There will be a gathering of RS Helpline contributors on Saturday, 7/31 @ 10:30 at the Panera Bread located at 1850 Douglas Blvd., Roseville. If anyone out there is interested in attending just PM me to let me know. I will try to get a headcount to get a table early.
Bring a RS guidebook with you so we can identify each other!
Thanks to those of you who have sent me a PM. I am hoping that we will have a decent turnout and we can make it a regular thing. I hope to hear from more Sacramento area people...
People can either post here or PM me.
Hi Andrea,
Susan and I are looking forward to this! It's going to be fun.
All the best,
Monte and Susan
Hi, All!
I look forward to meeting everyone in person!
(and BUMP!)
I'm looking forward to it too.
Thanks for the BUMP Mary!
Good luck, guys. Let's make this a "thing". Some of us in Denver have been meeting for over a year. Maybe the webmaster will help out by giving us a special page on the Wall.
Thanks Lee. I see some challenges working with everyone's schedules. I'm thinking that if this first meeting works out (and I don't see any reason why it won't), we should model our Sacramento Area group after your Denver group and have a set day every month to meet. That way the day would be known well in advance. Any tips for how to make this work are appreciated.
And anyone who would like to join us is more than welcome!
If you all decide to change your mtg place in the future to somewhere closer to bay area maybe Vacaville outlets etc. let me know. It is so great you are all gathering. enjoy.
JS, most of the people who have responded to me live to the east of Sacramento. That is why we are meeting in Roseville.
Maybe you could get a Bay Area group going. I have heard from a couple of people who might be interested in doing it down there.
I can see it now, regional RS groups, gathering at Panera Bread locations around the country... You will recognize them because they will all carrying blue books around with them!
Not me, Andrea. I use book covers for my RS books because I don't want to look like a tourist! I'm a traveler. I live like a local. ;-)
Ever since I first read about them, I've always longed to be invited to a 'Stammtisch' table (regulars' table); maybe my dream can come true at last at Panera Bread - who knew?!?
I know - so that we can recognize each other, we should dress like tourists. I'll wear my zip-off leg pants (sink-washable), fanny pack (yes, I said fanny), white tennis shoes and socks, and a black t-shirt with a dressy scarf. 'Cuz that's what 'they' wear 'over there' - lot of black, and scarves. You probably won't find me; I'll be blending in...
Andrea, Susan and Monte alerted me to this gathering. I'll be there. Does Panera have wireless? Do we need wireless if we need to share things online? Larry
Hi Larry, I'm glad you will be joining us. I contacted Panera and they have free wi-fi.
FYI, this Panera is located in the TJ Maxx shopping center.
I guess I'm going to have to find a new outfit to wear, because apparently Mary plans to wear the same thing I was going to wear.
Well, never mind, Andrea. Wear what you want.
Now that Larry's coming, I'M not. ;-)
Luckily, the weather should still be cooler; otherwise, I had considered showing up as a Munich English Garden-er -- you know, nude. We'll see...
A bumpity-bump reminder...
Move the next one to the third Saturday and we will schedule a conference call. Will forward you our agenda.
Are we supposed to have an agenda?!? ;-)
Is that part of the "Sponsored by Panera Bread: ETBD Helpline" deal?
A conference call would be a hoot! And complete chaos, I suspect. Beautiful chaos.
But we'd need to use webcams, or at the very least emailed photos, so that we could ooh and aah over each other's travel outfits.
That's a great idea Frank. The 3rd Saturday is as good as any other day. They have wifi at Panera. I'll bring my netbook with webcam so Mary can model her travel clothing. Mary, be sure to pack a bag (one of Rick's of course) with the clothes you would bring on a one month trip. For Lee's benefit, the bag can't weigh more than 9 lbs. I should clarify - that should be the weight of the bag after it is packed. :-)
As for the agenda - that sounds like too much work for me. We will just use yours Frank.
Looking forward to Saturday!
With a few of us with laptops with cameras, it's possible to use SKYPE for video teleconferencing. It's free via the internet. That way we can see each other.
Mais oui! MY bag is a Walmart bag...
Beat THAT, Lee!
Yeah, thought so. ;-)
BUMP!
Bring your travel questions!
Looking forward to seeing you Sacramento-ites this morning.
We will report back and let you know how this goes. We could start up helpline chapters across the U.S. and Canada. Meetings could be coordinated so we can communicate with each other. I can just see it now... :-)
A franchise!!!
Geez...will we have to start paying dues? Will Rick get a cut of the $? It is getting complicated and we haven't even met yet.
So, what happened? I was expecting you guys to send a live post from Panera.
No post, but I guess we should have! We were there for 4 hours!! Next month we will go the 3rd Saturday so we can synchronize with your Denver folks. What time do you meet?
I for one thoroughly enjoyed meeting Larry from Elk Grove, Monte & Susan from Granite Bay, and Mary, a Texan in CA. We had a lot to talk about!!!
I wish I could have been there! Next time I visit family in Sacramento, I'll be sure to visit during the 3rd Saturday of the month so I can meet the ETBD Sacramento Chapter!
After 4 hours we were just getting started! That's what happens when you get travelaholic's together! Can we meet again tomorrow???
MY bag is a Walmart bag...
What's that supposted to mean? I don't care if it is from Walmart, as long as it's light (as long as it's not blue, with handles, and Walmart printed on it, and Walmart doesn't give me 10¢ off for using it. Come to think of it, that bag might work, but it doesn't have wheels). BTW, I just took my new Velocé Travel pack, mostly filled, down to the P.O. and weighed it - 8# 6oz. I still have a few things to put in it, but it's going to be less than 11#.
As mentioned above, we did meet for 4 hours today. What a hoot. Susan and Monte, Mary and Andrea and her husband (sorry I forgot his name). We did spend a lot of time describing who we are, what we do and our travel plans. We did get to discuss much of our future travel plans. Looks like Andrea and her husband's future is about 5 weeks away. Very nice people.
I could have stayed MUCH longer talking. Even my husband (Jim) enjoyed it, and although he loves to travel he is not a planner and doesn't read the helpline.
So, it looks like the 3rd Saturday of the month we will continue to do this. August it will be at the same location, Panera Bread on Douglas Blvd. in Roseville. After August the location may change. More info to come from Monte about that. Today we met at 10:30. Lee says they meet the 3rd Saturday at 10:00, which is 9:00 our time. That may be a little early for us. We will have to see. I will post something a few days before we meet next month as a reminder. Everyone is welcome. It might be a good idea to let me or one of the others that attended today know if there will be additions so we can get an appropriate sized table.
All in all I think the meeting was a great success!!
James, have you been eavesdropping on us...?!?
(sorry - I've been out-of-touch this weekend...)
I was really hoping for a better-looking group...;-) (hands crossed over face, dodging rotten tomatoes)
That was fun! We were just getting started after 4 hours...You sure we can't meet every week?!?
Darcy, that would be fun; do join us!
Lee, A Wal-Mart bag (and yes, the 'sack') with wheels would be a real hindrance on those trains ;-). Still, I'll have to work on staying under 11 lbs...It'll be fun to 'meet' with the Colorado group.
Hi,
Sorry my husband, John, and I missed your meeting. He told me all about it. We had company over that day.
It is a really long drive to Roseville for us in South Sacramento. Perhaps we could alternate between towns in the future? We'd love to be a part of it, though 10:00AM is awfully early for me. Perhaps a happy hour meeting in a cool pub might be in order sometime in the future?
It would be fun to meet fellow independent travelers like ourselves.
Cheers,
Katherine
Katherine - I have sent you a Private Message. Let me know what you think.
Had to work this past Saturday..when r u meeting again?
The 3rd Saturday of August - the 21st. Debating on 9:30 or 10:00. I will post a few days before as a reminder. There has been some concern expressed to me regarding location. We will meet in Roseville this month and discuss future options at that time.
It would be helpful to have a head count prior to the 21st so we can get an appropriate sized table. The more the merrier!!
