Tucson Bloggers Meet Up

Bloggers are a solitary bunch.  We sit at computers and type to friends we've never seen nor can ever hope to see.  We read one another's work and admire and comment and wonder - what is she really like in person?

Yesterday, Chicago Gal and I found out.

 

Becca invited me to a Mom It Forward meet-up.  That sentence can be parsed into an entire post of its own : she left the initial invitation in a long comment available to the eyes of anyone who took the time to read it; she's a young mom with a great camera and she lives here in Tucson but our lives don't intersect anyplace except in the blogosphere; Ashleigh Burroughs captivated her but she invited Suzi to the event; Mom It Forward is a great name but what is it?; a meet up???

How cool have I become?  First Alice Cooper, now a 21st century be-in .... younger readers can click over to Wikipedia for insight into the 60's version ... I am on the cutting edge here, denizens.

After milk shakes and fries at Johnny Rockets, Chicago Gal held the traffic at bay as I walker-hopped across University Avenue to the courtyard where Ben's Bells is headquartered.  

Thirty or forty bloggers and their children were gathered around tables under the trees.  It was a perfect Tucson spring day - light breeze, bright sunshine, moderate temperatures and friendly folks.  

I do so love my town.

We sat under trees, and their usual inhabitants greeted us with songs and excrement - in our hair (see left) and on our t-shirts and on our arms.  We were a happy group, we just laughed.

Our task was simple - three coats of the same color glaze on the big flowers and pretty decorations on the little ones

 Here's what it looked like :

We had long pointed sticks which fit neatly into styrofoam blocks to enable our creations to dry more quickly.

There were swag bags

and extremely wonderful t-shirts

and lots and lots of food and drink

But mostly there was laughter and joy and story telling and sorrow sharing.  There was surprise when a face was attached to a commenter (Hi, Leah!) and there was sympathy and understanding - whether the subject was increasing readership or a personal tragedy.  

Ben's Bells has a way of doing that to people.

Neatness didn't count... at least as far as my fingers were concerned.... and that was a good thing.  

Chicago Gal washed her hands carefully after we were finished.  

I took my paint home as a special memento.

Mom It Forward is coming to Tucson - bloggers doing a good deed once a month, sharing love and laughter, gifts and hugs, and getting out from behind the computer to see who the rest of us are.

Thanks, Becca, for including me.