OK, pictures from the blogfest in Kerville...

Or really, the blogfest West of Kerville at Toad Hall, on the Guadalupe. For a great run down on the weekend, go here, and don't forget to click on all those links to see who was there. I'm posting pictures, but I won't "out" anyone by identifying them here with a caption by their picture.

Funny thing about being a blogger who posts pictures of himself, I showed up there at Toad Hall and lots of folks already knew who I was. It was kinda weird till I figured it out. I had to ask people "What's your blog name?", and then I'd know who I was talking to. Others don't post pictures of themselves, so I'll respect their anonymity and won't tell you who's who. You guys can out yourself if you want.



Toad Hall is a beautiful place. It looks like an old Spanish hacienda from the outside.



Several buildings in a complex designed for vacationers. It was perfect for the weekend. Amy did a wonderful job.



Denise and I had a great room, with a great bathroom and a nice view out the window. Very comfortable.



This is the view down the hall from our room. The whole place was beautiful.



This is the Saturday morning gathering, with folks waiting for breakfast. We had eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, and it was GOOOOD! I wanna tell ya, we ate well. It was a wonderful time!



After eating breakfast, Denise and I got the canoe out and set out to explore the river below this little dam that stretched out across the river in front of the house.



This stretch of the Guadalupe, below the dam, is a tamed river. people have all sorts of houses all along it's length. We normally go down to New Braunfels and tube the stretch of the Guadalupe that runs through town. It's beautiful, and there are lots of cool houses with their own little docks, all along the river. The stretch of the river above the dam is still wild, with lots of good rapids. I've canoed that stretch several times. It's a lot of fun.



We started to throw a few lures in the water and before long I caught this little Bass. We just had small, ultra light equipment, so this little dude felt like a monster when he hit the line. It was fun.



Denise was used to fishing with bait on a bobber, but I got her to use a lure and soon she caught this decent sized Rock Bass.



It felt really good to be in a boat again. Some of the best times of my life, and some of the best friends of my life have been found from the ass end of a canoe. I love it there, and would spend all my time there if I could.



By the afternoon, other folks were joinin' us out on the water.



By the evening I was jumping in and pushing the boat along while Denise continued to fish. In the end she paddled the boat back to the dock while I swam in. She'd never done that before, and did a beautiful job. I was very proud of her.



After all that I was ready to chill out. The beer was flowing and a wonderful dinner of chili and cornbread and tamales was being prepared for everyone. I'd been looking at this hammock for a while, and finally decided to check it out. Amazingly enough, it didn't collapse under my hugeness.



We all had a great, relaxing time. One guy brought out a guitar and began to entertain the rest of us with Beatles tunes.



Normally the music system was blaring great tunes out to the porch and patio, with a few of the guys working on it, keeping it going.



It was a wonderful time. Lots of cool, easy going folks, having a wonderful time.



When the sun went down, the special cup would come out. A friend gave me this cup after attending food show a few years ago. It lights up and the lights spin around when you push a button on the bottom. It's a fun party gimmick that usually gets a laugh.



At one point we were sitting around when someone noticed this little dude crawling up the screen behind us. We were like, "What the hell is that!?", and "If that thing flies down here and lands on me I'm gonna squeal like a little girl!"

That friggin' thing was HUGE. It was about 3 or 4 inches long, horn to thorax. Nasty, prehistoric lookin' thing.



Lets just say, the environment was conducive to a good time being had by all.



Sunday, after another great breakfast and checking out of Toad Hall, we all went over to the other overflow house down the road, where there was a deeper stretch of river. Denise and I took the fishing gear out and were soon joined by a few others. I hooked a decent sized Bass down there, and got it to jump, but it shook the hook out before I got it half way across the river. Another guy caught a few nice fish, and he spooked a baby dear. The faun jumped up and ran off, scarin' the piss out of him for a second.

In the end, we packed the gear away and drove back home, getting back by about 6PM. I can't thank Amy the other folks enough for inviting me. I had a chance to meet some folks that I've been reading and admiring for a long time. It was a wonderful time, and we're both lookin' forward to the next one. Thanks again guys. Cheers!