- Joined
- Oct 15, 1998
- Messages
- 3,556
Well guys Im back home and my Gold membership is activated . Im probably the guy thats been here the longest without putting up for a gold membership...well thats taken care of and I should have done it a long time ago. 
Now I can give a bit of a tour of Blade and some of the guys I was able to meet.
The wife and I (Jessica) had to get up at 3:30 a.m. pacific to make the drive to the airport, get checked in for the first flight out and start the day long trip to Atlanta. Im usually going to bed at that time!!
Eureka CA to S.F. to Denver to Atlanta. I didnt bring any knives with me...I just wasnt certain on safe they were in checked luggage. We arrived in Atlanta at 5:15 east coast. We found our way outside to the shuttles ($25 per person) where once we were on our way found out that Saberman was sitting next to us also was a knifemaker going for his journeyman test. I cant remember what his name was but later on in the show I found out that he had made it.
By the time we had gotten checked in it was past 7:00 and we were just to wiped out to make it to Guss gathering. I was really looking foward to it too. I hope you guys had a great time.
Friday morning we checked in and got our VIP passes. We ran into Saberman again, while waiting in line also introduced our selves to Peter Atwood and PiterM from Poland both are great guys. Everyone kept asking Peter to show his Prybabies. A cool little useful tool.
I ran into PiterM on Saturday and he was with a friend of his from Poland . Piter had scored a sweet Mayo and a couple of Emersons. His friend had won a drawing. I cant remember what knife he got but they were both walking off the floor.
Ya know ...I really had a plan of attack for when the doors opened. That just went pphhhtt once I got in the doors. I didnt even look to see if my wife was keeping up.
The first table I hit was Ed Fowlers. I grabbed one of his business cards and asked him to autograph it for me. I though hed look at me like I was an idiot, but he just smiled broadly and wrote a nice note and signed it. I just wish I had enough money to get one of his knives.
I came to my senses long enough to remember that I wanted to get a Murray Carter Japanese chef knife. I had memorized his table assignment and made my way over to it quickly. He had several knives that I would have liked and had narrowed my choices down to two. I couldnt make up my mind so I got them both!! He put an edge on them right there using a water stone. A nice guy that makes top quality Japanese chef knives. Im glad I got them when I did, I went passed his table later in the show and he was out of his chef knives.
I wandered around all day. My legs were turning to lead near the end and I had to sit for awhile. As I was sitting giving my knees a break and still scanning around for guys I would recognize...Pyrguy walked past and I flagged him down and had a nice chat and passed a few knives back and forth. Great to put a face with a name. Later on I spotted Vampire Gerbil and PhilL. I only had faces for 4 or 5 guys I know on the forums and it was great to spot them as they bounced from maker to maker. Vampire Gerbil ended up buying a sweet folder from Tom Anderson. PhilL got a great little stag folder by Tony Bose. Id admired it earlier in the show and wasnt surprised that hed grabbed it.
Saturday was the day of the seminars. We woke up in time to get over to see the Tamagishi demonstration. That was awesome. Hed make a cut and before it could fall hed cut that piece in two. He made it look so easy...I know that his training is the only thing that made it look that way. He gave a bit of history and general sword info. Lots of fun to watch and very informative.
Next the cutting competition....for now a few pics. My wife Jessica at the entrance to the show lobby. Then me. Next is Saberman.
Now I can give a bit of a tour of Blade and some of the guys I was able to meet.
The wife and I (Jessica) had to get up at 3:30 a.m. pacific to make the drive to the airport, get checked in for the first flight out and start the day long trip to Atlanta. Im usually going to bed at that time!!
Eureka CA to S.F. to Denver to Atlanta. I didnt bring any knives with me...I just wasnt certain on safe they were in checked luggage. We arrived in Atlanta at 5:15 east coast. We found our way outside to the shuttles ($25 per person) where once we were on our way found out that Saberman was sitting next to us also was a knifemaker going for his journeyman test. I cant remember what his name was but later on in the show I found out that he had made it. By the time we had gotten checked in it was past 7:00 and we were just to wiped out to make it to Guss gathering.
I was really looking foward to it too. I hope you guys had a great time.Friday morning we checked in and got our VIP passes. We ran into Saberman again, while waiting in line also introduced our selves to Peter Atwood and PiterM from Poland both are great guys. Everyone kept asking Peter to show his Prybabies. A cool little useful tool.
I ran into PiterM on Saturday and he was with a friend of his from Poland . Piter had scored a sweet Mayo and a couple of Emersons. His friend had won a drawing. I cant remember what knife he got but they were both walking off the floor.
Ya know ...I really had a plan of attack for when the doors opened. That just went pphhhtt once I got in the doors. I didnt even look to see if my wife was keeping up.
The first table I hit was Ed Fowlers. I grabbed one of his business cards and asked him to autograph it for me. I though hed look at me like I was an idiot, but he just smiled broadly and wrote a nice note and signed it. I just wish I had enough money to get one of his knives.
I came to my senses long enough to remember that I wanted to get a Murray Carter Japanese chef knife. I had memorized his table assignment and made my way over to it quickly. He had several knives that I would have liked and had narrowed my choices down to two. I couldnt make up my mind so I got them both!! He put an edge on them right there using a water stone. A nice guy that makes top quality Japanese chef knives. Im glad I got them when I did, I went passed his table later in the show and he was out of his chef knives.
I wandered around all day. My legs were turning to lead near the end and I had to sit for awhile. As I was sitting giving my knees a break and still scanning around for guys I would recognize...Pyrguy walked past and I flagged him down and had a nice chat and passed a few knives back and forth. Great to put a face with a name. Later on I spotted Vampire Gerbil and PhilL. I only had faces for 4 or 5 guys I know on the forums and it was great to spot them as they bounced from maker to maker. Vampire Gerbil ended up buying a sweet folder from Tom Anderson. PhilL got a great little stag folder by Tony Bose. Id admired it earlier in the show and wasnt surprised that hed grabbed it.
Saturday was the day of the seminars. We woke up in time to get over to see the Tamagishi demonstration. That was awesome. Hed make a cut and before it could fall hed cut that piece in two.
He made it look so easy...I know that his training is the only thing that made it look that way. He gave a bit of history and general sword info. Lots of fun to watch and very informative.Next the cutting competition....for now a few pics. My wife Jessica at the entrance to the show lobby. Then me. Next is Saberman.
