Gathering 2018
Just shy one weekend, it was almost 9 years that the Knights were last in Sacramento for Gathering. This time it was certainly smaller and more laid back, but we all still had a good time. This all took place Aug.24-27 and my fellow-Knight Wayne T. was with me plus our associate, Pat.
I left work over 3 hours early to get home. I had plenty of time to do some final packing before my father drove me to YVR and dropped me off around 3pm. I dropped my bag off with Delta and while waiting in line for security screening, I was pulled into the NEXUS line for whatever reason. It meant I didn’t have to take my shoes and belt off which was sweet! Outside of my laptop bag, I didn’t have a carry-on this time, so it was a lot faster and less hassle to deal with. From now on, I’ll be packing my CPAP machine in the luggage more often! Customs was easy, and the official was pretty good. I transferred to Seattle after 5pm and had about an hour layover. The next Delta flight was a little delayed, but we departed after 7pm. I played some Final Fantasy Tactics on my PSP while listening to music on my phone. I landed in Sacramento just before 9pm. I got off the plane and went to baggage claim, thinking I’d run into Wayne and Pat. They weren’t around, and I grabbed my bag. I did some more waiting, despite their arrival from Denver (as a transfer from Vancouver) was before me. At the time, I didn’t know that the airport had a second terminal but in the situation we were in, it didn’t matter. MasterG texted me their itinerary as I got off the plane and when they didn’t arrive, I got worried and let him know they weren’t around the airport. We both try texting and calling Pat, but his phone wasn’t on or in airplane mode. I called our host motel, The Best Western Sandman Motel, and see if they checked in and they haven’t. So, the only explanation is that they got delayed somehow. After having them being called out on the PA and waiting around 2 hours in the airport, I took a Lyft to the motel after 11pm. Rich from Seattle and Kevin and his crew from Fresno were at The Bolt, the only leather bar in the city. I let Kevin know what was going on and we timed it that we would meet at the motel by the time they left the bar. I talked to the hotel clerk and she said there was no record of Pat and I on the account under Wayne’s name, so I couldn’t take the room. Kevin came in the lobby and talked to the clerk privately as I went outside to say hello to Kirk and Riis. It was the first time I got to meet Riis in person and he was very woofy. After Kevin talked to the clerk, I paid for a room for three nights as a precaution. I put my things in that room and then joined Kevin & Kirk & Riis in their room. Rich was there, and we chatted. I also got to see Carol from the Fresno chapter again plus their newer member, pup Jeramy. I then got the phone call from Pat that he and Wayne have arrived in Sacramento! They soon got to the motel and Wayne was understandably angry at what they had to go through. He also wasn’t thrilled that one of the clerk’s he called before didn’t take down the names of Pat and I to be on the account. We got our room, room 230, and set our things down (after I took my things from my room). I eventually cancelled my room and returned the key card. I brought Wayne and Pat to Kevin’s family room to meet the other Knights and socialize. As the three of us were hungry, we eventually left them and walked toward a Denny’s that was a few blocks away. It wasn’t quite packed, but it was noisy. I ordered a Philly Steak Melt with fries which was very good and a mango lemonade. Wayne paid for all three of us. We walked back to the room so we could get to sleep, sometime after 2am. I discovered that I couldn’t find my CPAP mask and after calling my mom (in the day time), I found I accidentally left it at home. So, I would be sleeping all this trip without it. Funny, how my recent trip to SF was like...
All 3 of us were tired Saturday morning that we didn’t get out of bed until after 10am. Thankfully, room service didn’t come until much later. I slept in half an hour more while Wayne and Pat had their turns for showering. After I was done my shower and dressed, it was time to call MasterG -knowing full well he was going to go ballistic on Wayne and Pat- and get it over with. As expected, he was furious, especially at Pat for not calling earlier and letting him know what was going on. He shot Wayne down very quickly and wouldn’t let Pat talk much. He immediately hung up after his rant. Soon after during our lunch, MasterG texted me apologizing for my having to wait at the airport and would compensate me for any roaming charges that came from our messaging and calling. I didn’t answer but I won’t charge him anything. Wayne and Pat were upset once again but it didn’t last as long as the previous night. Thankfully, we didn’t talk about it much and it didn’t ruin the weekend. Kevin and Kirk suggested dinner for later that night but until then, we had free time. Wayne, Pat, and I walked back toward Denny’s except we crossed the street and had lunch at McDonald’s instead. I got a buttermilk chicken sandwich, 20 nuggets, fries, and berry Sprite drink. We spent about an hour eating and chatting. I noticed Pat got a strawberry banana smoothie and just like what I saw in DC last year, they didn’t have Canada’s blueberry pomegranate flavour smoothie (the other was mango pineapple, which we have up here too). The text from MasterG came in and let Wayne and Pat know the message. Pat bought another smoothie while Wayne and I got one refill of our drinks. We walked back to the motel and spent the next few hours relaxing. Carol joined us while we watched some YouTube videos and showed past Knights pictures from Gatherings and Assemblies. As we were getting toward dinner after 6pm, we met Bryce outside and he would be joining us for dinner. Carol drove us to Old Sacramento -which we visited back in 2009- so we could have dinner at the Bali Kitchen. It was closing, but we reserved to have it go beyond the closing time, so we had the (small) place to ourselves. I ordered a baked noodle chicken dish and had a beef noodle soup. Both were very good. We all had a nice dinner and left after 7:30pm. On the way back to the cars, we stopped at a candy shop. Wayne and Pat bought some candy while I bought a few bottles of pop. We all returned to the motel though Bryce had to go, and we wouldn’t see him for the rest of the weekend. Back at our room, Kevin came up and joined us so he ad I got some nice snuggle time together. Carol and pup Jeramy joined, then Kirk finally. Rich was tired to join us, and I think Riis was too. As they haven’t seen it, I played the first episode of Star Trek: Discovery while we were socializing. It was a fun time. Before midnight everyone went to their rooms and as the three of us were winding down, we watched a few Nostalgia Critic episodes. After 1am we were in bed.
Maid service came a lot earlier than the previous morning, so we went to have the motel’s continental breakfast about 10am. I had waffles, fruit yogurt, bacon, a piece of toast, and apple juice. We had everyone there except Kirk and Riis. Wayne, Pat, and I returned to our room and soon after, pup Jeramy joined us and snuggled with me. Nearly 2pm, we had to go have the Interchapter meeting. Pat stayed behind as the meeting was mainly for active members.
For the Interchapter meeting, I was the Chair of it with Wayne as recording secretary and Rich as backup. I called the meeting to order at 2:10pm and we had a minute’s silence observation. I opened with thanking everyone for attending and for Kevin Caldwell’s help in making this weekend possible. The roll call: Rich from Seattle, Wayne and myself from Vancouver, Kevin; Carol; and Jeramy from Fresno. Rich then read the Minutes from last year and I read my summary to help fill in any small gaps. Rich then gave his report on the Jet Chapter: they have 9 active members, 3 inactive, and 7 inactive lifetime members. They are still doing coat checks and BBQs at the Cuff, fetish nights at CC Attles, etc. This weekend, they hosted a bar for Camp TRC (puppy group). Wayne and I then gave our report on the Dogwood Chapter: we have 5 active members (4 of them lifetime), 2 inactive lifetime members, 1 associate, and 2 lifetime associates. I mentioned the renewal of our website, mail forwarding, and plans for this year’s Anniversary. When we were done, we had a 5-minute break. Kevin gave his report on the Yosemite Chapter: They have 13 active members plus 2 new members, no associates, and 6 groupies/eagles. Carol became a Lifetime Member recently. They are continuing the social structure and some members are coming back. Onto Old Business, there was little to be mentioned about the status report of inactive chapters. I mentioned that I ran into “Arthur” last year in Palm Springs in October who was a past San Francisco chapter Knight. As Fresno is hosting the next Gathering/Assembly in 2019, they were considering Los Angeles as a good possibility. I chimed in that Vancouver may consider SF for 2021 for Dore Alley so they have been warned almost 3 years in advance to save up for it! Regardless, Fresno will get back to us when they make a decision. For Lifetime Memberships, Carol has received her Lifetime Member status while Rich also received his earlier this year at the President’s Show in Seattle. Eugene Trupe got his status in 2015 but didn’t get his certificate until Campout last month. There wasn’t much New Business either than talking about the overall weekend experience. We were all having a good time though we wished for more Seattle Knights. For Good and Welfare, I thanked everyone again and Kevin & Kirk for their helping make the weekend a success. We adjourned at 3:44pm.
To show the Knights about Rubbout, I went to OutLookTV’s YouTube page and showed the episode that they shot of Rubbout and the puppy bowl (starts at 13:30). Daddy Eric of Texas was the highlight of the video, of course (as half of us there knew him and in fact, I was introduced to him by Kevin & Kirk!). As we left, Jeramy joined us back in the room as we had free time until the formal dinner. Wayne and Pat quickly went to Old Sacramento, so they could shop at Leatherworks and other shops. Pup Jeramy and I cuddled and watched some Back to the Future: The Game on my phone, which he found fascinating (my review here). He eventually ended up sucking my cock, and he gave great head! After Jeramy left, Wayne and Pat returned from their shopping excursion. Wayne and I changed into our formals though my left foot was slowly getting painful due to constriction between my leather pants and boot ( like what happened last year in Seattle). We went downstairs to meet with the rest of the Knights. I went with Carol, Rich, and Jeramy in Carol’s car to return to Old Sac for the formal dinner. We went to Luis Jr.’s, a Mexican restaurant. It was okay, but the food portions were generous. I ordered chicken fajitas and it was plentiful though the chicken was a little dry. I paid for Wayne and Pat’s dinner with mine too. Throughout the night, my left foot was getting more and more painful. We took group shots before leaving which I was glad as it wasn’t possible last year in Portland. Everyone cooperated very nicely which was a great bonus. Carol was parked in the nearby parkade and Rich paid for it. Back at the hotel, Pat helped take my left boot off and -holy shit!- it felt so good that I was giggling! We had an hour before we would go to The Bolt. As the three of us were watching Golden Girls, we geared up and this time, we managed to get the boot on more properly and it wasn’t near as painful. Kevin drove the three of us in his van while Carol took Rich and Jeramy. The bar looked practically no different 9 years ago and given it was a Monday night, it had around 10 other men inside. I bought Rich a drink and after some time near the entrance, we moved to the outside patio area. I took out the cigar I bought before my trip to Comox Valley earlier this month and lit it after I cut it. Sadly, I had to use Rich’s Bic lighter as it was all he had (it’s known to affect the flavour of a cigar versus a pocket butane lighter). The cigar itself was stale, which I expected because I had it for almost a month. But I enjoyed it as much as I could. Getting smoke straight up my nostrils was discomforting and a few times, I accidentally inhaled the smoke. I coughed quite a bit one time. There were various pictures taken of me with the cigar and other Knights. We spent well over an hour outside before going back inside. I then felt the affects of nicotine poisoning - the same feeling of nausea I had last year in Palm Springs. I was also getting tired. Kevin started to massage me a bit, which helped. We left after midnight and I was starting to feel a little better. We said good night to Kevin, Rich, and Carol while Jeramy eventually joined us to spend the night. It took awhile to pack my leathers and Pat once again helped take off my boots. Jeramy and I chatted as Wayne and Pat fell asleep until we went to sleep after 2am.
At 8am, the motel’s wake up call came in. As Wayne and Pat were getting up, I was humping Jeramy’s butt with my morning wood. He was loving it and soon after, sucked me off till’ I came in his mouth. He got up, so he could go back to his room while I began to shower after Wayne and Pat went down to breakfast. By the time I arrived, the breakfast ended (early, as it was a weekday) so I ate and drank whatever Wayne got me. He got eggs and sausage, which I didn’t bother to eat so I had yogurt instead. It was pretty much the same Knights as yesterday. Rich and I would be the ones to go first as our flights were close together. So, I soon after grabbed my luggage and said goodbye to Wayne and Pat. I then went down to say goodbye to everyone. I thanked them for coming and with Kevin and I, we had our final picture taken together. I forgot to give my key card to Wayne, so I gave to it to Kevin as he was going to check-out. Rich called a Lyft over and it was coming soon, so we said final goodbyes and departed to the airport. Rich was dropped off first as his airline was in the other terminal. After thanking him for representing Seattle and the last goodbye, the nice Lyft driver took me to the terminal I was at on Friday night. My airline was supposed to be SkyWest, but no such kiosk existed, so I went to Air Canada. I arrived around noon and went to the Air Canada desk only to find… they are only open between 8:30-10:30am? WTF? So, what the hell am I supposed to do? I called Air Canada’s toll-free number, but it was busy, so I left a callback message that would take nearly an hour. I then talked to an operator on a terminal phone about SkyWest and she says she was sure that it was connected to United Airlines. I never knew that! And my ticket/itinerary made NO mention of United! I went to United at their desk and sure enough, I was supposed to fly with them! But there was a problem in the itinerary on Air Canada’s side that the clerk couldn’t do anything about as it was on Air Canada’s system. She requested that I call them and explain the situation, but she was glad I already did and was waiting for them to call me back. I left to sit down and wait for Air Canada to call me back and 20 minutes later, they did. There was a problem at SFO which changed some of the itineraries (the United clerk told me this, but AC confirmed it too) and since I was laying over there, it screwed up the status of my itinerary. The person on the phone did something to the itinerary that allowed the United clerk to confirm me on their flight after I hung up. During the entire ordeal, Rich was texting me his status and I think he was delayed a bit to get home to Seattle. My departure was around 2:30pm (or so I thought) and it was after 1pm by the time I got up to security screening. Wayne and Pat were in front of me (nice timing!), so we met up just when we were done screening. We went to a nearby restaurant to eat as I was starving. We all ordered the same thing: roasted turkey BLT sandwiches with avocado mayo (though I substituted mine with regular mayo). It was taking too long as my flight was supposed to depart at 2:30pm so I left $20 for Wayne to pay for my sandwich (that I couldn’t eat) and headed to my gate. I then found my plane was delayed by an hour, so I went back to the restaurant. I took my sandwich and said goodbye again to Wayne and Pat as they went to their gate. I sat at my gate and ate my sandwich and fries. It was very good, very fresh. I was again hearing about some problem at SFO and when we boarded the plane and taxied, the plane had to return to the gate and we all had to get off. Back in the airport, those who needed to use another plane had to wait in line to change their itinerary. I thought I did but turns out that since my transfer at SFO wasn’t for over a few hours, it wasn’t needed. We waited about another hour at the gate and during that time, I overheard a captain say that SFO was experiencing high winds, so all planes were grounded, and they just now lifted it. I arrived in SFO after 6pm and walked to my gate. I called my father to let him know I was departing after 8pm and likely landing in YVR until just after 10pm (originally, I was supposed to depart at 7pm). Air Canada seemed a little late in all this but at least everything was okay. The flight was okay, I had a middle seat, but the two young Chinese seat mates were small in size, so I wasn’t boxed in. I listened to music and continued working on Final Fantasy Tactics throughout the 2-hour flight. We landed at 10:30pm and my father was already at the airport waiting for me. We had the long walk to customs and surprisingly, no interview this time when I finished it. My luggage took quite awhile to arrive. My father picked me up at departures and took me home.
Compared to Gathering 2009, my second trip to Sacramento seemed so laid back. I’d argue the 2009 one was better because we had more members, especially from Seattle. I don’t know why we couldn’t get more Jet Chapter members. A part of me feels that most weren’t interested in going but wouldn’t voice it publicly. But the members we could get from all chapters saved the weekend from becoming mediocre. I’m excited by Fresno Chapter’s upcoming decision for next year’s Gathering. Whatever they choose, we know we’ll have a great time.