I imagine someone out there has no idea what or when The NSS Howdy Party is.
I can only guess even many of the attendees consider the party a minor event at the NSS Convention. Some might even call it a lame party or even a gathering of old fuddy-duddies. I have been to thirteen NSS Howdy Parties. I am usually greeted well by at least 20 cavers, even though my claim to fame is somewhat fictitious. There is usually a band that few people pay attention to. The beer is often late and warm and the food is often awful. Except in Maine, we had all the lobster you could eat. The summer weather is often disagreeable. The NSS always gets chewed out for wasting $ 10,000 or more. But you get a chance to conversate ( a Bush word ?? ) with some very unique individuals who otherwise might just look like eccentric old nerds. For example, most of them have some fascinating speleo-accomplishment like, the big connection in Huatla, or even Mammoth Cave, or were the first to rappel into La Sotano de las Golindrinas, or invented the rappeling rack, or the cave-radio, or the cave-mapping software, or they manage all the BLM caves, or they wrote the book, "On Rope." It is sort of like an Alcoholics Anonymous Party for very obsessed speleo-addicts. Unfortunately, many of those people passed away recently. Nowadays, you get to take selfies with their predecessors. Like, maybe the guy who is the Regional Director of the NSS Southwest Region. I cherish my selfie with Richard Blenz. He has donated $ 100,000 to caving projects. I want to win the PowerBall and break his record. The NSS Convention is like a normal business convention and has to take place during the week, however, there are plenty of activities on the weekend before and after to justify going. For some it is a 3-week event. A few speleologist fly in Sunday evening from England, Canada and Mexico and maybe now even Cuba. Local cavers, after their day job, get to attend evening events like The Howdy Party, maybe for the first and only time in their life. I heard a rumor that a former GHG caver named Mary would be there. I have not seen her since she attended the wedding of my estranged-wife and I in 2000, so I am looking forward to that. Some of you younger cavers may not realize, but there are at least 100 cavers who have managed to find an income using their caving talents and skills. Many of them attend the Howdy Party. Eventually people start dancing, and after a few beers start doing the train. You can often twerk or bump or twist with some really serious minded speleologist. I would not miss it, and I hope someday that I can attend at least 20 more. There was a guy that attended 53 Conventions, but not sure how many Howdy Parties he went to. Last year there were about 30 Texas cavers there. There is a crazy insane little voice bouncing around in my head tonight telling me to pack up all my sh*t in the motel and get the H*'ll out of dodge. I asked Oztotl for divine guidance. As I was leaving for work tonight, a very beautiful sweet hooker moved in above me, and as I drove off she leaned out over the 2nd story rail and winked at me, and more. David Locklear NSS # 27639 P.S. This post was typed on my new LG G6 smartphone in Gmail, while I was at work, because I get paid to sit on my a** for hours.
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