From Angie/ Convention

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Angie McGhee Ride2far@juno.com
Hi all!  I'm still not on-line, but looked in for the coverage.  I had a fantastic time at the convention.  The scenery flying out was awesome (glad I didn't see Jaye's post until I was home).  Southwest is a pretty bizarre airline.  Very tight quarters, but the attendants know how to loosen folks up.  As soon as we got off the ground the stewardess proposed that we all gamble by writing our seat number on a dollar and putting it in a garbage bag, then drawing for the pot.  Since I didn't plan to gamble, I figured this would be a good time to start not gambling, and kept my dollar. >g< 

Arrived in Reno at 2:45 (looked like the Clampets, looking all around with my mouth hanging open).  While waiting on the shuttle I suddenly realized there were some rather familiar faces in line and then Louis Reidel introduced herself...next was Maryben, Becky Hart, and Judith Ogis...among others.  They don't realize I've been looking at their pictures in magazines for years and felt like I'd just walked onto a Hollywood set packed with movie stars. >g<

I thought it was kind of funny, my name wasn't "Angie who writes for Trailblazer", it was "This is Angie from Ridecamp" >g<  I really liked it when people came over and introduced theirselves.  I can't remember names very well, so I always asked their e-mail address to try to place them.  Usually though, they'd remind me of the specific conversation we'd had and it would all come back to me and we'd feel like old friends.  Everybody was SOOOOOOO friendly.

The tradeshow was wonderful.  Looked like Santa's workshop to me.  Made a nuisance of myself trying to get two of everything free to bring home to my daughters... and of course Sportack bumper stickers and AERC magnets for all my riding buddies back home.

The Silver Legacy is a beautiful hotel, but designed with the gambler in mind.  Their goal is to get you on the casino floor and keep you so turned around you can't find your way out.  You had to go through it to get to the tradeshow and I seriously considered flagging my route through all the pathetic souls pulling on the levers to the slot machines 24 hours a day.  I didn't gamble any and it was a good thing!  

I left home with $100 and a credit card.  Thought that would do me.  I'd use the cash for food and I'd find a place to eat cheap and save most of that.  Well...that might have worked if Bill had already paid last month's bill.  We usually use the card only for gas, but it seems I had put a plane ticket, gas to an endurance ride, and several other "extras" on there last month and as Bill said later, "it wasn't due yet".  Well, I spent some cash at the AERC booth, charged a pair of tights, then stopped to make another purchase and hit my limit!!!!! OH CRAP!!  

Though there was a McDonalds right across the street, I kept having to go to meetings that were "over breakfast, lunch and dinner" and it was impossible to get anything to eat for less than $10.  By Sunday morning I was down to $29.50.  I knew it was going to cost me $28 to get my car out of long term parking in Nashville, so I headed home with $1.50 to get from Reno to Nashville, then drive to Chattanooga.  Back in Nashville, as I recalled, I had left my van parked with "maybe" not enough gas to get home. :-O  

All I had to eat Sunday was some jerky and nutragrain bars they gave us on the plane. (some 50 year old Elvis look- alike sitting across from me didn't want his and I cheerfully accepted his leftovers... times like this it helps to have drank sponge water and such so it's not such a repulsive idea).  When I got in my van I drank 1/2 of a hot Coke I'd left in there Thursday (screw on lid, no bugs inside) and after paying my way out of the lot headed for Chattanooga with my $1.50 still intact.  For those of you who don't know, Monteagle mountain is a huge mountain between Nashville and Chattanooga.  It has 3 or 4 runaway truck ramps on the downgrade.  Once I made it to the top I didn't touch my brakes all the way down.  Figured I could coast the last 35 miles that way. >g<

Anyway, I got home without begging for quarters on the sidewalks of Nashville.

O.K., back to more convention details...

Since I'm on the media committee, I got to spend quite a bit of time (practically every meal it seemed like) with Genie Stewart Spears, Donna Snyder Smith, Bobbie Lieberman, and Kate from the main office.  Doyle joined us once and they really got serious about laying out the editorial content of Endurance News for this year.  To tell the truth, when I agreed to be on the committee I thought it would be a good way to get my name in the cover of endurance news while doing little or no work... UNFORTUNATELY Doyle and Genie are real slave drivers and actually expect me to produce. :-/  Talk about driven!  If you could put Doyle and Genie in a double hitch they could plow 50 acres a day.

Thanks to everybody who made the weekend so great.  There's so much to tell.  Saturday night after the awards, some of the people came back down to watch slides of the Great American Horse Race.  Man!  I wish somebody had a video rolling of that room.  There were several people there who'd been involved, and they got started telling stories.  It reminded me of one of those Gaither Videos (bet ya'll don't see those much out west...Southern phenomenon?)  

Several people asked me if Howard was for real.  I admitted that no, he is not.  Truman is just playing around with an alter ego of what the most irritating person he can imagine would be like.  It's just Truman's latest idea for how to keep people from moving to Florida, since his stories of hock deep sand don't seem to be working.

Teddy surprised me with  "Carpe Di Mane" bumper stickers in her booth.  I managed to get one for free. (wow, got $2 for *that* idea...I HAVE arrived! >g<)

I was standing in line next to someone who was getting ready to buy a sponge in a mesh bag.  I couldn't stop myself.  I tried to give an impromptu sponging on the fly lesson, but you just can't do it with a dry sponge (no weight).  If I ever get to go back, I want to do demonstrations in the center ring... :-)

For those who've asked, yes, I was nervous about getting up there in front of everybody... but it was a lot easier once I saw how friendly they all were.  

I found Trilby absolutely fascinating.  What makes a person decide to dress as a pirate?  She wore (in case nobody has told you) a huge hat pinned up on one side with a big purple plume, a pirate's shirt, tights, and boots, and had a sword strapped to her waist which she waved in triumph.  At the dance all I could see of her was a big black feather boa from across the room.  What a gal!  When walking behind her down the hall I was amazed.  When I was a little girl I had a plastic horse that had a cowboy that snapped down onto it's back.  When you pulled him off, he just stood there in the same position.  That's how Trilby looks.  I can't help but wonder... does she stand that way because she's ridden 50,000 miles.... or is she able to ride 50,000 miles because she stands that way?  Anybody know?

Angie