Hi Gang. Sorry to be so late thanking everyone but it's been Non-stop Frenzy Central here at the Chateau. Steven D and Rachel are staying next door at my friend's house, and today Dave Palmer, the WI-01 Alternate delegate, and his wife Lorenita, are staying here at Chateau Bidet. I cleaned as though a dreaded mother-in-law was coming to stay. Yesterday was a cookie-baking marathon, today I canned pickles.

The get-together was epic.

First, rain of Biblical proportions - Mark and family, Steve and Rachel were trapped underground in the subway station for half an hour. The deluge broke for just long enough for us to make our way to the designated after-convention party locale two blocks away.

We met up with Joe Shikspack&Josie and Greg(dance you monster).

Then, the goons wouldn't let us in for some reason. (Never figured that part out.) But it was a blessing in disguise because it was insanely loud, and infested with DNC types shouting "America First" slogans. (Ali snuck through the barricade and got lubricated in preparation for joining a verbal melee, which thankfully never developed.)

Deciding the venue was less than ideal, we resolved to try the alternate, The Kyber Pass, a few blocks away. No sooner than we got well away from any shelter, it started raining again. Before the rain got too serious, we managed to squeeze ourselves under a small tent the Park Service had near the Liberty Bell.

Then it started raining. First it rained cats and dogs. Then it rained pitchforks and plowhandles. Then it rained in buckets. As if this wasn't enough, the Atlantic Ocean fell out of the sky. We weren't alone. About fifteen people cuddled under the small tent wondering if it would ever stop. After fifteen minutes or so, a dull yellow ball appeared in the Western sky. Moments later, it stopped raining and we continued our trek.

The Kyber is a small, noisy bar/restaurant. Leading the way, I met with the hostess to get us seated... hopefully in a group.

"How many of you are there?"
"Seven."
[headcount] "No, eight. No, we're eight now, but we'll be nine."
"So, you're eight."
"No, we're nine, but she's not here yet."
"We can't seat you all together."
"What about those three tables there?"
"That won't be enough for all of you."
"We'll make it work."

The woman had the patience of a saint and treated your raconteur as though this was just another day at the beach. The rest of the gang were already deep in conversation, and so, never missing an opportunity to throw her weight around, Ali shooed the party to three tables and the fun continued. How anyone managed to hold conversations in that din is a testament to the power of bloggers meeting face-to-face for the first time. We all managed splendidly.

Then mimi arrived and we became nine. I'd been wanting to meet mimi for as long as I've been here. I corralled a loose chair and we fell into conversation as though already old friends. It was such a pleasure to finally meet.

Libations and sustenance were ordered, delivered, and consumed, at which point the cacophony overpowered the ambience. We repaired to the garden park of Old Christ Church a block away from the restaurant. This was more of an amble than a forced march since the conversations were paramount and the destination only a passing concern.

The park was an island of tranquility in a sea of raucous merriment (the heart of the restaurant district.) We found benches and talked until they closed the park for the night... whereupon we moved to benches just outside the park.

Conversations flowed like honey until our ages betrayed us and Winkin' and Blinkin' caught up to us.

Happily, we went our merry ways, joyous in the appreciation of having attended the

First East Coast Caucus99Percent Meetup.

I love you all, peeps.
Alison