A five-day outing to Phoenix, Ariz., kicked off the month of March. I attended this year’s American Numismatic Association (ANA) National Money Show, not one of my favorite events. Given that I’m presently serving my fifth and final term of the ANA board, this year provided me with a compelling reason to partake of the outing. This is one of them, however, that turned out to be both enjoyable and uplifting, providentially, where both my formal and informal involvements were concerned. Initiating my travels to Phoenix was an early morning departure from home to catch a scheduled 10:49 a.m. United Express flight to O’Hare, this time from Green Bay instead of Appleton, Wis.. The drive to the airport was roundabout by way of Iola, as I’d overlooked packing a couple things into my attaché case for the trip, resulting in a 75-mile drive that stretched over nearly two hours. At O’Hare, I had a comfortable connecting time of about two hours for the United flight to Phoenix. The ongoing slightly delayed connecting flight was comfortable, aside from the 737’s really hard crosswind landing in Phoenix, with gate arrival there at 4:04 p.m., only about 10 minutes behind schedule.
A quick and modest fare taxi ride got me to the Hyatt Regency near the Phoenix Convention Center by 4:55 p.m. After registering and settling into my room, by shortly after 6 p.m., I found my way down to the lobby for a bite to eat before calling it a day. Opting for the Barrel & Bushel, the Hyatt’s tavern and light dinner dining option, there I chanced to be invited by ANA Vice President Joe Boling and Louise Boling to join them. I enjoyed the menu’s “Sonoran Dog” selection, along with delightful conversation over the next hour or so.
Thursday morning got under way at about 5 a.m. with a walk about the streets of the convention
