I don't know if any of us in Albuquerque will be in shape for hosting a big a2k meeting in the spring. (Not that hosts are imperative, but it's more fun.) While we're always glad to see couples, families, individuals passing through, some of us probably should talk before it becomes a serious thread about a big meet.
Y'know I thrive on working out places to go, dine, etc., and this whole region is fascinating and beautiful. I can't really drive everybody around with my varied limitations, not to mention my clunker Volvo, and can't speak for others yet. Public transportation sucks here. So... some of the a2kers would have to bring their own cars or rent cars.
Have to think about it. We can easily work out some good suggestions on places to stay, a few places to meet as a group (I've ideas already), and figure out some day or two-day trips, like Santa Fe, Madrid, and Taos and one or more pueblos. There's plenty to see in ABQ itself..
As Walter knows, Dys knows New Mexico very very well. Little K and Farmerman and, I think, Setanta, and Roger are also a2k NM experts.
BBB and Asherman and I are transplants, so we know some things...
Diane was raised in the southwest, knows a lot.
I tend to think of going to a place for several days myself. To come here for a day? Whoooosh! Seems like a bit of trouble to get here for that... but possible.
Amtrak does go through here.. have been thinking about taking that back and forth to Los Angeles one of these days.
See, I'm getting excited about it as I advise caution...
Have I managed to offend just about everyone? I am sorry about that.
First, CI: I did not realize there might be an extension of the meeting in SF scheduled for the Spring. Competiition? Yes, people only have so much time and so much money. I look forward to hearing what you have in mind.
I mentioned the notion of Albuquerque only because there are a bunch of A2Kers there and it would be a convenient place to meet folks from Texas and California, as well as east coasters.
I was certainly not suggesting that the folks there be responsible for entertaining us, or drive us around or anything else.
So how many rednecks like Johnboy does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
rjb, That's the reason why there really isn't a competition, because some people aren't able to travel far, and we have a2k members closer to Albuquerque - like Texas and Arizona. Even different timing, month or week, could keep it available for people who might be interested in more than one.
Geez, rjb, you didn't screw up at all. We've been hoping you'd visit for the longest time. I was thinking of who of us are here, and logistics in this spread out city with poor transportation... in terms of a several day meet, which is what I'm used to. Given people get here, it would be good to have the option to see a lot. We aren't like SF with the well developed transportation system, however people beef about SF's, not to mention I'm not sure I've ever seen a taxi here. Well, I'm sure they exist, as we have a nice airport..
A year or more ago on a2k, I think I was the only one who argued vociferously that we don't have to have a host in a city - that was about Barcelona or other potential sites, I think. No a2kers live there and that was a big question about it (not to me). I've gone to lots of cities "cold" by myself, and explored them and loved them. Still, it can be a delight to have a2k hosts, as seen on this thread.
I'm obviously not speaking for anyone but myself - that was the point, to test the waters before starting a major meeting thread.... not to shut you off. I beg your pardon if it came across that way.
I am just testing the waters also, osso.
How about Hawaii (the big island) There are reasonable accommodations at the Kiluea Military Camp- located in the Volcano National Park which is located between Kona and Hilo. The Big Island is a very laid back place to visit and those that are inclined can side trips to the other islands.
I could arrange a local style luau and hulu lessons for the brave of heart.
I would suggest Merry 's spring break from school.
Think about it.
Sglass wrote:How about Hawaii (the big island) There are reasonable accommodations at the Kiluea Military Camp- located in the Volcano National Park which is located between Kona and Hilo. The Big Island is a very laid back place to visit and those that are inclined can side trips to the other islands.
I could arrange a local style luau and hulu lessons for the brave of heart.
I would suggest Merry 's spring break from school.
Think about it.
What do you consider to be spring break? Northern hemisphere spring? April?
I have to ask MA in the am. Not sure.
How are ya?
Margo, MA doesnt know yet, he said March or April which isnt much of a help. It seems that I spoke too soon.
We are off to the San Francisco Zoo today to visit with some of our distant relatives and then just relax, take a cable car, watch the sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge et al.
Tomorrow we are taking the Alcatraz/Angel Island Tour and Friday we are going to hook up with CI and his wife and drive to Muir Woods then off to BeanTown Saturday night.
Again, Mame, I cannot pm you because of my newbie status for Sglass.
It's supposed to be a hot, beautiful day in San Francisco.
You can pm me if you sign in as MA
Have a wonderful day, Sglass!
It's going to be hot, all right. We're expecting 92 degrees today in Silicon Valley.
Hawaii? I thought that Hawaii would be exorbitantly expensive to get to. But I checked with Expedia and the lowest fare for some random dates in April, 2008 was $800 roundtrip from Charlottesville. The most expensive part is getting to a hub from Cville. I was surprised that it was that reasonable. SF, had the dates been nailed down early, was $400.
I actually was in Hawaii once, as YoungJohnboy. April, 1968, refuelling the plane on the way to Vietnam.
Would anyone like to ask me about my dirt collection?
Sure, tell us about it. The dirt collection, or the refueling...
I wanna hear your dirt RJB.
Yeah, but keep it "clean."
(Write yourselves a note. If you ever meet up with Johnboy, do not encourage him to tell a story).
When I was a lad of about six, in 1952, my parents, my older brother and I started to do summer vacations. Two weeks on the road in the Chevy and later the Dodge. My dad was military and my mom was from a small midwestern town, both of them survivors of the Depression. We were a no-nonsense family.
As we drove to wherever we were going each year, with my dad judging the day's success by how many miles we had covered, I developed a fascination with maps. I was six, but I mentioned that didn't I?
So, in this time before interstate highways, when we actually had to drive through small towns, I would mark our progress on the map with neat little X's on each town.
Our next door neighbor was a pharmacist and he gave me a box full of empty little pill bottles. I would put bugs in some of them.
I took along a bunch of them on one vacation when I was six and collected a pill bottle full of dirt from each state we passed through. I would carefully label each one when we got to the motel at night; as carefully as a six year old can.
As an aside, I recall my dad, in this age before Holiday Inn's, going in and inspecting a motel while we waited outside. Sometimes he would come out shaking his head, and we would drive on.
But I digress. So I started to collect a pill bottle full of dirt from each state we passed through. I would plot our path and demand, I mean ask, my dad to stop for my dirt. And if perchance we just nicked the corner of a state and I happened to be napping, he would stop, wake me up, let me make the collection, and keep me awake long enough to satisfy me that we were in the right state.
I reckon that, over about six or seven years I collected pill bottles full of dirt from perhaps 25 states. And they were neatly lined up on a shelf in my room. In fact I built this little rack such that they hung from their lids.
By the time I was 13 or so, of course, I became more interested in girls and sports, and the dirt collection got dusty.
But it came to pass, 15 years after I began the collection, that Youngjohnboy and a bunch of other soldiers bound for Vietnam found ourselves walking around an airfield in Hawaii, stretching our legs. I picked up some dirt and mailed it home, asking that it be put in a pill bottle labelled Hawaii. And that was duly done.
And when I left VN 15 months, 10 days, and 4 hours later, an envelope of dirt from there was on its way, and in fact got home before I did.
(Don't say I didn't warn you about Johnboy and his stories).
We asked, we received... perfect.
Okay, rjb, how many chapters are we looking at? Will this thread compete with the a2k's longest? LOL
[Merry Andrew here]
"...the dirt collection got dusty."
Have you considered a career writing stand-up comedy, RJB?
[MA signing off]
