Acetarium Summer Retreat 2014

The Acetarium Summer Retreat 2014 is the Acetarium's 2014 end-of-summer retreat.

Location We've rented part of an island off Maine. Near Portland, (accessible by Amtrak), Falmouth is the native home of the Abenaki tribe, and the port of launch for Sturdivant Island. See: [1] for more information on our little bit of island.

Dates: September 4 - September 8.

Description

This trip is designed to offer a last escape and farewell to summer. It will be a time for friends to gather together and enjoy the natural beauty of Maine, sleep-in, explore, and maybe work on some projects.

Cost

$30 per night, per person. Total length of trip is 4 nights.

Payment can be made via:

Bitcoin?
Cash
Personal check made out to Alexander Ose

Refunds will be issued if something bad happens and we can't go.

Budget

In the interest of transparency, we will keep this section up-to-date with all budgetary decisions.

The total cost of the rental is $2,043 (this number includes taxes and fees).

The per-person total of $30 per night is based on an average occupancy of 16. We fully expect more than 16 people. Therefore, there will likely be a budget surplus which will be applied to group costs like food, drink, and any previously unforseen expenditures.

Activities

Art projects!

Board games!

Hector / War On Terror (2nd Edition)

Swimming!

Heated discussions about gender politics!

Toki Pona learning and debate club

Drinking!!

Talks! Friday night around the fire we'll be doing some slide free lightning talks. Please add your name and topic here, if applicable.

tchell / ecology of rocky shores
Alex / Koalas

Music!/Singalongs!

Dramatic readings of some sort?

Useful Information

There is no WiFi on Sturdivant but...
- According to the owners, there is 4G mobile access.
- T-Mobile's coverage maps assures readers the entire island should have 4G access and the part where the cottages are should be covered with the highest power coverage.
There is no television, however the Internet assures us it is unnecessary.
There is a beach, a grill, a firepit, and a lobster cooker.
The cottage is run by solar panels and a back up generator.
The water is "brackish," and drinking it unfiltered is not recommended.
Check-In: 4:00pm
Check-Out: 10:00am

Much more information can be found on the official rental page.

Getting To and From

Should you need to get on or off the island at any point, we will make that happen. Either Alex or any of the other experienced sea captains will ferry you between Handy Boat marina in Falmouth, ME, and Sturdivant Island whenever you you need.

That being said:

We need everyone to sub-assemble their travel groups as much as possible. Not only will this will reduce costs all around, but it will reduce the amount of trips between the marina and the island. So, please reach out to the rest of the group to find travel buddies!

DRIVING

If you're driving a car, you'll want to make parking reservations ahead of time with Handy Boat marina (207-781-5110). It's $10/day.

Once you're there, give one of us a call and we'll pick you up in the boat.

TRAINING (OR BUSING)

There are five trains a day from Boston North Station to Portland. Tickets are either $20 or $25. If you're leaving Thursday, my advice is to take the 5:00pm train, and share a taxi to Falmouth. Taxi fare is estimated to be around $25.

Another option is to bring your bike on the train ($5, reservations required), and complete the short ride between Portland and Falmouth.

Once you're there, give one of us a call and we'll pick you up in the boat.

WATER TAXI

It is possible to take a taxi from Portland directly to Sturdivant island, but it's expensive at $85. Still, with six people, it might be worth considering!

Travel Groups

Group 1: Man with the van:

Alex will be renting an eight-seater van and driving to the island. For anyone thinking of biking or taking the train, this would be a good way to get your supplies to the island!

The van will be departing 140 Elm Street on Thursday September 4th, at 3:00pm

Kickin' in the front seat: Alex, Maluhia

Sittin' in the back seat: Sarah, Laura, Joannah!, Shauna, Molly

The van will be departing Falmouth, Maine on Monday September 8th, at 8:00am

Which seat should I take: Alex, Maluhia, Noah, Molly

(This schedule is carefully designed for slackers who want to only take one day off from work!)

A van donation of $15 each direction would be appreciated, but not required.

Group 2: Late arrivers / Early departers:

Sarah will be taxi-ing back to Portland to catch the 6:50pm Boston Amtrak on Sunday evening and will need to leave the island at whatever time is appropriate and/or possible for that.

Joannah will be leaving on the Saturday 6:50 pm train back to Boston. She is happy to coordinate travel to Portland with any others leaving that day. She's also actually totally excited about exploring Portland that day, so if anyone is interested in coordinating an expedition perhaps mid-day or in the afternoon sometime, let's do it.

Group 3:

Attendees

Please let us know if you want to come as soon as you can. Confirmed means you are definitely coming. Pending means you are planning on coming, but are uncertain. Tentative means you would like to come, but cannot commit at this time.

Name	IRC/Nickname	Arriving	Departing	Status	Paid (Confirmed)
Alexander Ose	maalox	9/04	9/08	paid	$120
Maluhia	maluhia	9/04	9/08	paid	$120
mollydb	mollydb	9/04	9/08	paid	$120
Laura	Laura	9/04	9/08	paid	$90
Micah Schwartz	Micah	9/04	9/08	paid	$90
Noah	swartzcr	9/04	9/08	paid	$120
Shauna	shauna	9/04	9/08	paid	$120
Sarah	sarahg	9/04	9/07	paid	$90
Jordan		9/05	9/07	paid	$90
Avi	fiendish	9/04	9/08	paid	$120
Kit		9/04	9/08	paid	$120
Daf	daf	9/04	9/08	paid	$120
Carolyn	carolyn	9/04	9/08	paid	$120
Mitchell	tchell	9/04	9/08	paid	$120
Joannah	n/a	9/04	9/06	paid	$60
Jeffrey Warlock	jywarren	9/04	9/08	paid	$120
Jonathan Marcus		9/04	9/08	tentative
Hector		9/04	9/08	confirmed
Colin	n/a	9/05	9/07	paid	$60
Bethany	paxxa	9/04	9/08	confirmed
Will Macfarlane		9/04	9/07	tentative
Katie Gradowski		9/04	9/07	tentative

Totals: 17 paid, 2 confirmed but awaiting payment, 3 pending or tentative. $1800 paid so far.

(Edit this section to add your name!)

Rooms

[Maps Map!]

Main Cottage 1st Floor: Queen bedroom, bedroom with bunk bed
Main Cottage Open Lofts: There are two lofts, containing a total of three queen sized futons accessible by ladders.
Small Cottage: Two-twin beds, can be combined into a king size.
Water Tower: one queen futon, one king mattress
Billiard Building: loft with futon
Bali House: basically a lean-to with a queen sized bed (dibs!)

There is also space for tents.

Occupancy

	9/04	9/05	9/06	9/07
Main Cottage Queen Bed	Sarah	Sarah	Sarah
Main Cottage Queen Bed		Jordan	Jordan
Main Cottage Bunk Bed
Main Cottage Bunk Bed	Joannah	Joannah
Loft Futon #1	Avi	Avi	Avi	Avi
Loft Futon #1	Kitchen	Kitchen	Kitchen	Kitchen
Loft Futon #2	Shauna	Shauna	Shauna	Shauna
Loft Futon #2
Loft Futon #3
Loft Futon #3
Small Cottage	Noah	Noah	Noah	Noah
Small Cottage	Bethany	Bethany	Bethany	Bethany
Water Tower Queen Bed	Laura	Laura	Laura
Water Tower Queen Bed	Micah	Micah	Micah
Water Tower King Bed	Maluhia	Maluhia	Maluhia	Maluhia
Water Tower King Bed	Alex	Alex	Alex	Alex
Billiard Building	Daf	Daf	Daf	Daf
Billiard Building	Carolyn	Carolyn	Carolyn	Carolyn
Bali House	mollydb	mollydb	mollydb	mollydb
Bali House

Paid attendees listed in bold.

(Swapping spaces is encouraged. Feel free to "sleep around"!)

Food & Drink

Dinners will be pre-planned and semi-organized! If you're a good cook, this is your chance to shine. Each night, somebody will be in charge of making a meal. This person, along with selected assistants, will be responsible for all planning, buying, and execution.

Date	Chef de cuisine	Under chef of the kitchen	Roundsman
9/04	Maluhia (enchiladas, rice, salad, fun)	Alex (tequila)	Hector (there will be guacamole)
9/05	Laura/Micah (cous cous, hummus, pita)
9/06
9/07

Plan ahead! There are no grocery stores on the island. We will have to bring everything with us. Some general consumables will be a group acquisition.

There is a "small" refrigerator and two large coolers for food storage.

Breakfast, lunch, and snacking will be ad hoc, although we welcome any group contributions:

Breakfast	Volunteer	Contributor
Eggs	Joannah	Maluhia
Oatmeal	Joannah	Maluhia
Bread
Fruit		Joannah
Fixins	Alex (baking essentials, syrup)

The rental contract prohibits the possession and use of recreational drugs, however alcohol is acceptable.

The general rule is BYOABWETS (bring your own bottle with enough to share)! This general philosophy applies to all matters of food, drink, and entertainment.

Open grocery requests:

Bread
Cheese
Peanut butter
Jelly
Vegetables
Tea
Coffee (pre-ground)
Tonic
Limes
Beer
Rice/almond milk
soy-free things to roast on a fire
Fruits
Potatoes
Tin Foil
Oranges and vegan cake mix for orange cakes

Closed grocery requests:

S'MORES (Laura)
GIN (Alex)
Vodka - only if Malu will make bloody marys (Laura)
Cold brewed coffee (Alex)
Banana Bread and Blueberry Bread (Laura)
A loaf bread, a jar of peanut butter and a container of jelly (Laura)

(Add what you're bringing to the above list)

Packing List

The following is a non-exhaustive list of things you should bring:

Water (gallon, per person, per day.)
Ice
Snacks
Cozy clothes (it might get cold)
Towels
Hygiene products
Flashlights or headlamps
Swimming apparel (Vibrams work really well for rocky beaches)
Sunscreen
Bug spray
Books
Art supplies
Camera
Instruments, anyone?
(Add to this list!)

Linens are provided, but that shouldn't keep you from bringing a sleeping bag if you want to sleep outside