Sometimes the best laid plans.... Before I left for California, I set up a dozen stops on the way out and back. I was forced to cancel off of them -- even one to one of my best friend couples. My son Andrew's sudden marriage and my nephew Joey's sudden death changed everything. The Legalize Ferrets Revival in California went well, although I was tired from the rapid drive. At the last moment Andrew announced he was coming home on leave to get married (he is now a Navy man). I lost all my pre-talk traveling time to wedding planning and, except for mandatory stops at a pet food manufacturer and to talk with a biologist, I basically had two days to get back in time for the event (1000+ miles per day). Complicating things was the death of Joey who died in his sleep while I was in California. Joey was newly married, just got a job as a special education teacher, and was like a son to me, so it was hard to drive away from him and family in order to be at my son's side for his wedding. He died far too young and the family is devastated. Laughter and tears in just a few days; a blurry drive. In Concord I gave talks on ferret behavior and New Zealand feral ferrets. Jeanne Carley once again stole the show with her wonderful photos. Dr. Rene Gandolfi gave a great talk on treatment of adrenal disease and other issues. Melinda (a crazy California sister) talked about issues faced by new ferret owners. Pat talked about the legalization issue and the newly released environmental impact report saying ferrets are not a feral issue. Perhaps for the first time in more than 30 symposiums, 96 national meetings, and 200+ regional meetings covering ferrets, mammalogy, archaeology, and photography, I was entertained by a magician. It was a first! Ok, there was another first when a local political figure, Doris Gentry, made a short political stop to tell the attendees she would help legalize ferrets if she won. Not meaning to be negative, but didn't Arnold say that before when running for governor? Maybe I am just jaded. I think it was a great meeting, with a number of people I've never met, including, apparently, a dear Sacramento friend with a new look. I asked if Mary Jo was around, only to realize she had been sitting in front of me. It is always nice to see old friends, even if they look new. And good. ;) I was shocked to realize the raffle that had been running all day was for my benefit. A donation of $150 was made towards the Ferret Project. And not a day too soon; I needed to order a vibration table and vacuum jar to make bone slices and the donation helped considerably. A funny thing happened on the way to the ferret revival. At 5 pm Friday, the serpentine belt on my car broke. I called AAA and asked the tow driver if he knew of a place to fix the car, explaining I needed to be in Concord before noon on Saturday. He said I was stuck until late Saturday, maybe even Monday, but then asked why I needed to get there so rapidly. I explained I was giving some ferret talks when he said, "I love ferrets!" He called around and found a guy in Turlock who would stay late and fix the car. After spending time trying to fix the belt, he found the tension pulley had gone bad, so got the part at 7 am Saturday and had the car fixed by 10 am. When I asked why, I was told, "We love ferrets! We gotta get you to that talk!" They even drive me to the hotel and back. Now get this; when I gave them my Visa card to pay, their machine was broken and it wouldn't go through. I couldn't use the ATM because the bill was higher than the limit. So, they let me take the car, go to the meeting, and return to pay the bill. I'm serious. I arrived at the Concord Holiday Inn at 11:30 am because of ferret lovers. In California! Ok, I could've rented a car and got there in time, but that doesn't take away from the way I was treated. I am still so very impressed. I'm now working on my 2010 ferret schedule. I know a number of groups have asked for talks. Now is the time to ask -- before I start scheduling the North American portion of the Ferret Project. If possible, I need to schedule regional research around talks. So, if you want me to speak, now is the time to put in the request. I've been informed that spam is being sent out using my talktobobc address. I've sent a mail to Yahoo and BIG said it was probably faked. If you get anything not a real email, please forward it to Yahoo. Not that it will do much .... Bob C [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML 6841]