Things happened Saturday night that I slept through, but heard about Sunday morning (and more on Monday, but that comes later. Sunday morning, I ate in the hotel's breakfast place, remembering from last year that certain yummy pastries (plus the rest of the full buffet) were there. I like to eat hotel food at least several times during any convention, to convince the hotel that it can profit in its usual way. The yummy pastries were indeed there--chocolate croissants, which fortunately I cannot get at home. I tanked up on breakfast, as I often do at conventions, because lunch is often a catch-as-catch-can affair, and had a chance to find out about some of the overnight happenings. (In any gathering of 20,000+ people there will be some drama. And some stupidity. At least the guy who started a fight with security and then the police already had felony warrants outstanding...) I was glad I'd missed the faux fire alarms, the various medical things, and the rest. A-Kon delivers lunches from the green room to the tables, but sometimes there's hardly time to eat, and a small breakfast does not hold me past a partial lunch through panels and into supper. And in fact, the green room was closing up on Sunday and we were on our own for lunch.
Sunday was my chance to visit the Dealers Room, and I didn't see even half of it. Didn't even get to the T-shirt table I always visit (always except this time.) I did see one weapons display (not my kind of swords; some of the knives looked really interesting) and a leather-wear dealer whose doublets were stunning but not safe for fighting in. I'd like to have a lighter-weight one than my old heavy one (well, when facing *friendly* foes I'd like a lighter-weight one. Especially in the summer) but I still need coverage up to the neck. Been hit too many times in the upper chest (yes, I know, parry better!) to risk a lower cut there. More people came by for books, or signing, or to talk. After the two panels I was on, I zipped back to clear my table, pack up the remaining merchandise, and help George (Lee's husband) get the cart loaded with boxes back through the hotel and out to their parked car. They weren't spending Sunday night in the hotel. Then upstairs to pack up my room (almost), shower, and go downstairs for a leisurely meal. I was meeting Esther and Walter for breakfast at 8 the next day, so I went to bed later than I meant to (having picked up some books myself and being unable to put a book down overnight unless it's really, really long) and slept through the first part of the storms that hit early Monday morning.
Then up, dress, zip down to breakfast, stop by Guest Relations and Con Ops to say goodbye to the lovely people who'd made things run so smoothly, back to the room to brush the fangs again, pack up the toiletries, check the drawers...and head downstairs to turn in my keys. I was in time to say goodbye to those leaving by earlier stransport and then--THEN remembered...did I pack my sandals? Begged a key from the desk, ran upstairs, found the sandals (never put the spare pair of footwear in an ill-lighted place!!), ran back down with them, and got in the car with my assigned driver even as rain poured down again. Off we went to the train station, getting mildly off-track only once, and I was decanted safely into the station. The train was only a tiny bit late, and after Fort Worth I did my usual post-A-Kon nap thing in my compartment. (Lunch between Dallas and Fort Worth.) Yes, it's a luxury to have a compartment for a not-even-five hour trip, but I knew I'd have to drive home 50 miles through construction and late afternoon traffic, and then get up early the next day to make the appointment with the cataract surgeon. So...lay one seat flat, recline the other (the space between makes sitting up easier), shut the window curtains and door curtain, and try to nap for a couple of hours. I usually do. The train had a private car hooked to the end--one of the old ones with a domed top, designed for touring in the mountains. I hadn't been able to get a good look at it in Dallas (the train isn't stopped there long and my car was much closer to the engine) so at Temple we waited until it rolled by. The train crew had told me it was put on in Chicago and was going to LA, then Seattle, then back to Chicago. I'll bet it was a fun trip for whoever was in it.
Driving home wasn't too bad (that nap really helps!) and we got a pizza from the local grocery store for supper, since the Mexican food place we favor was closed.
I had a great time, met a lot of people that my face-recognition problems + cataracts will ensure I don't recognize next time (but they were lovely people) and the laundry is *almost* all done now.