ABC 2010 is now over (can you tell I wrote this weeks ago?). Wow! What a week! I planned for set-up to be a snap, but that was optimistic. Note to self: when you think you need 6 tables, ask for 12 and you’ll be close to correct.
Traveling over the Rockies was uneventful except for sitting in the van at Golden while we waited an hour for the roadwork to be finished. That’s what novels are for…. Or naps. The van was sitting pretty low on the trip out. Paper is so heavy!
Don’t always believe your GPS. Although I’ve taught classes in Red Deer several times before, I was always chauffeured back and forth to Red Deer College! Never underestimate the power of asking a human being for directions….
A huge thanks to Sandra B. for her enormous assistance in setting up. I think she is now quite comfortable with the more than 60 shades of W&N Watercolours that I carry as she filled the whole display!
I had my share of technical difficulties. I just don’t do this pack-up and move thing often enough to be proficient at it! But John Neal had difficulties, too. As with Island Magic, his books didn’t show up. At least he knew where they were this time! I don’t know how he survived as the Boston conference had finished only a week before and here he was in Red Deer. “His” Michael was off at the Iampeth conference which was running at the same time as ABC 2010! I have huge respect for John and what he does for the calligraphic community.
Thanks to those of you who remembered my friend Susan from Island Magic. I would have loved her to be at ABC 2010, but working 7am-10pm every day is the kind of job you can only ask a friend to do once in a lifetime! (although if I’d asked, I know she would have done it!) Susan’s Mom died 5 days before my Dad at the end of April.
Simply Accounting and I had ongoing battles at the start of this conference. I now know why I pay the big bucks for technical support! By the second day I could print invoices – if you need one and didn’t get a detailed one from the first day, just email me with the invoice number on your receipt and I will email it to you! Sorry for the inconvenience!
As you can see, I didn't take many photos.....
So what were the big items at ABC 2010? These are off the top of my head….
The circles of Bombay Ink (now sold out)
Arches Black Cover
Each day the store sponsored a draw with about $70 worth of product included! Our winners were:
Bill L – Kelowna
Barry C – Calgary
Corrine A – Red Deer
Jo-Anne R – Red Deer (you should have seen the look on her face when I handed her the bag of goodies to be presented at the evening program. She asked who won and I showed her the name. Too cute!)
Barbara M – Calgary
Thanks so much to the organizing committee for inviting me – it was simply wonderful to see all the “old” faces and meet some wonderful new ones.
A big round of applause should go to Karen Jackson and Roxanne Fairbrother for being such an awesome team and handling everything that came their way.
I’d like to thank Sandra B again (she kept me sane those first few hours and came back in to help out on the first few days) as well as Cheryl D and Joanne R who read me product numbers to speed the line ups!
And yet another thanks to the pack up crew, who packed everything quickly and efficiently. I really appreciated the help so much! My brain was numb by that point.
I’d love to go back again, but this time can I take a class? Although I might have to stalk Mike Kecseg since I missed his class in Red Deer.….
See you all at ABC 2020!
