It was all aboard the Lone Star river boat for the 100 delegates who joined our Community Dinner. Loading took quite some time, Tom Basil attended to the guest list, and then the necessary signatures for those aboard. I’d woken at 6am to a less than favorable forecast, but the weather was kind to us, with blue sky and a gentle breeze.
My colleague and local Austin resident Rick Vasquez had on Tuesday treated me to my first visit to a US liquor store, Specs. This store was bigger than the largest store in my hometown but sold only alcohol-related products and drink-friendly snacks. An experience in itself! We stuck to the brief of Texas-only brew for our guests.
As people boarded they received their swag – PlanetScale and Percona branded steel enamel mugs – and bar and dinner queues formed. The lines moved relatively quickly for the fajita and tex mex themed buffet. Most people seemed satisfied with the fare. Another relief… once we’re out on the water there’s no going back.
Loaded up in all respects, we set sail for a trip on Lady Bird Lake to see the Austin skyline and the hope of seeing the bats at dusk. Everyone seemed to be in great spirits and happy to spend some time out of the air con and in the relatively cool and fresh air of the lake.
Austin from all angles
It was good to see Austin from a new perspective, and of course there was lots of networking and chat. A few photos can be seen here but there are many more on the Facebook album.
The demand for the trip was significantly greater than the capacity of the boat. I’m truly sorry to anyone who could not get a seat because of space limitations. Next year… a bigger boat!
Lorraine, it was so nice to meet and chat with you! It was truly an awesome time!