1. MaryAnn is a great driver and doesn’t need any help from me putting on the passenger side imaginary brakes or adding sounds from me to the sights in the rearview and side mirrors, warning her of impending “danger.”
2. Margaret is a child of endless energy, and when there’s a “party” and people around, she doesn’t want to miss a thing, with something as unnecessary as sleep.
3. When I think that Caroline doesn’t want to be involved with the yarn ceremony because she’s sitting there looking rather unengaged, I shouldn’t assume that. Truth be told, she may have been more involved with it than anyone else.

4. A shower under the stars works wonders for the psyche.
5. I don’t really need to shampoo my hair every day. It felt clean even after 3 days of heat and sun and hat-hair.
6. Frank Schaeffer would have been a great preacher like his Dad, but I’m glad he is doing what he’s doing and writing what he’s writing. My favorite line of his from his latest book: “One of the things I love most about being with my grandchildren is that they only know me now.”
7. Peter Rollins continues to make me scratch my head about what he says, but I enjoy him while he’s saying it with that cute Northern Ireland dialect.
8. Billy Jonas is a true gift from god.
9. Air conditioning is not ever overrated.
10. It makes my daughter sad that I’m so hooked on being connected and that I shy away from the sounds of silence.
11. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese tastes the same cooked over a Coleman stove as it does cooked in our home kitchens.
12. Ticks are painless and you only know you have one on you if you really examine your whole naked body.
13. Unitarians can have fun at a “christian” festival, or at least a “spiritual” festival.
14. Heat does strange things to people, and a good night’s sleep works wonders.
15. Duct tape doesn’t fix everything.
16. It’s really pretty easy to strike up a conversation with a stranger.
17. Kids need an ice-breaker (glo-sticks) too when meeting new kids.
18. Jim Wallis’s advice to our leaders (President Obama) is easier said than done.
19. North Caroline is a very pretty state.
20. Ostrich burgers taste a little like beef and a little like chicken.
21. If you’re going to camp on an incline, you absolutely should not put your nylon sleeping bag on a slick air mattress.
22. My skepticism a year ago when I first heard about them wanting to hold a Wild Goose Festival this year is not something I’m proud of.
23. 2 sprained ankles don’t slow me down much, unless I sit for a couple of hours and then try to walk on them.
24. Robert Dana is the “go-to” parent for my granddaughters when everything else fails to comfort them.
25. I am delighted when someone comes up to MaryAnn and asks her what her last name is and upon hearing it they say “I’ve read your stuff” (or something to that effect).
26. I can actually go 4 whole days camping without getting one mosquito bite (and no, I never even touched the bug spray).
27. Sunscreen is not ever overrated, and I’ve got an appointment with a dermatologist to check out that strange little spot on my arm.
28. Porta-potties aren’t all that bad, if they are tended to regularly (but you still shouldn’t look down).
29. Poison ivy can easily be avoided.
30. Wild blackberries are sometimes not black, but red, and wonderfully sour.
31. When carting my camping gear from my apartment to the metro, I got tons of stares from people, probably thinking “well, there goes another homeless person.”
32. I can still dump a ton of money on a 4-day campout if there are books and CDs to buy.
33. Crackle Barrel is still the go-to place for Val-o-milks, biscuits, and fried okra.
34.Walmart doesn’t have everything one needs.
35. The engineering of outdoor camping gazebos has changed over the years, for the better.
36. A Barbie movie on my iPad is a good thing to wind down to, if you’re 5 and 8 years old.
37. Not hearing the news for 4 days isn’t the end of the world.
38. Having enough wifi to see that NY passed marriage equality on Friday night was a thrill.
39. I can actually go several hours after I wake up without coffee.
40. Clogs are not as good as tennis shoes when walking over uneven terrain.
41. How does anyone camp without having bags of ice, readily available?
42. Music soothes the soul, but sometimes you just wish they would have closed the Main Stage a little earlier.
43. It was fun to camp with the families, but I sometimes wondered what kind of mischief the other campers were getting in to.
44. Although camping at Woodstock ’99 prepared me for any camping experience I may have going forward, Wild Goose was no Woodstock (but that’s a good thing) (although I loved Woodstock!)
45. Really enjoyed my Monday back at work…sitting at my desk, in A/C, with a potty down the hall, and all my creature comforts.
46. You don’t need a man to set up a tent.
47. Kids can go days without ever missing the fact that they haven’t had a bath.
48. Just when you think you’ve got it all planned out, it’s necessary to hit the reset button, make a new plan, and go with it. We learned from Friday and Saturday benefitted from it.
49. I-95 isn’t always horrendous.
50. I want to go again next year.