Hoosier Honey????

Can you be exhausted, footsore, and ache over every inch of your body, and still be having a fantastic time? You can if you’re running a Gypsy Journal rally!

Yesterday, after morning coffee and donuts, furnished by Bradd & Hall RV furniture, I spent part of the morning checking up on our vendors and seminar rooms to be sure everything was going well. Then late in the morning I did my Gypsy Journal FAQs seminar, an informal chat in which I tell the audience how we began our 12 year traveling and publishing adventure, why we do things the way we do, and what we see for our future.

I couldn’t get away for lunch, so Greg White grabbed a sandwich for me while he was out running errands, and in the afternoon I sat in on Roger Marble’s excellent Beginning Genealogy seminar.

At 7 p.m. we had door prizes, and then the real fun began. First Dennis Hill from the RV Driving School, in his pumpkin persona, took to the stage to act like…well, an orange version of Dennis Hill.

I eventually had to climb up on stage and put a leash on Dennis, because the crowd was having way too much fun! He’s wearing the world’s one and only orange Gypsy Gathering T-shirt.

Then it was time for the highlight of the evening, our Hoosier Honey Beauty Contest. Six of the most bizarre looking women, who had been pretty run of the mill middle aged men an hour or so before, strutted their stuff on the stage to win the coveted crown.

When he (or she) isn’t breaking hearts or creating nightmares for men nationwide, this is Al Hesselbart, author and historian for the RV Hall of Fame Museum. The things you don’t know about your friends until a cheap 99 cent tiara is on the line!

I miss my momma, but not that bad, thank you just the same!

Here’s a face that only a mother or a cellmate could love!

During the contest, I had to lecture several of the “ladies” on decorum. Apparently keeping their legs crossed is a real problem in their world.

Here are all six of our contestants, waiting for the audience to decide the winner by popular vote. Be still, my heart!

And the winner is Carmalita Camelback, aka Jim Guld from Geeks on Tour!

Here is Denny Orr checking out our new Beauty Queen. I’m not sure what Denny is thinking, but forget it buddy. There’s not that much booze in the entire world!

After the beauty contest, the “ladies” collected donations from the audience for the Escapees CARE program. Our winner had a lot of money stuffed in her bodice.

All told, we raised $450 for CARE. Here I am presenting it to Brenda Neil from the Escapees RV Club.

It was a busy and fun day, and today we get to do it all over again!

So yes, I’m sore, exhausted, and ache in places I didn’t even know I had. But I’m sure having fun!

Thought For The Day – We all have to get older, but growing up is optional.