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
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[Posted in FML 6841]