The 2004 NAFA Field Meet
I've just returned from attending the 2004 NAFA (North American Falconry Association) Field Meet in Garden City, Kansas. It was an adventure-filled week . . . and I had a very good time, but I'm glad to be home!
The next few posts will cover everything that went on during the past week.
I left for the field meet on Saturday, November 20. The total trip would take about 16 hours, so I had to break it up into two days. Saturday traveling is fairly easy, as there are many good radio shows on NPR to listen all day to. And Shawn had recorded some Coast to Coast shows (you know . . . middle of the night, Art Bell stuff!) After a good night of sleep, and a little help loading the car, I was off.
I stopped the first night in Liberty, Missouri . . . a suburb outside of Kansas City. Not a great hotel, but a clean bed . . . which is all I needed. Up early, and I was on the road again. I drove through Kansas City at 6 in the morning, which is a good time to go through a large city. Even then, they didn't have their roads marked very well, because they had construction on the exit for I70, and I missed the detour. So, a bit of driving around, pulling out the map, bitching some, I found my way out of Kansas City, and continued on my way through Kansas.
As I neared Garden City, it became very foggy, and misty. And for the first two days I was in Garden City, it was very wet and wintery. I located my hotel, but continued down the road and found the Plaza Hotel. The weathering yard in the back, full of raptors on their various bow perches and blocks, confirmed I was in the right place. I parked, and immediately hauled out my own bow perch and put Pente out to weather . . . she'd been in her box for 2 days! A little fresh air and space to stretch her wings would be good. I went in, checked around, registered for the meet and picked up my loot (meet print, mug, pin) and then went to go check into my own hotel. I was staying at the AmericInn . . . and it was a very nice place!! King-sized bed, large roomy bathroom, refrigerator, microwave, full breakfast every morning . . . everything I'd need for a week-long stay. I settled in, got dressed up, and went back over to the Plaza Hotel for the opening night activities. I looked real cute taking my dress shoes off, and doning snow boots, with my nice outfit on, and then tramping across the very muddy weathering yard to retreive my hawk and put her in her box. That evening was also the first night for vendor sales. I was selling Dave's bells, in his absence. And that first night was the best night of the whole meet! I sold 24 the first night.
I met up with Sharon Hartshorn, the falconer from New Mexico I have been corresponding with, and her husband. She has a very nice web site herself that I've been reading for the last few years. If you've never visited, you should. But it is a lot of reading!! The web address is: http://www.spiritwind.cc/hawke/falconry/falconry.html. We went out to dinner, and got to know each other a bit. We agreed to start hawking together the next day, she and her two birds Zephyr, the redtail, and PeeWee, the harris hawk. A quick stop at Wal-Mart after dinner, and we picked up our $70 hunting license for Kansas. WOW!! Not Cheap!! Better catch lots of bunnies to make it worth it!
The evening ended late . . . as every evening did. I slept well in my very large bed!
The next few posts will cover everything that went on during the past week.
I left for the field meet on Saturday, November 20. The total trip would take about 16 hours, so I had to break it up into two days. Saturday traveling is fairly easy, as there are many good radio shows on NPR to listen all day to. And Shawn had recorded some Coast to Coast shows (you know . . . middle of the night, Art Bell stuff!) After a good night of sleep, and a little help loading the car, I was off.
I stopped the first night in Liberty, Missouri . . . a suburb outside of Kansas City. Not a great hotel, but a clean bed . . . which is all I needed. Up early, and I was on the road again. I drove through Kansas City at 6 in the morning, which is a good time to go through a large city. Even then, they didn't have their roads marked very well, because they had construction on the exit for I70, and I missed the detour. So, a bit of driving around, pulling out the map, bitching some, I found my way out of Kansas City, and continued on my way through Kansas.
As I neared Garden City, it became very foggy, and misty. And for the first two days I was in Garden City, it was very wet and wintery. I located my hotel, but continued down the road and found the Plaza Hotel. The weathering yard in the back, full of raptors on their various bow perches and blocks, confirmed I was in the right place. I parked, and immediately hauled out my own bow perch and put Pente out to weather . . . she'd been in her box for 2 days! A little fresh air and space to stretch her wings would be good. I went in, checked around, registered for the meet and picked up my loot (meet print, mug, pin) and then went to go check into my own hotel. I was staying at the AmericInn . . . and it was a very nice place!! King-sized bed, large roomy bathroom, refrigerator, microwave, full breakfast every morning . . . everything I'd need for a week-long stay. I settled in, got dressed up, and went back over to the Plaza Hotel for the opening night activities. I looked real cute taking my dress shoes off, and doning snow boots, with my nice outfit on, and then tramping across the very muddy weathering yard to retreive my hawk and put her in her box. That evening was also the first night for vendor sales. I was selling Dave's bells, in his absence. And that first night was the best night of the whole meet! I sold 24 the first night.
I met up with Sharon Hartshorn, the falconer from New Mexico I have been corresponding with, and her husband. She has a very nice web site herself that I've been reading for the last few years. If you've never visited, you should. But it is a lot of reading!! The web address is: http://www.spiritwind.cc/hawke/falconry/falconry.html. We went out to dinner, and got to know each other a bit. We agreed to start hawking together the next day, she and her two birds Zephyr, the redtail, and PeeWee, the harris hawk. A quick stop at Wal-Mart after dinner, and we picked up our $70 hunting license for Kansas. WOW!! Not Cheap!! Better catch lots of bunnies to make it worth it!
The evening ended late . . . as every evening did. I slept well in my very large bed!
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home