• One was that Bob Isaacs was calling, and after dancing with him at Pinewoods, and enjoying the dances he's written, I looked forward to a weekend of dancing to his calling - and he was great. I had also heard good things about the other caller, Linda Leslie, and she lived up to my high expectations as well.
• I also had greatly enjoyed one of the bands, the Rhythm Rollers, in New England. This talented group includes the legendary Bob McQuillen. The other bands (the Guppies and the Raggedy Anns) were unknown to me, but were also great.
• I had also heard about the location: the Monte Toyon Conference Center. It really was an incredible thing, to be dancing in the middle of a redwood forest. I stayed in a dorm and was glad, as it got pretty darn cold at night!

As usual, I did "work trade", which meant getting to camp early to set up. Dave offered to drive me there and then pick me up on Sunday so he could dance at the public "post weekend" dance in Monterey. My "bosses" were wonderful: clear instructions, reasonable requests, constructive feedback and appreciative comments. I helped setup the dorms, including fragrance free toiletries, and then helped to close down at the end of the weekend. I also had the fun of setting out snacks (and cleaning up afterwards). It's always fun to be appreciated by hungry dancers - and to get first dibs on the best food! Another task was to help take tables and chairs out of the way to convert the dining hall into the English dance hall. That was my least favorite task, since I had to interrupt people's after-meal conversation in order to get the work done, but I managed to be nice about it.

I didn't know a lot of people coming into this dance, but I found the community to be friendly and open to new folks. Most dancers were strong, and the few beginners were fast learners. The evening dances were the best, maybe because folks came in a party mood. During the day, I enjoyed the workshops and even spent a little time in the "English" dance hall.

As usual, it was fun to share my "story" with folks. A few became "buddies" that I've run into at other dances ("Hi Dan!"). I even got an offer from new friends to camp at their house when I go to the Seattle Folk Life Festival ("Thanks Jeff and Carol!").

Yep, it was a weekend well worth attending. And the Sunday night dance with Bob calling to the Rollers in Monterey was excellent as well!