Hotel and flight All booked this day.
Flight via London with BA, and 8 days at Caesers Palace.
Frans, Lydia and Louise will see you all.

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I look forward to seeing you again.

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Really?

Hmn..., I'll have to think about that.

While my aging and ever slower biochemical computer creaks slowly thru that process, I can update, much more easily, on a couple other items.

Eric G, whom you know, has been in town here recently. Sort of on furlough from his tour of duty in Dubai. We got together 2-3 days ago at Berry Tree, a pleasant design apartment complex amidst farms, fields, forest, and railroad tracks near suburban amenities. Almost 20 years ago, someone I knew quite well, lived there.

On this visit to Berry Tree, I helped Eric assemble a large wall unit for TV and storage. Met his wife Bel and one of her family, who goes to a nearby college, and who was moving into an apartment for the upcoming semester. We later shared a pizza and shot the breeze for a while. Bel and her family know the best pizza places in the area and ordered some. I had the deep dish and it was very tasty, as good as any I can remember.

Instead of sleeping on the couch at the Berry Tree apartment, which could've been uncomfortable for Eric, he came and stayed at my place a few miles north. Unlike my prior townhouse, at which Eric also stayed, after an evening visit with Charlie, whom you also knew, I now have an extra bedroom in my condo, and it's reasonably well furnished for guests. We caught up on Eric's Dubai experiences and other things, that evening.

I wrote this all in one session. But the website can't accomodate the length of time, or number of text characters. So I'll have to piecemeal it in separate posts below.

Next morning after sleeping in, then breakfast, I showed Eric around the State of Michigan Library and Historical Museum. That's right across the street from where I worked for many years, near the state capitol. The first history book I authored, is on the shelves in that library. The library book receiving rep. gave it a very favorable review at the time, and even Paul Zudel way up in Timmins gave it a thumbs up. I've been getting more requests for it lately, but no more hard copies available. So it's been converted into a CD for easier, informal distribution.

In the other half of the large building, Eric and I looked at the 4 story tall, 3D relief map of Michigan, it's surrounding Great Lakes, and it's geologic epochs. Sizable naturalistic scenes are displayed, including eras of Native Americans, fur trappers, pioneers, early farmers and subsequent residents, through recent centuries in this land. Went thru a small underground copper mine, a lumber mill, a historic farming area and several others. In a half hour, we covered about 5% of what's available to be seen. Eric is interested in going back when he has more time.

One of the biggest disappointments was the World War II B-24 Liberator bomber up on the top floor. They had the full plane when they built the place 20 yrs or so ago. It might have barely fit in, if they used the whole top floor. But with all the other interesting things available for display, they opted to display only the front 20-30 feet of the fuselage with cockpit and front gun turret. I thought we'd be able to look into the cockpit and see all the instruments and gear. But we couldn't. Eric is fascinated with planes and knows even more about them than I do, and I was hoping to be a navy fighter pilot in my younger days.

Then Eric headed back to join Bel and her family for added tasks and activities. While he was here, we swapped a few emails with Richard Sessions (The Shadow Dancer), about getting together further. Eric, Richard, Charlie and I had gone on a trip, just the 4 of us some years ago, to Windsor, Ontario while Charlie was still alive. The primary attraction was a Shania Look-alike performer, who Ren had told us was very good. That proved to be true, and she had the 3 Shania fans, dancing and singing along.

I also remember one of those three winning some money in the Windsor Casino, adjacent to the performance stage. Somewhere during that time, we moseyed on over to the motel lobby, which also adjoined. But we got "escorted" out of there rather promptly. No drinks were allowed in that lobby. And one of our guys had an open can of soda pop.

Perhaps that was what caused Eric to remember the time Shania fans were in the lobby of the Travelodge in Toronto, and caused an even bigger scene, before we caught the bus up to Deerhurst in Huntsville, then on to the Shania Twain Centre for the fan convention. In the Travelodge, Tom Waller was a bit late getting to the lobby behind our group, possibly after supper. On his way in, he was asked by an Asian man, who could not speak much English, about a photograph for his small son. Tom said 'Sure, he'd be happy to oblige', and proudly posed with his arm around the small lad. Eric thought Tom might have had his famous kilt on, and Tom thought the tourist wanted a photo of this notable Shania giant in a kilt. But actually the tourist was trying to get Tom out of the way, so he could get a photo of just his small son, in front of some other background. When Tom finally realized this, the look on his face was priceless. Tracy and a group of ST fans observed this, they started laughing, and could not stop for the longest time. I was there, something infectuous happened, and the noise went on and on. After quite a while, the hotel lobby supervisors/manager dimmed the lights a few times, to hint we should cease and desist. That only increased the hilarity.

Oop! I see Richard wrote the story back at that time, and his version is probably more accurate.

http://www.shaniasplace.com/Dax_Gallery ... stom01.jpg

Eric remembered another event with Tracy. He said he was too intimidated the first trip or two to Timmins, to go down in the gold mine tour. So Tracy offered to escort him down the elevator personally, even hold his hand if needed. So finally he put on the boots, coveralls & gear and went. And after he got down there, he was fine and enjoyed the tour.

Some of these things reminded me how central of a role that Tracy has played in the lives of Shania fans, especially those who attended the fan conventions in Timmins over the years. I know that Jack Watson, and for a while Will Saari and others also played roles, some very essential even though not always well known.

But as a student of Shania fans for a dozen years or more, I sense that those fans might like something to be done, in remembrance of Tracy's uniquely successful efforts to welcome and entertain their stays in Timmins.

Now that Shania's mementos and belongings are removed from the Shaina Twain Centre, the building is being converted to other uses, and now that Tracy is no longer there, this Shania Twain Centre discussion board has become almost deafeningly quiet.

Maybe it would be a good idea to get a copy of the database content, for this message board, and let the fans set it up and run it on a website of their own creation and support, so they can continue to access and remember it as they please, in case the City of Timmins decides to pull the plug on it's support, of the STC message board, in the future.

There is so much unique content from participants, in discussion and photos, it would be a real shame, to just throw it away. After watching that happen with the Shania Forums a year or two ago, it's clear that a much better outcome is appropriate. The new database could be done as a tribute of special appreciation to Tracy, and even to the others in Timmins, who helped make the STC experience, so unique and memorable. It's something in which we were very fortunate to participate. No one else will have the opportunity again.

The closest we can get, is while we review the threads of fan convention discussions and photos. It's like a dynamic book, with many authors. History in the making, but kept alive to be seen by all who wish, in the future.

Hi Frans,

Happy to see you and your friends will be at the Shania Twain show in Vegas. I can imagine it will be quite a thrill.

If Tracy and some of the Fabulous Falls are also there, even a non-fan like me is tempted to join the old gang.

However as things stand now, other people and projects have more demands for my time and attention, than I can adequately keep up with. I never guessed this would happen, ten years into retirement. I thought I was being wise, to be financially independent enough to retire young at 56. But if I was still working for money, I might actually have more free time. There's no end to the requests for services, from an unpaid but still capable volunteer.

I have also booked Flamingo.
Indeed cheaper and close enough for me.

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Bianca

"All that we have is knowing that there's more... than we know"

When are people arriving in Vegas?? Ill be there Thursday

-Chris

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STNAOFC/Shania's Place
"You can't have a happy face without a happy heart."-Shania Twain

I'm arriving on Thursday.

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Bianca

"All that we have is knowing that there's more... than we know"

Friday for Andrea and I.

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Bob,

I can always ask the administrator what can be done to preserve the history of this board. I'll get back to you.

Take care,

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I will arrive on friday

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/Magnus

Jill Johnson Forum, Now with an English Section