Sacramento Travel Meeting - Saturday, 10/19 @10:00 a.m.

We will be there! I've been trying to hold back from posting my 100 questions on the helpline. So, since I've posted probably 10, I'll bring the other 90 for all of you! Welcome back Andrea (and Jim). We want to hear all the details of your trip!

Is the one for Nov. going to be on the 16th? Not sure what kind of plans my Dad has up his sleeve for us to do, or if he will feel like coming into Sacremento from Grass Valley, but will try and make it to this. Sounds like fun and have never had any Panera Bread.

Yes Jo, the meeting in November will be on the 16th. We would love to have you come to the meeting!

Yes, Jo, come the meeting! We can have our first coffee here in California and our second cup in Frankfurt!

I'm going to try to come! Long drive, and have to work in the morning so probly be there 11:00-ish. Looking forward to meeting you guys!

Excellent Susan! I'm so happy you will finally get to make it. We'll plan to hang around so even if you are late we will be there.

Thanks Susan and Monte!

@ Karen: Yes, we belong to Wacks R Us. Looking forward to meeting Susan (Sausalito) & Jo (Frankfort)!
...Now if we could just get Nigel over here..... Our circle widens......

Sounds like fun having Jo in from Frankfurt. Just a suggestion but we could have our meeting in Auburn so that Jo and her father wouldn't have to drive so far. It's not much more of a drive for Andrea or Susan and Monte and I don't mind driving to Auburn. I'm not sure about others in our group.

I can't wait for Jo's trip report on California, and the wacky characters she meets at Panera Bread.

I'm very excited that Jo and Susan (from Sausalito) are coming to our meeting next month and I'm looking forward to meeting both of you. I would be all for moving the meeting to Auburn for Jo, but then that means that Susan would have a really long drive. And Susan, we have really long meetings. Some of us are there until 2:00 or later some months, so don't worry about showing up and having everyone leave right away. I had a wonderful time at the first ever Rick Steves meet up in DC last month. I met Agnes from Alexandria, Laura from Virginia, and Matt from DC and his wife and baby. I hope they will continue to meet and their group will continue to grow, as ours has. I will be giving a Trip Report of our week in DC and our week in the surrounding areas, complete with PowerPoint presentation, along with how the government shutdown affected our trip. Okay, no PowerPoint presentation. Wacky Karen? Well, maybe a little wacky...

Thanks Andrea!

whaddayamean? no PowerPoint presentation? wha? whynotany???? I wanted to see the podcast of the PowerPoint presentation ... waaah!!! it wouldabeen really good... and I could see how real locals are affected by government actions. I see that Arizona is going to turn the Grand Canyon back on, and New York is going to switch the Statue of Liberty back on too.

We've had Nigel on Skype at one of our meetings. Maybe we could Facetime him if he has an Apple iPAD or iPhone. I want to hear more about his "drop the dead donkey" remark. I understand that it was part of some telly show in England but it definitely needs to be used more on the website. It needs to become a British idiom of some kind.

I just got a note from Eileen, who is currently dodging armadillos on Route 66 and won't make the meeting. She wants to make sure no fun happens on Saturday...

Wow David, 10 am to a wee bit after 4 pm? You guys obviously have fun! I'm looking forward to meeting you all... :)

I may show up Saturday also. My husband's running a half marathon Saturday near Folsom, and we'll spending Friday night in Eldorado Hills. I'm starting the planning for our Scotland trip in Sept 2014 and will be booking tickets using miles in the next 2-3 weeks.

WOW! A weekend slumber party? The Moscow Group certainly had fun at our barbecue but a slumber party in Napa definitely would be even more fun. Maybe I should look into a wine tasting at Karl and Coco's at Clearwater Canyon!

We have a few new people coming this month, and I'm looking forward to meeting them. Walker plans to give us a trip report of his trip to France. I'm eager to hear about his trip, as I'm in the beginning stages of planning a trip to France next year. For anyone new planning to attend, look for us at the large table in the middle of the room. I'm sure there will be a Rick Steves book or two on the table. It looks like we will have a large group this month, so we will need to add at least one extra table. If you get there before I do Larry, can you take care of that please? Thanks!!

Well, have mentioned to my dad in an email that it would fun to attend this meeting in Nov. so will see what he says. He has also traveled extensively in Europe, and also lived in Germany, Spain, & Iran, so hope he will want to come to this with me. Will let you know. EDIT: So far, so good. Looks like we are going to try and drive down to Sacramento on 16 Nov. so we can meet all of you.

Great meeting this month. And long for some of us! There was a vote and it was decided that Eileen will bring cake next month for her birthday. Sorry she will miss the trip to Napa Valley. We had a big group this month. It was great to meet Susan from Sausalito and we are hoping she can make more meetings in the future. And if we're lucky, Jo from Frankfurt will join us next month too!

I had a great time at my first meeting; it was so nice meeting everyone -- you were all so friendly and very helpful! Thanks so much, and I look forward to learning more next time!

I had such a good time! Thank you!

Thanks David, I hope to be there next month. I really enjoyed meeting all of you!

"There was a vote and it was decided that Eileen will bring cake next month for her birthday" So, Andrea and Jim, this means you'll be bringing your own birthday cakes, too? ;-) I'll accept any and all gifts - I really have a hankering to take Rick's 21-day Best of Europe tour, so cash donations would be great LOL! I'll be celebrating my 29th birthday (ahem), if that helps you make your gift-buying easier...but really, cash and lots of it is your best route. I hope Donna, Susan, and Jo can make it to the Nov mtg! I guess Karen couldn't make it? Bummer. David, I'll clear my calendar (and bring my pjs) for a 4:30pm mtg wrap-up/drive to Napa ;-) Apparently you had a lot to say about me last time... And Nigel - the Grand Canyon is still grand, as of 2 days ago and newly-reopened by the US gov't ;-)

Well, let's hope those donations start rolling in...;-) BTW, are any of you still at Panera?!?

Is there some kind of theme each month? Am I supposed to bring anything?

No theme Jo. Just bring yourself!! We are a very casual group. We don't have an agenda or anything like that. Hmmm...that might explain our long meetings!

So, did I hear right.. we're all going on the RS Best of Europe trip and Eileen is paying? Wow you guys are the Best! I'm all packed and ready to go.. when will the bus be here?

Ummm, Susan, we need to talk...;-) Well, actually, if those donations come rollin' in - Sure! We can ALL go on the tour! I took David's reply to mean that HE was paying MY way... but perhaps I misunderstood his post. Jo - just bring your donation to my $ travel € fund. That's all ;-) I look forward to seeing everybody in Nov!

I have some lira you can have, as well as some Yugaslavian bills and for some reason, a big batch of Mongolian bills. Not sure how far you will get with any of it.

Eileen, I don't see where David offered to pay for your 21 day tour, but I think he did imply he was springing for a weekend for the group to go to Napa. David is so thoughtful and generous. I think a limo is in order to take us to the wineries. That way no one has to be the DD.

For anyone that is interested in joining a walking tour in Sacramento, I am going on a food and history tour on the 8th. Would be fun to have you join me.

http://www.zerve.com/LocalRoots/Origins

@Andrea: DD? That's would be me. I'm the Designated Drinker....

I just now saw Jo's post about the walking tour. I would have enjoyed that.