About Retreats

As we mentioned in the invitation, Jerry invented this Retreat format in 1996 and ran them more or less annually until 2014. He'll tell the story in more detail when we start our time together the day after Thanksgiving. For now, some things to know:

  • There's intentionally no Theme, Keynote Speaker, Panel Sessions, or other affordances of usual conferences.
  • Despite that, we will not wander aimlessly in the desert. Worry not.
  • We invited you because we think you already embody the Retreat ethos.
  • Our hope is that you'll stir your neurons and meet humans you'll want to meet with more afterward.
  • Because we'll be in Retreat Prep mode, we're not planning a Thanksgiving dinner for those in town then, but we'd love a grassrootsy plan for one!

Camp Namanu

This is a working summer camp for kids, which rents its facilities between camp weeks and in shoulder seasons. It is pretty big, with multiple rooming options, which will complicate matters a little.


Just to add a little spice, sunset on our opening Friday is due at 4:31pm. Finding our housing, etc, will be adventurous on our opening evening. We'll create a WhatsApp or Signal group for attendees so we can coordinate better and we'll have flashlights available. And of course, everyone's phone is a flashlight already (oh, technology!).


Our guide/host at Namanu is Lugnut. He knows everything about the camp and will be there our weekend.


Other things worth knowing:

  • Namanu is an hour east of PDX, with light traffic. That's an hour and a half from downtown Portland.
  • Every camper will have linens and a pillow. No need to bring those.
  • It's camp! Play the ukelele? Drums? Flute? Juggle? Bring 'em!
  • There are multiple outdoor activities we can enjoy, including archery. We do need to know if someone's doing them.

Camp Rules

Because this really is a camp and the days will be shorter than mid-summer, here are some groundrules:

  • Park only in the lot marked on the map.
  • We'll be sleeping in multiple locations around the camp, so treat this as early Airbnb: leave your quarters as tidy as you found them, with the linens balled up.
  • Food attracts clever pests, so no food where you sleep, or in fact outside the dining hall and meeting rooms (where we will have snacks and bevs).

Timing

Please plan to arrive at Namanu as close as you can to (but not before) 4pm on Friday, November 27, 2026. We don't know what we'll do in the sessions, but we do know when we'll stop for meals, etc. So our timing is:

  • Friday: arrivals at 4, dinner at 6, evening welcome session at 7:30
  • Saturday: Breakfast at 7, Lunch at noon, Dinner at 6
  • Sunday: Breakfast at 7, Lunch at noon, then departures

Register Here

Follow this link to register for the 2026 camp!