EREfest Quail Haven, September 2024

[AxelHeyst]

### Save the Date: Weekend of September 13, 2024.

Latest details and logistics will be at https://tylerjdisney.com/erefest so you don’t have to wade through this thread looking for them.

Details tbd. Like last year, but better. We’ll have breakfast this time, for example.

Also we might stretch it out to be 5-7 days of organized core days instead of just 2.5.

Questions, ideas, proposals, etc are welcome in this thread. Think about whether your comment belongs as an idea here or as feedback in the 2023 fest thread:
viewtopic.php?t=12684

[guitarplayer]

U, nice. I told DW, she seems half interested (thought hard to definitely say she was doing yoga and in an unusual pose).

We would need to do some thinking to justify the intercontinental trip. If it happens I am there, I am up for doing dishes.

[jennypenny]

How far are you from Ventura? The Heirloom Expo is mid-September in Ventura.

[AxelHeyst]

160miles / 3hr drive QH>Ventura.

[2Birds1Stone]

DW and I are in.

[Crusader]

Just wanted to say that if the core days end up being extended to 5-7 days, for us working folk, it makes sense to reserve a whole week so that we can come, for example, on Saturday, and leave the next Sunday, so that we can only take 5 days off. If it doesn't get stretched out, then having the core days around the weekend makes sense.

In either case, I think it's a good idea to figure out the core days earlier rather than later, as airfares will start to increase the closer we get to the date.

[AxelHeyst]

Agreed. Some options:
Weekend A: Core Days are Saturday and Sunday.
Recommend arrive no later than Friday evening and leave no earlier than Monday morning.

Weekend B: Core Days are Friday and Saturday.
Recommend arrive no later than Thursday evening and leave no earlier than Sunday morning.

Full Week C: Core Days are Sunday through Saturday.
Recommend arrive no later than Saturday night and leave no earlier than Sunday morning.

--

My intuition is that setting 5+ days as core days, even if effort was taken to make them not as packed and intense as a weekend affair, is a big lift for a crew that skews introvert. My preference for things like this is to have a shorter, intense experience that I can show up for, execute, and then come down into myself in solitude to digest and integrate. So I think sticking with a core weekend is the way to go, but I'm interested in counteropinions.

Between options A and B, B is preferred from a traffic in and out of LA perspective. Thursday traffic isn't going to be as heinous as Friday traffic. But ears are open to preferences there.

With whatever we decide, folks are welcome to arrive up to a week in advance and stay a week longer. As with 2023, come with a plan for cooperative self-sufficiency for non-Core days. Assume no access to main house, so it'll be cooking in Serenity or car-camping setups and bathing/toilet in the Grove. It's possible but unlikely I'll have built much infrastructure beyond what exists now.

I stress cooperative self-sufficiency to make it as clear as I can that I'm not expecting people to be 100% self-contained and knowledgeable about how to survive Quail Haven solo without any further information. If you like the idea of coming early but aren't sure how that'd work logistically, or you don't have a stove or some other kit, or you're confused by the public transportation instructions, or you want a ride, ask for help or advice! That's sort of the whole point of fest, to come together and help each other solve problems, and to learn to trust our networks of competent badass internet friends. I'm intentionally not fastidiously pre-solving every single problem I can think of that anyone might have, because I'm not trying to bogart all the fun for myself. Get thyself here and we won't let you starve, freeze, blow away, or fry.

[Crusader]

Given the public transport schedule (Kern Transit - won't mention the exact days/bus number to prevent doxxing), what works best depends on how many core days there will be:
2 days -> Saturday + Sunday
3-4 days -> Saturday + Sunday + Monday and/or Friday (and as you said, Friday would probably be better)
5+ days -> at this point, people should probably arrive on Saturday the weekend before and leave on Sunday (or shift this by one week forward)

[AxelHeyst]

Cool. I'll give it a think, and people opportunity to weigh in, and then lock in the days in a week.

[Crusader]

Sorry, I made a mistake… for 4 core days, what makes sense would be Saturday + Sunday + ((Thursday + Friday) OR (Monday + Tuesday))

[grundomatic]

My first thought was more days = more fun. Then I talked to DW, and was reminded of our rule for deciding when to leave events: leave while everyone is still having fun. It's also a game design principle--a good game will end just a little before you want it to. The same probably applies here. Still, I can't help myself, so I'll vote for a long weekend, Fri-Sun as cores. Of course, maybe I could satisfy my desire for more, more, more socializing by just showing up early to help out, though I wonder if @Quadeloupe spoiled you, as I doubt I am the workhorse he is.

[Jean]

I just want to state that me not coming, is not because i haven't greatly enjoyed the 2023 edition, but because i'de have to miss most of the deer season to attend.

[sodatrain]

Oh! I've not spent enough time on the forum and am excited to see that we have tentative dates already! Thanks @AH. Putting this on my calendar for sure. Will do my best to be there again.

@Jean - it will be a bummer to miss you this year but we all know how important the deer hunting is to you! so good luck and hopefully we will see you another time.

@grundomatic - I'm impressed that you and DW. have an established rule for deciding when to leave! I haven't thought about that - just have a pretty high comfort level with the Irish Goodbye as my method

I **loved** my experience in 2023 - showed up a few days early and got to ease into the situation/group (i'm in an introvert) for a few days before the core days and then really was able to enjoy the full group too. It was way out of my (historical at least) comfort zone to show up in the middle of the dessert for a week with a group of people I had never met before and had only gotten to know a little on the forum. What a fantastic risk to take tho - absolutely wonderful meaningful week.

My main suggestions for improvement - a bit more shade and a bit more structure or pre-planning the skill sessions. They came together beautifully and I think it could be even more meaningful this year!

[ffj]

Can you define what a "core day is or isn't"? Thanks

[AxelHeyst]

A core day is where there's a Plan / structure of meals and events. Non-core days are completely informal and no meals explicitly provided.

On core days there will be breakfast, lunch and dinner meals planned and coordinated ahead of time, and workshop/activity slots. A core day for fest2024 might look something like:

• coffee and light breakfast stuff out for people set out by 0700.
• 0830 a group walk.
• 1000 morning workshop
• 1200 midday meal
• 1330 afternoon workshop 1
• 1500 afternoon workshop 2
• evening meal, campfire

Everything is voluntary, anyone could do all or none. Go to the workshops that look interesting, skip meals if you IF, etc. Introverts gonna introvert so it was common to find someone off by themselves reading a book, recharging, while others were in a workshop or chatting by the hearth.

On non-core days, there are no planned workshops or activities and no 'official' plan for meals. This is the cooperative self sufficiency part. In 2023 most of the 4-8 people who were here before the weekend informally chatted about what ingredients they had plus what was in my pantry and someone took over the kitchen in Serenity (Jean, mostly, iirc). On the Monday after the weekend as most people were leaving I cranked out pancakes for an hour and a half.

My main suggestions for improvement - a bit more shade and a bit more structure or pre-planning the skill sessions.

Yes! And at minimum some light / easy food put out for breakfast. Not everyone IFs and a lot of people were on more Eastern time zone'd stomachs. Big lesson learned there for me, a duh in retrospect.

[sodatrain]

I'll bring coffee again!

Core day schedule looks perfect!

[AxelHeyst]

Okay: core days are Saturday and Sunday, September 14 and 15. I recommend you arrive no later than Friday evening and leave no earlier than Monday morning. Arriving days earlier and staying later is very encouraged!

I'll repeat this often: traffic out of LAX sucks all of the time. The worst time is Friday afternoon. Other airport options exist: Bakersfield airport, Ontario airport, Las Vegas (further away but you'll be counter-commuting, and if you go through Death Valley it's more interesting).

[kotton]

Hi. Muchas gracias for wanting to organize and host again! I had no idea last year had happened. Are you planning to keep number of attendees under a max (20, for example)? I am in Europe and would like to join if schedule permits.

[AxelHeyst]

I think we could handle 20-40 without much issue. If more than 40 people rsvp.... that could get interesting. My inclination is to adapt and overcome rather than set an attendance cap, but that'd require a higher level of organization and preparation.

[2Birds1Stone]

How are you accepting RSVP? Asking for a friend