The All Class Rally at Boerne 2010

I listened to Lora talk about Alaska and her descriptions of the flowers of the tundra made me so want to go. John added to her presentation with stories of bears and fishing and past family camping trips and our appetites were further whetted. He told of the bear that stood up and faced him at close quarters.
We were at Boerne, Texas attending the All Class Rally. Its a gathering of Escapees, which are people that have sold their stick and brick houses and gone full time. The rally is filled with food and workshops and most important, the opportunity to meet new friends and remeet friends that we talk with on the Escape Website.
The food is ever present and overflows the tables in the rally room. Each morning we gather for fresh donuts, and one morning we were treated to Jay and Fays famous biscuits and gravy, not to mention at least six different platters of fresh homemade sticky buns. Heavy appetizers night, light appetizers night, tacos in a bag dinner, casserole dinner, they all caused diets to go flying out the window.
The workshops were of course top notch. Its always a pleasure to listen to people discus their passions.
Molly started off with her Picasso and blogging workshop and computers were booted up as we shared our gadgets and favorite tidbits with each other. The blogs are so important for all of us to keep connected with each other and with all our family and friends.
Linda and Ron Fleeger told of their volunteering experiences at National Wildlife Refuges. They discussed the details of how to find a refuge and how to volunteer. It really opened our eyes to new possibilities and another road we have discussed before.
Our star party was rained out but we held a wire wrapping class and all the attendees ended up with wrapped stones. They all did so much better then we did with our first attempts. Renita laughed as she described how she was being called for help by ten people at once.
Bob and Greg gave a workshop on Geocaching. It was really nice to listen to their stories of past hunts for elusive caches. They led a group out into the rain and found the prize on the grounds of a Catholic Convent!
John and Lora finished with a workshop in which they shared their favorite Alaska places. Places they had found while they lived for twenty years and places that the typical visitor would never find. Oh and the bear stood up and and faced John who shouted at it and watched the bear retreat.
One always leaves with a sense of regret. The stories of traveling down the road and shared experiences all combine to make you look forward to future chance meetings. I won't list all the people we have met, but I do want to thank the Cat Herders, the ones who organized the rally, Norah and Howie, and Linda and Molly. A good time was had by all. See you down the road! Clear skies.
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