At the end of April 2005, an enthusiastic group of sandblasters gathered in the Dallas, Texas, area.  The group was made up of several members of the Sandcarving Group on the Yahoo Groups web site.  That web site, for those who may not know, provides opportunity and online space for several special interest groups, one of which is Sandcarving.  Dedicated to all forms of etching, this group has nearly 1500 members worldwide.  People come to share knowledge, celebrate successes, grieve failures, and spread general good will.  Most of the members had never met other members in person and when the subject of regional meetings came up on the forum, someone said, "Why not ALL of us?"  A kindly - or is that foolhardy? - soul volunteered space at his shop, and several of us found ourselves compelled to go. 

The Dallas meet was not only fun, it was educational.  Meeting the people on the board and being able to put a face with a name was exciting.  The best part was finally getting to hug and shake hands with generous people we've known for a very long time.  We laughed a lot, learned a lot, and slept little.  There was just too much energy encircling that little building to let anyone relax.  We couldn't stop talking.  Or asking questions.  Or saying, "It's so good to finally meet you in person!"  Or knocking on doors at 1 AM with "Are you asleep?  I just thought of something. What do you think of..."   Or "How do you...."

Here are some pictures that were taken during that weekend.  Of the over 700 pictures consolidated from everyone's cameras, there are about 60 here.  It was difficult to sort them into categories and even harder to keep the number small.  But Jim Yount has been generous with his site and we want to be able to do this again.  So, enjoy the pix.  Next year, we'll see you there.

       Irene

P. S.....If you'd like to check out the forum on Yahoo Groups, just click on the Forum link above.  You may need to sign up to browse.
   
   

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