Relay Remembered..sort of.

Your faithful Sheep returns from The South Portland Relay For Life a wee bit sunburned, a lot bit tired and with a whole new appreciation for survivors of both cancer and camping. Here's a little recap that is going to be done in the Wednesday tradition of Bullet Posting since even the Nap Of Champions that I took today has done little to completely restore me to a full and upright position. First up...

Sponsorship:

*You all helped me to meet my fundraising goal! You rock!!! I can't thank you enough...but I'll try! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Arrival At The Relay (Sheep Style):

*I landed at South Portland High School promptly at 5:30 pm. (no link to their site...they were my high school's arch rival and while I will walk their track for a good cause, I will not facilitate your getting there to visit via the internets. It is tradition...)

*I then wandered the fields for an hour and a half looking for my team. None of the tent sites were marked. I only knew two of my teammates. The nice people at the registration booth were trained in "nice" and not "helpful" Thank heavens that I was located while standing helplessly at home plate by Future Sister In Law Sheep (formerly known as New Girlfriend Sheep Who We Like and whose new title is more to my liking!!!!)...if not for her, I might still be there.

*I found a chair and sat for an hour. I was tired after all the site searching and dodging security after the site searching because I was starting to look at bit stalkerish after the first thirty minutes or so...

*Being tired before you start even walking laps is probably not a good sign. But, in this case, I was able to power through!


And, for your viewing pleasure, may I present...The Dreaded Track Of Endless Walking:

In the nice bright sunshine, it doesn't really look so tough...

The Weather:

*I was rather warm when I got there. I feared that I may have overdressed.

*By 7:00, it was clear that being overdressed was the least of my problems.

*It was cold. I'm not talking, "gee, I'd better throw on a fashionable sweater" cold. I'm talking "wear everything you packed and hope for the best" kind of cold. Sometime around midnight, I began to wonder how many of us would actually survive the night. Would we be found by rescuers in the morning having lost half of our numbers and getting ready to consume them for sustenance? Was I really hearing the hungry howl of a wolf in the wee hours of the morning? Or was that just the DJ announcing that it was time for the "Pajama Walk And Pizza Party?"

*Whomever may be the higher power you consider to be your personal go-to guy/gal, would you mind sending them a big shout out on behalf of Trek who sent me that Socks That Rock Yarn? Without it and the resulting socks, I would have lost at least a toe.

*It was so cold that you could tell who was partaking of the lukewarm cocoa and coffee that was being handed out. Their breath was visible. If you are like me and afraid of the Porta-Potties, then you couldn't have cocoa or coffee. Seriously, people...I didn't just learn how to pee standing up, I actually mastered the fine art of levitation!

*There was little in the way of knitting or spindling despite my having ample time in which to do it. I had to wear gloves. I wore them at all times. I slept in them. I wore them to the Porta-Potties. (I'll be burning them later, never fear!)

The Campsite:

*This year's theme was "Pirates!!"

I'd say that these speak for themselves, really...

Sheep Bling:

*One of the prizes that was donated to my sponsorship drawing was a set of stitch markers designed by the famous Mouse herself! I wore mine proudly throughout the Relay and told anyone and everyone from whence they came! They were much admired!

This was taken this morning when I got home. Be glad that recent technological advances do not include "Aroma Blogging." 'Nuff said...

Technical Difficulties:

*There wasn't much time for picture taking. But the Luminaria Lighting would have made for good shots. These are bags of sand that contain a candle. This simplest of things is used to make the most powerful of statements. Families and friends put out a bag in memory of one lost to or still fighting cancer. They line the track. For two hours, a list of names scrolls across the Jumbo Screen as we walk the track and look at these bags decorated with the names of those who are there in spirit only. For that time, they are the only light on the track.

*This was a bad time for my camera battery to give out. The campsite pictures were taken with my cell phone this morning once I remembered that I had it.

*But the camera held on long enough for this and this is really what mattered:

SA