PorcFest 2008

The last 7 days have been a whirlwind. Monday started with a hot and nearly unbearable afternoon of driving and setting up camp. We registered for the event and then made our way to the Ice Cream social. A welcome event due to the heat. This year we discovered there is a swimming pool. Amazing the things you don't realize are there until you actually desire it. Long hot days can do that.
Tuesday was far too hot to enjoy much else but swimming, but when evening rolled around, the Sakal CAI Fun Tent (with free and open bar all week long) hosted Taproom Tuesday. I got my free PorcFest mug for being a Free Talk Live Amplifier :) That night, a HUGE thunderstorm walloped the campground.
Wednesday morning was spent drying out tents, chairs, clothes, and other items that were unprotected by the downpour. We managed to go to an outdoor shoot with shotguns, rifles, and handguns. I was able to try out the P220 .45 I carried all week, a P229 .40 I may actually end up purchasing, an AR-15, a P3AT, and a few others I can't remember (see photos). Apparently, according to some Free Staters, I'm a pretty good shot. Tamber and Daniel both shot the P3AT and some of the rifles. Tamber shot his first shotgun. We returned to camp for a late lunch. Daniel discovered that the creek had crawfish, turtles, frogs, salamanders and who knows what else (TICKS!). I hardly saw him except when he turned up with a new discovery in his hands.
Thursday morning was the indoor shoot hosted by Gun Owners of New Hampshire. I became a member on the spot :) I tried a few more new guns, but the one that REALLY got my attention was the Springfield XD 9mm. I shot a extremely tight grouping around the bullseye at 25 yards that made me blush. I am getting extremely comfortable with the protocols of handgun safety and use. I think the rifle shooting I did for years is starting to transfer to my handgun shooting.

Friday, Sat, and Sunday was when the main crowd showed up for the Expo, live music, Free Talk Live broadcasts, and other festivities. The kids really enjoyed hanging out in the Fun Tent playing board games. Tamber discovered a penchant for playing Risk.

I swear he played for 8 hours total by the time the weekend was over. He won several times as well. They had a Wii set up too. Later in the evening as more and more people (including Laconia Bike Week attendees) started showing up at the campground, security came in several times to try and keep the noise down. It was a feeble attempt. Someone even mentioned a bounty of $100 to find the person who complained.

All in all, it was a fun and successful PorcFest. I've only touched on the tip of the iceberg here. Eli made new friends, Angel had so many it was hard to keep track. She loves people. There were a lot of kids near her age or a bit older there. It was very good for her. Tamber won the DDR competition!! Daniel was in discovery mode all week.

Check out the photos on my Flickr to catch a glimpse of the festivities (and open carry...legal handguns EVERYWHERE!)