Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

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Re: Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

Postby Scott Parvin » Aug 15, 2008 7:47 am

A few pictures from the NSS Auction and Campground Party...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27176290@N05/sets/72157606737342121/
:waving:
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Re: Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

Postby CaverScott » Aug 16, 2008 4:28 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azHqFabwZMQ


Copy and paste the URL -

Video from the Campground Party at convention. (About 1.5 minutes long.)

Terminal Syphons

Pup leads the "conga line" and notable faces include Anne Elmore, IMO's Lisa, Bambi, Mike Crockett, Gerald Moni, and Hazard - just to name a few. :yikes:

Conja Line #2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-MC2XmEPac
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Re: Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

Postby Scott Parvin » Aug 16, 2008 4:40 pm

Scott A. Parvin
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Re: Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

Postby Squirrel Girl » Aug 17, 2008 4:21 pm

Yay, fun convention! At first I was a little dubious. Not many showed up for the excellent CDS mini workshop. Then the Howdy party was kinda lame. But by the time it was over, it was excellent. The talks, generally, were very good. I saw most of my friends scattered across the country. And I got 3 days o cave diving. Met new friends. All in all, pretty swell!
:grin:
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Re: Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

Postby Scott Parvin » Aug 17, 2008 6:30 pm

I had a great time, too. It was hot and rainy, but the area was really beautiful. I enjoyed the sessions I could make it to, and I actually enjoyed my first Board meetings. Congrats to the Convention Staff, and especially to William Shrewsbury, for pulling off a great Convention. I don't think I saw William sit down all week. :clap:
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Re: Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

Postby Scott Parvin » Aug 17, 2008 6:33 pm

Squirrel Girl wrote:Yay, fun convention!


For some reason, Scott Fee wants me to ask you about the T-shirt story. :rofl: You'll have to fill me in the next time I see you!!! :bananabat:
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Re: Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

Postby Squirrel Girl » Aug 17, 2008 9:23 pm

Scott Parvin wrote:
Squirrel Girl wrote:Yay, fun convention!


For some reason, Scott Fee wants me to ask you about the T-shirt story. :rofl: You'll have to fill me in the next time I see you!!! :bananabat:

Ask *him* where the calf kicked him!
:rofl:
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Re: Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

Postby Teresa » Aug 17, 2008 10:37 pm

As one of the alleged "8" tents in the campground, we did not have a good time. With the constant traffic, headlights, noise from I-75 all night, and terminal dampness, it was perhaps one of the worst camping experiences of my life-- even worse than 1994 in Bracketville. (My feet did not dry out from Tues. to Friday a.m.)

Tuesday, probably because of the intense rain, our tent was invaded by fire ants. I got about 25 - 35 bites, when I went to bed down (tent was zipped; apparently they ate holes in the floor, because there were no holes when we left Missouri.) Broke a canopy (2nd in 2 years at convention) on Wednesday, and had to miss the "campground party"-- not held at the campground because the stage had been ripped by winds-- while we put camp back together. Never had insect bites draw pus almost immediately like the ants did-- they still itch and are weeping. Thursday night, my husband lost his wedding ring chasing frogs after the photo salon; we packed up Friday to get a metal detector, and in the drive from campground to campus, our car's serpentine belt broke. After we left the auto repair shop, spent most of the early afternoon looking for said ring, which he found in the frog pond, having been pointed that way by a little green guy named Gollum.

Like others who had already broken camp for the long ride home, it was a hot and sticky wait for the banquet on campus since every building I could find had been locked at 4:30. Our serving line ran out of 4 of the buffet items, so we just scrounged what we could find.

The springs were nice, and the beach at South Talbot Island SP, and other Florida SPs we visited, as were the people both at convention and in the environs, but I can't say Florida has much else to recommend it in August. Never saw an alleged tourist area (like St. Augustine) which shut down so early in the day...even Branson stays open later.

Convention staff were wonderful; but all the last minute room changes meant that both my husband and I missed some sessions simply because rooms had gone walkabout, and we weren't in the know where they were. I never did find the newsletter editor's session, nor could he find the biology section lunch.

Hey, I've been there, on the other side of the registration desk; I know nothing is ever perfect. We're home and still alive, so I guess that is a good thing. But there are lots of NSS members who simply cannot afford to hotel it and many did not come; there is a divide between the haves and the have nots-- but it's getting really old to lose brand new camping equipment and sleep with fire ants because one is not wealthy enough to ignore such things. We know about the foul weather curse, but we're going to consider not attending future events unless we can be reasonably sure that decent camping areas are being provided.
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Re: Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

Postby CaverScott » Aug 18, 2008 7:28 am

Squirrel Girl wrote:
Scott Parvin wrote:
Squirrel Girl wrote:Yay, fun convention!


For some reason, Scott Fee wants me to ask you about the T-shirt story. :rofl: You'll have to fill me in the next time I see you!!! :bananabat:

Ask *him* where the calf kicked him!
:rofl:



No reason to ask, after all, I have the entire incident on Video!!! :yikes:

I still winch at the memory!! You would think that the NCRC Medical Officer and NCRC Training Officer could time a simple knot that would hold a baby cow, but NNNNNNNNOooooooooooooooooooooooooo! :doh:
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Re: Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

Postby Squirrel Girl » Aug 18, 2008 8:39 am

CaverScott wrote:No reason to ask, after all, I have the entire incident on Video!!! :yikes:

No need for a video for me. I've got that scene burned in my brain!

CaverScott wrote:I still winch at the memory!! You would think that the NCRC Medical Officer and NCRC Training Officer could time a simple knot that would hold a baby cow, but NNNNNNNNOooooooooooooooooooooooooo! :doh:

Hah, hah, hah, hah!
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Re: Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

Postby caverdan » Aug 18, 2008 8:41 am

Teresa,
Put Colorado in 2011 down on your calander. No fire ants or really any bugs to speak of.......and the camping will be between the Roaring Fork river and the High School in the most beautiful field of grass and wild flowers. It will be warm days and cool nights in one of the premere camping and vacation areas in the nation. Hope to see you all there. :cavingrocks:
Member: Colorado Madrats, SoCoMoGro,CWSG.
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Re: Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

Postby Cheryl Jones » Aug 18, 2008 8:23 pm

I thought Convention was very good! :clap: Many thanks to the Convention staff and the week's volunteers who worked all year and all week to ensure a success. :clap: :thanks:

Yeah, there were a few glitches, such as with some room numbers and schedules. I figure every year there'll be something. And the staff couldn't have known that the Friday caterer couldn't keep up with cavers. (It's sure not the first time!) In contrast, we didn't manage to eat all the good food at the howdy party, and a lot was left over.

I didn't camp, however (camp in hot, humid, buggy, Florida in August, hurricane season? Not!) and feel for the folks who got flooded out, blown away, and attacked by ants. :sadbanana:

The weather was yet another year of proof for the theory of a critical mass of cavers breaking droughts and attracting storms. I think we just have to expect it and prepare. BUT summer in Texas next year will be dry, right? :big grin:

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Re: Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

Postby Teresa » Aug 19, 2008 1:34 pm

Cheryl Jones wrote:I didn't camp, however (camp in hot, humid, buggy, Florida in August, hurricane season? Not!)
Cheryl


That's what I said. But I didn't win, and the budget said otherwise. :shrug: OTOH, it was only the 2nd time I'd ever been in Florida in my life, and the other was in October. The fire ants were the only really surprising part... we'd camped in Bracketville, where we were warned, but they didn't bother us there. I deal with hot and humid all the time at home, but never semi-tropical hot and humid. I guess the tradeoff was playing in the ocean and seeing manatees. I would like to take an ocean home with me, but I wouldn't want to move to Florida to get one.

I'd still like to go to panhandle of FL and/or the Gulf Coast. And as I did say, the people and staff were great and helpful...just stuff happens...and now I have more ammunition for not camping in Kerrville. (I like to camp. I really do. The Fl nights were cooler than I expected. But now I know to leave that stuff at home when ever I return to the Gator state. I have always made fun of the snowbirds in their RV tin-cans. But now I know why they live that way there, and have great sympathy for the many generations of Seminole Indians.) :doh:
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Re: Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

Postby Squirrel Girl » Aug 19, 2008 2:05 pm

I thought it was remarkably temperate. I figured Florida in August would have been at least 5 or 10 degrees worse.

Funny thing. Just a couple minutes ago, my roommate popped into my office. He's scared of my dry suit hanging in the garage. He came by to tell me that my drysuit smells like salt water. "No, that's sweat. I had to put on my thermal underwear, then a rubber suit in FL in August." I hate cold water, but I couldn't wait to jump in and pour some on my head down there.

Well, the undies are clean now, but I guess this weekend I'll have to turn the suit inside out and wash it off with some soap and the hose.
:roll:
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Re: Who's Going to the 2008 NSS Convention?

Postby Lost » Aug 19, 2008 2:42 pm

Great Job Cara on the Geology Trip :clap: :clap: :clap:
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