2023 IPMS/USA National Convention (2)

Early on Thursday, 3 August--Day Two of the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA) National Convention--I woke up early at my rental room in San Marcos, Texas. After getting dressed, I drove to a Panera Bread near the Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center to get some breakfast. Then, I headed to the Embassy Suites, where a chartered bus awaited some 40 Convention attendees--myself included. The bus left just after 8:00 AM and headed to Fredericksburg, Texas, approximately 90 minutes away through the Texas Hill Country.

The bus arrived at its destination, the National Museum of the Pacific War (NMPW), where our group was to tour. This museum preserves the history of World War II in East Asia and the Pacific. The NMPW is located in Fredericksburg because that was the hometown of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who was commander-in-chief of the US Pacific Fleet during World War II.

We began the tour with a short video presentation giving an overview of the Pacific War. After that, we began to make our way through the museum, which houses many interpretive exhibits, artifacts, and videos related to the roots of the war and its beginning in East Asia.

One exhibit of note is HA-19, one of five Japanese two-man submarines used in the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. This submarine was captured intact and was later displayed around the country to raise war bonds.

This museum means a lot to me, since both my father and maternal grandfather served in the US Armed Forces in the Pacific Theater of World War II. My father Harold Delaney was in the Army Air Forces as a radio technician in New Guinea, while my grandfather Harold Koenig was in the Navy on the crew of an escort aircraft carrier in the Southwest Pacific.

Exhibits look at both the war's campaigns and at the home front. Maps help visitors follow the course of the war, along with such artifacts as newspapers and magazines, uniforms, weapons, and personal effects of the troops fighting in the Pacific.

From Pearl Harbor to the Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945, one gets a sense of what World War II in East Asia and the Pacific was like, certainly to a primarily American audience.

After touring the inside of the museum and shopping in the gift shop, we walked outside to see various exhibits. There was a submarine conning tower in front of the museum, and several artillery pieces nearby. The US Presidents who served in the war--from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George H.W. Bush--were recognized in the outdoor area, and there are plaques commemorating individual service personnel, ships, and units involved in the war against Japan.

There is also a Japanese Peace Garden donated to the museum in 1976. It was most serene to walk on the grounds of this garden and to pray for peace among all peoples.

Near the NMPW, along Fredericksburg's main street, is the Admiral Nimitz Gallery. I did not go inside, due to lack of time, but it tells the story of German migration to Texas and to the Nimitz family. This gallery is housed in what was a hotel that Admiral Nimitz's grandfather had run in the mid to late 19th century. A bronze statue of Admiral Nimitz is located near this gallery.

Around 3:15 PM, our group reboarded the bus for the trip back to San Marcos. It waa wonderful experience visiting the museum for the first time. I highly recommend visiting the National Museum of the Pacific War.

Arriving back at the Embassy Suites around 4:45 PM, I went into the Conference Center to check the drawn raffle ticket numbers. (Mine didn't come up.) I also saw more model entries in the contest room and browsed among the vendors. I headed to the lounge where I had a beer and shared some snacks with some members of the IPMS/Plastic Surgeons chapter from Des Moines, Iowa who were at the Convention.

Following this happy hour, I got dinner and then headed back to the rental home to rest up and prepare for Day Three of the Convention.

To be continued...

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA: IPMS/USA Home Page | By Modelers... For Modelers (ipmsusa.org)

Panera Bread: Panera Bread at , MO | Panera Bread

Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center: Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel Conference Center

National Museum of the Pacific War: National Museum of the Pacific War (pacificwarmuseum.org)

Fredericksburg, Texas: Things to do in Fredericksburg, Texas | Attractions & Nightlife (visitfredericksburgtx.com)

IPMS/Plastic Surgeons: IPMS Plastic Surgeons (ipms-plasticsurgeons.com)

   

2023 IPMS/USA National Convention, Part 1

My vacation this year took me to the 2023 National Convention of the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA). This year's convention was held in San Marcos, Texas on 2-5 August. 

My trip started early on Wednesday, 2 August by driving to The Parking Spot 3, just west of St. Louis Lambert International Airport. I parked my car at the long-term lot just after 3:00 AM, then took a shuttle bus to the terminal to check in for my flight on Southwest Airlines. 

Just after 5:00 AM my Southwest flight departed St. Louis for Dallas Love Field. After landing there and changing planes, I caught another Southwest flight to Austin Bergstrom International Airport. Both flights went smoothly.

After arriving in Austin, I grabbed an iced turbo from Jo's Coffee in the terminal. This drink sure energized me after the early flights. Then, I was off to get my checked bag from baggage claim before walking over to the car rental center.

Arriving at the Enterprise counter, I checked in and had my reservation confirmed. After submitting my driver's license and credit card, I was directed to pick up my rental car (a Toyota Corolla). I checked out my car, put my luggage inside it, then drove off for San Marcos.

I arrived at the convention venue, the Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center, around 10:15 AM. I entered the conference center and found the pre-registration check in line. I checked in and received my packet and the convention t-shirt. In this area, I chatted with a few people I know.

 

I walked over to the contest registration area to enter my one model in the contest. It was a 1:72 scale Alpha Jet I did a few years back. Having filled in the contest forms before I left home, my time in registration was short and I found the category table in the contest room to place my model.

I walked around the contest area to see the models placed there so far in the show. There were some, but many more would go in there by the time contest registration ended late Friday afternoon. Then, I waited for the three vendor rooms to open. Once open, I began to browse among the approximately 72 vendors present at this convention. One of the vendors, Tamiya, had a limited-edition t-shirt for the first 300 registrants who signed up for their email list. I was among those fortunate people who signed up and got the t-shirt. I also bought some tickets for the convention's raffle of model kits.

After spending the afternoon browsing among the contest entries and the vendors, it was time for me to leave the convention. I stopped by In-N-Out Burger for dinner before driving to the rental room approximately 10 minutes from the Conference Center. I had booked this place on Airbnb.

Arriving at the three-store residence, I entered the security code to unlock the door and made my way to the top floor, where my bedroom and bathroom were located. This accommodation was most suitable for me. After this long day, I went to bed. Day One in San Marcos was over.

To be continued...

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA: IPMS/USA Home Page | By Modelers... For Modelers (ipmsusa.org)

The Parking Spot: St. Louis Airport Parking | The Parking Spot

St. Louis Lambert International Airport: St. Louis Lambert International Airport (flystl.com)

Southwest Airlines: Southwest Airlines | Book Flights, Make Reservations & Plan a Trip

Dallas Love Field: Dallas Love Field Airport | Home (dallas-lovefield.com)

Austin Bergstrom International Airport: Airport (AUS) | AustinTexas.gov

Jo's Coffee: Jo's Coffee (joscoffee.com)

Enterprise Rent-A-Car: Car Rental with Great Rates & Service | Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center: Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel Conference Center

Tamiya: Tamiya USA

In-N-Out Burger: In-N-Out Burger

Airbnb: Find homes on Airbnb

Garden Visit and Soccer: My Weekend with Julie

Friday night (30 June), after a long and hot day of work, I drove to Julie's house in Florissant. There, I met her friends Mike and Sandy, who were in town for a weekend trip. Julie drove the four of us to the Missouri Botanical Garden for Chihuly Nights, an evening version of the Chihuly in the Garden exhibition currently at the Garden. This display has blown glass sculptures of artist Dale Chihuly placed among natural settings.

It rained slightly as the four of us entered the garden. After a brief stop in the gift shop, where Julie and Sandy bought umbrellas, we began our tour of the garden. Seeing these glass sculptures among the Garden's natural scenery was a real visual feast.

After we spent a wonderful time at the Garden, the four of us got into Julie's car and we returned to her home. There, we had a light dinner and conversation before I left for the night.

The next afternoon, I drove back to Julie's house to pick her up to go to that night's St. Louis CITY SC match against Colorado Rapids at CITYPARK. The drive to Downtown West St. Louis took longer than expected, though, due to a storm that had just blown through Metro St. Louis. (There was concern the match would be delayed due to the weather, but word came by 4:30 pm that it would go on time.) We had to get off I-170 at Olive as the Interstate Highway was closed. We drove east on Olive, seeing the results of the storm in downed trees and buildings without electrical power. After turning onto Skinker, Julie and I got on Forest Park Parkway and exited at 22nd Street. We found a curbside parking spot about three blocks northwest of CITYPARK, then walked towards the St. Louligans Street Party near Schlafly Tap Room. Julie and I arrived in time for the march into the stadium with the supporter groups.

The marchers entered CITYPARK through the Northwest Gate as usual. While Julie freshened up, I used the CITY app on my phone to order some popcorn from The Block, one of the dining concession stands. Not more than two minutes after placing the order, I picked up the popcorn in a reusuable souvenir box. (It was my first time using the app to get food at the stadium.)  After buying a bottle of Budweiser from another kiosk, I met up with Julie and we walked to our standing place in the North End.

We found a place high up in the section and under the roof, in case it started to rain again. It turned out there was no need to worry, as the weather was good the rest of the night.

After the teams came out on the pitch and the coin toss was held, the match was underway. CITY kicked off to the north, and we were able to see the action coming right for us. It didn't take long for things to get really interesting, as defender Tim Parker headed in a pass the fourth minute to score for CITY. Jared Stroud added a second tally seven minutes later.

CITY went on cruise control the rest of the way, as they ran out 2-0 winners. Roman Burki made three saves in posting his fifth shoutout of the season. (This past week, both Burker and Parker were named to the MLS All-Star team that will face Arsenal at Audi Field in Washington on 19 July.) The win gave CITY sole possession of first place in the MLS Western Conference. 

After watching CITY's players and coaches acknowledge the supporters, Julie and I walked out of CITYPARK and back to my car. Driving her home, we went west to I-270, rather than take the chance of I-170 still being closed. After dropping off Julie with hugs and kisses, I headed home a bit tired but most happy.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Missouri Botanical Garden: Missouri Botanical Garden

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

CITYPARK: CITYPARK | St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

The Block: The Block (theblockrestaurant.com)

Budweiser: Budweiser American-Style Lager | King of Beers since 1876 | Budweiser

Major League Soccer: MLSsoccer.com - The Official Site of Major League Soccer

Celebrating PrideFest 2023 with Some Colleagues

Yesterday morning (25 June), I drove to downtown St. Louis and parked in the Stadium Garage West. I then walked to Market Street just east of 7th Street. It was there that I met up with my Enterprise colleagues. Together, we would march in St. Louis' PrideFest parade.

This parade was the highlight of the annual PrideFest this past weekend, which celebrated the LBGTQ+ community. Many local companies and other organizations were represented in this parade. Most of the Enterprise contingent came from the Enterprise Holdings corporate office. I was the rare marcher who came from the rental branches.

Besides the approximately 100 marchers from our organization, there were three vehicles in the parade: a Ford Mustang convertible loaned from Enterprise Car Sales, and two trucks (stake beded and a box) from Enterprise Truck Rental. These vehicles were decorated in rainbow colors. Most of the marchers (including yours truly) wore green Enterprise t-shirts designed for this year's event. many of us added leis and beads for further decoration.

A few of us marchers wore bunches of balloons in assorted colors. They included my friend Melissa Maciorowski, who was just wonderful.

Many of us waited in the shade of a building while we waited for the parade to begin. I was one who took advantage of that shade and enjoyed a pre-parade drink of champagne with orange juice, which was welcome.

Just after 1:00 pm, we stepped off onto the parade, which went west on Market from 8th Street to 18th Street. Our group was early in the parade. It was hot under sunny skies, with the temperature of approximately 95 degrees F (35 degrees C), with a heat index of about 100 degrees F (38 degrees C). I had applied plenty of sunscreen before I left for the parade, which really helped me cope with the sunshine.

There were many units in this parade, including various companies, sports teams, labor unions, and social service organizations. Naturally, several LGBTQ+ organizations were present.

It was stop and start at times as our group headed down Market, pausing when units ahead of us stopped. Despite the heat, there was a great crowd along Market to watch the parade.

There was a reviewing stand just west of Tucker on the south side of Market, near City Hall. There, an announcer recognized each unit as it passed by it. We really appreciated the attention the announcer gave us and the applause from the audience along the street. 

I would tell the audience "Thank you all for coming!"  A few audience members told me thank you for marching. I felt much better when I heard that. I was not just marching to help support all LGBTQ+ people out there, but for a few people that I knew who are in the LGBTQ+ community. They know who they are.

After reaching Market and 18th, the parade ended for us. It was about 20 minutes of marching for us. We gathered for some photos by others in our group and I said my goodbyes. Then, I started walking east along Market towards my car. While walking along Market, I caught the rest of the parade as it passed me and the PrideFest grounds north of Market. I thought of stopping by those grounds for lunch but decided not to fight the crowds and headed to my car. 

I got to my car in the Stadium West garage and headed home. I did stop by a QuikTrip on the way home to get a light lunch--barbecue pork sandwich, iced tea, and cookies--before arriving home in mid-afternoon.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

Enterprise Holdings: A Leader in Transportation & Mobility | Enterprise Holdings

Enterprise: Rental Cars at Low, Affordable Rates | Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Pride St. Louis: Pride St. Louis (pridestl.org)

QuikTrip: QuikTrip