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Vanguard Fourth
Saturday, July 4, 1998 I putzed around idly at home today. I did subscribe to a fannish email list called timebinders, due to Victor and Andy Hooper's promptings. By a vast coincidence, the third message I got from the list consisted of Lenny Bailes and Jerry Kaufman disputing about the Fen Journalers burb list, maintained by Luke Mcguff. Something I actually knew something about! Luke says he got the notion last summer from an idle comment of mine, and I designed the page and logo. I had already offered Bluejack a ride to Vanguard, the monthly social gathering of our Fan community in Seattle, since I knew he was still staying with relatives on the east side and didn't have a car. He mailed me directions to the place, and invited me to come by earlier for a barbecue, if I wanted to. Regular readers know that I love to be invited places, so of course I was very pleased to go! The day had turned cool and damp, not the best day for a barbecue, so when I arrived at Bluejack's grandparents' house, we all gathered around the dining room table instead of hanging out in the back yard. Various relations were there or arrived later. It was all very low-key and comfortable. We chatted about various topics, work, growing up, holiday traditions. I let Bluejack tell about exactly how he knows me from online, since I was unclear about what to say. The family was charming! We feasted on barbecued chicken, baked beans, salad, and a beautiful cake prepared by a cousin, with the American flag done with strawberries and blueberries. We drove off to Vanguard, which was at Laurie Kipps' house. Last year she hosted Vanguard in August, and it was quite warm. Tonight was cool and drizzly, but she had covered the courtyard with a large tarp, so we could sit outside in comfort. Some folks went up a ladder to her roof, to see the fireworks in the distance, but I contented myself with listening to them.
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