TaylorCon 2007
Well we have returned from the family reunion weekend. By “we” I mean my wife and I, and by “returned” I mean survived. The most exciting parts went like this.
Friday – Arrived in Boise, ID at 10pm to discover that our luggage had been held in Seattle for “additional screening” by the stupid TSA, but due to my father’s speaking engagement at the reunion, we have to leave the airport. After an hour of family history slides, we returned to retrieve the bags. “Why were the bags held for inspection?” I inquired of the nice baggage service lady. “Oh, they just do that sometimes if there’s anything in the bag they can’t recognize, like a ball of tin foil or something.” Apparently, travelling with wads of foil is more common than one would think. In bed by midnight.
Saturday – Woke up at 6:15am so we could be fed and on the road by 8:15. We spent 12 hours touring various spots in and around Weiser, Idaho relevant to family history. One of these spots included the old Rock Creek ranch where we walked 1/4 mile through brambles and thistles to the ranch site. An unfortunate communication gap occurred which hid this hike from our knowledge until it was too late to pack actual shoes. Hence, my wife and I walked in sandals. After the trek, it was decided that pizza should ordered in time for us to enjoy it upon our return to Boise.
The rest of the relatives returned while my father, great Uncle Richard, Becky and I took care of a few more errands before getting back on the road to Boise. It was, therefore, 9pm when we arrived exhausted, dirty, thorn-ridden, and hungry to five remaining pieces of cold Hawaiian Delight and eighteen relatives eagerly awaiting more of the slideshow presentation. In bed by 11:30.
Sunday – We meandered to consciousness around 9:30am and missed the continental breakfast, but received the keys to my dad’s rented Dodge Magnum so we could go find food. Driving the Magnum made me think I should be representin’ or at least beckoning for people to holla.
The dessert for this weekend? We got to the ticket counter at the airport and found out our flight was over-booked, but if we volunteered to be bumped then we would get two free tickets anywhere Alaska or Horizon flies. Since, starting in October that includes Hawaii, we volunteered, got bumped, and received our tickets and two vouchers to buy food and snacks while we waited for our flight. We spend one voucher on food and blew the other on magazines and candy, returning to Seattle in the front row of seats on the jet.
So, to sum up, there is a God.
Can’t wait for TaylorCon ’08.