Re: Oklahoma City GWAA Meeting

**T* A* <t*@growingedge.com>**

On Oct 3, 2007, at 9:00 AM, Jeff Ball <JEFFBALL@USOL.COM> wrote:

It was good seeing you Jeff and Nancy and I am glad your health has  
improved. That is good!

> Nancy and I agree that the okc meeting was right up there among the
> best in terms of all general categories.  It is clear the local
> committee worked their butts off and we all thank them profusely.
> Only one seminar bombed and that is probably a record.  The crowd,
> all 450 something was incredibly noisy on the buses, at meals, and on
> trips.  That means everyone had a good time.

I would second all your comments above. The locals did an amazing  
job. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And some of the gardens on the  
tours were top notch to any in the country. Others, cemented my  
belief that some people just have TOO much money and really don't  
know what to do with it.

> Now my concerns - I have two and they are probably related.  I'm just
> talking here off the hip.  I've had no time to research this stuff,
> so I may be way off the mark.

> 1.  I left the awards banquet feeling really disappointed. <text  
> snipped>

Yes it was sort of weird that so many winners didn't show up. But  
unless the publisher pays their way I guess most writers can't afford  
it.

I don't even send my stuff in to be judged anymore since around eight  
or nine years ago I got a critique note on my loser enteries asking,  
"what relevance does this magazine (Growing Edge) have to gardening."  
So I don't even bother. I go to these symposiums because of the  
excellent quality personalities of the people, which is a rare  
commodity these days, the tours and the fun that is had partying with  
the aforementioned quality people. The breakout sessions were  
interesting and I learned some things.

But again, it was weird that so many winning authors went missing in  
action.

> 2.  In the radio/tv session, one participant announced that HGTV has
> no gardening shows any more and has no intention of having any in the
> near future.  The reason is that advertisers don't feel that garden
> shows draw enough interest to make advertising in them worth it.
> People who spend money on advertising usually know what they are
> doing.  They are telling us, our profession is becoming less
> important to Americans.  Then Nancy and I were rehashing on the way
> home, and while I didn't double check the attendance list, our
> feeling was that some of the key magazines ignored us; specifically
> Fine Gardening and Horticulture.  Organic Gardening seems like it
> disappeared. <text snipped>

We all know that electronic media and electronic play things like  
Play Station, Nintendo, and MySpace are taking away eyeballs from  
both television and print media. It is just the way things are  
evolving. And since we of the "elder" age were brought up on both  
television and print media, it is hard for us to accept this change.  
But that is the way things are going, like it or not. I read  
recently, a quote from the editor of The New York Times, questioning  
if they would even be printing a hard copy in five years. If he is  
saying that then things are going to keep on changing faster and faster.

> Again, Nancy and I had a blast.  All rowdy members showed, so that is
> fun.  We had 70 first timers and that is good.  Our deep thanks goes
> to Steve and his crew for making us snobs from Michigan realize
> Oklahoma is a really neat place to live.  Oklahoma City certainly
> shows up Detroit as a great place to have fun.

I was sad leaving this morning but I am like that every time I leave  
a GWA symposium. They are just a lot of fun.

Next year, Portland should be right up there with the best of 'em.  
All the various world class gardens are one thing. But the high  
quality alcohol is something else. We have more breweries than  
anywhere else in the world (including Germany.) I think at last count  
we have close to four hundred wineries. And now we have distilleries  
making some of the best hard liquor around, using local ingredients.  
So for the "rowdies", we have world class raw materials for some  
great parties next year.

Portland is one of the most sustainable and green cities in the  
United States. The coast is an hour away from Portland. The Cascade  
mountains are an hour away. Lakes are just a half hour away. Those of  
you who are coming should stay a few days (or a week) before or after  
to see all the sights. I moved here from Cape Cod thirty two years  
ago and I am still discovering gems that I knew about but just didn't  
get to see them until now.

But for now, thanks to all the Oklahoma folks who worked hard and  
showed us a great time. It was beyond my wildest expectations! YOU  
DID GOOD!

Tom Alexander
tom@growingedge.com
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