Hook'n Up & Track'n Down

The wife and I went to the Hunter's Expo in Shreveport last weekend to check out new products, pick up some business cards, and hopefully be inspired by some new idea(doesn't take much to inspire this Ashland boy). Was very pleased to see a plethora of vendors from not only all over our great state but from abroad as well. If I'm not badly mistaken, we met some folks from Canada and a very nice Aussie couple as well. Plenty of new products to gaze at(from vinyl siding to turkey calls) as well as many hunting ranches and other various organizations to chat with. There seemed to be quite a few folks there while the wife and I were in attendance, however, many of them were grumbling and some were fighting mad about the some of the problems with the new convention center. Was told afterwards that people had to bring in their parking garage ticket inside the convention center with them so they could them purchase a card(for $3) that would grant them exit from the parking garage. When I was told of this, I thought it was somewhat goofy, but hey that's how things are in the city and let's face it, $3 for parking is a bargain at most venues. The problem apparently did not lie within that scheme itself, the problem was that none of the attendants at the parking garage or in the convention center felt it was necessary to tell any of the patrons about the parking arrangement. As you can imagine, there were some mad folks. The wife and I did not have that problem because I couldn't even find the parking garage to the convention center as the directions from the signs in the downtown area were somewhat ambiguous. I'm not saying that it was a nightmare to find the place and get adequate parking, but the whole process was quite annoying, and I don't on planning another event at the convention center until the good folks there get their collective act together. I know that some of the vendors from the boat show(held earlier in the year) were quite unhappy with the turnout at the new convention center for their event and it was largely blamed on the fact that people didn't want to go thru the hassle. Hopefully a new venue will be found for events such as the Hunter's Expo and The Boat Show until the convention center braintrust can make it an easier and better experience for the vendors and their patrons. In my opinion(and that's what this article is about), the Bossier City Convention Center would be a perfect place for these events as it is somewhat easy to get in and out of, there is other attractions(Pierre Bossier Mall) close to attract other patrons, and you don't have to worry about crime as much as you're right next door to the Bossier City police department. I may not get my wish, but I do have a feeling that the Shreveport Convention Center is going to have to try and shake some things up before event coordinators bring their attractions there.

Random thoughts of the day:

Two sisters from Vivian(can't remember the name of their business) were selling some kind of sauce that is out of this world good. The Sopping Sauce that they were peddling is quite unique and it tempts the palate with its Arby's like consistency and distinctive kick that isn't overpowering. I always wanted to be a food critic, I wonder if other fat guys have thought the same.

Did you know that the Great Horned Owl(which stands about 4 feet high) hoots five times as opposed to the Barred Owl(commonly referred to as the Hoot Owl) which hoots 8 times.

What ever happened to the whippoorwills? Used to hear them all the time as a kid, but rarely hear them now. Are they migrating to other areas of the country or has the timber industry run them off? Or is there another explanation?