Gun Blogger Rendezvous

We arrived in Reno, Nevada around 12:30pm on Thursday 11th October for the 2nd annual G.B.R. Grabbed our checked luggage from the carousel and made our way out of the terminal to find the shuttle to transport us to the Circus Circus hotel where the rendezvous was to be held.

MrC and I checked in at the reservations desk, then took the elevator up to the 18th floor to our mini suite. Of course the first thing I do upon arriving in our room, is to open the curtains and check the view from the rooms. As usual it is parking lots, rooftops and casinos I see.

The globe houses the Mining Machine in the Silver Legacy hotel/casino.

The lights on all the buildings cloak the ugliness of all the rooftop parking lots.

After getting our bags unpacked, we rode the elevator back down to the third floor to the Tahoe Room. This room we had booked as our hospitality room, where we could all hang out, use as a meeting place before venturing out to meals or the range, and somewhere for our meeting with the NRA on Friday afternoon
On Thursday evening, over pizza in the hospitality room, all the gun bloggers who had arrived so far, sat around for a story swapping/BS session.

Friday morning, many of us gathered at a buffet for breakfast. I was somewhat confused when we approached the restaurant as the name of the place was not as I remembered it from last year, and the front seemed to be missing some of the decorations I remembered. The mystery was solved when I noticed a signpost with the old name, The Victorian still clearly visible. I wonder why they changed the name to Flavors.

Some of the gang enjoying their first, second or perhaps third plate of wonderful food from the buffet.

Have you any idea how difficult it is for a Weight Watchers member, such as myself, to show restraint when making good choices. Choices? heck, it was like placing a bowl of chocolate, whipped cream topped, ice cream in front of me and saying " you can have just one bite!
I was not about to choose. Instead I had everything I fancied, just a smaller portion, and loved every mouthful, and not one feeling of guilt. *grin*

Eggs, sausage, and lots of bacon for JimmyB

Donuts, coffee cake, sweet rolls and much more to choose from.

Yes, they also had fruit and cereal for those of us who wanted to watch their waistlines, though I can't remember anyone in that category on this occasion.

Cakes of every kind. Drool!!
I suppose by now you have figured out that I have a sweet tooth, and no, I did not have cake for breakfast, I waited until the evening meal.

At 2pm on Friday afternoon the Gun Bloggers met back in the hospitality room for a meeting with Glen Caroline and Ashley Varner of the NRA. Glen's job is to encourage us to not only pay our yearly dues to be a member of the NRA, but to become actively involved in speaking out for the Defenders of the right to arms. Ashley's job is to be a "public face" for the NRA and gun owners.
There was much discussion, with both sides, NRA and us gun bloggers and gun owners. voicing our views and opinions on various topics. I got the impression that it was somewhat heated at times, but not in an angry fashion. After the discussions were over, notes written down by Glen and the dust had settled the gun bloggers had a "show and tell"
Larry Weeks from Brownell's, brought us some great tee shirts, hats and other products and also talked to us about some magazines the company is manufacturing for the military, and other things about the company he has worked for, for I think he said, 26 years.
There were guns all of kinds proudly shown by their owners. I must admit, I do not know much about the different kind of guns, but I did get to shoot several wonderful weapons on Saturday out at the range. There will be more pictures of our "day at the range" soon.