Posts filed under 'CB Meetups'
Okey dokey. As I mentioned on the previous post, I think May is the best month for me* for a CB invasion of Scotland, and Christina said a weekend that month would also work for her.
So, I’ve setup the following blog http://scotlandwhackinvasion.blogspot.com as a place to scheme and plot and also to post travel and other info. Right now there’s nothing there to see. If anyone else wants posting privileges, just let me know. No furries, I’ve made it non-searchable, and non-something else. So hopefully it will be private.
Um, oh yeah, one more thing. I was thinking of maybe setting up an online vote to select a weekend in May, assuming May is good with everyone. Not that you all can’t come for longer, but it would be a definite date when folks could try to overlap their trips. Let me know if you think I should go ahead and do this.
And I apologize in advance for how expensive it is to visit here. (But I am THRILLED that folks want to come!)
August 5th, 2008
BCB took the original picture, and a little editing helped it out. Sorta!
A good time was had by all. Of course we discussed books. And RWAs. And the impossible aunt/sister/father/you fill in the blank that so many CBs seem to have. And the perfect children CBs have. And CBs who are reading. And CBs who are writing. And reasons that writing is difficult to do. (How can a person find time if that person is also holding down 1 or more jobs?) And the CBs who are strong. No need to discuss the weak ones, since we agreed there aren’t any.
Ya’d think with only 3 of us that lunch would be shorter than when there are more. Say not so! I’d have stayed longer, but I needed to dash home between thunderstorms. Thus the need to use my telephone to check out the storm paths. I LOVE my phone. So glad McB talked me into indulging. So JenB and BCB stayed a while longer. I wonder what they talked about.
One of our topics was about competition, and how I really don’t like competitive sports because they’re, well, competitive. BCB made the observation, that I’m very competitive. Moi? Yes. Absolutely, positively, even viciously. So JenB said how could that be, if I was against such. So I admitted that having that trait doesn’t mean I’m proud of it. The good news is that I’m most fiercely competitive against myself.
Anyhoo. How about you? Care to admit to a personality defect? Or, for that matter, a personality attribute that you’re proud of?
Oh. I’m a good listener.
August 3rd, 2008
OK - Here’s the schedule as I know it:
RWA Conference:
Wednesday evening: “Readers for Life” Literacy signing - which I assume folks will want to attend.
Thursday lunch: Luncheon with speaker
Friday lunch: Luncheon with speaker
Saturday night: Rita and Golden Heart Awards Ceremony - which I assume folks will want to attend.
So… As I see it, we have three choices:
Dinner either Thursday or Friday
Lunch Saturday afternoon
What is your choice? And what would you like to eat? I would think that someplace near the conference would be a good thing.
July 21st, 2008
Cannon Beach. Oregon.
Doesn’t it look professional? I love my 35mm camera.
July 19th, 2008
Moot climbed into my luggage for the trip west. Smuggling an alligator through airport security was a lot easier than one would think. Perhaps they’d heard of her. Getting her into a restaurant was considerably more difficult. She startled a scream out of the waitress when she climbed in through the window.
Once inside she shared a drink with Me. Note the two drinks. Hence the fuzziness.
From there she hung out with Cerise and waited for Louis to come pick up the popcorn maker.
She claimed to have made this sign for the airport but I’m sure I saw OH’s hands in there more than once. 
She also helped GP with Merry’s garden.
but that was exhausting work and she required a little more energy.
Scope found some snack food for Moot down at the market 
but she was more interested in Tanji’s Sweet potato treat. 
The dog refused to share so Moot wandered of to discover why someone would wrap a tree. 
I never did hear the answer to that one.
There were plenty more adventures that wonderful weekend in Oregon but as time wore on, and her energy wound down, Moot found a sign in the mountains that it was time to go home.
This just found in Scope’s purse. A self-portrait Moot drew depicting a lovely lunch at McMinimins. Weebils wobble but they don’t fall down. 
June 27th, 2008
I arrived in Portland late Friday night to be greeted by McB and Orangehands holding up a “Dr. T” sign. I burst out laughing. That right there just about describes the weekend for me. Lots of laughter and smiles and hugs.
After collecting Mary and my luggage, we headed back to Mary’s house where the guessing of who people are started and didn’t end until late the next morning. I’m fairly sure I failed this test of CBness, but they let me stay anyways. :+)
The rest of the weekend was full of good conversation, and lots and lots of the afore mentioned laughter and hugs. I didn’t take very many pictures until Sunday afternoon when six of us (Cary, GP, McB, Lou, Pam, JenB and me*) went to the International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park. I could innundate you with pictures of roses, but I will try to restrain myself. They were beautiful and amazing! And a special thanks to GP for the lesson on roses!
I think I’ll stop now. Hope you enjoyed your visit with the roses!
June 25th, 2008
I’m too tired to write a coherent post, but the comments are over 100 and inquiring minds want photos, so here’s one for you. Yes, that is our own darling Scope in Oregon with CMS! It was a wonderful surprise.
I think everyone survived, but it was a lot of work having that much fun. I don’t mean the cooking or housework, because that was all done by kind helpful CBs. I mean meeting friends that I’ve never seen before, and talking and laughing and hugging and talking and laughing some more, sometimes until two in the morning. That’s work! I loved it.
And yes, we did make it to Powell’s. In fact, I’m a little puzzled about that bookstore. When I walked in, I heard an announcement over the loudspeaker:
Attention! If there’s a minister or a wedding officiator in the store, would they please come to the Information desk in the Gold room? Thank you.
What the heck was that about? A woman was 9 months’ pregnant and suddenly realized that she really, really needed to get married right now because her water just broke? A man who got the love of his life to say “yes” and now wants to rush to the wedding before she changes her mind? It’s one of those things that you have to wonder about.
Too tired to write more. Later!
June 23rd, 2008
We’re running out of room and I’m not sure who is next or when so…
I thought I’d just share: I have committed my Stupid Moment (not quite as bad as the Darwin Award) of the year. CMS wrote nine days till countdown, and in my head I started counting and went no, no, isn’t it the week after that? So I looked up that beautiful invitation Mary sent us and yep, I am leaving the 19th of June.
Which is where the stupid moment comes in, as I told my friend- after checking the calender- that I could drive her to the airport the 19th. *stupid crown is lifted and placed on head* Thank bob it turns out I’m driving her to the airport the 18th instead. (She also had her Stupid Moment too, thinking if her plane leaves LAX at 1:30 am on the 19th she needs to arrive in LA the 19th so I can drive her that night).
Anyway, it’s not too big a deal. She’s checking in wih two other friends and if they can’t then I’ll just be dropping her off earlier- which, in LAX is not the worse move ever. But seriously…you may all laugh. Cause we’ve been talking about this for how long and I’m just noticing? (In the good news section, it means I get to spend mroe time in Seattle and with my godfather in CA).
BTW: wapa congrats on the gramma and Good Luck finding jobs people and ((HUGS)) to those that need them and glad Bryan and Co are ok and hope everyone else is too and thanks for the book recs and I’ve heard people use a’ight (teen “gangsta” guys) and yeah.
BTW2: Finished another final (I did ok) and now just have one more to go. Which is good, because obviously my brain isn’t anywhere close to par.
BTW3: Didn’t put a title in so it didn’t publish when I hit it, making this Little Stupid Moment. 
And to throw out a topic, what’s been some of your Stupid Moments? (Don’t worry, I have a lot more)
June 11th, 2008
You asked for it. Hope it’s worth the wait. More pictures, by Lori.* More words, by BCB.** But this is the end of it, guys. The weekend just wasn’t all that long.
*Please note that ALL pictures in this post and the last one were taken by Lori. Even the ones I claimed to have taken. Even the ones that she is in. Isn’t she amazing?
**Please note that all the words are mine. Not Lori’s.
Here is the jukebox McB brought along, since she heard rumours that music was not yet readily available in NC. Great tunes and hardly any scuff marks from dragging it into the house.
Then on to the NC Museum of History, where we celebrate the achievements of manned flight and dressing up the State Beast as our namesake, Sir Walter Raleigh.
Yep, we have a quirky sense of humour down here, as further evidenced by this:
Not sure whether this is an historical artifact from the days when phone numbers were only five digits long or whether there was a “house” phone in the elevator. Too busy laughing at the sign to look for a phone. And trying not to burst into a cheesy rendition of a Little River Band song.
Here is a picture of our capital building (or is it capitol — I can never remember) and a statue of some guy who died a long time ago. Just so you know we really were there and not making stuff up.
Speaking of irreverent humour (trust me, we were), we also visited Historic 
Oakwood Cemetery. It’s very old. I’d never been there but I was willing to try to find it. Never mind that no one else particularly wanted to see it. The sacrifices I make. This is one of the pictures I made Lori take. It’s near the entrance to the cemetery and I’m not sure whether it’s a memorial or just a quiet place to sit.
Here is another one I made her take. Because I like old stone buildings. It’s on a lot next to the cemetery. Just look at it. You can see there’s a story there. I know there is. Probably someday I’ll write it.
And that’s it. The tour has now concluded. Please collect all your personal belongings before you exit and deposit your trash in the receptacles provided for your use. Actually, there were more pictures, but this post is way too long as it is.
Oh wait, here are some trees at the beach. One of the first pictures Lori took. No, I didn’t make her take this one. The trunks are all wavy because of the influence of the waves in the ocean. Really.
So now I’ve posted twice in one week — or, technically, twice in two consecutive months. I figure that should satisfy my guest posting obligations until the next CB invasion. No, that was not an invitation. Don’t go getting any ideas.
I do want to say Thank You to Lori, GP, Wapak, McB, RSS, Andi and JenB for agreeing to let me abduct them so I could sell their body parts come spend the weekend in NC and for being such good guests. And such good friends.
~ pics are clickable now - - bjw
May 2nd, 2008
So, okay, I know you all want to see pictures from this weekend. And you all know how much I just love pictures. [ahem] Even so, and at her own risk, Lori insisted on taking pictures of everydamnthing being our official photographer and emailed me a bunch of pictures to post. But she said she had to “clean them up a bit” before I could post them. I assume that is a highly technical term, the results of which appear to be somewhat unpredictable. Clearly, it is STILL all her fault.
I did manage to steal borrow Lori’s camera for a while and here is a picture I took of Lori, JenB and Wapak, sitting on the pier at Carolina Beach. The focus seemed a bit off, so I adjusted it and then took a bunch of pictures of hunky guys the waves and the sand on the beach. Lori says she has no idea what might have happened to those pictures, but claims they were not in her camera.
Then she took the camera away from me for bad behaviour to take some pictures of her own. She got one of me before I could stop her. I was aiming for the camera lens. How was I supposed to know she’d lower it just as my beak made contact with her face? She says she can still see perfectly fine out of the other eye and she won’t sue me not to worry.
Here is Lori’s attempt to find out how serious NC is about not littering on the beach. We were starting to get used to her belligerence inattention to details and were not surprised when she claimed she hadn’t seen the cute young officer who came over to yell at her for littering. He was not impressed by her claims about photographic composition and making an artistic statement. She turned on the Minnesota Nice and he agreed not to arrest her. Or something.
Here are Lori and JenB walking on the beach. Don’t they look happy? I have no idea why people seem to think all my friends are imaginary.
We didn’t take any pictures on Saturday. Really. After the whole aim-that-at-me-and-I’ll-poke-your-eye-out thing at the beach, I think they started to take my threats requests about that more seriously. Besides, there were now eight of us and that means there were that many fewer opportunities to take pictures. This is well-established CB logic. JenB dragged us kicking and screaming graciously invited us over to her house, which was beautiful, and then we went to lunch at A Southern Season. A restaurant with delicious food. Attached to a store. With lots of stuff I didn’t buy and some I did. Who needs pictures of that? Go look at the website. Buy stuff. Pretend you were there.
Then we came back to my house and talked and ate dinner and talked and sat on the new deck and talked and drank and talked. And laughed a lot too, because we all are very funny. Here is my new deck. Isn’t it gorgeous? I love it. Please note: no animals were harmed and no humans were irritated in the taking of this picture.
Oh yeah, and here is GP’s fancy new car that has a mind of its own. It turns itself off when it stops. Which is weird um charming very high tech. A perfect match for someone who tried to make us do math at midnight last night. No, I am not kidding. She went inside and came back out with her calculator that can only be operated by rocket scientists GP. She let Lori hold it. The rest of us cringed and put our hands behind our backs smiled politely and declined. We knew we were not worthy.
So now Wapak has gone back to Wapakoneetakateekah. Which I finally know how to spell, since I can copy it right off the lovely afghan Wapak gave me. And McB and RSS have embarked on the return leg of their road trip. And GP’s car told her it was time to get in and leave, and it would be handling all the details and not to worry. Probably it’s making breakfast for her tomorrow.
I think Lori and Andi and I are off to do more things in a minute here. I have no idea what. JenB might join us later. Tomorrow too. But I have now used up all my words. I don’t have any more. The words that are left in my brain are ones I seldom use and if I tried to put them together into a sentence, they wouldn’t make sense. Well, less sense than usual. A weekend with CBs will do that to a person. If you just can’t avoid it ever get the chance, I highly recommend it. This weekend has been a blast.
And since I now have my very own shovel pin, I figure clean-up shouldn’t take more than a week. Or two, tops.
~ pics are clickable now - - bjw
April 27th, 2008
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