What happens at a "gathering"?

[Sodapop Teardrop]

Hello Folks! We are confirmed & registered as attending the Beaver's Bend Gathering, I'm very excited! My question is....what can I expect?
I KNOW it's gonna be fun, I just want to be prepared. A potluck? A campfire? Are my "spirited" beverages going to be frowned upon? (somehow I don't think so). Will we be "hazed"? Haha.
Seriously, I do want to be prepared so we can enjoy it to the fullest. Any info will be eagerly anticipated and much appreciated! Carol

[oklahomajewel]

What happens at a teardrop gathering, stays at a teardrop gathering ! hahah

Spirits are not discouraged... maybe at Beavers Bend like last year, Backwoodsman will bring his jug and pass it around !!!

Generally , there is a potluck on the Saturday night of any weekend gathering. Breakfast and lunch on your own, when it gets closer there might be other activities mentioned like kayaking or who's bringing a bike to go riding, hiking etc. Sometimes our head cook (Trudy) and the bottle washer (Gary) will treat us to her famous mountain man breakfast here in the South Central-ish group.

As it gets closer to time, things will be firmed up and people will chime in on what food they'll bring for the potluck. If you find last years thread and some pics you'll see Backwoodsman gulping down Linda's famous banana pudding . Dave has often smoked a turkey, and Trudy always does a DO dessert.

Can't wait to meet y'all..... I hope we make you feel welcome . Teardroppers are the BEST to go camping with .

OH and Rick and Linda will likely bring Maggie , their dog. If Warpony and Anna come, then they have a little Maggie too. So four legged campers are welcome too ! on a leash, of course.

Julie

[steve wolverton]

Well, the South Central group now has more messages than any other area. South Central has really exploded! Great job guys, I hope to see you soon.

[Coca Cola Teardrop]

Carol, Julie pretty much summed it up.....Just be prepared for a lot of visiting and teardrop talk. We always have curious folks when they see a teardrop let alone a large group of teardrops, so get ready for total strangers to look around and inside your teardrop (if you leave it open). We usually leave ours open even if we leave camp because we know other teardroppers will watch out for our camp and tear.
I will be bringing the famous banana pudding again and Rocky(asianflava) will be there to eat his share instead of Greg (Backwoodsman). Rick and Linda's Maggie loves attention so those of us that love dogs have the opportunity to get our dog petting fix while we are away from our pets. Greg plans to come on his motorcycle so I'm not sure if we will get to "pass the jug"of "Peach Pie". Guess we will have to wait and see.
Just get ready to meet a lot of wonderful people.
Linda

[davel]

Carol,

Did Julie mention that we eat alot. Also lots of visiting and relaxing.

[s4son]

Carol,
Now that you mention it, there may be a little hazing going on. I had to sit in the rain and cook last year while everyone else sat in the shelter and laughed. They swore they weren't laughing at me but with me. Yes I am a dope.


Seriuosly though, the best thing about a gathering is meeting like minded folks and stealing each others ideas. It's great to actually meet people from the forum. I think meeting each other face-to-face is one of the reasons this forum stays so civil (most of the time).

Looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones,
Scott and Sylvia

[asianflava]

Just imagine seeing a bunch of old frineds that you haven't seen in a while. Probably because you never have seen any of them.

Friday People usually are preoccupied with setting up their site then everybody kinda visits. I have yet to get to a gathering during the daylight so I'm not shure what really goes on. I usually setup and turn in.

Saturday We eat breakfast usually at Gary & Trudy's then get ready for the day.

You have two options, go out and see everybody or wait at your site and have people come see you. I prefer the former but sometimes I don't get to see everybody because they are dong the same. We also usually go into town to buy the items that we forgot to bring. When we comeback to camp, we start cooking our dinner for the potluck.

Sunday We just pack up, say our goodbyes and head out, especially if it is a long drive. It looks like around 7 hours for this one.

[Nytewyng]

Perhaps it should be said ...........its not "what will we do at a gathering" more like what wont we do!

[Sodapop Teardrop]

Well, the Giese's are definitely going to fit in with ya'll. You sound like a great bunch! I actually met a fellow teardropper today! Joanne of McTeardrop fame introduced herself to me at lunch in a Texarkana restaurant today. We had chatted through the forum but never met face to face. Our family hasn't been camping in a while but we have all the gear. We just have to adapt it to a teardrop. I have a feeling we'll make use of the back of the Suburban as well. I am currently trying to make a decision about a bed. From the other forums it sounds like memory foam mattresses from Wally world are the way to go. any advice?
Carol & Shayne Giese

[Coca Cola Teardrop]

Carol, we have a queen size air mattress with an attached sleeping bag we bought at Academy sporting goods. It has worked well for us. I do know a lot of folks rave about the memory foam mattresses.
Linda

[Sonetpro]

From the other forums it sounds like memory foam mattresses from Wally world are the way to go. any advice?
Carol & Shayne Giese

We love ours.

[Duck Daddy]

I havnt finnished mine yet
But Im planning on using a futon mattress. I figure I roll it up and pull it out when i need to.
Have fun

[SteveH]

My experince with foam mattress....I first bought a 4" foam mattress cut to fit and covered from Knox foam, but it was way too hard for my tastes. So, I then bought a 1 3/4" memory foam topper, installed it in the same covering that came from Knox, and I love it. I sleep as good in the teardrop as I do on our bed at home, which by the way, also has a memory foam topper.

[oklahomajewel]

Don't dwell on that picture of Scott .... we want to see the new Scott this year !!!

And don't worry if you forget something, or whatever... I found out when tent camping with these folks that they are the friendliest and most helpful !!!

If Greg brings his motorcycle , then I want a ride !!!! Greg???
I might intice my brother to ride his Valkyre (sp?) up from Leander, TX ... maybe convoy with Rocky ! hahaha

[s4son]

Don't dwell on that picture of Scott .... we want to see the new Scott this year !!!

Julie,
I don't mean to hi-jack the thread but you asked for it. This is after loosing 100 pounds. The only draw back is I won't be able to enjoy some of the great food at the potluck. And the little brown jug is a definite no-no.


Scott F.