Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right!

For this New Year's Eve weekend I went to a camp out with the hashers again this year near Orlando at what we call 'Ground Zero'. Jason originally was going to leave on Friday, but his plans changed a bit so I was able to convince his introverted-self to come out and join us. KP, VC, and I went over to Orlando a little early to meet up with Mams and check out the ICE exhibit exhibit that I mentioned a few days ago. after wards we met up at the the camping place and got there just in time to do a preliminary set up and take off along trail. Trail was a great mix of terrain that had us bounding through thick forests, fields, and bike paths. Unfortunately I missed the beer stop when I found what ended up being the second part of the trail.

After everyone got back we had a fun circle and a chance to meet up and speak to some folks. A couple of hash virgins that I had introduced to the group arrived too late for the trail, but were still pulled into the circle to take part in the hash activities. Even Jason seemed to be having a good time and enjoying the overall silliness of the fun. Some of us were in a party bus that someone brought and were able to convince the owner to drive us into town for some food and drink and soon at least 20 of us were heading down the road singing songs and having a great time. The impromptu bus trip really set the tone for the whole weekend I think. Later when we returned in the evening found dancing, card playing, and even a game of Twister.

Sunday was pretty much a day of relaxation and general lounging around in camp chair circles telling stories and enjoyable conversation. The pirate themed party started several hours before mid-night and had us dancing in the party bar, doing multiple shots on the tent crawl, sitting by the fire, or just singing amongst guitar playing and general enjoyment of being around friends. There was a great display of fireworks but on by one of the hashers after midnight that everyone really seemed to enjoy.

The first day of the new year seemed to be a day of recover, reflection, and relaxation. Some folks get up early at these events to pack up and go home to do other things, but my favorite part of the camping events are the times when everyone is sitting together and just sharing stories and pretty much just laughing their ass off. Jethro brought out a home made hand-cannon that he'd fill with gunpowder, newspaper, and solid objects (water bottles, oranges, etc) to launch into the void, so that provided plenty of entertainment for a while. The weather throughout the weekend was perfect and we were sad to see everyone go but by mid-afternoon with no one remaining we heading for home to get cleaned up and ready to tackle the new year. It was, overall, a great weekend and I'm glad to have spent it with friends that I've gotten to know over the past couple of years and I look forward to further good times. I think it was a satisfactory way to end and begin the years.

Here is a link to some of the pics that I took at the campout: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=vnlbugz.c9lmtj0z&x=0&y=-2ygb1z