Today is the deadline for EAS registration without penalty.  See
http://www.easternapiculture.org/.

After over thirty years in beekeeping, I finally have time to go.  EAS
is held exactly in the middle of our Alberta extracting season, and EAS
is not normally a reasonable option for commercial beekeepers from our
region.  I understand that last year there was an extensive program that
drew raves from all attending, and with content for all, but I was too
busy, being a beekeeper, to go.  This year, being retired, I can finally
attend, so I have been looking over the program recently -- with full
intention of signing up -- but I think I put this off too long.  Now I
find I'm facing a deadline and can't find the info I need to make
intelligent decisions.

When I look over the short course program, I can't figure out, from the
web pages, exactly what is being offered and by whom, other than in very
general terms, and I see nothing about Wednesday morning other than "
Combined Session - Topics of interest to all beekeepers".  I wonder what
this could possibly be?  Maybe there is a more detailed and complete
description of the topics and presenters somewhere?  I could not find
it.  So much for the short courses.

Since we are travelling by motorhome, we have no intention of staying on
campus, unless they have facilities for motorhomes.  I was therefore
very interested in the campus "daily use fee".  Apparently it includes a
noon meal of some sort, somewhere, but I cannot visualise how this
works.  (The idea seems bizarre to me and I cannot imagine why campus
usage is not included in the session fees, since -- apparently -- the
sessions take place on campus.  Maybe not).  Does this fee include
parking?  I have yet to discover how parking works at the campus, which
is apparently in the middle of the city, (beyond that two-hour free
parking is available) or discover if EAS parking is included, or extra.
No mention is made, that I could discover, on the forms.  No mention of
oversize vehicles is apparent either, and beekeepers -- real ones
anyhow -- drive trucks, and some of us drive motorhomes.  (As an
interesting aside, here that is the major difference I have been able to
discover between the AHPA conventions and the ABF meetings.  The AHPA
always has lots of free parking for trucks).

The program for the EAS conference is more understandable.  Of course, I
want to hear what Shim has to say, and other speakers I enjoy are
presenting on promising topics.  In the workshops, I am hoping Gordon
Wardell will have more word on the new diets being developed in Tucson.
Encaustic painting
http://www.biddingtons.com/content/pedigreeencaustic.html might be of
interest to my wife, who is an accomplished artist, and the session on
photography may -- or may not-- be of interest to us both.

So, I am stuck.  I was intending to register, but -- all in all -- have
no idea what I'd be registering for, or if I can even park there.   As
it stands, I'm thinking I'll let this deadline pass, and just drop in at
EAS to see what it is all about if it works out that time, since we'll
be in the area, but I'm wondering -- if 500 people attend, how do they
manage to figure out the program and registration?  What am I missing?

allen
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/
Maybe I'm just getting too old...

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