Thursday at RWA

The first pic is me all dressed for the day.

Today was the Opening Session with motivational speaker/entertainer Theresa Behenna. She talked about how change can be good and if a door closes through a rejection, another one might open.

Next was the Annual General Meeting. We did not have a quorum present either with live bodies or with proxies, so the “meeting” did not take place. We had a gathering instead, I guess. After presenting the secretary minutes and treasurer’s report, the members were invited to speak.

Some members did make comments about various actions the board had taken in the past, like contest categories and eligibility for PAN membership. Some one also commented on the difficulty she had registering for the conference and using the website.

Next was the Keynote Luncheon with Victoria Alexander. She was wonderful and made us laugh hysterically at ourselves. Rita finalist, Julianne MacLean sat at my table.

The workshops started and I sat for two. I got slightly nervous thinking about my own workshop tomorrow. It was spooky. I have not been nervous at all. I’ve given the spiel three times. I know my content upside down and backwards.

But, for some reason, sitting in that first workshop, made me realize how real this all was. I was on stage tomorrow, up front, with information to impart, to knowledge-seeking attendees. Tomorrow, I’m the expert.

Sorry that some pictures are fuzzy. It's difficult to get a good picture in the low light.

Literacy Signing

I don’t think I mentioned how much fun I’m having… good times.

I just left the literacy signing and the room was electric! So much hustle and bustle going on!

The line to get in snaked around some corded off area, like a roller coaster ride at Disney World, then extended up the escalators and snaked on the upper floor. The hotel had staff directing everyone to the lines. Once in, the room was orderly, with the big name authors around the perimeter and the others lay out alphabetically on long tables. The authors had their books stacked up on the tables in front of them. I got a chance to talk to some of my favorite authors, like Julie Ann Long and Lorraine Heath. I also saw Vicki Thompson, Lisa Mondello, Theresa Mederios, Christina Dodd, Terri Garey, Stacey Keane, and Tawny Weber.

There were many authors, more than five hundred in total.

The first picture is me all ready for the day.

Wednesday at RWA

Today was all business. I attended the Chapter Leadership Seminar. The event was a great way to meet other chapter presidents and network. We discussed planning, leadership development, chapter documents, committees, and other aspects of running a chapter. The current RWA board of directors introduced themselves to us.

In an hour, the literacy signing begins and I'll post pictures and more news.

We Walked The Golden Gate Bridge

My friend Rita really, really wanted to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. So.. like a fool, I agreed... just kidding, but it was long and tiring. We walked from the dirt of San Francisco to the dirt of Sausolita. The bridge isn't too terribly long, only 8000 feet from end to end. And I was surprised as to how flat it was. I have walked the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan, and that bridge is five miles long!

But the Golden Gate Bridge has beauty of its own.

We watched two ocean freighters go underneath it. The day was sunny and warm. The weather was windy as all get out up on the bridge. We watched the famous San Francisco fog roll in.

Another church in SFO

We also saw Grace Cathedral. Beautiful..!!

When I entered, I felt that I had been there before. The stone, the architecture, the setting all looked familiar. I thalought the church looked similar to the National Cathedral in Washington DC. What do you think?

More SFO - Day 2

Next was Coit Tower. We purchased Muni ride passes to ride all the different types of transportation in SFO. We were able to take a bus to Coit Tower and not have to walk up hill. Here are some of the sites from the tower. In one picture, you can see the Golden Gate Bridge.

SFO 2, continuned

Next was cable cars. I think every tourist in San Francisco wanted to ride the cable cars today. The lines were crazy; the cars were packed. We rode a cable car to get to the top of Lombard street. Here again, all the tourist were congregating. Cars were queuing in line to drive down the crookedest street in the world. People everywhere taking pictures. It was fun to be part of the crowd.

SFO 2

San Francisco Day 2 -- Sight Seeing

What a day..!! So much to see..! Wow.. Okay, now pictures.

First Stop was Mission Dolores, an old mission site in San Francisco. If you like churches and history, you would like the church. Post are some of the pictures of the church. Also, the neighborhood was interesting. It was "gritty". Not pretty and clean, but well used and lived in.

SFO Day 1

We got in today and the hotel is huge.. like rooms and floors and people everywhere. It’s a bit overwhelming for a simple girl like me.

The rooms themselves are a disappointment, though. I’ve had bigger, more plush rooms at the Holiday Inn. There is no place to stash the suitcases. The floor of the closet is taken up by the in-room safe (extra fee). The desk is full of snacks to buy. There are only two dresser drawers. We don’t even get two chairs for the table. We have one desk chair and another “easy” chair.

Yes, but we are in San Francisco, downtown by Market and Third. I can see a Starbucks from the hotel window and there is another one in the Lobby.

After we checked in, we walked around the area a bit. The city is vibrant and active. Lots of hustle and bustle. Many people walking around, buses zooming by, car, bicyclists. If it was a mode of transportation, it was on the streets.

I took a few pictures of the Market Street area.

And we went down to Fisherman's Wharf.

Sorry about the pictures not going in the right places, but I have never figured out how to do that.

Tomorrow is our big sight-seeing adventure.