LAZY2008

Redux: Guerneville is located 75 miles northwest of San Francisco sheltered in the coast range mountains, surrounded by tall redwoods and bounded by the meandering Russian River. This weekend, the summer days were warm enough and evenings were ultimately cool. The truly awesome atmosphere among the 5,500 or so Bears was as usual relaxed, friendly and festive. Again, I attribute the mellow atmosphere in part to good organization by designating the daily 'hot' and 'mild' sites and the opening of new venues which helped spread out the crowds. In addition to four resorts' pool areas, there were nightly dances, the nightly non-bonfire (hush-hush bears) at the Campground, evening entertainment, the riotous Sisters' Shirtless Bingo, beer busts and barbecues and more. Tent cities provided their own entertainment; canoeing was popular; wine tasting opportunities abounded; and even beachcombing attracted as the Pacific Ocean is just 12 miles away.

The brainchild of Harry Lit and partner Allen Eggman, Lazy Bear Weekend was conceived as a warm and fuzzy entrepreneurial venture whose goal was to combine the casual fun of a resort weekend with a concerted charitable FUNdraising effort. On this its 13th year, The Friends of Sacramento co-hosted the event with additional help from the Bears of San Francisco and many others. The few thousand bears converged on every resort room and campground in the area and were as always eagerly welcomed by local businesses -- the Bears had fun, business was very good (the strongest 5-days for the year in Guerneville) and over $160,000 raised for numerous charities.

By the Water in the Sun By the Water in the Sun in a Grassy Field Surrounded by Redwoods in the Sun by the Water: And that is what the next 22 pages are all about. I missed the many games and the nightlife and wasn't able to get out there every day. I did what I could in a few hours most afternoon in the brightest of bright summer sunshine. Check out more photos from the Lazy Bear Weekend site. Enjoy!

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