Has anyone checked the receipt to see if the year 2020 is eligible for a 90-day return? Or any kind of extended warranty policy? Because if so, I’d like to get in line for that, thanks.

I’m glad that Convention happened before all of the Covid-19 stuff really hit the fan. I am already a work-from-home introvert with anti-social tendencies, so was well-set in that regard. However, I am practicing a lot of Social MEDIA Distancing, and have done a thorough “Marie Kondo’ing” of my Facebook feed in order to retain a little bit of joy, sanity, and sensibility in the current climate, and to still be talking to people on the other side of all of this. I can’t get rid of social media entirely, since that is a large part of my job, but I can take steps to protect my own mental well-being. In the meantime, I’ve developed a bit of an addiction to succulent gardening. When people annoy me, I go play with my plants.

I also haven’t felt much like blogging. Since Tonto Twist and the catastrophic implosion of my plans/goals for the endurance season, I’ve been having a hard time mustering up my fairly typical optimism and good cheer, and my endurance mojo had flat out left the building. I had been feeling sorry for myself and throwing a self pity party over my bad luck with endurance, and my seemingly constant uphill struggles to make any kind of significant achievement or progress in this sport. In addition, major drama, upheaval, conflict, and pettiness happening in the sport and in my own state left me waffling between heartsick and angry.

Leading up to Convention, I felt stressed and frazzled, second-guessing my plans and prep for my trade show display, wishing as always that I had come up with something “cleverer” or more unique, or that I was a better graphic designer, or that I had thought of some of my last-minute ideas earlier when I still had time to implement them…you get the picture. All of that added up to that basically, until my butt was actually on the airplane seat, I hadn’t been all that excited about it. However, it ended up being a really, really good time, and I actually wrapped up the weekend in way better spirits that I started.

And then all the CovidCrap hit the fan, derailed plans left and right and all around, and made me very glad that for years now, we’ve already bought our toilet paper in bulk.

Anyway, before too much time passes, I figured I had better get something posted (and still gotta keep that “post a month streak alive…”) about Convention. As I mentioned, I am really glad I had that time, and crammed in some really fun activities and good memories to sustain me with so much of life up in the air right now.

Early AM flight. Consciousness brought to you courtesy of a honey-lavender latte.

Lovely view from the hotel parking garage.

View from the hotel room. Jacksonville is a really cool city with some beautiful old architecture.

After setting up my trade show booth and running some errands Thursday morning, Lancette and I drove down to St Augustine fro a beach day.

This site. <3 It's been a decade since I had last been to the beach, and I could have stayed there for far longer than the several hours spent.

Had tons of fun with Lancette as a roommate this year. We’ve been working a lot together on getting the AZ endurance club up and running, so it was a good chance to delve deeper into some club ideas, and stay up way too late solving all the endurance problems in the world.

Don’t ask me how many pictures of the beach I took. Jsut say lots and leave it at that.

View from up at the dune-side restaurant for lunch.

Adorable beach-side place for lunch.

Don’t mind if I do. Also, I need this sign, due to living with a couple of landshark terriers.

Delicious shrimp roll…had to get my seafood fix.

Practically obligatory beachside margarita.

The St Augustine lighthouse

219 stairs to the top…

And the view from the top!

I might be a desert rat, but the ocean is definitely a happy place for me.

Evening shenanigans back at the hotel, joined by AnnMaree from PerformaRide. She and I were booth neighbors for the weekend, and her flights in and out of the airport happened to coincide roughly with the times Lancette and I were flying in and out as well, so we promptly adopted her for the weekend. I met her at Tevis this past summer, and her sister Trish at convention last year.

The hotel was fabulous, and super-accommodating, including creating a cusotm drink for the weekend: the Endurance Mule (ginger beer, vodka, lime, splash of Red Bull, and a carrot curl garnish!)

The trade show booth all set up and ready to go!

Lovely new shirts, courtesy of Flik Creative & Equestrian.

Entry lobby area to Convention.

“Trail markers” — follow the ribbons to the various rooms/locations for different convention happenings.

Enjoying the Jacksonville Riverwalk on Sunday morning.

Cool statue near the hotel.

Cheers to a fun weekend, great friends, and lots of laughter and good times!

Some of my shopping haul. Because, hi, have you met me?!? I also won some raffle goodies, including the collapsible bucket, a Riding Warehouse gift card, and a ride entry to the Barefoot in NM ride.)

Anyway, that wraps things up for now…hope everyone stays healthy, stays safe…and if anyone finds out anything on a refund for 2020, let me know.