Margaret Franklin Presents

2013 NCA Convention in Kansas

The Journey Begins.... Tuesday, September 24th, 10:40 am Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas. said Dorothy as the Wizard of Oz soundtrack just happened to be playing on my MP3 player on my way into the Oshawa Centre. Neither am I until I've bought my ticket. I thought out loud. It was just a couple days before Dave's and my wedding anniversary when I bought my airline ticket to Kansas. I kept waiting for a sale to come up so prices would go down but it didn't happen so I had to fork out at least $800 for my flight after all. Anyway, here I am sitting on my front step waiting for my shuttle bus to arrive to take me to the airport. It's too early but I could not settle any longer. It is a perfect sunny day without a cloud in the sky and so hot that I had to remove my jacket. I am wearing my purple winged unicorn T-shirt from the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory and jeans and my new red hatfor the first time since I bought it in Bobcaygeon. And I am feeling a lot less anxiety since last night. Last night before bed Dave did something he's never done before. At least not since we were newlyweds. When it was time to kiss goodnight he took me by the hand and PRAYED FOR ME! I actually felt healing take place. All the anger, depression and anxiety that had been plaguing me for the past couple weeks began to drift away and peace began to fill me. I'm still worried about my suitcase being too heavy but what more can I do. I decided to leave the quilts I'm working on at home as well as my stack of fliers. If my suitcase IS too heavy, at least my art supplies are in a bag. But then I'll have to lug it around through security. I can't win! Sigh! 12:45 pm I've made it this far. Please, God, please let everything be okay. Please don't let me miss my flight. 1:10pm WHEW! What a scare! I think the words Bear with me, I'm Autistic saved my bacon! The words I'm a self-employed artist. I make things and sell stuff. nearly dragged it into the doghouse. I was absolutely TERRIFIED when they put my documents into The Yellow Folder and sent me to The Room. Last time this happened to me I wasn't allowed to leave because it was against the law to sell my T-shirts. At least I was able to get Dave's dad to drive him to the airport and bring me my purple duffel bag for my personal items so I could send the T-shirts back with him and take the nest flight to Pittsburgh. But if this were to happen to me today I would have been screwed, hewed and barbecued because there is only ONE flight to Kansas each day! Besides I'm not selling anything anyway. However I brought plenty of free gifts for my friends at the convention. I was amazed that my suitcase wasn't too heavy but scared when I had to go through this hurdle. At least I didn't have any drama going through security. I was elated that this was actually the EASIEST part of my day. Considering the Yellow Folder Scare my day has actually run quite smoothly and gone quite well so far. My plane leaves in about an hour and on my way to the departure lounge I had to stop at the kiosk and get myself a bottled water. I'd never felt so THOISTY in my life! I've been thirsty ever since I arrived at the airport and I've had to laugh because I keep thinking about that joke about the old man on the train who keeps saying Oy, am I thoisty! Finally someone brings him a drink of water. He finises it and says Oy! Was I thoisty! And that was me today before I bought my water. I am SO GLAS that Dave prayed for me last night. Sure I can pray for myself but sometimes there's

just that much more power when someone else does it. It is so good to feel loved and protected. 4:10 pm, Kansas Time I hope I'm in the right place. There's nobody here to pick me up yet. They said somebody would be at the baggage claim with a sign. There's supposed to be one other person from California going with me. The flight itself went okay. Of course they had to find me a new seat because if I'd stayed where I was there would have been a BABY RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!! If I stuck with an aisle seat I'd only be SIX seats away but I was even luckier. I got a seat right at the BACK of the plane ALL TO MYSELF!! The view 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 NO MOVIE on board. I just let myself enjoy the view while I listened to the Gipsy Kings until I was tired of them and then I listened to John Linnell's State Songs. 4:30 My ride showed up and now I'm sitting her in the van waiting for John, my driver, to find the other guy who's here from California. While I'd been waiting for my plane I took notice of the other people around me. Am Middle-Eastern woman in traditional head scarf arrived with three small children; two boys and a 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! It was when we were getting in line I saw another family pushing what I've come to know as a breeder buggy with two young lads, the older one must have been 3 or 4 and, of course the dad was toting the other one in one of those harnesses. I'm glad I was at the BACK of the plane because if I could still 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 police women poking around here and I'm bored and starting to get hungry. I haven't eaten since BREAKFAST! I don't usually eat when I'm flying anyway. All the stress of airline drama usually gives

me a stomach ache and today I've been so gassy my farts probably helped fly the plane! No wonder my plane got here early! 7:52 I 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-fromhome. It's not very big but it's got all the comforts I meed. There is a BATHTUB, and my window is to my LEFT when I lay in bed. That's the way I like it, just like it is at home. I had a shower and changed into some fresh clothes and then I had to laugh because I went and did the one thing I almost NEVER do on vacation! I watched some TV!!!! I watched some corny Disney teenybopper show where Adam Sandler was serving really bad punch at a dance and then I watched a show about tattoos. On this show artists paired up with each other and each one had to tattoo what the other artist had designed on 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 since the last time I was there. I just HAD to try their special for the season, PUPMKIN pancakes! I had the special with hash browns, scrambled eggs and bacon and I had the butter pecan syrup on my pancakes. 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 takes pictures using good old-fashioned 35mm film! I've been using my digital since 2009. He's even been to PTC #17 at Six Flags Over Georgia. That one is HUGE! It is one of only two remaining FIVE-ROW machines!! And he was telling me that the outside row standers measure 47 inches from floor to withers! After we ate I visited a nearby convenience store because I wanted to find my hubby some different kinds of candy that aren't available in Canada. I bought several Pay Day and Zero bars and I cleaned out the vending machine in the lobby of all their Nutter Butter Bites, Haven't seen any Zagnut 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 fairly early night. My bed is so nice and comfy and I feel so peaceful and relaxed. I think I am going to sleep well 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 well considering how difficult it usually is to sleep in a strange bed. Hotel beds are usually too hard and too high and a couple times in the night I awoke feeling like I'd been trampled by a herd of buffalo but that's normal. It's nothing compared to the pain I was in on the Denver trip. I awoke several times in the night but I know I actually DID sleep because I remember dreaming that I was in some new city that was like a cross between New York and Lindsay. There was this Chinese couple, a cab driver and his wife. They were really nice and excited about welcoming me to the neighbourhood. They wanted to take me out sightseeing around the town and to their favorite restaurant in Chinatown. I also met this woman who had several daughters and she invited me to join them for a picnic at the beach. Now as I awake I realize this particular character seemed to be based on my friend Amy Zikic back home,

whose daughters have designed several of my carousel horses. I should give her a call and arrange to go out for a coffee with her when I get home. Anyway, in this dream I realized that I'd inadvertently made 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 and a small carrot muffin. This couple, Dave and Judy drove David and I to the Archives where I immediately took a picture of Waddle and my doll sitting on the cutout plywood carousel horse that graced the fence out in front of the 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 had an awesome time looking at everything and had FOUR rides on their 1913 C.W. Parker carousel.

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

I REFUSE to let what Jean said the other weekend discourage me. I rode the 1913 carousel FOUR times 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 with buttermilk pancakes. I spent much of the day at the archives drifting about admiring all the magnificent carousel horses on display as well as other artifacts. I think I've taken some pretty awesome pictures.

One thing I also did when I was there was buy a BRICK for their patio. It was only $50 and my name will be immortalized there forever. I wanted to put my husband's name on there too but there was only enough room for so many characters so all I had room for was MARGARET FRANKLIN CANADA Today I rode two different white horses; Noah and Jo-Anna, whom I rode twice. I also rode a brownand-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 local businesses. Each person could vote for four of their favorites. I voted for the Wizard of Oz-themed horse 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 jacket on the bus though. Sometimes in these hot places they really tend to crank the air-conditioning. We found it quite chilly in iHop and I had to get up and put my jacket on yesterday when I was on the plane. 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. Brandi Tomorrow I'll just put the Cat and my leopard pillow on the table. I may take my Snuggie with me in case 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 gave my hair a wash and enjoyed a soak in the tub whilst reading Shopaholic and Sister Why does hotel bath water get cold so fast? Also this evening during the slide presentation I nearly strangled myself trying to remove my name tag because it and the pouch I carry my camera and MP3 player in became almost hopelessly tangled! I

had a brief moment of panic when I thought I lost my headphones but I was relieved to find them still hanging 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. The part 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 the carousel and that inspired him to get into the business. He was able to get together with some other people and buy an Armitage Herschell track machine. Soon he began building his own carousels and coordinating 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 they grew to be more elaborate and sophisticated and by the time his career was over his factory had bult around 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 in those days, posters that advertised companies always portrayed huge, affluent factories with several large 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 me of a clown car! Thursday, September 26th 10:50 am We've just left Wamego, Kansas and we are on our way to the Heritage Centre in Abilene. Wamego was wonderful! What a surprise! We went to the WIZARD OF OZ MUSEUM!! there were lots of amazing exhibits and Oz-related memorabilia on display and I easily spent $100 in the gift shop. I just HAD to buy matching T-shirts for myself and Janette. They were the first thing I saw when I got inside the door; red with a a picture of a pair of ruby slippers and the caption Keep calm and Click Your Heels. I also bought a book, Oz and the Magic Merry-Go-Round by L. Frank Baum's great grandson. 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.

This has been an excellent day so far. During the bus ride on our way there I won several prizes in the raffle; a set of coasters, a water-bottle, a tree skirt, a note pad and a set of rubber stamps. I'm going to use 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 without laundering it in between. In fact sometimes I change 2 or 3 times a day, especially if the weather is really 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 pairs of jeans and my black capris which I wore Tuesday night and all day yesterday. Almost 2 pm We're still here for another hour but I just want to sit and rest for awhile. I've had three rides on their wonderful track machine; a nice little brown horse on the inside row, the beautiful sunflower chariot and a spirited little black filly who felt like she wanted to take off!!

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 and enjoy the breeze. It's been quite hot and sunny. We enjoyed a good lunch of chicken fingers with barbecue sauce, potato salad and coleslaw with dessert of moist golden cake with chocolate frosting.

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 on my 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 3:30 At first I thought everyone was just kidding around but we REALLY DID stop at the Russel Stover factory after all. And I'm glad we did. That was the BEST ICE CREAM CONE EVER! I had a waffle cone with Rocky Road and Mint Chocolate Chip. However, the lineup was so long that I'd already finished my first scoop by the time it was my turn to pay for it otherwise it would have melted. I needed that! On our way here I was dozing off for a nap and TWICE I was startled by sudden loud noises. I FUCKING HATE SUDDEN LOUD NOISES!!! I felt several of my base point crash or proverbial spoons 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 like I wouldn't have recovered but stopping for ice cream has helped at least to some extent. Up until then I've done my best to pace myself and keep my distance from anywhere too crowded or hectic. We have two early mornings in a row and I want to be careful to avoid meltdowns. When stuff like ths happens they can sneak up fast. I haven't been crying but I feel like I have been. My eyes have that moist, 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 for narrow-minded bigots who have given Christians a bad name. I wonder if we'll pass that place. The back of my ticket for the Heritage Center Carousel says No Profane, Vulgar Language or Quarreling Allowed. Let's hope there's no reason to feel like doing so! I am going to REFUSE to have 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 safely through the airport on Tuesday. Despite a bit of a scare I did NOT get in trouble and was able to avert a meltdown. 4:15 I'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 pm I'm sitting outside in front of the Discovery Center and it is a gorgeous evening. The crickets and bugs are 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 to one of the BEST CAROUSELS EVER! When they were handing out those tickets on the bus I thought we'd need them to ride the carousel. We each got one which I figured meant if we wanted anymore rides we'd have to BUY them. But surprise, surprise! We got to ride all we wanted for free. It is a magnificent Herschell-Spillman menagerie with an amazing variety of animals and I got to ride it SIX times! I was in one of my carousel trances where I get off and just get right back on again! I got to ride all my favorite horses starting with the Sunflower lead horse, followed by a white Trojan horse, a

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 a yellow 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. After dinner 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 a drink these days. 10:28 pm The journey back to the hotel did not take as long as I had feared. As usual the meeting went into overtime and although we were supposed to leave at 8:00 it went on until 8:30. To deplete my supply of base points even more I ripped my pants when I was bending down to admire some toads. There were two big ones. I beeped one of them on the nose before he hoped away into the tall grass. And then there was one little one. I bent over to try to pick him up and RRRRIP!! Just as well. Last time I actually 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,

and then Owl City and some Blondie. I don't feel like I need a bath tonight. The time was better spent mending the rip in my jeans and hand-washing my black Capri pants. Hopefully, they'll be dry by Saturday. I think I will wear them with my sunflower T-shirt. Sunflower motifs are everywhere. They're Kansas' 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 other jeans 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 alarm clocks and a wake-up call.) The wake-up call came first so I just shut off the clocks. Quickly, I washed and got dressed and went to the lobby for breakfast. There are only tow tables so we pretty much have 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 and mustard. It didn't take long to get to Worlds of Fun. This is a beautiful Illions Supreme and the last one they ever built. This carousel was at Geauga Lake in Ohio until it came here in 2011. There was quite a lineup waiting 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 SKELETON ITSELF weighs more than that!! I'd have to start AMPUTATING LIMBS to get down to that weight! 170 is 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's probably no wonder that this machine also ran at an ABSOLUTE CRAWL! My second ride, if memory serves me correctly, was on a nice reddish-brown horse in the second row. And I did NOT break the carousel and get everyone killed like mey aunt made me feel like I would when she lectured me on the way home from the quilting show, SO THERE! NYAAAAAAAA!

Lunch was served. Hamburgers and hot dogs. I was a good smurf. I had a hamburger patty with NO BUN. I've already had enough bread today. I also had sauerkraut and bean salad and there were small 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 the mechanics so I took a look and some pictures and had one last ride in the chariot this time. It actually felt 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 this one alone!! It's probably time to get on the bus again real soon. I feel quite tired so I've basically been keeping interaction to a minimum. One thing I must say is they sure put a lot of activities into this tour to keep things interesting.

5:45 pm I ended up having two more rides on that gorgeous Illions carousel after all. A gray horse in the third row and an outer-row palomino. All the horses, or most of them, anyway, have shiny gold manes and magnificent jewels. Then it was time to get back on the bus. Off to Kansas City Royals baseball stadium./ They have a gorgeous 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 the Silver Beach carousel we visited last year. I noticed that there were at least four figures of their lion mascot, Sluggerrr, and the chariot is shaped like a giant catcher's mitt. There was also an oversized baseball bat you could ride with a baseball glove for a saddle. Menagerie figures included an eagle, a giraffe, an elephant and a zebra and there were several beautiful horses, some armoured and some floral. The carousel was small but I was lucky to get on the first ride and found a lovely floral steed in the second row, Parts of the carousel were even decorated with real baseballs! They especially lined the 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 to interview the players, where the journalists sit to watch the game, the locker room which is called the Club room, and the dugout. The whole afternoon kind of went by in a blur.

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 could remember the name of that first march. Before the organist played any songs for us, he gave us a demonstration 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 knew such 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! The music is so loud that it's kind of pointless trying to have a conversation with anyone. My earplugs are back in my hotel room so I have to put shredded table napkin in my ears to tolerate the music at this volume. At least now on the bus they warn me and tell me to plug my ears when they turn on the microphone so it doesn't scare the crap out of me like it did yesterday. I appreciate being warned. However, we still had 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. I am 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 pm After I finished my supper I went outside for some much needed quiet time. Man! All those buzzy bugs out 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 artwork tomorrow at Roundabout Faire. We got brainstorming ideas about a HOCKEY carousel! I can't wait to start designing animals for that when I get home! With the number of teams the NHL has, that will have to be one FREAKING HUGE quilt! I picture one major ferocious bad-ass grizzly bear for Boston Bruins, a shark for San Jose, of course and a buffalo for Buffalo Sabres. Any team that isn't an animal will just be a horse, of course. And of course instead of baseballs, the rounding boards would be decorated 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=UxJvrD80nJ4 Imagine how that would sound on a carousel band organ, not to mention the theme from Hockey Night 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 and then I smashed my right middle fingernail on the little shelf above the toilet paper dispenser in the ladies' room. Then there was the issue of Sudden Loud Noise from the feedback of the microphone. I appreciate the fact that now my bus captains warn us to plug our ears before they turn it on in case it happens again. And this evening when I arrived at the hotel I tripped on the rug in the lobby and then there was a HUGE spider in my bathroom. At least I was able to kill it with a piece of toilet paper and flush it down the 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'd like 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 overly stimulated or staying too long in any place that's too noisy or crowded. That's part of the reason I'm leaving a day later this year. So I'll have some quiet time after the meeting instead of just being rushed home. My last two conventions ended up with me being crammed into a wheelchair because I was so tired and over-stimulated that I couldn't stop crying. I do NOT want this year to be a repeat of such a humiliating performance. I've done some pretty awesome networking on this trip. The Hockey Carousel idea. And there's this lady from the New England museum who's interested in possibly selling some of my horses in her gift shop. They're a good gift because they're small, lightweight and NOT breakable. She paid $4.00 for the purple-maned horse in the auction. Annilise's grandmother bid on the one with the bright pink mane to befriend the yellow Honeymoon Horse she got from me last year. I hope she sends another picture. 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 or what'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 with a nasty sore throat but I REFUSE to let it dampen my spirits. We had an amazing tour through the town. The architecture of all these old places is impressive to say the least. Many of these houses look like 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 a picture 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 awhile you get some picky character who wants to see EVERYONE'S photo ID's but fortunately that didn't happen this time. At least I had my passport.

I've been wandering around the museum taking pictures, mostly of the horses. It looks lie my battery didn't completely charge even though I let it charge over night. Maybe I need a new one. Nothing lasts forever. Go figure, I've had this camera since 2009. four years already. I've had this camera since about a month or two after Michael Jackson died. That was one of the worst summers of my life for a variety 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 have told 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 rule and 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 brass ring and when I saw that I thought to myself that if I get anymore critters I want to call the next one Emmett. Or Oscar like the Wizard f Oz. It's up to Janette. She can name her buffalo whatever she wants. I wonder if DooDoo has heard of, or possibly even met Emmett Kelly. I also bought Dave a sunflower 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 had to see when we got inside the front door was a family with a baby, so I motioned us to a booth in the corner as far away from the little time bomb as possible. Unfortunately, there was a section upstairs from us where ANOTHER one started screaming. So I fumbled with my MP3 player and cranked up my music. I thought I was safe when I saw a family with a baby LEAVING from there a few minutes later but then ANOTHER one started screaming!! AAARRRGGGHHHHH!! >:( Conversation was out of the 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 carousel museum 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 a pediatric dentist and he knows how to treat his patients so that they almost never cry! He and his staff run a Western-themed clinic where they all dress up as cowboys and they make the kids laugh and smile with magic tricks. He made his ring disappear and then pulled it out of my ear. Basic slight-ofhand but it still never ceases to amaze and amuse me even though I'm almost 50. I gave him one of my 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 they still haven't got a location for it. Nobody wants to help me until I've GOT a location and my committee

basically toook off and got a life and my carousel project is obviously NOT part of it! If I had the proper start-up injittiments, the folks from the Berkshire carousel would actually carve me my first horse as a GIFT! 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 the jackrabbits 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 my pouch and leave the old backpack behind. 11:29 WTF could neurotypicals STILL have to talk about so late at night. Everyone's so hyper. They're all like yackety-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. If it were up to me I wish I could have gone back to the hotel before the auction. There was nothing I really 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. Steve Miller 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 clinics before working for his dad after all and all these other places were absolutely horrible! I can just imagine. The cafeteria in my gynecologist's building is right next door to a pediatric dentistry clinic and the place sounds like a bloody concentration camp! And I read on the Internet about a whole chain of these awful places called Small Smiles where children are tied down to something called a mummy board. Steve's patients seldom cry because he has an amazing way of keeping them entertained and enchanted. Dinner was served buffet-style. Salads were brought to the table but we all lined up for the rest of our meal. There was sliced chicken, scalloped potatoes, salmon, rolls and mixed veggies; carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. I think this has been my favorite meal of the trip so far! I love salmon! Dessert was a choice 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 in singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow http://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 we wanted. I chose a gorgeous wood carving of a buffalo. It's a wood plaque but it needs something on the back so I can hang it up on the wall. Micheals might have something like that. Of all the treasures I'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 still pretty 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 the airport. I'm glad I'm not leaving until Monday because when the meeting is over I just want to go right back to bed! I already know from the past two years that rushing me off to the iarport immediately after Sunday's meeting is a surefire recipe for disaster! I'd rather spend the extra money for an extra night so I'm rested before I tackle any further stimuli.

It must have taken at least half an hour to get everyone on the shuttle bus before we finally got moving after the banquet! I was feeling pretty irritable so I had to just zone out for awhile and listen to Switched on Bach on my MP3 player. Waiting for the journey back to the hotel felt lie it was costing me more of my proverbial spoons. I've taken a couple Motrin tablets. I hope I sleep well tonight. At least 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 with my 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 know I did sleep because when I did I had some pretty strange dreams, mostly about the airport. I had a strange dream about my friend Allan. He'd finally had his gender-reassignment surgery but they did more than just make him completely male. He had some kind of weird Goth makeover. He was wearing white makeup with black lipstick and his teeth were all filed into triangular points like a shark and 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't miss 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 going to drive me there. She seemed more concerned with trying not to catch my cold than she did about my comfort and well-being and nearly froze me to death when she was trying to start the car. I probably should 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 been slapped in the face! This is the kind of lack of empathy and compassion that gives NT's a bad name. I shudder to think how many spoons or base points this little interaction has cost me. At leat base points are replaceable and hopefully after a darned good sleep I should be right as rain. It's a wonder I didn't miss the shuttle bus though. Next year's convention goes from September 17th to the 21st, but they have pre-convention days on the 15th and 16th. If Janette and I take this trip next year what we will probably do is go on Sunday the 14th and come home on Monday the 22nd. I hope we can handle such a long trip. The itinerary has scheduled ELEVEN carousels and, sadly, this does not include the bug carousel at the Bronx zoo that Janette'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'll do Roundabout Faire next year, though. What do people have against decorating carousel horses? Do I 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 Halls and 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 least I 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, of course. That reminds me, Jim Schulman was telling me that over the weekend the Berkshire carousel workshop has been relocating. Same mall, different shop. That first workshop used to be a Gap store but now they're moving into what used to be an Old Navy. The horses and equipment aren't so hard to transport. It's Jim's collection of models and circus memorabilia. It's just like moving; It's not the

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 hungry during much of this trip. If only I could feel this way back in Oshawa. 6:17 pm It'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 turner Classic 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 pretty hungry so I decided to try Taco John's, the little Mexican place next to the iHop. I was kind of disappointed. I had their Super Burrito but it's not even a tenth as good as the vegetarian burritos I always get at Viva Burritos in downtown Oshawa. I've been spoiled! Viva Burritos is one of the things I'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 substandard el-cheapo one-ply stuff everywhere I've been on this trip plus it's hard to wipe adequately with a busted middle fingernail. I am wondering just how I'm going to get everything back into my suitcase and I wont be surprised if anything has to be taken out because it's too heavy. At least I've given away most of my colouring books and the reason my art supplies bag was so heavy in the first place was because there was a stupid 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 pack everything so that it fits. Weather today has been HOT!! Thank God this room is air-conditioned! 10:01 pm Dear God Please let me sleep tonight and feel much better in the morning. Please protect me during the journey home. 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 or not. You knew I wouldn't want to be flying home in this condition. Monday, September 30th Almost 2:00 pm So far so good. Everything has been running smoothly with NO DRAMA WHATOSEVER! Kansas airport is small and reasonably quiet. Of course my suitcase was too heavy but it was easy enough to lighten my load by removing my bag of art supplies. All my stuff BREEZED through security without any 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 the doctor for a prescription. Airport security people must have one of the most fascinating jobs in the world watching all that stuff go 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 out through much of the flight. 10:20 pm I'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

board which THANK GOD THERE WAS NOT!!! When you've got a cold, airline travel only exacerbates your symptoms and ALWAYS results in sore ears. During takeoff I felt like my poor head was going to explode. Usually I drink tomato juice on the plane but this time I slowly nursed two cups of 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 being unloaded but none of them were mine. Turns out they were all carry-on bags. There is no other word for the Toronto Airport but HELL!! Dante's Inferno has nothing on this place! My version of hell is being made to 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 walk and walk 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 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 walk and walk 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 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 walk and walk 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 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 walk and walk 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 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 walk and walk 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 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 walk and walk 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 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 walk and walk 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 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 walk and walk 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 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 walk and walk down endless hallways until you come 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 smack them 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 suitcase because 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 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 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 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 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 walk and walk 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 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 walk and walk 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 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 walk and walk 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 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 walk and walk 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 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 walk and walk 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 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 walk and walk until I FINALLY found my shuttle service. The driver was already there so I let him hold fort because I had to go to the ladies' room which was yet ANOTHER country mile away, back in the direction I had just come from. At least the journey home went fast.

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!!!