A busy day in Banff

As usual, these conferences keep me busy, busy, busy.  My day started at 7:00am when I registered for the conference and went to the first session.  I dressed up a bit and it was good that I did.  The sessions were interesting and well done.  They ended at noon, and I had 30 minutes to get back to my room, change, and get downstairs to catch a bus for an organized hike at Sunshine Meadows.  We took a school bus up a bumpy dirt road with a big drop-off to the beginning of the trail.  It was a nice hike.  There were about 40 people in the group, and we divided into four smaller groups.  The views were beautiful, and the comradrie was great too.  I met a number of people.

We got back late, and I had 15 minutes to put on cocktail wear and get to a meeting for the new members.  I was a little late but it was OK.  It was a fairly formal meeting, and all the new members had to introduce themselves and give a short introduction.  It was a little intimidating.  Then, my host Bill and his wife Eilene walked me down the stairs to the President’s reception to someone playing the bagpipes (kind of like a royal presentation).   It was cool.  The reception was outside.  There were a lot of people there, and it was cold.  Bill and Eileen are from New York.  Super nice people, and they introduced me to many people too.  I left the reception about 10pm.