LBLD First Time Attendee

[prairienyx]

I am being invited to LBLD this year by friends in the pagan community. I'm new to spiritual ceremonies and new to the event myself and I wanted to find out a bit more about what to bring and what to expect. (I'm a transgender lesbian and wanted to ask about what I might expect and whether I should "lay low", try to be gender appropriate, or simply relax and mingle.)

I have absolutely no idea what to expect... is this more a pagan group, a nudist event, or an "anything goes" (within limits) gathering of people who accept anyone as they are.

Just sort of trying to find my place, since I lack a lot of basic information. :-)

Thank you!

Prairie Nyx

[lelelelilly]

hiyas! :) this is my first year going to LBLD as well, i'm going with a friend who has gone several times. but i did go to Earth Day earlier this year, and the people who came to that were very open, friendly people who only seemed to want everyone to feel free to be themselves. :)

i don't know if it's the same bunch of people, but i can only imagine that it will be the same KIND of people. do whatever you're comfortable doing, be whoever you're comfortable being, i think that's all anyone expects. ^_^

see you there!

[Rusila the Red]

What to expect at LBLD? That is a good question. You can expect almost anything at Laid Back, and there is no wrong way to "be". Laid Back was started as a fundraiser for camp and an end-of-season party for our volunteers, and has morphed into that plus more.

You will find a gathering of people who love the land, themselves and each other, and like to have fun! Some will be in costume, some will be in nothing, and some will be in various stages of dress depending on time of day and mood. You might want to bring a sarong, which is pretty much standard Gaea attire.

There are some common-sense rules in place to protect us from ourselves, but you can't go wrong if you follow the three cardinal rules of Gaea: respect the land, respect others and respect yourself. Follow those three rules and you will be in good shape.

See you at Laid Back!

[Jennephelle]

Hello!
I don't forsee any problems honey, people seem to be pretty cool up there. If you'd like, stop by for a glass of wine (provided you are of age.) We'll be in Davawood. Look for the LGBT pride ribbons! :D
Loves
Jenn & Julie

[prairienyx]

(I can't type a private message until I've posted 10 times, the way vBulletin is set up, so I apologize for responding this way.) :-)

Jennephelle,

I appreciate your invitation to visit... and I'll try to track you down. I'm coming on Thursday night to help the couple who invited me (they are flying in from Los Gatos).

I don't know Davawood from any other place, but I'll be eager to find out where to camp. My friends think they want to go to this "open meadow" area... and I've been told a lot of people are in a wooded area that requires a lot of walking.

My interest is to socialize, go swimming, and generally to take it all in! :-) I'm going to be eating sparingly, so I'm probably coming with a cooler and dry goods... and maybe I'll buy some ala carte items rather than the full $50 meal plan.

One real question... if I have camp supplies for 3 adults (two tents, chairs, sun fly, etc)... are you allowed to get close with a pickup truck to unload, or do you have to park and somehow haul it all in?

And how far is far, if you do have to walk everything in to a camp site. :-)

Thanks for your advice and information! :-)

Prairie Nyx (aka Joni)
http://www.facebook.com/prairienyx

[KC1]

Davawood is the first camping area as you drive up the hill - the road basically circles around it.

Depending on the weather, land conditions and where you choose to camp dictates the ability to drive close to where you camp and unload - then move you vehicle to a parking area. In Dava, generally you can unload right where you are camping. Even if you temporarily park on the side of the road, you are no more that 20 yards or so from any camping area in Dava. However, in Elysium, you park where the entrance is, and it depends how far back you choose to camp as to how far you carry your stuff. That can be 20 yards or possibly 150 yards or more if you go to the back edge of Elysium. Open meadow is a broad description, could be First field or the camping areas at the beach. Both of them are certainly more open than Dava, but a few areas of shade are available in each. Both of these require a little more hauling, perhaps as much as 200 yards, guesstimating, again depending on how far back you choose to go.

Please ask when you arrive and decide where you are camping before assuming it is OK to drive. There will be plenty of us around that weekend with knowledge of where you can drive or not. Once you arrive and get set up, you will move your vehicle to a parking field/are and leave it there for the weekend.

Hope this helps.

Morris
Cabin Sponsor and Friend of Gaea