As most of you know by now, we didn't have an official reunion in 2009 because we just couldn't generate enough interest.  We are assuming that the lack of interest was probably due to the poor economy and not due to a lack of interest. I suppose time will tell.

Now on to the event itself.  When it became apparent that a reunion would not be possible in 2009, we decided to find an inexpensive destination to hold our Association meeting which is required to be held every two years to conduct business and elect officers.  After determining who would be interested in attending a meeting, we decided to hold it in Laughlin, Nevada.  This spot was chosen because it was within a 2 or 3 day drive for those attending and those who have been there can vouch that is certainly a cheap and fun place stay. There are also lots of tourist destinations near there that will keep you from getting bored.

We scheduled the meeting at the Tropicana Express Hotel and although the meeting itself was conducted on just one of the days, most of us scheduled our rooms to arrive on Monday, 21 Sep and depart on Thursday, 24 Sep.  A few of us also drove down a day early or stayed a day later so we could take in the tourist attractions in the area.  Sharon and I took an awesome Helicopter ride around Hoover Dam and then toured the Grand Canyon after we checked out of the hotel on our final day.

Most of us arrived at our hotel on Monday where we checked into the Hospitality Suite at the hotel to visit with our friends. I have to say that it was one of the best hospitality suites that we have had at any of our reunions.  Although our numbers were few, we didn't feel all that lonely because a much larger group from a navy LSD was meeting next door and we spent a lot of time swapping sea stories with them.

On Tuesday after breakfast on our own, we met in the hospitality suite.  An audit of our finances was conducted followed by the 2009 Association Meeting.  I'm not going to go into what transpired at the meeting because it is well covered in the Association Meeting Minutes taken by our able Secretary/Treasurer Tom Dannatt.  After the meeting we broke for lunch and to take in some of the local sights.

On Wednesday morning we met again in the hospitality suite to discuss our options for a reunion in 2011.  The minutes to that meeting are included as an addendum to the Association Meeting Minutes.  After that meeting a group of us (4 couples) decided to visit the old mining town of Oatman, Arizona.  So the women loaded into Julie Geist's convertible (top down of course) and the guys piled into my Toyota for a very enjoyable drive 30 miles out into the Arizona desert. We shopped and did some sightseeing before gathering in Olive Oatman Restaurant and Ice Cream Saloon for lunch.  Like many other old west type towns, there was a big gun fight out in the streets.  After the "big gun fight" the gun fighters (miraculously recovered from their wounds) joined us in the restaurant for a drink to cool them down. But by far, the biggest attraction in Oatman are the Burros.  They are everywhere and we had a great time feeding and petting them. 

That evening, back in Laughlin, we got together again across the main drag from our hotel at the Colorado Belle Hotel and Casino for a good sit down dinner. 

Although we really missed seeing many of you for this gathering, we are looking forwarding to seeing you somewhere in 2011