April 5, 2010

Glorious




Spring everywhere. Wisteria surrounding the nearest courtyard. 2010.



Himself: Had a ball, schmoozed, talked, ate, laughed, and listened…..

Herself: …and we went to a little of everything too.

Reading: “The Only Way to Cross,” John Maxtone Graham.

Gratitude: The organizers, all those friends, and P and M who gave us tickets to the banquet.

Oh, there was sunshine, there was fun, everyone was smiling, and we were in the heart of it all laughing, listening, and having a ball while seeing old friends and making new ones.

Some people go to these conferences to widen their worlds, others go to learn, still others just go to schmooze. We did a little bit of everything and that included an ice cream social….with comedians, a fancy dinner we were not dressed for, and a nice brunch with a speaker who had a wonderful story.



We went to this older hotel for the first time in beyond ages. What used to be a tired property down in the valley, is now a modern upgraded facility that sports stunning landscaping as if it were the dowager princess’s diamonds. The small older buildings near the front are now charmingly nested in beds of flowers with the parking no longer at the front stoop. The big new, once boring international style structures to the rear and side, now sport dramatic furniture and decorating upgrades from one of the Wynn spaces in Vegas. Three giant ballrooms are just steps from parking or the gardens, and this makes the facility viable in a convention focused city.



We elected to stay home during the conference, tho we could have stayed one night at the rate of 99 bucks. We used that money to attend the breakfast….all that good buffet food which I ate sparingly until I stopped altogether when I snapped a crown.



Two old friends gave us tickets to the banquet….so we went. The speaker was good, but the poor food detracted from the evening. Then again, we had eaten dinner earlier not knowing we would be able to go. The ice cream social was flat out fun and worth every penny….tho the amateur comedian should have been pulled off the stage with a hook. The first guy was good, the third made us all laugh, but the last, a Hawaiian guy made us howl with good humor.



G and I were the first two to volunteer manning doors, pointing the way to registration, bathrooms, and the hospitality room. After a couple of hours standing and talking, we turned our blue vests over to others, and went off to attend meetings, some together and some apart….some 24 hours a day too all manned (womened) by hoards of volunteers. One person jokingly commented that we seemed glued at the hip, but for the two of us it seemed to be a chance to be together sharing something truly dear to our hearts.



It was a wonderful four days, and I am so very glad we went.

4 comments:

  1. I love the photos -- I'm so glad you and G had a good time!!!!!

    I have a thing for grand old hotels and that one looks special!!! Modern hotels are boring.

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  2. So glad to hear that it was time well-spent and that you did not have to spend much other than time.

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  3. I LOVE Conventions! I just got back from the orange county convention--good times :) love,
    Kathleen H.

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  4. Lovely pictures of the grounds. Sounds like an equally lovely respite from same old same old at home. Hope the flowers made up for the not so great food and comedians. (I'm a little behind here so I didn't quite get what kind of convention it was, but generally I find something to like in those I attend.)

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