Great Party & Great Friends By: Petra Baylon

From the "first PRAG Baby," I have to say I very much enjoyed the 35th PRAG event. I was excited to bring my son, Vincenzo, (aka the first PRAG Grandchild) to see the community that is PRAG House.

Even though I did not live in the house past being a toddler I remember going to PRAG for Easter Egg Hunts, Thanksgiving Potlucks, etc as most people do only with their family members. To me PRAG is an extended family that I count myself lucky to be a part of. I am sure that part of the connection for me is that my best-friend as a girl was Cory Rice who joined in the PRAG family shortly after we met. This just added more opportunity for me to be a strong part of the PRAG house community. I want to make sure my son learns the value of these "extended" families that are just as persistent and valuable as his blood related family. Seeing as how Vincenzo slept in the same cradle that Penny built for me in PRAG House, it seems only right to have him calling PRAGites his family and looking forward to events at PRAG House.

I felt bad that Vincenzo, Alen (my husband) and I couldn't stay longer at the party (Vincenzo's bedtime is a little early for partying), but during the time we were there I was so pleased to see all the familiar faces in my extended family of PRAG. Catching up and hearing all the goings-ons was wonderful. I was particularly happy to see my mother (Leslie Noson - formerly Gerth) and my father (David Baylon) laughing and thoroughly enjoying themselves with all their friends from PRAG (some of whom they haven't seen in decades).

I hope everyone had as much fun catching up as I did. I can't wait for PRAG Thanksgiving this year (maybe we will get a few of those familiar faces to join us now that they had so much fun at the anniversary party).

Afterparty thoughts: Elly Hoague

WHAT A GREAT PARTY!!

I don't really know who was responsible for all the organization and contacting of various old (and now young) house-members, but I am especially grateful for the call from Belinda and Nora telling me of the reunion.

I was unnecessarily apprehensive about seeing friends with whom I had had so little contact over the past 20 some-odd years. Everyone looks the same or even better (especially Belinda) and seems to be pretty genuinely happy with how they have lived their lives and what they are doing now. It seems that very few Prag members are letting moss grow beneath their feet or allowing themselves to just get old. Everyone seems to be pretty active and healthy and involved. So I think that maybe the Prag did have an impact on everyone ... or maybe we who live/lived there are just self-selecting. Or maybe my impressions are bullshit. Anyway, it was great to get in touch with people, to get a few email addresses, and telephone numbers ..... Thanks. Elly

PRAG

PRAG = Provisional Revolutionary Action Group.

From Davis

I would somewhat like to be at the PRAG reunion (or, at least talk to a few folks who will be around) but originally I was going to be in Zapata, Texas attempting world hang gliding records. The continual rains in south and east Texas sunk that plan. Then Belinda wanted to be in Seattle on her own without this husband who would have his own hard feelings so that she could have a good time. Seemed reasonable to me. The cost of an additional airline ticket at this late date was also a barrier.

Obviously, I don't have a great desire to appear at PRAG, at least for now, or I would have made the required effort. That does not mean that I don't wish all of you well, I do.

I must say that I am also not much interested in going to any of my college reunions either. I have similar unhappy feelings about my time at UCSC as I do at PRAG house (although, of course, there are good memories also). But I do appreciate your efforts to get folks together. Maybe I am just a grump.

Since leaving PRAG I have had a great time sharing community with folks around the world. Since then I have lived in much happier cooperative circumstances and found a much better (for me) balance between community and family. I now have a very small space over which Belinda and I have control without the interference of others. If we don't like what is going on (and after a while we didn't at Wallaby Ranch, for example), we can pick up and move on without much difficulty.

We are the fish in the ocean. The ocean is all those who live some place. We live in many places. We find community every where and stay in contact with (and work with) many people around the world without being any where for long.

I do not miss the winters in Seattle. We now have summer all year long. This is a big deal for me.

I feel that for me collective-communal living (in such a confined space as PRAG House) is only a qualified success. I spent thirty two years doing it at PRAG, so I guess it is somewhat successful, and obviously folks are continuing to do it there, so there are obviously good points (low cost). But it certainly didn't meet the goals that we originally had for it. We were obviously romantic and delusional.

Since I look back on my time at PRAG with some distaste it can not be counted as a successful choice that I made. Perhaps I will feel that way about my present circumstance in the future, but I doubt it. The level of extraneous and meaningless conflict in my life has been much reduced.

When I look back on what I accomplished in Seattle, my work at Ecotope (and those of the folks like Elizabeth, David, and Larry that I "worked" with) makes me proud. I have good feelings about that work and the group of dedicated individuals who did it. I'm not happy about President Reagan who gutted it. Those poor policies continue to this day with the consequences that we saw back then.

I send my apologies to Ellie Hoage and Elizabeth Coppinger for my bad behavior toward them. I'm happy to see that they are in good circumstances.

I send greetings to David Baylon and my appreciation to Frank Whitely (who originally found the house that became PRAG House, and who now lives in Greely, Colorado), Jeff Morris and Bill Kornblum. I'm quite sure that David and I would have had some interesting discussions if I had bothered to show up. I appreciate him writing to encourage me to come.

Congratulations on 35 years at PRAG House. I hope that the current residents appreciate the fact that they can live in good circumstances near downtown in a wealthy city. I avoid all cities whenever I can.

Love to you all.

Davis Straub
http://ozreport.com
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Cloud 9, Iosco, MI, USA

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Let's party

Hi Pragites, Nora here (as in here for 32 years). It is time to party. 35 years for the vision, 100 years for the house (still standing). I am sending out a lists to all I know announcing the party this summer. But it is up to you to spread the word because my list is incomplete. So who do you want to see? Send them an email and give them a call. Also send it to everyone else you remember.
There is going to be food (maybe some lentil loaf), lots of conversation with friends and music and dancing into the night. You remember those days. So I am counting on you.

Potluck at 6pm
Group Photo by John Stamets at 8pm
Dancing 9pm

Let us know if you are coming. We can put you up in Judith's house, Baylon's house, Dan Nord's house, Elizabeth Coppinger's house and others. Add your stories to this blog. (Your version for the record. Be nice.)
Let's party!
Nora

Acronym Contest

So what does PRAG stand for anyway? I've heard lots of variations from the uber-banal Public Research Applications Group to the overly exuberant Post Revolutionary Anarchist Government. What is your favorite elaboration of our name? Submit your best variation for consideration by our crack panel of judges. Winners will receive a free dinner the Sunday before Thanksgiving along with other great prizes! - Ric