2011 Fall Section Meeting
Party in Paradise | Paradise Coast | Oct 14-16, 2011
99s from all over the SE section flocked to Fort Myers for the Fall 2011 Section Meeting. OK …. so, I guess I have to explain the part about being “laid” …… Hawaiian-styled lei’s …. each 99 and her guests were adorned with leis upon their arrival at the Saturday evening banquet. Now to get back to the rest of the story …
Florida weather held true to form for the 53 99s and guests who descended upon Fort Myers for the SE Section Fall 2011 meeting, hosted by the Paradise Coast Chapter. Friday afternoon saw many of the participants wandering into the hospitality suite for registration and to sample the snacks prepared by the Paradise Coast ladies. We were happy to see many carrying Chico’s shopping bags – churning the local economy.
The first planned event (although I think you can always plan on ladies to shop) was the evening dinner dance on the Cap’t JP Paddlewheel boat. The evening was perfect – just enough cloud cover to help dissipate the heat and provide for a spectacular sunset but not enough to produce rain or obscure the magnificent coastline view. The 99s had the run of the boat and the vast majority of the crowd thereon so you know there will be some fun.
Buffet dinner was served on the mail deck followed by a Happy Birthday celebration for Reba and lots of music and dancing. For the not-so-lively sect, the top deck offered a place for good conversation, a light warm breeze, stars, and beautiful views of houses along the Caloosahatchee River. Regardless of which deck you choose; the evening was perfect.
After a hearty breakfast at the Homewood Suites, the 99s got down to the business of business discussing everything from iPads to quilts to membership. Judy Bowser did a great job on her first official meeting as Governor, keeping us on track and on schedule and we concluded the meeting in time for lunch.
Saturday afternoon found the 99s and many other community members in the FAA Wings Technology Seminar with Amy LaBoda. Amy told us about the new technologies on the market and we discussed how flying has changed since the good ‘ole days of the Rand McNally road map navigation. Jessica Stearns was then presented with the Wright Brothers Master pilot award in recognition of her 50+ year flying career with no incidents or accidents. Congratulations to Jessica on an amazing accomplishment.
Leonard Stuard, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, was the next invited speaker. Leonard brought bags of information and spoke with us about how easy it is to fly to the Bahamas. We discussed eAPIS, Bahamian customs, and Junkanoo – gotta go for the fun!
Our final event in this whirl-wind weekend in Paradise was the Saturday evening banquet … in this case, it was a “Pajama Party in Paradise”. All the 99s and guests donned their most elegant pajamas and headed out to the pool area. A tropical breeze was blowing; the sun was shining; fresh tropical fruit was there for the asking. And that is when it happened: all of those present got “laid”. Yes, “laid” right there in the middle of the hotel swimming pool, Carolyn Skaggs broke out her hand-made, Hawaiian-styled airplane leis and laid one on everyone! We were a most colorful bunch.
Our buffet dinner followed the tropical theme – Hawaiian pork loin, fish and tropical fruit salad were among the delights for dinner. We opted for no evening program and just let camaraderie and conversation be the entertainment for the evening.
With bellies full and nighttime upon us, we all retired to our rooms ….. NOT ….. many actually gathered in one of the suites and continued laughing and chatting until late in the evening when common sense got the best of us – realizing that we must travel on Sunday morning.
Our last chance to visit with our sisters came for breakfast and rides to the airport. Small snack packs were assembled so no one went home hungry, and the gaggle of gals flew the coop as quickly as they came.
Thank you one and all for your participation in the weekend in Paradise. We will look forward to seeing all of you – and all NEW MEMBERS – at the Spring 2012 Section meeting in Pinehurst, NC.
