Your Best NCECA Memory

[TJR]

My last trip to NCECA was in 1997. Yes, I know, some of you weren't even born then.The conference was in Las Vegas. My buddy[also a ceramic artist] tried to win a Harley to drive us home. We did have luggage, so I didn't know how this would work. We also live 2000 miles east of Nevada.

Anyway, he didn't win the Harley, but spent all his money trying. We flew home and changed planes in Minneapolis. Umnbeknownst to us, there was a blizzard north of the border in Canada, and our home airport was shut down. We were trapped in the Minneapolis airport. There were seven of us. We managed to get a courtesy hotel room, but there were seven ceramic artist, five women, two men. Our luggage flew home without us. Obviously this was before 9/11. On our second day in the airport, we wandered around trying to get a plane out. By about 10:00 pm that night we managed to get a flight for the women. We stoically stayed behind, as though we were on the deck of the Titanic. We did get on the same flight eventually. Got back home. All roads were closed. No taxi's or buses. I got a ride in a four wheel drive Jeep from one of the other artists's boyfriend. There was 6 ft. of snow blown up against the door of my house. No shovel because it was March .I managed to get in using a random board from the yard. In the spring we had the flood of the century 1997, where many houses were destroyed. That's my NCECA Memory.

TJR.