In a message dated 6/19/2002 11:52:19 PM Central Standard Time,
hcbottj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
> No offense to Bill Barber with his
> Texas trip (which sounds really cool)
I'm not offended and the Texas Tour will be in 2004 which is about 22 months
away. You could do both. There are eighteen people who have expressed an
interest so far and this includes 2 from the UK and 1 from Australia. Most
didn't say where they live so there may well be more from around the world.
Both these activities are going to be a tremendous amount of fun and I would
encourage each of us to look at what it would take to have one or the other
happen for us. For those of you who have driven the 15+ hours through Texas
on I-10 and feel like you have seen this state, you are in for a big surprise
(but then what would you expect in Texas). When you leave you still will not
have seen Texas, but you will have experienced part of Texas and had the
opportunity to meet and know some of the people. You will have seen some of
the rich cultural diversity in this state which has had six flags flown over
it in the past few hundred years. You will have experienced some of the
diverse beauty of Texas. You will have traveled some of the back roads and
visited wide spots in the road such as Luchenback and also have seen the two
of the ten largest cities in the USA. In addition to this you will have more
than given your OMs a work out, made many new friends and collected a wealth
of OM information and priceless memories time spent with new friends.
Several have asked why I have offered to do this. The primary answer is that
I enjoy it. I have over the years planned many trips for my family to
various places around the world and have organized SCUBA diving trips for
groups up to 25+ to central America and the Cayman Islands. We each have our
talents. For some it is running this list. That is not me as I can't even
figure how to get rid of HTML to avoid irritating other list members. Some
use theirs to create the TOPE or the various other websites we all enjoy.
This is something I can do well and enjoy doing that will provide an
environment of learning and enjoyment for those who are able to participate.
I invite each of you to look at the possibility of your joining us in Texas
in the spring of 2004. As things progress we may have to change the name
from the "Texas Tour" to "The International Gathering of the Clan OM." Those
who have an interest in the spring 2004 Texas Tour are invited to either
contact me on or off list. Oh, the reason I'm not doing it next spring is
that I have a trip with my bride planned to Ireland and England and I can't
take time off for both next year. Bill Barber
|