Saturday, July 31     

Travel day from hell!  Leave home in Chico 7am; arrive at Washington DC Convention Hotel at 10:30 pm!  Flight from Sacramento to Chicago is fine; flight from Chicago to Washington DC is canceled!  Get on flight 2 hours later via standby; THAT flight is delayed over 2 hours on the tarmac because of thunderstorms.  Arrive exhausted (usually, I am not exhausted until the third day of convention!)  Not the best start to convention, but other attendees had it worse and couldn't fly out of Chicago until Sunday.

Sunday, August 1

First things first, so I registered for convention.  Lovely favor bag, as always, full delightful donated, doll-related items!  Too exhausted to attend the Theriault's cataloged auction (as I traditionally do)  but late in the day I mustered up enough energy to visit the small but lovely JADE show (Japanese dolls) and also to attend the Rowbear show (satellite show; not run by UFDC).  This show was fantastic; lots of dealers, and lots of wonderful antiques and vintage dolls (much better than the New Orleans show; many believe that is because there are more doll dealers closer to DC).   Then, a harrowing taxi ride over to the Theriault's non-catalogued evening auction (taxi driver couldn't find the hotel!).  Auction was wonderful; hundreds attended, and I obtained some lovely dolls and doll items that I will share on the site upon my return (my favorite:  a complete all-original doll hat making kit for little French girls from early this century!).  Back to the hotel, exhausted after 11 pm.

Monday, August 2

Complete exhaustion takes its toll, and I sleep in!  By the time I emerge for lunch, the convention is in full swing!  Doll attendees (identifiable by their badges) are scurrying  everywhereI!  In the afternoon, I teach the first of my 3-hour seminars on Doll Collecting and the Internet.  I have a great class, who ask pithy, on-point questions, making the class time a total delight!  I also enter 9 dolls in the doll competitions (antique and modern) this afternoon--can't wait to see if any of them are winners (I have high hopes for a mint Tammy in Beauty Queen, an old Queen Anne Wooden (not in the best condition, but lovely) and a mint MA Elise.  The evening is also pure dolls--the emotional opening ceremonies, and the opening of the doll sales room!  Again, the sales room was huge this year; the biggest one I have seen; every type of doll, from the oldest woodens to modern Barbie and Gene, and every price range, from $5 to $15,000!  Show runs till 11 pm; exhaustion again!