[conspire] Saturday, June 22nd CABAL date cancelled; Midsummer at Sveadal

[Rick Moen]

You're welcome to join us.

----- Forwarded message from Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com> -----

Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:01:23 -0700
From: Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com>
To: Robert Keizer <robert at keizer.ca>
Subject: Re: How goes it
Organization: If you lived here, you'd be $HOME already.

Quoting Robert Keizer (robert at keizer.ca):

> My fiancé and I are planning on being in the area the week of June 24 - 28.
> I would love to get together if the timings work out.

I don't know if your timing would permit this, but immediately before
those dates on Saturday, June 22nd, there is a special annual event 45km
south of San Jose.  It's the Bay Area Swedish community's Midsummer Day
festival, at a place called Sveadal, which is Swedish for 'Swedish
valley'.

http://www.sveadal.org/SAPL/Midsummer.html

(I am not Swedish but rather Norwegian.  There has historically been a
great deal of bad blood between those neighbours, FWIW.)

What is the attraction, you might ask?  Well, Scandinavians and
particularly Swedes make quite a production of celebrating Midsummer
Day, probably because sunlight is such a precious thing there and is
much missed during the long depressing days of winter.  _Some_ of Canada
can certainly sympathise, but I'm not one of those Yanks who think you
all live in igloos.  ;->

One of the highlights is the raising of the large maypole at noon after
children decorate it with many flowers.  
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29967272@N06/3660182569/
And then dancing and singing.
Optionally, one can stay into the evening for a dinner under the stars.
http://www.flickriver.com/places/United+States/California/Sveadal/search/

My family goes to the daytime events almost every summer.  Through last
year, we always left in the middle of the afternoon because someone
decided we needed to go home.  This time, I'm seeing if the three of us
can agree to attend the optional dinner, too.

Sveadal is about a 45 minute drive from Silicon Valley proper, out into
the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains separating Silicon Valley from
the Pacific Ocean.  You drive out into rural ranchland and orchards, and
along outlying reservoirs, until you reach a road (Croy Road) that winds
up into the hills westwards.  Croy Road seems unpromising, a two-lane
road through dry hills that seems to be going nowhere.  You wind up for
almost 7 km, and then cross a rise and the land becomes lush and green
again.  You see this sign over the road:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lbjarke/2412280288/

And then the resort settlement of Sveadal surrounds you, which had many
cute redwood cabins owned by the Swedish-American Patriotic Association
that founded Sveadal, and rented by its members.  I small river/creek
runs through the valley, and there's a clubhouse and an outdoor pool and 
tennis and basketball courts.

Cookies and strong Svedish coffee are offered for sale at the clubhouse,
and grilled hot dogs and hamburgers on the basketball court.  However,
most attendees bring picnic lunches and eat them on the shaded grass
while enjoying the music and dancing.  And not far from the maypole
rasing, there is a fair with booths operated by Scandinavian-themed
small businesses and volunteer groups.  

It's all very rustic, plain, and homespunn -- all about children, and
families, and all of the generations celebrating summer together -- and
I like to say we know it's _properly_ summer after we've been to
Sveadal.



----- End forwarded message -----