Albuquerque, Day 6

What I'm reading: Perilous Passions by Teri Thackston

The biggie today was the weather. Tornadoes, hail, rain—not much of which hit near the hotel, but several conference attendees had gone out sightseeing and hiking. One gentleman said he'd been about 3.5 miles down a trail when he saw the storm approach. He turned around and made the return trip at top speed, but had to deal with hailstones the size of marbles, and the temperature dropped from the upper 70's to the upper 30's. From my hotel window, I could see the stormclouds and bands of black rain over the mountains.

The conference event was their closing banquet. For a change, it was located in the conference hotel, which was 'off site' for many attendees, but for me, it meant I wasn't held hostage until the bus service kicked in. It also meant that instead of partaking of the cash bar, I could get my drinks free at the "manager's reception" and then mosey down to the banquet site for their hors d'oeuvres. Not a bad deal—and the first time I've seen a table full of chocolate as part of the opening food offerings. They provided little bags, and I took full advantage.

The silent auction had some nice pottery, so this year we not only bid, but hung in there and won 3 items. Usually, my philosophy is that if I place an early or mid-time bid, it's doing my part for the fund-raising by raising the stakes, but don't have to spend any money. If I can get pictures, I'll post them, but it might be a few days. Tomorrow is our last full day, and it's likely I won't be posting until we settle in with our son in Colorado Springs on Wednesday.

I've been reading Lise Fuller's books while I'm here, and she also lives in the Springs—we're planning to hook up, which is always great fun. I love meeting my internet friends face to face.