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North Central CP Meeting! Spring 2009

  • #21
I must say it would be great if the mystery dew could be brought along tomorrow so we can all have a pic. taken around it. I'm not sure it would travel that well being freshly planted and all.

I think it was noon for the start. We're gonna be there as far as we can tell now. The wife is baking cookies as we speak. No teasing about invinting her and not me next year !

I'll bring my TDS meter again to check anyones water if you bring a sample along.

I've got a bunch of dews and some nep. young un's for sale/swap commin'.

See everyone tommorow !
 
  • #22
haha, it might have to make a special appearance :)
Thanks for the info. can't wait for the cookies :D
can't wait to see yall again.
 
  • #23
N. Central CP Meeting! Spring '09 "Aftermath"!

:boogie: :beer: :woot:

Well, I wanted to share the excitement from this Springs Meeting by Nathan's (MrFlyTrap2).
Once again, Nathan gave warm greetings to us all, and should be congratulated for another job well done. Especially since he had just returned from California that morning!

It was nice to meet new people, and especially nice to see familiar faces. My wife and I arrived to see many CP enthusiasts bringing out their plants of death! What a nice sight!

First recognizing Nathan who greeted us quickly while escorting people in and out of his inner sanctum of CP glory! Then we spotted Aaron (CPlantaholic) who was retrieving various "Dews" out of the back seat of his car! Its always vary nice to see Aaron, who's excitement for CP is contagious! It also amazes Kathy and I to see the fantastic plants he grows!

Next we met Mark Wilson (MarkWilson) and Les (Rocketcaver) and his wife. Mark told me some things about "Pings" that I felt I "needed" to know, hence why I picked at your brain! (Thank you for that!). And Les & his wife brought even more excitement and support to an already successful gathering.

As the day progressed, Nathan escorted us two by two into his dungeon, which is always an amazing "feast for the eyes"! Going from near darkness into an area built for Nepenthes and CP's of every sort, brightly glowing with illumination, is quite a shock at first! Indeed, this year his plants look even better than the last, and My wife and I have never seen so many variety of Neps' all in one place!

NathansCave.jpg


It wasn't long before Chris (droseraguy) and his wife and kids (grand kids!? Hey? How old are you Chris?!) showed up, plants in hand, with his contagious smile and excitement. I know I am always happy to see him, and it was nice to finally meet and talk to his wife.

Speaking of wife, Kathy (my wife) began painting some of the Sarr's that Nathan had brought out, and she ended up having quite an audience!
It wasn't long before everyone was talking, sharing ideas, information, and of course eating! (Thank you again Nathan for being host, cook and waiter! Everything was de-lish'!)

It seemed like time flew again, and it wasn't long before it was late and people began leaving. Before that, there was trading, and generous sharing with all. My thanks to everyone who freely traded and shared with us, and I know your kindness and generosity helped make the gathering another success.

GroupNameNEW2.jpg


I can only speak for Kathy & I, but we feel that thru this we have met some of the most wonderful people we could ever hope to meet. It is too bad that we could not convince the spouses and family to be in the pictures. Anyone who has to live with a CP enthusiast deserves to have their picture taken!

And it is too bad that some of the younger "growers" on the forum didn't make it, as I believe it was a good time for everyone. It does NOT matter how old you are! Loving and growing these plants makes you ageless!

Well, I just wanted to post to let everyone know what a good time we had, and to say "thanks again Nathan", for we wouldn't have started doing this if it wasn't for you.

I hope to see you all again... perhaps in the Fall.

Paul
(and Kathy)

:-P-:
Oh, Just for fun, here's a pic of Kathy & I... and NO, we didn't dress like this for the gathering!
Us1.jpg
 
  • #24
I think you summed up everything quite nicely, Paul :)
I also want to thank Nathan again for his efforts.
It was awesome to see returning cp friends and make new ones.
I also appreciated everyone's generosity. Certainly no one went home empty-handed!
 
  • #25
I must agree with everything Paul said, and say again, "thanks" to Nathan for hosting the meeting.
It's great seeing everyone and sharing ideas and methods.
If possible we will be back next time.
Les
 
  • #26
A great time was had by all ! The grandkids enjoyed the event as well, it seems all the gameboy playing wore out one and the other talked nonstop all the way home. Now about my age well it's a closely guarded secret. I'll give you a hint. Old enough to know better yada, yada.

Thanks Nate for hosting again !
 
  • #27
I also had a great time. It is so cool seeing different varieties of CP in real life compared to pics.Especially checking out the nep Nathen had that was producing red nectar !! What a cool growroom !!
Thanks again to Nathen for hosting it after his sweet trip out to California. Also a big thanks goes out to Aaron for driving and sharing plants with me and starting me with some great dews.Move over pings,there are some new plants under the lights now,LOL.
I HIGHLY recommend anyone that thought about going to the gathering and didn't to reconsider next time.
It was great to meet everyone there and to share plants .Gotta love this hobby !!!!!!
 
  • #28
Thank you everyone for making the big trip!!! It was so nice to see all these wonderful guest plants (and people!) come out for a visit. I just totally love traveling and meeting all the growers that I can come across, you learn so many things, and can share so much at the same time.

For those that couldn't make it, I've come to the conclusion of doing 2 yearly BBQ's. One in the spring, and one in the fall. Hopefully I can pick dates before people leave for school or start summer classes. During winter I'm toying with the idea of doing a group Tissue Culture day. Tissue culturing takes a lot of time, but it seems to be a lot more fun when there's a group of people doing it and making a mess.

And for the record Paul and Kathy did want to come dressed as that but I said no. j/k! ;) Instead, she brought her sketch pad and made some amazing work!

Thanks to the droseraguy family for the cookies, and again thanks for all the plants and attendance by everyone!

See ya in the fall!
-Nathan
 
  • #29
Thanks for the pictures Paul. Sadly I could not make it this time. If Nathan hosts a second gathering in the fall, I will definetly be there.
 
  • #30
Looks like you guys had fun. Way to put on a meeting like this. We need one in Texas!

Phil
 
  • #31
You were definitely missed, Chris! idk if i'll make the fall one, but if you're interested in some sundew seeds, I have plenty with your name on them ;D

Phil, you should definitely put up a few posts on a few forums, and see if you get a few results. Sometimes, you have to hunt people down, though ;) It's definitely worth the effort!
 
  • #32
Good to see pics of all the "members " of your group. I am personnally working on a plant to be called "Bog Widow" for all those women and men who are not interested at all in this Hobby yet sometimes come along for the ride.She'll be purdy!!
 
  • #33
Has anybody heard of plans for a fall meeting?
We would sure like to see everybody again!
 
  • #34
Anyone heard from Nathan in a while?

Not sure if the fall meeting went through (I'm assuming it didn't) but there is a 2 week gap this May (from the 10th to the 22nd) in which I will be able to attend another cp gathering. Otherwise, i could go anytime after July 10th (whatever would allow for the largest turnout). But if this time frame doesn't work for everyone else, then by all means schedule it whenever works best!

Also, I'm not sure if we'll be able to go to Nathan's again (unless he comes back to the forums soon). In case we don't hear from him, we'll likely have to find a new location...

Just trying to get the ball rolling so that hopefully more people will be able to attend this year.
 
  • #35
I got the ok from the boss last night to host the gathering at our house this year if anyone is interested. We are just outside Kankakee, Ill. (10 minutes east of I-57 and 30 minutes south of I-80)
 
  • #36
I'm still alive! (Just been super busy 8( ) I'd be up for hosting a spring meeting, if people would like to hash out dates that are good for them I can make another post and setup a time if people would still be interested in coming out to my location.

Take care,
Nathan
 
  • #37
I'm up for whatever is most popular with those that want to attend. My thought was that maybe some folks would come up from down south or east if we had it at my place. I can start a new thread and we can solicit for preferences. By no means am I trying to bogart the event ! As far as the dates go we should give a couple choices to get the best date for the majority. Lot's of people have summer school, vacations and just need time off to make the daytrip. Parents might need a bit of convincing too. What do you guys think ??
 
  • #38
Well, depending on Nathan's thoughts about this, it couldn't hurt to offer both locations and see people's preferences.
Either way, the dates might even be the first thing to consider. We could just say right now that it would be near the Chicago area, take a poll for dates, and then decide the location based on what is place would be closest for everyone who expressed interest. (for the most part, either location has the potential to add a half hour to an hour and a half from what I've seen)

Maybe we can start a new thread for the "poll" and then make a final thread once the date and location is picked.
 
  • #39
Hey Chris and All,
Another gathering this spring sounds nice. As far as date to do it, most of my schedule is always last minute anyway, so I wouldn't have much preference. If a date is set, my wife and I will try to make it no matter when it is. (Sometimes last minute work or something gets in the way, but otherwise, we will be there!)
Which brings us to the next issue of where.

Again, this doesn't matter to us too much. While Nate is closer to us, running out by Chris isn't a problem at all. There's also the pleasure of seeing someone else's setup. (As my place is a real mess and my plants doing poorly, seeing my "setup" would be a disappointment for one and all...including me!)

It might be nice to see some plants growing el'natural! However I know of only one place in the area (Volo Bog) where we could see pitcher plants and sphagnum moss (and possibly a tiny orchid if the timing is perfect). Other areas I used to go to in the area, to see sundew and such, are either no longer viable as a choice, or illegal to get into (If I could even find them again!).

It would also be nice to see some in "artificial surroundings", but here again, locally, the Chicago Botanic Garden [www.chicago-botanic.org, E Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, Illinois 60022 (847) 835-5440]
is the only place I have seen any lately. (We don't even have a "retailer" who consistently sells them locally!)
Neither of these are "close" to anyone or each other, but perhaps if anyone has ideas about things like this, they can make some further suggestions.

So as for me (and Kathy), anytime, anywhere works. (I would suggest May-June, but that is only because it is warm out by then, without being too wet, or too hot.) But here again, I too would say that if someone has a preference, or a time they "can't" make it, to speak up.

Nate has done a fantastic job in the past, and his set-up is certainly worth seeing again and again. Yet I also think letting others host it if they want to may be a good thing. As I said, seeing how others are doing things and have things set-up is always interesting, and often triggers new ideas for myself and others.

Actually, I think if someone with lots of extra money and plants, along with an overly enlarged spirit of generosity, were to host a gathering and hand out lots of rare plants to us all, that would be ideal!

But short of that, (and joking aside), I think it is wonderful when we can get together and appreciate anyone who is willing to host it! It has been a good time for us in the past, and I certainly think doing one this spring is a good idea.
Chris, you have my vote! "Make it so!"

Paul
 
  • #40
Deb and I would come again if we can get time off work.
Location doesn't matter a whole lot to us, after the first 300 miles it's all the same.
Les
 
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