“Party Heart-y”
by Carolyn Koenig
Nobody ever said that travel writers and photographers don’t know how to party. And party we did, at Buca di Beppo restaurant in San Francisco (thanks go to Erin Caslavaka, for arranging the December holiday event).
About 50 members and significant others joined in on the fun and the four-course lunch, a time to catch up with old friends and meet new ones, including Associate Member Gaye Jacobs of Development Counsellors International and her husband, who flew up from Los Angeles to celebrate with us.
President Ginny Prior managed to keep the event flowing (can you say “herding cats”?), amid much laughter and reminiscing. Door prizes further enlivened the event, with everything from a glossy travel book, Red & White Fleet passes, an overnight stay at The Camellia Inn, and an overnight stay at The Meritage, to the grand prize, a two-day extravaganza at the Benbow Inn. (Thanks to Board members Lakshman Ratnapala, Ginny Prior, Karen Misuraca, Erin Caslavka and Georgia Hesse for securing the prizes, respectively.)
But perhaps the most heart-warming moments of the day came when Carol Canter, the leading force behind the Rebecca Bruns Memorial Award, announced the 2012 recipient: Georgia Hesse. Carol talked about Rebecca, for those of us who weren’t fortunate enough to know her, and how Georgia met the criteria for an award in Rebecca’s honor. Although Georgia said she wasn’t used to giving speeches, she proved in her “thank you” that she can talk as well as she writes!
BATW’s holiday party was a great climax for a great year. With a brighter economic outlook on the horizon, next year promises to be an ever better year. See you at the party!
[Thanks to Sam Broydo for the wonderful photo of Georgia.]