Announcing Sandy Camp VI!!!

Prepare yourself!! It's Sandy Camp time again!! With the cancellation of National Conference, “the Evolution of Polymer Clay”, it has freed us up to plan for our annual retreat. This year, our sixth!!, will be more of a retreat versus a conference. (The difference being conferences have classes, retreats have demos only). Your calendars need to be marked for Wednesday November 10 - Monday, November 15, 2004. As always, you can come for any or all of that time.

We will be having our retreat at our favorite spot: Warner Springs Ranch. This lovely facility is located 80 miles north of San Diego, just outside of Julian. You can check out their facility at their website: http://www.warnersprings.com/ This is convenient for all of southern California as well as the southwest US. Flights into SD are plentiful but you will need to rent a car if you are flying in, due to the distance to get to WSR.

This year, we will be using a huge tent that they have recently added to their facility. It is completely handicap friendly. The electrical use for this area will light up a small city so we have no fear that we will blow any circuits. There will be plenty of heaters for the evenings for those that want to play with clay till the wee hours (if you aren’t in the hot mineral pools!!). (Remember, if you have any items you would hate to have missing in the morning, take them to your room when you leave for the evening. We have never had theft of any kind but we do not want to have anyone missing anything this year and wreck our record).

The bad news is: Howard will not have the Clay Factory there on-site for us this year. But all is not lost. If you need anything, just order ahead and he can mail it to you. (We are checking into having it mailed directly to WSR if you need that to lighten your trip to the retreat). The good news: I am working on the consignment issue and will post the details for that later.

Our demo list has started but it's far from complete and still tentative:

syndee holt, Ellie Hitchcock, Elissa “Heart” Powell, Christie Friesen, Donna Kato,  Judy Summer, Janet Pitcher and Kelly Steindorf, Judith Skinner, Dawn Schiller, Lisa Pavelka, Bonnie Mraz, Dotty McMillan, Marie Segal, Have Eisenson, Sally Morgan and more...

If you are interested in demoing, please email Ellie at Jhitchc1@san.rr.com.

We will again have a “Bottles of Hope” challenge. We will have a variety of categories that you can enter your bottles into. We will be taking these polymer clay covered bottles as gifts to cancer patients at a local hospital where they go for their treatments, so please be prepared to part with them. Patients really appreciate the little gift after going through their chemo or radiation. (We will supply the bottles for you to cover) Winners will be announced immediately following the “Family Feast” on Saturday night.

Our “Raffle Queen” jjjjami miller will again be running our annual raffles (a.k.a "opportunity drawings"). If you are interested in donating anything to the ‘opportunity drawings’, please email Jami with your name and item descriptions. jjjjami@aol.com  

Registrations for this wonderful adventure are: SDPCG members $25.00, non-members $35.00. This includes your work space and the "Family Feast" on Saturday night. And we are excited to have a wonderful wine selection donated by Jacquard! www.jaquardproducts.com

Please contact Warner Springs Ranch to book your room at groups@warnersprings.com and mention Sandy Camp. (Or call group sales at 760)782-4213 and ask for Jennifer). The costs for your sleeping rooms are $98.10 (this includes $8.10 for tax) and this room can sleep three. If you want a fourth in your room, please let them know and they will have a rollaway bed for you to use. If you do not have any roommates, WSR can arrange to place you in a room with others that are staying the same days you are- whenever possible.

The cost of the room is split between the occupants in the room- not per person, as in other facilities. So it will be sleeping rooms $32.70 per night if you have three in the room. The rooms are great and have fireplaces for that cozy feel in November! Borrow one of the great library books that we have to look over at night and get inspired for the next day- if the demos aren’t enough!

As far as food  goes, you are on your own. Every room has a small refrigerator. You can store the food you bring with you from home or the store in it or bring a large cooler- if the refrigerator isn't large enough for three people. NOTICE: THERE IS NO COOKING IN YOUR ROOMS -  of any kind. They will charge you a heavy fine if housekeeping finds any cooking tools, including crock pots or third burners, etc. (Due to the recent fires that leveled San Diego, I am sure everyone can understand this). Don't forget that there is a fabulous dining room on-site and a lovely cafe at the golf course across the street too! Julian, Ramona and Temecula are close enough to take a little side trip for those with the adventurous bone in their body. Julian and Ramona, for those traveling to SD, are considered rural. Temecula has grown so much, it is a 'real' city now. There are also casinos within a 30-45 minute drive for the risk-takers in our midst.

Warner Springs Ranch needs to hear from everyone planning on coming by October 1, 2004. If you have not made your plans by then, you may not be able to get a cabin. If there is room, you will be put into one, of course. But our room guarantee runs out 10/1. If you want to join us just for the day, the day use fee applies. It is $35 for the day and is payable to WSR. If you are coming just for the Family Feast day and night, and to visit without using a work station, registration is $12.00 plus the day use fee. (So it’s cheaper to come as a registered attendee, even for one day).

To guarantee your spot at SCVI, you can mail your registration fees to Susan Berkowitz.

Please make your checks

payable to SDPCG and mail to:

Susan Berkowitz

c/o SDPCG

P.O. Box 27142 San Diego 92198

If we still have spots available in November, you are more than welcome to join us. However, if we fill up, you will miss out on the time of your life. Email Susan if you want to know if there is still room for you up till the last minute. berkowitzs@hotmail.com

If you have any questions that are not answered here, please email Pam at itstime@san.rr.com

-Clay and tools (pasta machine, blades, etc) (In the past, we have been know to over-pack. You will need to be aware that there is not an unlimited amount of work space but we will also not have the ‘store’ right there if you have forgotten anything. So plan well).

-Work station lighting (OTT lights)

-Work surface
-Extension cords and power strips (marked with your name)

-twin sheet to cover your work station each night

-notebook for demo notes
-food for share table (snackage)
-gear for hot springs: bathing suits, bath robe, flip flops, towels if you want your own- they supply towels at the pools but they aren't huge;
-flashlight
-Tennies for walking
-Jacket for evenings
-Coolers if small fridge isn't large enough
-Firewood for fireplaces in rooms (bundles available for purchase in the lodge)
-coffee maker for room (IF YOU MUST) NO OTHER COOKING IS ALLOWED IN ROOMS. There is a stiff fine for doing so. (Coffee is available in the lodge all day long)
-clocks for room