Ross and other COA non-attendees,

COA 2006 was indeed a fun event.

The fieldtrips all went well except the dive trip which was cancelled (not
enough folks signed up to meet the minimum for the boat).  What Jordan
failed to mention about the fossil field trip was that the weather was
supposed to be clear and 88 degrees (F).  It was clear, very humid, and 99
degrees (F).  Before the trip the trip leaders (Andrew Rinsberg and Dave
Campbell) sent out emails or personally called to let everyone know the trip
involved descending and then climbing back up a very steep 700 foot bank -
probably a 50 to 70 degree incline.  What really made this challenging was
the thick underbrush with sharp spines and plenty of poison ivy.  At least
that was the challenge descending the bank.  Once along the river it was a
bit slippery and muddy, but hey, who expects different.  It turned out the
real challenge was the climb back to the top with no water left and a
backpack full of rocks (fossils).  Some folks did indeed get a boat ride
back, but many of us climbed out the long way.  My thigh muscles ached for
three days afterwards, but I did collect several different species of land
snail on the way up.  Dave Campbell made the climb with a backpack full of
rocks and two five gallon buckets full of sand and fossils to share with
folks who might not have gotten a fair share of fossils!!!!  Truly above and
beyond.

The programs were varied with some freshwater unionid stuff (we were in
Alabama after all), some interesting scientific programs, a shelling trip, a
"how to use" PowerPoint program, and a kids program.  There was very little
free time.  One bit of excitement was when the workers on the roof set the
skylight on fire.  The skylight was made of a series of clear plastic
sections and once that plastic was burning it did quite well.  Attempts to
put it out from above were futile as the fire burned a hole through the
plastic and then merrily burned on the inside.  The fire department
responded within minutes and all was well.

All of the auctions and such went off without a hitch and the bourse had
some 40 dealers in a large room that enabled them to set up with plenty of
aisle space.  I don't know that there was a special shell this time (new or
particularly rare and exciting), but I did talk a friend into buying a
Cypraea broderipi.  This is a bit expensive to make my cowry collection, but
she needed it to complete her collection of big expensive cyps.

The next issue of American Conchologist will have some photos as well as
some info on next year's convention in Portland, Oregon.

Tom Eichhorst

-----Original Message-----
From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
J. Ross Mayhew
Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 11:02 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Report on COA wingding 2006??


So, did i miss something, or was there no report or write-up regarding
the allegedly fabulous COA convention in Alabama this year??  I and i'm
sure others on the list not fortunate enough to be able to make it to
the annual bash this year, would be quite interested to know how it
went.......

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