Con Nooga and Biltmore weekend

Adventure 20110219

A hint of Spring is in the East Tennessee air so this weekend I tried to pry myself out of hibernation and engage my sense of adventure.

First up was a Saturday trip down to Chattanooga with my Step-Dad to day-trip Con Nooga.  This was the first time we have had a chance to attend Con Nooga and I was very impressed.  Lots of costumes, a good sized crowd without it being difficult to get around, a wide selection of programming tracks, and a very friendly atmosphere.  I particularly enjoyed the Ms. ConNooga contest, and you could tell the ladies were having a great time and enjoying being silly and putting on a show.  We will definitely be back next year.

Next up, Kathy and I drove over to Asheville on Sunday to visit Biltmore.  I can't say that I was very impressed personally, I kept noticing signs of maintenance issues like cracks in the ceiling and cobwebs in the windows.  Also, the sense of scale was off for me, huge cold and drafty rooms were offset by small cramped corridors.  I felt more like I was visiting an old bank than anything else.  Although impressive architecturally, I certainly wouldn't want to live in it.

DragonCon 2009

Adventure: 20090904









Another DragonCon has come and gone, and unfortunately I think this will probably be the last one I attend.  Frankly, I think DragonCon has just grown too large for my tastes and admittedly rather hermit-like tolerances.  Luckily I did manage to get to see Pete Abrams (Sluggy Freelance), Jennie Breeden (The Devil's Panties), Ryan Sohmer and Lar Desouza (Least I Could Do and Looking For Group) as well as attend the live recording for Sword and Laser with Veronica Belmont (This WEEK in TECH).  I unfortunately made it to nothing else I wanted to see because of the ridiculous crowds and lines.  (I think the most annoying failure was my attempt to see Randal Schwartz (FLOSS Weekly) which involved getting a cab to drive back to the con from the hotel, showing up a half hour early, and finding that although there were still seats they were all "saved"....  I nearly blew a gasket.)  Kathy did manage to get some pretty decent pictures and I think this collage pretty much conveys the DragonCon experience.

I think I did pretty well for loot though.  My favorite is the 2d20 damage flail.  ^_^

More geek points from videogamecartoons.com!

More geek points! Greg Houston of videogamecartoons.com included a DragonCon 2007 shot of Kathy, Ken, Larry and Mom in the #10 slot of his "Video Game Halloween Costume Guide 2008" post.

Great Island Festival

Adventure 080906

My Step-Dad Larry, Kathy, and I took a trip out to the Great Island Festival and spent several enjoyable hours wandering around the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum and the Fort Loudoun State Historical Area. Kathy actually spent a good portion of her childhood in Vonore and most of her extended family still lives there so she got to play tour guide. My favorite portion of the day was the mock battle.





(Late back-log addition added on Sat 9/20/2008.)

Marble Springs Living History Weekend

Adventure 080419

Despite living just under five miles away from the site for the last five years I had never visited the John Sevier Marble Springs Tennessee State Historic Farmstead until Kathy and I noticed that they were holding a Living History Weekend. Marble Springs is a small site but it's obvious that many people have put a lot of love and effort into keeping it maintained. My Mother, Step-Dad, Kathy, and I spent a very pleasant Saturday afternoon wandering around the several buildings that have been moved to the site and restored including a Tavern/Trading Post, a Loom House with a very impressive working loom, the Walker Cabin, and the John Sevier Cabin where some claim that John Sevier lived for the last years of his life.





(Late back-log addition added on Sat 9/20/2008.)

DragonCon 2007

Adventure: 070831



DragonCon has been my favorite convention for almost two decades, but this was the first year I've tried to Cosplay a theme with a group. My friend Ken, my Mother, my Step-Dad Larry, and I all dressed up as Imperial Orc Marines from the book "Grunts!" by Mary Gentle.



Kathy took a slightly different approach and based her costume on Elwyn from the video game "Shining Tears".



I will note that it was Kathy who managed to get her picture taken with the MythBusters "Build Team"....



While we were at DragonCon we met up with our friend Aldea who wore a very nice "Fallen Angel" costume on Saturday that I sadly did not really get a good picture of.



After the parade we all marched over to Artist's Row to give my favorite webcomic artist Jennie Breeden of The Devil's Panties another basket. That's twice now. Once more and it becomes an official tradition! Jennie immediately tried out one of the odder candy choices in the basket called a "Harry Potter Fizzing Whizbee". I tried one myself and that face she is making is actually a pretty mild reaction....



(Transferred from the original http://www.samthegiant.com/ website on Wed 9/17/2008.)