PM by Amy Marquis

- Just talked to the folks at the Cove, and they're ready for us! When you arrive, check in at the camp office, and they'll guide you to our site. I was wrong-- we're not at CAMP VIII, we're at CAMP VI. There are bathrooms on the premises, but you'll have to walk about 1/4-mile to get to showers.

- Looks like we'll be sharing the 15-acre field with a group of 25 who regularly camp there. The field fits 4,000 people, so we should still have plenty of room to ourselves. Technically you can park your car directly by your campsite-- but it might be nicer to park all the cars in one area and camp in another. Tom and I will scope it out when we get there and try to post some signs.

- My Bluegrass band bailed on me. So bummed. If you have an banjo, bongo, whatever, bring it. We're jamming out, damnit!

- Bring some cash to buy firewood at the camp store-- we'll need several folks to pitch in a little if we want to have a bonfire.

- The only place dogs aren't allowed is on the beach of Cove Lake-- but there are plenty of other places nearby where they can swim. Technically dogs are supposed to be on leashes in other sites, but management said they don't really care if they're off-leash in CAMP VI.

- DON'T FORGET YOUR BUMPER STICKER!! =)

I think that's all for now. Can't wait to see you guys!