Katie spent a good part of the afternoon walking us through timelines and logistics for all the Convention events. It is all very complicated with venues for several levels of parties, i.e., "VIP" sections and "regular" sections. Some streets downtown are closed and other areas fenced off by a firm called "Rent a Fence." Who thought up that company and its business model? They certainly are in the right place at the right time in Charlotte this week! Getting to parking areas and from parking to events will be a challenge. We have the notes we made during the walk-through with Katie, and now we are expected to lead the other family members through the charts as they arrive!
The grocery store is an easy (but hot) walk down the street, and I've been cooking and having some meals ready for whomever happens to be here. It is so strange not to have Dan in the kitchen in the evening--we've all come to lean on him to plan and prepare the evening meal. No one wants to eat out when Dan is in the house.
It's not Dan's cuisine, but no one is hungry.
With all the herbs and spices, I've produced a regular old supper with chicken and red beans and rice.
Mugs and barbecue sauce bottles with convention logo are scattered around the house. On the table in the entrance hall there are pins with several different logos. These rather surprising collectables especially caught my eye. They are packages each containing two large marshmallows, one package featuring the president and one the first lady, produced by a local sweet shop....mmmm. I don't know what to make of this, but the Republicans will probably want to make s'mores!
This morning (Saturday, September 1st) Sam knocked on our door fairly early. He leaves for school each day at 6:30 a.m. and has been going straight from school to the Convention office and staying until 10 p.m. or so as they try to wrap up the final details, so we hadn't seen him since arriving on Wednesday. He's obviously thrived on the work and the responsibility, enjoying seeing the final product come together. The staff at the office have made a special point of letting both Dan and Katie know how valuable he has been to the whole enterprise. We feel we can see the maturity he's gained just since last June when he was with us in Montana. He's a fine young man, and we are all very proud of him.
Sam's Convention pass was hung around his neck, and he held a briefcase in his hand as he came up the stairs to greet us. Our eldest grandchild is quickly becoming a man.
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