2013 NCA Convention Kansas

7/27/2019 2013 NCA Convention Kansas

1/25

Margaret Franklin Presents

2013 NCA Convention in Kansas


2/25


3/25

just that much more power when someone else does it. It is so good to feel loved and protected.

4:10 pm, Kansas TimeI hope I'm in the right place. There's nobody here to pick me up yet. They said somebody would be atthe baggage claim with a sign. There's supposed to be one other person from California going withme.

The flight itself went okay. Of course they had to find me a new seat because if I'd stayed where I wasthere would have been a BABY RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!! If I stuck with an aisle seat I'd only be SIXseats away but I was even luckier. I got a seat right at the BACK of the plane ALL TO MYSELF!! Theview was awesome! I even took some pictures and video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_TwDVtw5XU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8B8AnQ18rM

Coming in for landing....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zccn9lFJMwI

I refused to let myself be disappointed by the fact that I paid over $800 for my ticket and there was NOMOVIE on board. I just let myself enjoy the view while I listened to the Gipsy Kings until I was tired ofthem and then I listened to John Linnell's State Songs.

4:30My ride showed up and now I'm sitting her in the van waiting for John, my driver, to find the other guywho's here from California. While I'd been waiting for my plane I took notice of the other people aroundme. Am Middle-Eastern woman in traditional head scarf arrived with three small children; two boys anda girl. The boys appeared to be around 5 and 7 years old and the girl was no more than 2 or 3 but they

all seemed pretty happy and well behaved. And the girl was not being pushed around in a stroller! Itwas when we were getting in line I saw another family pushing what I've come to know as a breederbuggy with two young lads, the older one must have been 3 or 4 and, of course the dad was totingthe other one in one of those harnesses. I'm glad I was at the BACK of the plane because if I couldstill hear them from where I was I shudder to think ow much worse it would have been in the sixth row,or worse my ORIGINAL seat! Thank God for MP3 players!!

I wish the driver and the other passenger would hurry back soon. Twice there have been policewomen poking around here and I'm bored and starting to get hungry. I haven't eaten sinceBREAKFAST! I don't usually eat when I'm flying anyway. All the stress of airline drama usually gives
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_TwDVtw5XUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8B8AnQ18rMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zccn9lFJMwIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8B8AnQ18rMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zccn9lFJMwIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_TwDVtw5XU


4/25

me a stomach ache and today I've been so gassy my farts probably helped fly the plane! No wondermy plane got here early!

7:52I FREAKIN' LOVE THIS ROOM!!! (major grinnage!)

David, the other passenger who came from California, is also my neighbour here. After we checked

into our hotel rooms we agreed to meet for supper at the iHop just next door across the street.

This gave me a chance to freshen up and make myself at home in my nice little home-away-from-home. It's not very big but it's got all the comforts I meed. There is a BATHTUB, and my window is tomy LEFT when I lay in bed. That's the way I like it, just like it is at home. I had a shower and changedinto some fresh clothes and then I had to laugh because I went and did the one thing I almost NEVERdo on vacation! I watched some TV!!!! I watched some corny Disney teenybopper show where AdamSandler was serving really bad punch at a dance and then I watched a show about tattoos. On thisshow artists paired up with each other and each one had to tattoo what the other artist had designedon him or her. The winners get a trip to Germany to visit the Jaegermeister plant.

At 6:30 David and I made our way to the iHop. This was my first time at an iHop because to my

knowledge there are none in Canada, except maybe a new one at Niagara Falls that's been built sincethe last time I was there. I just HAD to try their special for the season, PUPMKIN pancakes! I had thespecial with hash browns, scrambled eggs and bacon and I had the butter pecan syrup on mypancakes. There were four flavors at the table; blueberry, boysenberry, butter pecan and strawberry.

And I also had to try the salted caramel iced coffee. It was SO GOOOOOOOD!!!

While we ate we had a great time talking about carousels. David has seen so many and still takespictures using good old-fashioned 35mm film! I've been using my digital since 2009. He's even been toPTC #17 at Six Flags Over Georgia. That one is HUGE! It is one of only two remaining FIVE-ROWmachines!! And he was telling me that the outside row standers measure 47 inches from floor towithers!

After we ate I visited a nearby convenience store because I wanted to find my hubby some differentkinds of candy that aren't available in Canada. I bought several Pay Day and Zero bars and Icleaned out the vending machine in the lobby of all their Nutter Butter Bites, Haven't seen anyZagnut bars yet though. I think those are my favorite American candy bars.

Right now I am just enjoying some quiet time alone in my hotel room and I'll probably have a fairlyearly night. My bed is so nice and comfy and I feel so peaceful and relaxed. I think I am going to sleepwell tonight.

Wednesday, September 25th

Hangin' Out at the Archives

I am happy to say that this has been a relatively peaceful, drama-free day. And I've slept relatively wellconsidering how difficult it usually is to sleep in a strange bed. Hotel beds are usually too hard and toohigh and a couple times in the night I awoke feeling like I'd been trampled by a herd of buffalo butthat's normal. It's nothing compared to the pain I was in on the Denver trip. I awoke several times inthe night but I know I actually DID sleep because I remember dreaming that I was in some new citythat was like a cross between New York and Lindsay. There was this Chinese couple, a cab driver andhis wife. They were really nice and excited about welcoming me to the neighbourhood. They wanted totake me out sightseeing around the town and to their favorite restaurant in Chinatown. I also met thiswoman who had several daughters and she invited me to join them for a picnic at the beach. Now as Iawake I realize this particular character seemed to be based on my friend Amy Zikic back home,


5/25

whose daughters have designed several of my carousel horses. I should give her a call and arrange togo out for a coffee with her when I get home. Anyway, in this dream I realized that I'd inadvertentlymade plans to go out and do things with BOTH these groups of new friends TOMORROW. Same day,no specific time. At least I woke up before I could figure out how to sort out this mess.

I got dressed and had breakfast in the lobby; coffee and a bowl of raisin bran with sliced bananas anda small carrot muffin.

This couple, Dave and Judy drove David and I to the Archives where I immediately took a picture ofWaddle and my doll sitting on the cutout plywood carousel horse that graced the fence out in front ofthe building.

Soon I set up shop and proceeded to start drawing as my digital picture frame played its continuous

slide show. I'm kind of disappointed that nobody else has designed any carousel horses yet but I hadan awesome time looking at everything and had FOUR rides on their 1913 C.W. Parker carousel.


6/25

They have a 1950's aluminum one too...

as well as a small primitive one. The latter is for display only as it is too fragile to ride.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R4LNfXQKBA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R4LNfXQKBAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R4LNfXQKBA


7/25

I REFUSE to let what Jean said the other weekend discourage me. I rode the 1913 carousel FOURtimes and I DID NOT, I repeat NOT break it and get everybody killed! So there! NYAAAAAAAA!!!

We went for lunch at around 11:30 and, after looking at a huge list of local eateries, simply just

decided to go back to the iHop after all. This time I had the mushroom & spinach omelet withbuttermilk pancakes.

I spent much of the day at the archives drifting about admiring all the magnificent carousel horses ondisplay as well as other artifacts. I think I've taken some pretty awesome pictures.


8/25

One thing I also did when I was there was buy a BRICK for their patio. It was only $50 and my namewill be immortalized there forever. I wanted to put my husband's name on there too but there was onlyenough room for so many characters so all I had room for was

MARGARETFRANKLINCANADA

Today I rode two different white horses; Noah and Jo-Anna, whom I rode twice. I also rode a brown-and-white pinto whose name I didn't catch. All the horses are named by sponsors who adopted them.

The gift shop had a contest with several miniature carousel horses that were painted and localbusinesses. Each person could vote for four of their favorites. I voted for the Wizard of Oz-themedhorse first. I've also drawn one today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMxLd_H6dDM

It's actually been quite hot today. If this is anything like the Memphis trip I will probably need my jacketon the bus though. Sometimes in these hot places they really tend to crank the air-conditioning. Wefound it quite chilly in iHop and I had to get up and put my jacket on yesterday when I was on theplane.

I had to smile at the cute little note my housekeeper left today:

Welcome! :)

Hope your stay is a pleasant one.

I couldn't make your bed, didn't want to mess with our stuff.

BrandiTomorrow I'll just put the Cat and my leopard pillow on the table. I may take my Snuggie with me incase I want to nap on the bus like last year.

At least tonight's festivities didn't end as late as I thought they might. My alarm is set for SIX! I gavemy hair a wash and enjoyed a soak in the tub whilst reading Shopaholic and Sister Why does hotelbath water get cold so fast?

Also this evening during the slide presentation I nearly strangled myself trying to remove my name tagbecause it and the pouch I carry my camera and MP3 player in became almost hopelessly tangled! I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMxLd_H6dDMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMxLd_H6dDM


9/25

had a brief moment of panic when I thought I lost my headphones but I was relieved to find them stillhanging around my neck. They'd only just come unplugged.

They showed us a video which is available in the gift shop, but I think I already have it at home. Thepart about the band organ being donated by Melissa Ethridge sounds vaguely familiar.

And the slide presentation was fascinating, all about how C.W. Parker got into the carnival and

carousel business. He started out as a janitor who spent his last nickel so his daughter could ride thecarousel and that inspired him to get into the business. He was able to get together with some otherpeople and buy an Armitage Herschell track machine. Soon he began building his own carousels andcoordinating various traveling carnivals all over and he became a millionaire by the time he was 30.

His first carousels were basically copies of that original Armitage Herschell track machine but theygrew to be more elaborate and sophisticated and by the time his career was over his factory had bultaround a thousand carousels. Very few remain today.

And his factory was only in one or two small buildings, contrary to what the poster shows. Back inthose days, posters that advertised companies always portrayed huge, affluent factories with severallarge buildings and smoke stacks. The real Parker factory looked like what the Africans call a

pandokey! You wonder how such a tiny place could produce so many carousels. Kind of reminds meof a clown car!

Thursday, September 26th

10:50 amWe've just left Wamego, Kansas and we are on our way to the Heritage Centre in Abilene. Wamegowas wonderful! What a surprise! We went to the WIZARD OF OZ MUSEUM!! there were lots ofamazing exhibits and Oz-related memorabilia on display and I easily spent $100 in the gift shop. I justHAD to buy matching T-shirts for myself and Janette. They were the first thing I saw when I got insidethe door; red with a a picture of a pair of ruby slippers and the caption Keep calm and Click YourHeels. I also bought a book, Oz and the Magic Merry-Go-Round by L. Frank Baum's greatgrandson. He's actually going to be autographing copies there on Saturday night. I also bought

several stickers, a Tin Woodman lapel pin and an Emerald City night light.


10/25

This has been an excellent day so far. During the bus ride on our way there I won several prizes in theraffle; a set of coasters, a water-bottle, a tree skirt, a note pad and a set of rubber stamps. I'm going touse my tree skirt as a shawl to wear to the banquet on Saturday. I want to wear my new T-shirt too.These will go so nicely with my red hat. But I would have also wanted to wear this T-shirt on the

journey home. What to do. What to do? I don't usually like to wear the same T-shirt twice withoutlaundering it in between. In fact sometimes I change 2 or 3 times a day, especially if the weather isreally hot. How Jean manages to wear the same shirt 2 or 3 days in a row I'll never understand. I get

too sweaty for that and I'm a tad disgruntled that I didn't bring enough pants to wear. I have two pairsof jeans and my black capris which I wore Tuesday night and all day yesterday.

Almost 2 pmWe're still here for another hour but I just want to sit and rest for awhile. I've had three rides on theirwonderful track machine; a nice little brown horse on the inside row, the beautiful sunflower chariotand a spirited little black filly who felt like she wanted to take off!!


11/25

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXJ5XTVpgGI

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbJo03r3hXM

I then made my way to the museum where I saw some gorgeous carousel-related miniature models...

and followed the history of telephones through the ages. At the moment I am content to sit here andenjoy the breeze. It's been quite hot and sunny. We enjoyed a good lunch of chicken fingers withbarbecue sauce, potato salad and coleslaw with dessert of moist golden cake with chocolate frosting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXJ5XTVpgGIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alTXasLFLMghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbJo03r3hXMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXJ5XTVpgGIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alTXasLFLMghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbJo03r3hXM


12/25

And then I had my carousel rides after I ate

I feel like I need a nap but Ill be okay.

At the gift shop I bought my hubby a miniature antique phone fridge magnet and myself two patches.I've taken to buying extra patches because I like to use them to fix the rips and tears that appear onmy beloved technicolour dream coat. My favorite winter jacket has lasted me 22 years but it would be

falling apart without all the patches I keep putting on it.

Almost 3:30At first I thought everyone was just kidding around but we REALLY DID stop at the Russel Stoverfactory after all. And I'm glad we did. That was the BEST ICE CREAM CONE EVER! I had a wafflecone with Rocky Road and Mint Chocolate Chip. However, the lineup was so long that I'd alreadyfinished my first scoop by the time it was my turn to pay for it otherwise it would have melted. I neededthat!

On our way here I was dozing off for a nap and TWICE I was startled by sudden loud noises. IFUCKING HATE SUDDEN LOUD NOISES!!! I felt several of my base point crash or proverbialspoons fly out the window so to speak and was quite shaken. Because I'm autistic, a noise like that

does more than just startle me; it hits me over the head like a huge log! I was quite rattled and felt likeI wouldn't have recovered but stopping for ice cream has helped at least to some extent. Up until thenI've done my best to pace myself and keep my distance from anywhere too crowded or hectic. Wehave two early mornings in a row and I want to be careful to avoid meltdowns. When stuff like thshappens they can sneak up fast. I haven't been crying but I feel like I have been. My eyes have thatmoist, tired feeling. Of course it doesn't help that Ive had one of my famous sneezing fits!

Our next stop is Topeka, go figure. The home of Westboro Baptist Church, the place thats famous fornarrow-minded bigots who have given Christians a bad name. I wonder if we'll pass that place. Theback of my ticket for the Heritage Center Carousel says No Profane, Vulgar Language orQuarreling Allowed. Let's hope there's no reason to feel like doing so! I am going to REFUSE tohave any prejudices about Topeka based on what I know about Westboro. I'm a Christian myself but

I've drifted away from church in general due to having been hurt by people with judgmental attitudes.Dave prayed for me the night before I left. I choose to hold onto PEACE! God brought me safelythrough the airport on Tuesday. Despite a bit of a scare I did NOT get in trouble and was able to averta meltdown.

4:15I'm probably the only one who saw that cute little lost goat wandering near the side of the road,reddish brown with a patch of white on his side.

7:35 pmI'm sitting outside in front of the Discovery Center and it is a gorgeous evening. The crickets and bugsare making all kinds of interesting noises. Turn your volume up high to hear this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7tizQLq48k

My mistake. It's Tupelo, NOT Topeka that's the home of that awful, bigotted church. Topeka is home toone of the BEST CAROUSELS EVER! When they were handing out those tickets on the bus I thoughtwe'd need them to ride the carousel. We each got one which I figured meant if we wanted anymorerides we'd have to BUY them. But surprise, surprise! We got to ride all we wanted for free. It is amagnificent Herschell-Spillman menagerie with an amazing variety of animals and I got to ride it SIXtimes! I was in one of my carousel trances where I get off and just get right back on again! I got toride all my favorite horses starting with the Sunflower lead horse, followed by a white Trojan horse, a
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7tizQLq48khttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7tizQLq48k


13/25

Parker Lillie belle, a pale golden horse with purple trappings and I had my penultimate ride on a pig.My last ride was on that lovely gray horse with the jeweled bridle and the yellow rose. She also had ayellow ribbon on her tail. So far I think this has been my favorite carousel.

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

After our last ride we boarded our buses to the Discovery Center where dinner was served. Afterdinner I needed some fresh air so I enjoyed the breeze and the sounds of nature.

Go figure, there was a cash bar tonight where wine was being served but I just don't feel like I need adrink these days.

10:28 pmThe journey back to the hotel did not take as long as I had feared. As usual the meeting went intoovertime and although we were supposed to leave at 8:00 it went on until 8:30. To deplete my supplyof base points even more I ripped my pants when I was bending down to admire some toads. Therewere two big ones. I beeped one of them on the nose before he hoped away into the tall grass. Andthen there was one little one. I bent over to try to pick him up and RRRRIP!! Just as well. Last time Iactually picked up a toad it tried to shit on me anyway!

During the ride home I listened to music on my MP3 player to make the time go faster. KISS as usual,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKGdFCUxQhchttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKGdFCUxQhc


14/25

and then Owl City and some Blondie. I don't feel like I need a bath tonight. The time was better spentmending the rip in my jeans and hand-washing my black Capri pants. Hopefully, they'll be dry bySaturday. I think I will wear them with my sunflower T-shirt. Sunflower motifs are everywhere. They'reKansas' state flower.

I am tired but at least it's a good kind of tired. Tonight I ought to sleep well. I'll probably wear my otherjeans tomorrow, the ones with the zippers on the ankles. And my purple T-shirt that says There's no

such thing as too many Merry-Go-Rounds!

Friday, September 27th

It's been a good day so far. Once again I was awake before any of my systems could kick in. (2 alarmclocks and a wake-up call.) The wake-up call came first so I just shut off the clocks. Quickly, I washedand got dressed and went to the lobby for breakfast. There are only tow tables so we pretty muchhave to eat in shifts. Once again I was the first one outside and ready to get on the bus!

When we arrived at the Kansas City Zoo, I took lots of pictures and I rode a tiger on their carousel.There was really only enough time to ride once and they ran it at an absolute CRAWL!!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2nvjwbj5VE

I also enjoyed watching the rainbow lorikeets:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFOtphhp1UE

I was hungry so before I got on the bus I bought one of those big pretzels with cheese sauce andmustard.

It didn't take long to get to Worlds of Fun. This is a beautiful Illions Supreme and the last one they everbuilt. This carousel was at Geauga Lake in Ohio until it came here in 2011. There was quite a lineupwaiting to get on when the time came for our first ride but I managed to find a nice little palomino horse

on the inside row.After the ride I noticed the 170-pound weight limit on the sign. Riiiiiiiiiight! My FREAKING SKELETONITSELF weighs more than that!! I'd have to start AMPUTATING LIMBS to get down to that weight! 170is the new 110. But the carousel did NOT break down and nobody stopped me from getting on again.In fact many more of us here obviously weigh more than 170 but they let us ride anyway. But it'sprobably no wonder that this machine also ran at an ABSOLUTE CRAWL! My second ride, if memoryserves me correctly, was on a nice reddish-brown horse in the second row. And I did NOT break thecarousel and get everyone killed like mey aunt made me feel like I would when she lectured me on theway home from the quilting show, SO THERE! NYAAAAAAAA!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2nvjwbj5VEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFOtphhp1UEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2nvjwbj5VEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFOtphhp1UE


15/25

Lunch was served. Hamburgers and hot dogs. I was a good smurf. I had a hamburger patty with NOBUN. I've already had enough bread today. I also had sauerkraut and bean salad and there weresmall containers of ice cream for dessert. I had chocolate.

And then I got up and took a little walk. They were inviting people to get a close-up look at themechanics so I took a look and some pictures and had one last ride in the chariot this time. It actuallyfelt like I was moving faster in the chariot than on the horses and I enjoyed the ride as I took a video of

the experience.

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB6s-o3gtGI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fdbiAg0rqQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0L7Ax_aonA

This has easily been my favorite carousel so far. I've probably taken at least a hundred pictures of thisone alone!!

It's probably time to get on the bus again real soon. I feel quite tired so I've basically been keepinginteraction to a minimum.

One thing I must say is they sure put a lot of activities into this tour to keep things interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz_XzjzBCdAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB6s-o3gtGIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fdbiAg0rqQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0L7Ax_aonAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz_XzjzBCdAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB6s-o3gtGIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fdbiAg0rqQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0L7Ax_aonA


16/25

5:45 pmI ended up having two more rides on that gorgeous Illions carousel after all. A gray horse in the thirdrow and an outer-row palomino. All the horses, or most of them, anyway, have shiny gold manes andmagnificent jewels.

Then it was time to get back on the bus. Off to Kansas City Royals baseball stadium./ They have agorgeous Carousel Works machine that is baseball-themed. I could have sworn that the NCA photo

show showed a Frog Prince but maybe if there is one they trade figures from time to time like theSilver Beach carousel we visited last year. I noticed that there were at least four figures of their lionmascot, Sluggerrr, and the chariot is shaped like a giant catcher's mitt. There was also an oversizedbaseball bat you could ride with a baseball glove for a saddle. Menagerie figures included an eagle, agiraffe, an elephant and a zebra and there were several beautiful horses, some armoured and somefloral. The carousel was small but I was lucky to get on the first ride and found a lovely floral steed inthe second row, Parts of the carousel were even decorated with real baseballs! They especially linedthe edge of the rounding boards, alternating with the light bulbs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNO2q_-_4Xw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGBfNk1VGqI

From there we proceeded to a guided tour of the stadium. They showed us where the press meets tointerview the players, where the journalists sit to watch the game, the locker room which is called theClub room, and the dugout. The whole afternoon kind of went by in a blur.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNO2q_-_4Xwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGBfNk1VGqIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNO2q_-_4Xwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGBfNk1VGqI


17/25

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7auiSlaMB8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-Z1uSN4uuQ

And from there we got back on the bus and down to the Kansas City Municipal Arena. I wish I couldremember the name of that first march. Before the organist played any songs for us, he gave us ademonstration of the flues and reeds and the different instrumental sound qualities they had.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NZlP4z3jNg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJtabX8tzxI

It was abetter organ recital than the one last year. This time there were more songs I actually knewsuch as Cabaret, Memory a medley from Brigadoon and selections from Phantom of the Opera.

We are at Benjamin Ranch where I am sitting at the table enjoying a darned good Margarita! Themusic is so loud that it's kind of pointless trying to have a conversation with anyone. My earplugs areback in my hotel room so I have to put shredded table napkin in my ears to tolerate the music at thisvolume.

At least now on the bus they warn me and tell me to plug my ears when they turn on the microphoneso it doesn't scare the crap out of me like it did yesterday. I appreciate being warned. However, we stillhad a blast of feedback anyway when we encountered some sore to radar thing! X-#

I'm afraid I'm down to my last $160, not counting what's earmarked for shuttle transport and luggage. Iam having a great time but I miss my hubby very much and I will be glad when it's time to go home.

10:11 pmAfter I finished my supper I went outside for some much needed quiet time. Man! All those buzzy bugsout there were anything BUT quiet! However it was more peaceful than the dining hall and soon I was

joined for pleasant conversation with a few other people. They'll probably see more of my artworktomorrow at Roundabout Faire. We got brainstorming ideas about a HOCKEY carousel! I can't wait tostart designing animals for that when I get home! With the number of teams the NHL has, that willhave to be one FREAKING HUGE quilt! I picture one major ferocious bad-ass grizzly bear for BostonBruins, a shark for San Jose, of course and a buffalo for Buffalo Sabres. Any team that isn't an animalwill just be a horse, of course. And of course instead of baseballs, the rounding boards would bedecorated with real hockey pucks. And the chariot would be shaped like a hockey skate.

I went ahead to the bus early because I had the urge to turn on my MP3 player and listen to Stompin'Tom Connors' The Hockey Song .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7auiSlaMB8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-Z1uSN4uuQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NZlP4z3jNghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJtabX8tzxIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7auiSlaMB8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-Z1uSN4uuQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NZlP4z3jNghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJtabX8tzxI


18/25

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxJvrD80nJ4

Imagine how that would sound on a carousel band organ, not to mention the theme from HockeyNight in Canada if we can get the rights to it.

At least I've had no real drama on this trip so far (KNOCK WOOD). Just a few minor irritations here

and there. Face it, nothing's ever perfect but at least I know the devil's strategies when I see them.Yesterday within five minutes of arriving in Wamego I nearly lost an earring when I got off the bus andthen I smashed my right middle fingernail on the little shelf above the toilet paper dispenser in theladies' room.

Then there was the issue of Sudden Loud Noise from the feedback of the microphone. I appreciatethe fact that now my bus captains warn us to plug our ears before they turn it on in case it happensagain.

And this evening when I arrived at the hotel I tripped on the rug in the lobby and then there was aHUGE spider in my bathroom. At least I was able to kill it with a piece of toilet paper and flush it downthe loo. It's hard to know for sure when one is traveling whether or not said spider could be poisonous.

Every year I tell myself I'm going to lose a few tons by next year's convention but it never happens. I'dlike to think that maybe this year might be different if I'm less angry.

So far things have been different. I've been able to pace myself. But it's still easy to be vulnerable if I'm tired. I try to avoid being overlystimulated or staying too long in any place that's too noisy or crowded. That's part of the reason I'mleaving a day later this year. So I'll have some quiet time after the meeting instead of just being rushedhome. My last two conventions ended up with me being crammed into a wheelchair because I was sotired and over-stimulated that I couldn't stop crying. I do NOT want this year to be a repeat of such ahumiliating performance.

I've done some pretty awesome networking on this trip. The Hockey Carousel idea. And there's thislady from the New England museum who's interested in possibly selling some of my horses in her giftshop. They're a good gift because they're small, lightweight and NOT breakable. She paid $4.00 forthe purple-maned horse in the auction. Annilise's grandmother bid on the one with the bright pinkmane to befriend the yellow Honeymoon Horse she got from me last year. I hope she sends anotherpicture.

My black pants are still a little damp but they should be dry in the morning.

My feet ache. Before I go to sleep I hope to find something good on TV that won't rot my brian orwhat's left of it! LOL!

Saturday, September 28th

I am at the Leavenworth Museum at the moment. It has been a dull, rainy day and I've awakened witha nasty sore throat but I REFUSE to let it dampen my spirits. We had an amazing tour through thetown. The architecture of all these old places is impressive to say the least. Many of these houses looklike they must have been pretty nice places to live back in the day. Some of them still are. But many,like the veteran's quarters, are empty and dilapidated. The government wants to fix them up. I took apicture of a rather quaint-looking home with two comfortable-looking rocking chairs on the front porch.I also took a picture of the prison. Security waved us through without any problems. Once in awhileyou get some picky character who wants to see EVERYONE'S photo ID's but fortunately that didn'thappen this time. At least I had my passport.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxJvrD80nJ4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxJvrD80nJ4


19/25

I've been wandering around the museum taking pictures, mostly of the horses. It looks lie my batterydidn't completely charge even though I let it charge over night. Maybe I need a new one. Nothing lastsforever. Go figure, I've had this camera since 2009. four years already. I've had this camera sinceabout a month or two after Michael Jackson died. That was one of the worst summers of my life for avariety of reasons I won't go into. The day Michael Jackson died was literally the last time my Carousel

Group ever had a committee meeting! Jim Schulman was asking about it last night. I wish I could havetold him more. Maybe this new Hockey Carouse idea will the an ace up my sleeve.

Anyway, I made a stop at the gift shop here and once again I broke the no more stuffed animals ruleand bought me and Janette a pair of bison! I call mine Emmett after Emmett Kelly, the famous clown.There was a gorgeous art print of him at Roundabout Faire riding a carouse, reaching for the brassring and when I saw that I thought to myself that if I get anymore critters I want to call the next oneEmmett. Or Oscar like the Wizard f Oz. It's up to Janette. She can name her buffalo whatever shewants. I wonder if DooDoo has heard of, or possibly even met Emmett Kelly. I also bought Dave asunflower magnet.

5:01 pm

Had lunch at Pullman's. What a nightmare! Too many screaming babies. For me ONE is too many!First I pretty much had to RUN to keep up with the other two ladies. And of course the first thing I hadto see when we got inside the front door was a family with a baby, so I motioned us to a booth in thecorner as far away from the little time bomb as possible. Unfortunately, there was a section upstairsfrom us where ANOTHER one started screaming. So I fumbled with my MP3 player and cranked upmy music. I thought I was safe when I saw a family with a baby LEAVING from there a few minuteslater but then ANOTHER one started screaming!! AAARRRGGGHHHHH!! >:( Conversation was out ofthe question as I hurried through my meal, hardly enjoying it at all.

I felt lost and disoriented on my way out of the restaurant, but I found my way back to the carouselmuseum soon enough.

Still nobody wants to decorate any horse but I've managed to give away all but three colouring books.I had a great chat with Steve Miller, the man who gave me that really cool pen last night. He is apediatric dentist and he knows how to treat his patients so that they almost never cry! He and his staffrun a Western-themed clinic where they all dress up as cowboys and they make the kids laugh andsmile with magic tricks. He made his ring disappear and then pulled it out of my ear. Basic slight-of-hand but it still never ceases to amaze and amuse me even though I'm almost 50. I gave him one ofmy colouring books for his patients to enjoy and permission to make all the photocopies he wants.

Same with Jim Schulman. We had a great chat. It's ironic. Their carousel is almost finished but theystill haven't got a location for it. Nobody wants to help me until I've GOT a location and my committee


20/25

basically toook off and got a life and my carousel project is obviously NOT part of it! If I had the properstart-up injittiments, the folks from the Berkshire carousel would actually carve me my first horse as aGIFT! Which one first though? Maybe either one of Janette's or Lorraine's horses.

I had three rides on the carousel this afternoon; a white horse named lady Chamber, one of thejackrabbits and a black horse whose name I don't remember, Shaggy or Sonny or something like that.

I've just had a bath and I'm dressed and ready for the banquet. Perhaps I'll just put my money in mypouch and leave the old backpack behind.

11:29WTF could neurotypicals STILL have to talk about so late at night. Everyone's so hyper. They're all likeyackety-yackety-yackety while I feel like I just want to curl up in a fetal position and cry like a baby!What an evening! I had a good time but I would have enjoyed it more if I didn't have this stupid cold. Ifit were up to me I wish I could have gone back to the hotel before the auction. There was nothing Ireally wanted to buy at that point anyway and I just want to get rid of this cold!

At least dinner was excellent. I enjoyed a Margarita with my meal and fascinating conversation. SteveMiller was telling e about how his son became a pediatric dentist too. I think it's a gift, a real calling. It's

a gift to be that good with kids. Steve's son actually worked for a couple other pediatric dentistry clinicsbefore working for his dad after all and all these other places were absolutely horrible! I can justimagine. The cafeteria in my gynecologist's building is right next door to a pediatric dentistry clinic andthe place sounds like a bloody concentration camp! And I read on the Internet about a whole chain ofthese awful places called Small Smiles where children are tied down to something called a mummyboard. Steve's patients seldom cry because he has an amazing way of keeping them entertained andenchanted.

Dinner was served buffet-style. Salads were brought to the table but we all lined up for the rest of ourmeal. There was sliced chicken, scalloped potatoes, salmon, rolls and mixed veggies; carrots, broccoliand cauliflower. I think this has been my favorite meal of the trip so far! I love salmon! Dessert was achoice of carrot cake, strawberry cheese cake or chocolate cake. I chose the chocolate. And we all

had little boxes of Russel Stover chocolate at our place setting.

After our meal, several of the board members performed a Wizard of Oz skit ofr us and led us insinging Somewhere Over the Rainbowhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYfMalHtfI0

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

Then there was the raffle. There were 75 prizes and we could just go up and pick out whatever wewanted. I chose a gorgeous wood carving of a buffalo. It's a wood plaque but it needs something onthe back so I can hang it up on the wall. Micheals might have something like that. Of all the treasuresI've accumulated on this trip I think this is the one I'm most excited about. Since it's not another horse I

think Dave might appreciate it too.

Even though I was feeling yucky enough that I would have preferred to pass on the auction, it was stillpretty interesting. The top ranking item was a cross-stitched carousel picture that went for $500!

We have to be ready to leave the hotel at 7:30 for breakfast at 8:00. everyone else is taking off to theairport. I'm glad I'm not leaving until Monday because when the meeting is over I just want to go rightback to bed! I already know from the past two years that rushing me off to the iarport immediately afterSunday's meeting is a surefire recipe for disaster! I'd rather spend the extra money for an extra nightso I'm rested before I tackle any further stimuli.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYfMalHtfI0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfwiZpbeiqMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYfMalHtfI0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfwiZpbeiqM


21/25

It must have taken at least half an hour to get everyone on the shuttle bus before we finally got movingafter the banquet! I was feeling pretty irritable so I had to just zone out for awhile and listen toSwitched on Bach on my MP3 player. Waiting for the journey back to the hotel felt lie it was costingme more of my proverbial spoons. I've taken a couple Motrin tablets. I hope I sleep well tonight. Atleast I'm not coughing as much at the moment.

Sunday, September 29th

This hasn't exactly been the greatest of days so far but I've survived without a meltdown. Seriously,anyone who complains about MY voice being loud ought to hear the lady in the next room. Even withmy earplugs in I can still hear her whinnying away!

It took me forever to get to sleep last night. My lungs were squeaking like a rusty hinge. At least I knowI did sleep because when I did I had some pretty strange dreams, mostly about the airport. I had astrange dream about my friend Allan. He'd finally had his gender-reassignment surgery but they didmore than just make him completely male. He had some kind of weird Goth makeover. He waswearing white makeup with black lipstick and his teeth were all filed into triangular points like a sharkand he had these strange implants in his shoulders and elbows where Christmas lights were attached.Where does my mind get weird stuff like this?

I wished I could have stayed in bed this morning but I wanted to go to the meeting. I'm glad I didn'tmiss it because of all the information about next year's trip to New York.

Almost didn't make it, however. I'm afraid I had a bit of an altercation with the woman who was goingto drive me there. She seemed more concerned with trying not to catch my cold than she did about mycomfort and well-being and nearly froze me to death when she was trying to start the car. I probablyshould have stayed in my room. I sighed and she opened my door and was like Fine, get out of her!Not those words exactly but more like she wasn't going to take me if I had attitude. I felt like I'd beenslapped in the face! This is the kind of lack of empathy and compassion that gives NT's a bad name. Ishudder to think how many spoons or base points this little interaction has cost me. At leat basepoints are replaceable and hopefully after a darned good sleep I should be right as rain. It's a wonder Ididn't miss the shuttle bus though.

Next year's convention goes from September 17 th to the 21st, but they have pre-convention days onthe 15th and 16th. If Janette and I take this trip next year what we will probably do is go on Sunday the14th and come home on Monday the 22nd. I hope we can handle such a long trip. The itinerary hasscheduled ELEVEN carousels and, sadly, this does not include the bug carousel at the Bronx zoo thatJanette's been wanting to see so badly. Because there are so many, we've had to decide to stick with

just the wooden antiques. At least Coney Island and Nunley's are part of the schedule. I don't think I'lldo Roundabout Faire next year, though. What do people have against decorating carousel horses? DoI scare them or what?

At least I got a ride back to the hotel and was able to stop for cold medication. I bought a bag of Hallsand a bottle of cough syrup. It's not a brand I've seen in Canada. I was disappointed that the States

don't have Neo Citran or anything like it. What is it with the US and hot lemon drink remedies? At leastI was able to get myself a darned good cup of tea!

Good thing I'm not going until tomorrow. I'm STILL not finished packing! It's mostly the bitty stuff left, ofcourse.

That reminds me, Jim Schulman was telling me that over the weekend the Berkshire carouselworkshop has been relocating. Same mall, different shop. That first workshop used to be a Gap storebut now they're moving into what used to be an Old Navy. The horses and equipment aren't so hard totransport. It's Jim's collection of models and circus memorabilia. It's just like moving; It's not the


22/25

furniture that's a drag, it's all the bitty stuff that has to be wrapped, organized and put together.

Okay, nap time! I reckon I'll get up and eat at around 5:00. Amazingly I haven't been all that hungryduring much of this trip. If only I could feel this way back in Oshawa.

6:17 pmIt's been so nice to have the place to myself for the time being just to have the quiet time I need to

rest. I must have slept for at least an hour or two and then flipped on the TV and turned it to turnerClassic movies to watch Strangers on a Train, the Alfred Hitchcock classic, complete with a carousel.The perfect movie for the end of this convention. By the time the movie was over I was getting prettyhungry so I decided to try Taco John's, the little Mexican place next to the iHop. I was kind ofdisappointed. I had their Super Burrito but it's not even a tenth as good as the vegetarian burritos Ialways get at Viva Burritos in downtown Oshawa. I've been spoiled! Viva Burritos is one of the thingsI'm starting to feel a little homesick for.

That and REAL toilet paper! My poor butt is constantly sore from always having to use the sub-standard el-cheapo one-ply stuff everywhere I've been on this trip plus it's hard to wipe adequatelywith a busted middle fingernail.

I am wondering just how I'm going to get everything back into my suitcase and I wont be surprised ifanything has to be taken out because it's too heavy. At least I've given away most of my colouringbooks and the reason my art supplies bag was so heavy in the first place was because there was astupid bottle of water hiding in there that I didn't know about.

My shuttle bus picks me up at around noon tomorrow. It's like some version of Tetris to packeverything so that it fits. Weather today has been HOT!! Thank God this room is air-conditioned!

10:01 pmDear GodPlease let me sleep tonight and feel much better in the morning. Please protect me during the journeyhome. It's frustrating when these conventions end on a sour note because I'm sick and/or overtired.

Thank You for letting me stay here an extra night. I knew it would be a good idea whether I was sick ornot. You knew I wouldn't want to be flying home in this condition.

Monday, September 30th

Almost 2:00 pmSo far so good. Everything has been running smoothly with NO DRAMA WHATOSEVER! Kansasairport is small and reasonably quiet. Of course my suitcase was too heavy but it was easy enough tolighten my load by removing my bag of art supplies. All my stuff BREEZED through security withoutany complaints or hassles. My throat is so sore though, but at least I feel better than I did yesterday.Must be the American cough medicine. Face it, the Canadian stuff is crap. It's basically sugar water.Probably because we have free health care. None of our stuff really works so we HAVE to go to thedoctor for a prescription.

Airport security people must have one of the most fascinating jobs in the world watching all that stuffgo rolling through the x-ray machine.

Ugh, my throat is getting worse by the minute and so are my ears. I hope I'll be able to just zone outthrough much of the flight.

10:20 pmI'm home let the bells ring and the banners fly! Actually I've been home for at least an hour or two.There's nothing worse than flying with a cold..other than flying with a cold when there's a baby on


23/25

board which THANK GOD THERE WAS NOT!!! When you've got a cold, airline travel onlyexacerbates your symptoms and ALWAYS results in sore ears. During takeoff I felt like my poor headwas going to explode. Usually I drink tomato juice on the plane but this time I slowly nursed two cupsof tea. It really hurt when I tried to swallow. At least I tried to enjoy the view and listening to my music,especially Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass and Great Big Sea.

I was glad when I saw the Toronto shoreline and recognized the Ontario Place Cinesphere but I swear

the plane crawled at a snail's pace and didn't seem to land for at least another half hour.

When the plane finally landed we all had to crawl down the stairs. There were several suitcases beingunloaded but none of them were mine. Turns out they were all carry-on bags. There is no other wordfor the Toronto Airport but HELL!! Dante's Inferno has nothing on this place! My version of hell is beingmade to walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk

and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and

walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk

and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk walk and walk and


24/25

walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and

walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk down endless hallways until youcome to a crowded room where you have to wait forever in a huge lineup.

And the couple in front of me kept smooching. I felt like either yelling at them to get a room or smackthem up the side of the head!!

By then I was sure I must be burning up a fever. I could hardly wait to get my hands on my suitcasebecause I had visions of myself ripping it open to take my cough medicine. At least the customs office

waved me through without asking any questions but I still had to walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and

walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk

and walk and walk and walk and walk walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walkand walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk andwalk and walk and walk and walk until I FINALLY found my shuttle service. The driver was alreadythere so I let him hold fort because I had to go to the ladies' room which was yet ANOTHER countrymile away, back in the direction I had just come from.

At least the journey home went fast.


25/25

This time I didn't make my usual mad dash to the computer to check my email and upload my photos.I'll do that tomorrow. I'M FREAKING EXHAUSTED!!!

Date post:	14-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	margaret-franklin
View:	217 times
Download:	0 times

2013 NCA Convention Kansas

Documents