Chanb77's Weblog

March 27th – 29th, 2009 ~ 

Here we are again. Another trip to the mighty New Joisey, for Beneath The Sea. I woke at the unearthly hour of 3:30 am, and headed down to Rockport to meet the gang. Once there, we piled into James’ truck, and Tony followed behind with the booth.

Once over the border, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for breakfast. In the parking lot, we saw a truck with a very interesting passenger…

or four…

We ate,  and we headed out on our way… Not without me purchasing a crazy, quacking Easter duck from the store. James wouldn’t let me play with it in the car. 😀
We arrived at the Meadowlands at about 2:30 pm, and started unloading the trailer.

By the time the show started, we were just about finished setting up.

A few of us headed over to the Tech Party, after the show, for some grub, a couple of bevvies, and some great company. We had an awesome night. Thanks to Corey and Joel for keeping us entertained. I’ve used the word of the day a few times since that night.

Jen…

Saturday was another good day at the show. We had alot of friends stop by for information and some friendly banter. We even went for lunch with George and Christine, which was a blast.  It was also great to meet many people that I’ve corresponded with online, in person.

Becky,  David and I…

Yasuko…

We even saw Alessandra there, who we had met in Mexico, last November…

Saturday evening, Jen B. and I went out for dinner with the wonderful folks at DUI, and had a most excellent time! I still can’t believe I ate alligator! I loved listening to diving stories, and being in the company of wonderful people. It was great to finally catch up with you, Dave!!

In our quest to find the restaurant, we passed by the New Jersey Devil’s arena.

Edit: Ok.. it turns out they were  playing against Carolina, but the Sens were definitely in town. I stood in front of their tour bus, while people were taking pictures and getting autographs a bit earlier. 😉

After dinner, we headed back to one of the hotels, where we sat and listened to the wisdom of some of diving’s pioneers. It was incredible to be in the same room as some of the people that have helped to shape the sport that we know and love, and to hear the stories of their experiences.  I could write an entire “Bloggy Post” about that alone. I also had the opportunity to meet Zale Parry, during the show, which was also a treat.

Sunday, another great day, and we met even more people, saw some great booths, and had alot of fun. Susan Long, from DUI, did our prize draws for us as well!

Chris and Sarah…

Ron and Quintin…

After the show, we tore down the booth, packed it up, and headed out once again. We had a bit of fun while packing up..

On the way back, we ran into a freak rain and lightening storm, which lit up the entire sky, and caused alot of accidents on the freeway. There were some scary looking ones.

We sang many songs to keep James awake in the truck. I’m not sure if he was happy about that or not…lol… We crossed the border, somewhere near 3 am, and headed back to Rockport. I picked up my car, and made the trip back to Ottawa. I “landed” at 5am, and it didn’t take long for my head to hit the pillow.

Despite the long days and sore feet, Beneath The Sea was definitely worth the trip once again. I was able to meet up with friends from the past and present, and to learn about how parts of our diving world were shaped.

Thanks to everyone that hung out with us and to Bob Sherwood, for some great insight, and in helping me get Alek’s book signed.

Jen and Bob…

Corey…

Becky and David…

What a wonderful weekend, and I can’t wait until next year!

David and James…