Post Your Pictures!!!

Okay sisters, go to the SOTF Message Board to find the link to the Yahoo Group I built for all our pictures! I know, it's like a treasure hunt... I sent invites to everyone that I thought was there - sort of lost track near the end you know - so if you did not get an invite to join the Yahoo Group, check your spam folder and then let me know!! Also, if you truly don't want to post pics, you can either snail mail me a CD or you can post a message on there with a link to your photos. I built categories which might make it easier to find stuff later on and avoid a LOT of duplication. Let me know if you need any help! Hugs, Joyce

We're Almost There!!!!

Oh my gosh, take a look at this!!! Carol took these pictures just hours ago - how exciting!!! (Don't panic over that 24th thing - that's when the committee has to arrive to get everything ready for you!!)

Mazie's Birthday Party!!!

As you can see on the Final Itinerary, we will be celebrating Mazie's birthday at dinner on Friday, May 1st. The Arizona sisters have planned to dress up in vintage era (50's, 60's) clothing for Mazie's birthday party and thought that everyone should be a part of the fun! I know this is short notice - many of us are still trying to throw together prom, pj party, and beach attire - but if you have 'em, drag out your poodle skirts, bobbie socks, saddle shoes or pedal pushers and have some fun! Hey, even a retro/vintage apron thrown over whatever you're wearing will be perfect! Don't forget, Mazie's party is supposed to be a total surprise!!

Final Forms!!

Woohoo! If you check over there on the left, I have updated the Itinerary and the Checklist, and moved the Campground Map to this better hosting site. Feel free to download and print these, but, we will have copies of the Itinerary and Things To Do for you when you arrive. I swear, I will be tinkering with this blog until two minutes before I pull out of the driveway!!! See you soon!!

Another Friday Night Camping Option...

Hi Sisters! I'm posting this for one of our sisters, Karen #1088, who sadly will not be staying with us at Ventura, but she will be visiting us on Sunday, AND, get this - she has offered space at her ranch in Castaic (which is close to the I-5 and the 126) if any traveling sisters would like to stay there on Friday night!!! How cool it that??? Sisters rock!! Please let her know if you are interested - you can find her email on the SOTF message board or member listing.

Final Roster of Fishin' Sisters

Here's the list of sisters who have signed up for surf fly fishing. (Registration is officially closed for this event.)

• Mazie #0
  
• Maurrie #1
  
• Becky #2
  
• Chris #3
  
• Vicki #5
  
• Kristin #29
  
• Cathlene #25
  
• Nancy #65
  
• Vicky #94
  
• Vikki #327
  
• Carol #328
  
• Tammy #345
  
• Mary #395
  
• Joyce #425
  
• Kaarin #441
  
• Dale #494
  
• Janet #511
  
• Lori #549
  
• Tammy #683

Are you Sisters ready to go Surf Fishing?

Here are the details for the big surf flyfishing adventure during California Dreaming... and be sure to contact me directly at fish@wolffe.com if you have ANY questions...

We are fishing with Gary Bulla http://www.garybulla.com/adventures.htm

We will be fishing for the following fish:

• Barred Perch and the illusive Corbina (which we will talk about during the training)
  
• Guitar Fish (up to four feet in length)
  
• Yellowfin Croaker
  
• Walleye Perch
  
• Halibut

We will be fishing in the surf zone to catch these beauties, getting grin and gripe pictures -- can’t wait 'til the first person holds a 4 foot fish -- then releasing them -- again, just imagine a 4 foot fish...

We will be fishing on Friday, May 1st.

There will be 16 of us fishing that day with Gary and his team, one of whom I understand is our favorite Kern River "go-to-guy", Guy Jeans. http://www.kernriverflyfishing.com/about.htm

We will leave at 9:00am from the Fairgrounds, carpooling to the designated site that Gary will have maps for. This way we can leave when "we are done."

We will attend a class on the beach.

Lunch will be provided by our talented guide, Gary Bulla, and we will continue to fish until we are "done."

The casting technique will be a side arm cast, which is natural for all of us.

You will need:

• A one day California License with an Ocean Stamp. They can be purchased at any Walmart and Big 5 at east end of town.
  
• 6, 7, or 8 weight stiff, fast action rod with a 25 ft. 250 grain integrated Sink tip line. If you don't have one be sure to let me know as soon as possible so we can make sure we have enough for each one of you.
  
• Strip Basket - again, let me know if you don't have one, Gary will provide one.
  
• Waders
  
• Boots
  
• Jacket
  
• Fanny Pack (no vest)
  
• Hat
  
• Glasses
  
• Nippers
  
• Your Lanyard
  
• Suncreen
  
• Lip Protection

This is going to be an adventure and one we will not forget ....

Contact me directly if you have any questions... fish@wolffe.com

Cathlene #135

Hookups, Awnings, Early Arrival...

Here is information that should answer some of the questions we’ve received via the ol’ grapevine!

1. We are DRY camping. Not only does that mean no water hookups, it also means no power hookups. We would have preferred a location with hookups, but then no hookups also means the price was right for this prime beach location! I have a 12-volt system in my trailer for those two little itty-bitty (virtually worthless) lights, and I have a couple D-cell lanterns, but honestly, how much time will I be in my trailer… and awake??

2. Our parking guru has assured us that the plan is in place and everyone will have sufficient room for their awnings!

3. …and, we will ALL be parked on scrumptious green lawns like you see in that photo down there on the left! No parking on asphalt – woohoo!!

4. We have been asked if it would be possible to arrive on Friday night and just snooze in the parking lot until the next morning. Sadly, the answer is “No”. You can, however, arrive as early as 7:00 a.m. on Saturday. In addition to the Valencia Travel Village listed below, you may also camp at McGrath State Beach which is about five miles south of the Fairgrounds – here is a link to their website:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=607

Got more questions?? Please let us know and we'll do our best to answer them!! Four weeks and counting!!

Last Stop Before Ventura!!

Any sisters looking for a campground fairly close to Ventura to stop over and regroup for the night, check out this link for the Valencia Travel Village. It is located at the intersection of the I-5 and 126 and is about 50 miles from your final destination!
http://www.campingfriend.com/ValenciaTravelVillage/default.asp?source=ctpa

Things To Do

New stuff!! I've added a... well, another link for our "things to do list" over there under our logo! (That first hosting site liked to show you naked ladies...!) We'll be updating the Itinerary and Checklist and moving them up to the top here about two weeks before you all hit the road!

Anyone Want To Caravan?

Any sisters wanting to caravan from your area, let everyone know by posting a response here!

Cowgirl Prom & PJ Party...

Quick update to the itinerary on two “after dinner” events – the Cowgirl Prom will be held on Monday night and the PJ Party will be held on Wednesday night. As the date gets a little closer, the links to the itinerary and checklist will be updated – I only want to do that once ‘cause I have to bug our SOTF webguy for help on that one!

How Do We Get To The Fairgrounds?

Here are the directions once you get to the 101 or the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH):

If you are headed NORTH on 101 - Exit at Seaward – there are two left turn lanes – be sure to be in the “rightmost” one, it is the “trailer friendly” one. Once you turn left onto Seaward, you will then turn right onto Harbor Blvd. It will not matter which of the two lanes you are in on Harbor, as they will merge into one at some point. Continue west – you will pass a couple hotels, and then come upon a stunning view of the beach - stay focused! LOL! You will then pass the Crown Plaza hotel (where some sisters are staying) and you come to Figueroa – you’ll see the Fairgrounds and signs on the “upper left hand corner” of this intersection – turn left and follow the signs!

Headed North:
If you are headed SOUTH on 101 - Exit at Seaward and turn right. You will then turn right onto Harbor Blvd. It will not matter which of the two lanes you are in on Harbor, as they will merge into one at some point. Continue west – you will pass a couple hotels, and then come upon a stunning view of the beach! Stay focused! LOL! You will then pass the Crown Plaza Hotel (where some sisters are staying) and you come to Figueroa – you’ll see the Fairgrounds and signs on the “upper left hand corner” of this intersection – turn left and follow the signs!

Headed South:

All of you who are mapping this out will find other offramps that are closer to the Fairgrounds, but California traffic is legendary and we have provided you with the very best trailer and caravan friendly way to avoid it in this area! See you soon!!!

So... Exactly WHERE Are We Camping???

In response to the "where are we camping" questions, I have placed a partial map of the Ventura County Fairgrounds down there on the left. It has some important areas highlighted, but to view it full size, you'll need to click on that little square-within-a-square thing in its upper left hand corner. Please note how CLOSE we are to the beach!!!

Did We Mention The Cowgirl Prom???

Another night of side-splitting hilarity - this is your chance to finally wear that ultimate prom dress that you wanted with every fiber of your being, but one or both parents firmly stated "No daughter of mine is walking out the door in THAT!" Okay, maybe not. At the very least, think of this as an opportunity to leave a nice chunk of change at your local thrift shop! This photo is just a sample of what you can accomplish… more stunning photos are to be found on some of our Yahoo Groups…. again, this will be a judged event with more prizes!

Latest Information!!!

Wow, California Dreamin’ is only 3 months from now, and we are having so much fun planning this event for all of you. Here is an explanation of some of the events taking place and other information about where we will be and what we’ll be doing.

Registration

The deadline for your final payment is February 14. We may be able to take additional registrations after this date, but it will be depend on availability. So don’t hesitate to ask if you think you will be able to come; we will try to accommodate everyone.

Rhinestone Cowgirl Cocktail Party

This takes place on Sunday evening at a local venue where we will enjoy drinks and very substantial appetizers. The attire for the evening is as much Cowgirl BLING as you can wear: Rhinestone earrings, necklaces, tiaras, sequins, whatever strikes your fancy. Make your wardrobe as over-the-top as you can, it is so much fun! There will be prizes given for the most outrageous getup.

Cowgirl Pajama Party

One evening during the week we will have a pajama party after dinner. Wear your craziest cowgirl pajamas, nightgowns, whatever it is you sleep in, or not. We will have judges and be awarding prizes. Another silly event to keep us all laughing.

Bike Rides

Be sure to bring your bicycles. Molly #190 and Kati #189 have volunteered to lead some rides on the bike paths that run along the beach and others that climb a trail into the hills and on to Ojai for those who have the stamina for more difficult terrain.

Show ‘n Shine

This will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. We have invited the public to visit us and our trailers. Donations will be accepted from the public and given to the local Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. Participation is not required. If you don’t want to open your trailer for viewing and stick around, that’s perfectly fine. We know many of you enjoy showing off your trailers and talking about them and Sisters On The Fly and we’re hoping we’ll have a big turnout for this event.

Raffles

We will continue to sell raffle tickets throughout the week. Drawings will be held at breakfast and dinner every day. There will be a separate drawing for two major gifts that will be announced once we’re all in Ventura.

All of this is in addition to the Amtrak to Santa Barbara, the Reagan Library, Solvang, the surf fly fishing demonstration and fishing trip for those who have signed up, the wonderful shopping and the restaurants available within a few blocks of our camp by the beach. There are sailboat trips to the Channel Islands and deep sea fishing available to those who want to do that on their own, and so much more. You can be as busy as you like, or just hang out at the campground and relax and visit with your Sisters during this trip. It's your event, do what you like....as long as it's legal that is!