Northeast Discus meeting 2008---updated with Pics and Info

[brewmaster15]

Hi all,
Its been awhile since the last time we had a meeting of Discus Keepers in the Northeast USA....We've done this twice over the last few years and they have always been alot of fun... I've been asked repeatedly to host another one and have finally caved in to the pressure:) ...(heaven help me!)

I'm still kicking around the format..but it will be informal as the last two were... Depending on the numbers interested we'll either have it catered or at a restaurant as we did before... If the group is of reasonable size we may just have it here at my home in Northford CT, and I'll fire up the grills, firepit and get my cooking attire on ...

There is no fee for attending except to cover the costs of the event...and I'll let you all know that once its finalized.... All are welcome to attend this social event.

The Date for this meeting is June 14th, 2008... It will probably be a noon to whenever meeting.....so set the date on the calender if interested..

Goals of the meeting so far...

1) Meet and get to know fellow hobbyists
2) Discuss the formation of a regularly meeting Group that will rotate around members homes on a Monthly or Bi-Monthly basis
3) Talk Discus:)

I don't know if we'll have speakers.. depends on how many interested members we have.......I'm leaning towards no speakers and more open discussion in a round table format....but thats subject to change.

I'm considering having an auction at the end of the meeting where members can auction any fish of supplies they have if theres interest in that.

For members that are new here and don't know me...I'm a hobbyist breeder with a bunch of tanks in my basement and a fairly decent collection of wilds and domestics that I work with.....My system is as low tech as it gets...but works well for me:) The fishroom will be open for viewing as well, just don't expect fancy...:bandana:

If you are new here...this would be an excellent opportunity for you to meet others in this great hobby... bring your questions and learn from others...

2 years or so ago we had about 35 people attend..... hopefully we'll have good turnout this time......but if its a handful of us ...thats fine too...

I'd like to ask you to sound off here if you are interested in

1) attending
2) an auction

As soon as I have a better idea of numbers interested and format...I'll finalize it and asked for a hard commitment from you to RSVP.

Thanks all... hope you can make it...

-al

[scolley]

Sounds like a GREAT idea Al! Please count me in, and sign me up for whatever capacity is needed - coordinating details, slinging burgers, cleanup detail after festivities. You name it, I'm ready to support this effort.

Thanks for kicking it off!

[GrillMaster]

Well You better have an extra grilling apron for me my friend!! :D :D

I like the informal idea alot. A nice meet an greet and talk discus. Talk about a Northeast Discus club and future meetings. It would be great to kick start an informal NDA or whatever everyone wants to call it and have monthly meetings at other members places!

I like the auction idea, an I can donate some things my self. :)

I hope we get alot of interest in this since we have discussed this before. It would be excellent to make it a reality!

A pig roast is an idea we can kick around as well depending in the interest thats generated here. I will make the grill, you will just have to dig a hole, and with the work you did in your garden, that would be a walk in the park!

BTW...Are you making 10 gallons this year brew? ;) :D :D

[Joander123]

I'm interested Al, not sure if i can attend quite yet, but i'm interested.

I would be interested in an auction as well... what a fish meeting if you cant bring anything good home, right?

[dpt8]

Al, Another dream come true.. Count me in !! Please post if you need the money up-front !!!! Your apprentice, David T :9)

[subcooler]

Al,
I'm definately intrerested.:D
I'll probably try & tie it together with a family long weekend in Ct.(we been threatening to get up there anyway).
The auction idea sounds great.
I'll mark the date on my calender!
Rob

[ashaysathe]

Yes very much interested. Put me down as a volunteer to do any work as well.

Cheers
Ashay

[Joander123]

Yeah Al, I'll be there... =)

[SriAngel]

I'll personally help dig the hole for the pig roast, what a dream come true discus and a bbq!

[tgirl6868]

That sound like alot of fun...... Count me in. Can you bring your family too?

Will there be Beer!!!!!!!:D:balloon::D:balloon::D:balloon:

[brewmaster15]

Hi all,
Great interest so far... Thats awesome!

Tamara,
yes....Family is welcome... I have decent sized yard and sand box here for kids to play in.... as well as lots of critters to look at.

There will be beverages there....both high test and unleaded.:D..I may even brew up something special..:)

-al

[scolley]

I'm a hobbyist breeder with a bunch of tanks in my basement and a fairly decent collection of wilds and domestics that I work with....
And we should also hand out awards. Based on the above quote, I'm nominating you for the "Humble Understatement of the Year" trophy. :D

[senso]

Great idea,. It has always been a pleasure meeting other folks with a discus passion.

Due to soccer commitments I will likely not be able to attend. I am certain it will be fun.

[tgirl6868]

Sweet!!!!!!!!!

[SriAngel]

If anyone wants to carpool from Queens, NY let me know. I got a SUV with 3 seats available.

[Eyecandy]

Hi Al... Great idea.. We will be coming to visit the grandkids, near Marion and New Haven, but unfortunately it will be later in the summer so we will have to miss this one..:(:( But... we are plannning on moving out there (near Mystic or Woodstock) as soon as the re market here in Georgia gets a bit better.. so plan on our being there and maybe hosting in the future... maybe some homemade brew of our own too... By the time we move out there or vacation next time, you guys will have the thing completely worked out and all we'll have to do is help bbq and clean up... sounds like a great idea..:D:D We would love to met you all... Have a fantastic time and have a brew for us... Sue:angel:

[Elite Aquaria]

Al, This sounds great...Don't tempt me because I'll buy a plane ticket and stay the weekend...:D

[GrillMaster]

Hi Al... Great idea.. We will be coming to visit the grandkids, near Marion and New Haven, but unfortunately it will be later in the summer so we will have to miss this one..:(:( But... we are plannning on moving out there (near Mystic or Woodstock) as soon as the re market here in Georgia gets a bit better.. so plan on our being there and maybe hosting in the future... maybe some homemade brew of our own too... By the time we move out there or vacation next time, you guys will have the thing completely worked out and all we'll have to do is help bbq and clean up... sounds like a great idea..:D:D We would love to met you all... Have a fantastic time and have a brew for us... Sue:angel:

Sue...There will be plenty of time to catch up when you get up here!! :)


Al, This sounds great...Don't tempt me because I'll buy a plane ticket and stay the weekend...

Dan...If Al doesn't have room I do!! ;) :D :D

I have just recently emptied out the spare bedroom!! :)

[GrillMaster]

Great idea,. It has always been a pleasure meeting other folks with a discus passion.

Due to soccer commitments I will likely not be able to attend. I am certain it will be fun.

Rosaano...I thought for sure you would come my friend!! :(

[korbi_doc]

:( Gosh Al, gonna miss another great time, since I've moved, lots more going on up there than in these boondocks.....sure do miss you all....oh well!, C'est la vie....have a fun get-together....maybe I'll see some of you in Hotlanta in July....;)

Dottie

[Moon]

I am planning on being there. Anyone from Southern Ontario or Western NY want to share a ride?

[MostlyDiscus]

HI Al, I am intrested but dont know if the date works yet. I think I would fly though as it would be a long drive from Northern VA. Ed

[brewmaster15]

Sounds Great everyone...looks like we have a great group starting to form up here... I'll give it until next week to see how many are interested and plan on attending , do a head count and Finalize things....

Thanks all,
looking forward to seeing you.


-al

[richgrenfell]

I wasn't at the 2nd one, but I was at the first! Think I have a few pics of it around here someplace in fact. Al, I'll DEFINATELY be there.

Rich

[brewmaster15]

Great Rich,
It'll be great seeing you again!:)

-al

[GrillMaster]

Looks like its shaping up to be a great meeting Al...:)

I for one cant wait to meet everyone!

tc

[MostlyDiscus]

Hi Al, I wont be able to make the BBQ:( I have a golf tourney that was resched for that date.. Bummer Ed

[dandestroy]

I'll probably be there... so far nothing I can recall for that date already.

[brewmaster15]

HI Ed,
You are welcome up anytime!:)

Hi everyone,
Well, looks like we have a pretty decent group... Looks like we will have a get together here in Northford,CT (06472 for mapquest estimates)

Should be alot of fun... I spent a few Hours yesterday "brewing up" some Picnic beverages for those that are interested:) I'm thinking Barb-Q and some discus discussions..

So...please everyone check the date and let me know either in this thread or by PM If you are definetly attending and how many of you there will be.. Family and kids are definetly welcome....I just need to know how many so I can plan on the food and drinks... and possibly a tent if needed.
Thanks,
-al

[MarcG]

Count me in. My family will more than likely attend as well. Sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday!

I'll bring some of my pride and joy, Snakeskin x Wild Blues cross (parents from Al-where else?) and they should be a decent size by then, as they are 3 weeks old now.

Will this be a BYOB (bring your own beef/beverages) kind of thing, or will you be taking money/donations to help pay for it?

[dandestroy]

My wife and I will definitively be there.

[Joander123]

I will be there Al.

Probably 2 people from my family, or maybe even just me.. not sure yet.

[scolley]

I'll be there Al. And I'll bring the boss with me. ;-)

Will be much fun. Please PM me if there is any assistance I can provide. Thanks for putting this together.

[hexed]

If I can get the day off from work I will be there too!

[dpt8]

Al, I will definitely be there and my girlfriend will accompany me.. How much money do we send plus would you like us to bring a dessert, beans or other dish??

[brewmaster15]

Great everyone... as to what bring...let me get the numbers in first of whose attending..then I'll know better whats the deal with that.

Thanks!
-al

[JeffreyRichard]

Should be able to attend ...

[MC1]

Hi, My husband and I will be there.

[Kenny's Discus]

Wishing everyone a great time in advance! With the master Al around there won't be shortage of FUN that's for sure.:) Gosh you guys are so blessed to be within driving distance of Al's!:angel:

Kenny

[brewmaster15]

Hi all,

Okay, meeting update here... Looks like we will be having it my home for sure...

At this point I have heard from 20 members , 16 are definites... and 4 are maybes... With family taken into account we'll have about 45 people so far:)

If you are thinking of attending the June 14th get -together...I need to get a solid headcount.... please let me know if you haven't already ..

Please let me know by Friday June 6th....

You can pm me here on the forum or sound off in this thread..

Thanks,
al

Ps... Please pray for good weather! Or I may need to get one BIG tent:)

[GrillMaster]

Yes....Let the rain gods spare us the 14th of June, lest we partake in the great tent. :D :D :D

Rain or shine....It will be alot of fun!! :)

[brewmaster15]

Anyone else? please let me know by today...
thanks,
al

[richgrenfell]

I'll be there Al.

[brewmaster15]

Great Rich!!:)

-al

[Moon]

Sorry Al won't be able to make it. Kids want me home for father's day.
Joe

[brewmaster15]

Thats too Bad Joe,
I was really looking forward to meeting you.:( Oh well....another time then. Family First!:)

-al

[brewmaster15]

Hi all,
Looks like all the numbers are in everyone and we will be having about 20 hobbyists here plus families.....so about 40 people:) If anyone wants to come and has not contacted me ....no problem there...just wanted to get some numbers as to what to expect...just let me know if you are coming.

Heres how I see this going.....picnic Barb-q style... If anyone wants to bring side dishes....let me know what you will bring.....I'll pick up enough Hamburgers and Hotdogs for everyone,probably also a pan of chicken and sides as necessary...and will provided an assortment of beverages.:)

A bunch of you have asked how you can help....thanks!

So what I could use from you all...

1)Side dishes of Food ...if possible....don't worry about it if you can't.

2)If anyone wants to contribute financially...that would also be great but is not necessary. If you want to you can paypal me at brewmaster15@netscape.com. (brewmaster15@netscape.com...or) or when you see me. If you paypal me anything just note that its for the NE Discus meeting 2008. Please understand that this is entirely optional...Theres no cost to attend this gathering. Depending on what it costs me to run this I may raffle off some fish here if I need to and theres any interest.

3)I would also suggest you bring chairs if you can... I have a bunch but not enough for everyone.

4) prayers....Pray that it doesn't rain and I don't need to rent a tent:)

If anyone wants to bring fish or supplies to auction or sell..let me know... and we can certainly do that as well.

Most of you have been here before...if you haven't and you need directions..let me know.

thanks ,
al

[subcooler]

Al,
Thanks for all you efforts setting the meeting up.
I'm sure we'll all have a great time!
I'll be in touch to verify the directions I'm getting from computer sound right.

I was wondering if you are going to have any SimplyDiscus merchandise available for sale?-might be a good idea for some of us have been trying to avoid yet another credit card purchase, but would definately like to buy stuff with good old cash!

Rob

[brewmaster15]

Rob,
I thought about it, but I too didn't want another credit card bill;) So I decided against it.. I don't stock any of the Simply Merchandise any more....Just wasn't worth it for me financially. The cafe press storefront is still online.

sorry!

-al

[dandestroy]

This is going to be so much fun... specially if we get a week-end like we just did!

[Organic Farmer]

Wishing everyone who is going safe travels and a good time.

[brewmaster15]

Thanks Tom!:)

Hey everyone...It might help if I told everyone what time to plan on attending:)... I am thinking

2:00pm

That should give our long distance travelers time to get here....

-al

[scolley]

That should give our long distance travelers time to get here....

Thanks Al! And will you be PM'ing everyone to let them know where "here" is? I think I remember but... :o

[ashaysathe]

This meeting is a great opportunity to meet hobbyist in the proximity, especially for new comers like myself. Can we have something like a "session" of say 30-45 mins where we share experiences - one of the things I would like to understand "Identification/symptoms of sick discus until its too late - what to look for etc "
It would be interesting as what is the success rate once discus is identified as "sick" to making it back "normal to be in main line set up"
Ofcourse prevention is better than cure - so what strict measures do people implement - rules of thumb to my readings are clean water, good food (avoid live food like CBW) and quarantine.
On the topic of qurantine is this a pure "observe only" process or a process comprised of strict medication regime e.g. week one salt, week 2 prazi, week 3 metro etc ..
So lots of things.. hence an organized session will help instead of me trying to meet each and every individual and asking them same question with different lyrics.

[brewmaster15]

Hi Ashay,
I'd like to have some round table discussions and that could be one of the topics.... I've also given talks on that to local clubs in the area so maybe the next time I do, you can attend.:)

Hi All,
For those looking to attend and needing directions.... my home address here...

Al Sabetta
75 maltby Lane
Northford CT.06472

my cell is 203-464-2869

Important.....If you are coming from I-91 south from Hartford/Mass check with me to verify your directions... for some reason Mapquest send people down a dead end road from this direction.. ...:mad:

From all other locations...directions should be good.

Thanks all...

Ps... could still use some help with foods..

so far we have

Hamburger and hotdogs
2 chicken dishes
slow cooked ribs
baked beans
mango pie

also....if anyone is looking to stay over at a hotel... theres a decent one about 15 minutes from me..

Holiday Inn
NORTH HAVEN

201 WASHINGTON AVE
NORTH HAVEN, CT 06473 UNITED STATES (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/nohct/transportation)
Hotel Front Desk: 1-203-2396700 | Hotel Fax: 1-203-2341247
Book Online (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/advancedsearch?hotelCode=nohct) or Call
1 888 HOLIDAY (888 465 4329)

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hd/nohct


thanks all!

-al

[brewmaster15]

Oh , and one more thing....looks like we will probably have some fish for auction here so if you are looking for any additions to the collections....you may want to come prepared financially:D

..I'll have bags and boxes here as necessary.

Thanks again everyone!

-al

[Discus-Hans]

wauwww starts to look like a good party, wish it wasn't a 5+ hour drive.

Have fun all together,

Hans

[brewmaster15]

HI all,
Just a quick update here... One of our sponsors, Terry aka JT Aquatics will most likely be here latter in the afternoon with a bunch of Driftwood for sale.. I've gotten a good couple of pieces from him for my tanks..... I'm sure the prices will be fair and the selection should be good...so if you are looking for that special piece of wood... you may find it here on Sat.

Take care,
al

[2075turner]

Hi Al,

If I had only come accross this thread earlier. How often do you do these get togethers? I'm not able to make this one I think, I'm still trying to make it fit into my schedule, but it doesn't look good.:( So I was thinking, maybe the next one.:)

Thanks, Evelyn:)

[Ed13]

The Date for this meeting is June 14th, 2008... It will probably be a noon to whenever meeting.....so set the date on the calender if interested..

:mad:I was just in NY and Philadelphia very recently, if I had only known you guys were going to get together I would have postponed the trip to meet you guys, as long as my presence wasn't a problem:antlers:


I do have relatives in Boston so in the future maybe....!:D

Have a nice big burger in my name Al, and have fun!

[brewmaster15]

Hi Evelyn,

One thing I hope to discuss at this meeting is to make this a more regular event...so hopefully you'll be able to make another one...sorry this didn't work out for you...I would have liked to meet you.:)

Hey ED,
If I'd have known you were in the area I would have tried to meet up with you... next time you are here...let me know...I'm only a few hours away from where you were and 2 hours out of Boston.

take care,
al

[brewmaster15]

Tomarrow is the big day!:) last call folks....looks like this will be a really great time....If you are in the Northeast USA ...come on down to CT and Meet a bunch of your Fellow Discus Hobbyists...Its not too late...

Contact me for details!

-al

[Discus-Hans]

I think this is going to be a great meeting with some surprises :angel:

Specially Steve !!!!! (they are on their way Steve with a special courier lol lol)

I'm sure everybody will have lots of fun,

Hans

[brewmaster15]

Should be a great time to be sure!:)


Everyone... when you get here...My house is set back down a long gravel drive way...its on a country Road... Feel free to park in the drive way or if when you see the driveway you prefer to...park on the Grass along the road ...just pull up on MY lawn along Maltby Lane infront of my house...... my yard is one of those functional highly used ones...not the manicured never walked on ones..so don't worry about the grass.

Okay....heading out now to pickup the edibles for the event...

-al

[ashaysathe]

I can't wait for tomorrow.. I think I will come over tonight and sleep in one of the 125s w/ few of my friends in there..

[MarcG]

Unfortunately my family won't be able to attend, but I'll still be coming down tomorrow. See you all then!

[BOBT00LS]

Hope all of you attending have a great time ! Im regreting not being able to make it. Maybe next time. Hope to hear all about it in the days to come.

Bob

[Ed13]

PICS!!!!! Stories, anecdotes, anything please!!!!!:D:D:D

[scolley]

PICS!!!!! Stories, anecdotes, anything please!!!!!:D:D:D
While I AM NOT a photo documenter of life (I like living it, not recording it!), I have got my camera packed and will get a some pics. Promise.

Hopefully if other people do the same, all together we should have something good to share with everyone!

[dmun24]

HI ALL HAVE FUN WISH I COULD BE THERE DENNIS

[Eyecandy]

Hi Everyone... Just wanted to say hope youall have a great time. Hopefully next time we will be able to make it as it looks like we are definitely moving to the area in the future.. have lots of fun and take lots of pics.. Sue:angel::angel:

[MarcG]

Man, I wish I could have gone. :(

[Kenny's Discus]

I'm dying to see how the meeting went also, but I already knew it went great!:) Can't wait for the pics.

Kenny

[Elite Aquaria]

I can't wait to see pictures...I wish I could have attended

[brewmaster15]

Hi all,
Well, I have to say I am dragging today bigtime!:):) Yesterday was an awesome day though.. It was great fun meeting everyone and there was so much food! I'll let everyone else post their thoughts on the meeting...but I think it was great day.

I took some pics which I'll post shortly and hopefully others here will as well.

What was accomplished aside from the social aspect is that we are going to make this a regular event... we discussed a few things at the meeting and decided that we meet 3-4 times a year..rotate it around the area... and one of those 4 meetings will be a famliy event just like yesterday was...

I guess you could say we formed a club..just one without bylaws,membership dues or formalities ...just a good group of Discus Enthusiasts in the Northeast USA.

We hope to be able to get more people involved and to outreach to the established Fish Clubs in our areas that have hobbyists that may want to know more about discus or possibly already have them. Additionally we'll promote this thru the forums.

I've offered my home as the backup location for meetings and when others are unable to host I will.... others here have also volunteered to host a meeting as well...so we should be able to make this work.

I've also volunteered to set up a webpage with info on all this.

So everyone in the Northeast..... plan on a meeting again in the fall.:)

Before I post the pics..I want to thank everyone that attended and helped out with the meeting ..People brought some great Dishes of Food...and theres was much support by everyone..

david.. I need the recipe to the appetizer:)
mark..the pulled pork rocked...had it again last night as a late nighter.
Steve... Loved that crab dish
Ashay.....mango pie is my new favorite dessert and that chicken was awesome
Hans... My kids loved the "simply " cake!

I know I am missing people here ...there was just so much good to eat...baked beans,potato salads, desserts, fruit...pasta dishes....I need to go on a diet! :D

We also had a truck load of driftwood to pick thru brought by Terry of JT aquatics..I got some serious tank wood there as did others...Thanks Terry!

So thanks again everyone..

And a special thanks to My wife for dealing so graciously with this event:) and Discus Hans for bringing up some fish for the meeting as well as some nice Stendker posters and calender ( these will be auctioned on the forum a little latter)

Also a big thank you to Bastalker... Mark was here first thing in am to help me set up and was the last to leave.. Brought down his grill and really helped me out here...so thanks Bud! I owe you big time!:)

-al

[sophie68]

How was it? I so wish I had been there. Instead I was stuck in a bad restaurant with boring people I barely knew.....:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
Pictures.....details!!!!! I am coming next time!!!!!

Sophie

[brewmaster15]

Pictures... from Left to RH

Ashay
Bastalker...Mark
Jeff Richards and my daughter Becky
BlackwaterAquaria...Mike Degan
Francois and katherine

[brewmaster15]

Pictures... from Left to RH

Marc
Bastalker (Mark) Discus Hans and Dave (Dpt8)
Patrick
Scolley (Steve Colley)
Subcooler (rob)

[brewmaster15]

Pictures... from Left to RH

Terry (Jt Aquatics)
Group shots

[brewmaster15]

group shots and the cake Hans Brought... unfortunately the kids got to it before I could take a pic...


and thats about it from my camera.. Hope to see other pics..

thanks all.

-al

[Kenny's Discus]

Thanks Al for the pictures, great shots of everyone for sure.

This is truly Simply at its best!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Kenny

[GrillMaster]

I want to start out by saying what gracious hosts Al an Carrie were! Thank You for a great get together! :) :)

Those that couldn't come missed an excellent meeting and am looking forward to the next one when those that unfortunately had prior commitments will be able to attend!!

Ashay, Jeff, Paul, Marc, Mike, Francios, Dave, Hans, Terry...It was great meeting all of you and your families and finally putting names to faces. :) Great seein you again Steve and finally meeting your wife! Sorry if I missed anyone.

The food....Well there was enough food to feed everyone that attended 3 or 4 times!! I dont really remember what everyone brought, but I know that Ashay brought some awsome kicked up a notch chicken, Dave with his great appetizer, Steve and his crab dip, Hans an the "Simply Fun" cake to name a few.

So we officially have an unofficial club for the Northeast! It was due and a long time in the making. Thanks Al for organizing the event! I know that the club and the members will grow in numbers with time. I also know that the ones that attended will be looking forward to the next meeting and the ones that could'nt make it should look forward to the next one! :thumbsup:

I guess the highlight for me was passing out all of Brews home made beer!! ;) :D :D :D

We had an unexpected visitor as well...A black rat snake decided to just about slither across my feet into Al's fishroom and take up residence under Al's freezer. Al just moves his freezer reahes down an snatches it up where he calmly adds it to his collection. It was comical to watch Hans exit the fish room in short order. :D

So Kudos to you and Carrie Al!! Cant wait for the next get together!! :)

Hope ya got some sleep Al!!

[ashaysathe]

Meetings are organized sessions where minutes are kept and hours are lost.. But this outing was an "event" where every moment was cherished with home made BREW from the MASTER himself by 15 members -- that reiinstates "oomph" of the id BrewMaster15. It was a total joy to meet each one and more so was to joy to add faces, voices and emotions to the "member ids" as we have seen day in and day out.
It was great for me to meet and hear experienes from people gathered to understand that all of them individually hold more tanks than the number of fish I had owned in my life so far. Mother nature played a great role and it was so well timed that after discussion session when we moved our focus to whats on the grill, mother nature did her part of a nice sprinkle (remember tempreature between 84 to 88 deg ) as if it was an acknowledgement from heaven up there that "Wow guys.. way to go !!!"
Last but not the least Thanks to Carie Sabetta for allowing to host this event and taking excellent care of us, then to Al for coming up with the conept and jump starting it now the onus is on all of us to keep momentum on this, to Al's kids - Becky and Ethan as they are wonderful kids of great parents and keeping company with my kids and each and every one of us to make this event happen and to stand by it. Hope to meet soon in time to come.
And the photos:
1. Group photo: 1st row from left: SubCooler; Steve (memeber id: Scolley nice avatar of an ape); Aditya (my boy); Ethan (Al's boy); Al (member id BrewMaster); David (memberid dpt8)
2nd row: Mark; Mark (Memberid Bastalker); Me (member id: ashaysathe); my younger boy Areen who has a face like Al ;) ; Hans (memberid Discus Hans); Terry (member id JTAquatic - the driftwood man - so if you see blue shirt and black hair its Terry ;) )

2. The Dynamic Duo - Al and Mark on the grill.
3. Mark and Me sharing a joyful moment together
4. The group of thinkers - Jeffery Richard (memberid jefferyrichard) Steve and Hans.

I am missing one member and I cannot recollect the name; his daughter and my younger son played together all the time.. I am sorry for that and also it was great to see my friend Mike Deegan (member id: Black Water Aquaria)

There are lot more photos but I will let others post a few as well especially the one Steve took when we were in Al yard over a heated conversation .. relax guys.. this was heat "discus tanks".. ok ... now all of you.. enough of fun.. back to water changes (and diaper changes for me); beef heart mix and disease section ... Enjoy guys !!!

Happy Father's Day to everybody !!!

[brewmaster15]

Hey mark,
LoL on that rat snake that you found trying to enter my garage!:) Since I was so frazzled trying to meet and greet everyone..I gave it a passing glance as I caught it and put it into a tank....I went to my Collection and just double checked that no one was missing and there wasn't.

So this morning Ethan and I went to take a close look at the snake....It was not a current member of my collection...but it was a past member...:D About 2 years ago I had bought a group of young Texas Grey Rats..They look similar to black ratsnakes but are a lighter color and have some red in the base pattern.. Anyhow.... There was some cannabalism in the group and one ate the others...I thought he ate them all..obviously not..this little guy must have escaped and has been living in my garage!!!:D:D:D:D

So You actually found one of my collections that escaped 2 years ago:):):)

-al

[scolley]

It was great Al. I feel bad for people that wanted to come but couldn't. They missed a really good time.

Since I started writing this post I see that some pics have been posted! So I gotta go look! Anyway...

Here's a few pics. Shoulda' gotten more but I was too busy having fun! Sorry. Some other people have a few, which is a good thing because these are kinda lame. But it's all I got, so you are welcome to them.

This first pic is just funny to me... Al cooked up what must have been 50 potatoes. And then when the REAL cooking started, there was SO much food. Good stuff too! I'll just go on the record now to say Bastaker (Mark) makes some KILLER jerk chicken. And my whole family agrees. Anyway... after there was some much prime food laid out for us, I think the potatoes got overlooked. There was still a pretty big pile at the end of the night. Gee, I just hope little Becky and Ethan Sabetta like baked potatoes. I suspect they are on the menu for a while. ;-)

Here's some miscellaneous pics of people... you'll notice. I'll never get EVERYONE's name right, so at the risk of offending those that I left out, I'll not try. But I DID meet a number of people. And it was SO COOL to put faces with names!


http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8556_edited-2.JPG (http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8556_edited-1.JPG)


http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8558_edited-2.JPG (http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8558_edited-1.JPG)


http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8559_edited-2.JPG (http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8559_edited-1.JPG)


http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8562_edited-2.JPG (http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8561_edited-1.JPG)


http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8563_edited-2.JPG (http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8563_edited-1.JPG)


http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8564_edited-2.JPG (http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8564_edited-1.JPG)


http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8570_edited-2.JPG (http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8570_edited-1.JPG)


http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8571_edited-2.JPG (http://www.colley.org/images/IMG_8571_edited-1.JPG)

One pic has Al (obscured by leaves) moaning about how he caught a heron eating his Koi. Then came him telling us about how big the Koi were, and when we indicated reasonable skepticism, he toss in food - bringing up fish that IMO, were even bigger than he said. Too bad they don't show well in the pic, but they were monsters.

Then there's the "round table" type meeting we held, where we pledged to do this more often, and some of us even volunteered our homes as the next meeting spot. I chopped off half of Als face in that shot. Sorry Al. I hope I never said I was a good photographer.

And the one thing that bore itself out again (for me anyway) is that when you meet people that you think you know on-line, you often come to find that they are SOOO different in person. That definitely happened for me yesterday. What a great goup of nice people. And they like talking about discus too!

The Dutch guy that looks like he's forgotten how to behave in front of a camera is Discs-Hans. Hans was good enough to make the long drive to Al's and regaled us with great lessons of decades of working with discus. We mostly just humored him because we enjoyed hanging out with his wife! And because we wanted a shot as some of the lovely fish that he donated to support the event! Just kidding. ;-) We had some real luminaries there, and it made the event more fun, and their presence lent real legitimacy to it's being an "event". And it was.

Though we had good weather early on, by the time we broke up it was pouring rain. I think Hans was coming from Baltimore, and we have a good number of people from as far as the Boston area and New Jersey. I only had to drive 45 minutes, and in the weather, that was unpleasant. I hope everyone arrived home OK.

In a number of these pics you can see people holding clear plastic cups with some dark brown stuff swirling in them. That was Al's special brew of beer and all I can say is WOW! Honest to gosh, I've had beer all over the world - including those places you are supposed to go for beer, like Ireland, Germany, England and Holland - and Al's was some of the VERY BEST beer I've ever had in my life. After having it my wife is convinced Al is foolish to not be selling "Small Batch Discus Ale". It would sell like hot cakes. That stuff is great! (Hey Al - why don't you sell THAT in the Simply on-line store? I'm ready to place a large order NOW.) And now that I look, most everyone's beer looks low or empty - and not because Al didn't provide enough. Quite the contrary. It just plain disappeared once it hit your lips.

I for one had a wonderful time. My wife and one of my son's came, and they enjoyed themselves too. Lot's of spouses and kids were there, where there was fun, conversation, food and drink for all.

Thanks for throwing this Al. And special thanks to Carrie too! It was great!

My turn soon.

[dpt8]

Not much more I can add except it was like Christmas and great to have St. Hans ( hehe) and all us elves together !! Seriously, it was an awesome event.. It was so great to meet and share with everyone.. Carrie and Al are the BEST !! Thank you so much to these two for doing so much for us.

I really hope we can keep this club alive and continue meetingssuch as these..

[Discus-Hans]

Okay I'm not going to tell how great it was to meet all of you, and I'm not going to tell how GREAT Al's beer was, I'm not going to tell anything.

Only..............man that Al guy is a lucky #$@%^ to have a wife like Carrie who let him do all those great things,

All the best and see you all soon in Baltimore,

Joanne and Hans.

[Kindredspirit]

Jeff Richards and my daughter Becky



Wow, Al! Becky sure looks like you! (Poor thing) lol! J/k! She is quite the beauty!

So did ya all miss me??:D:D

I am so glad everyone had such fun!!

[patrick richard]

My wife, daughter and myself attended the picnic at Al's House. We had a great time, the food and great people made it a time to remember. There was alot of great conversations between very knowledgable members. My daughter played with al's and ashay's kids. She had so much fun yhat we had to leave before I wanted to because she could not keep her eyes open. My wife had a great time talking to the spouces, and she saw that I am not the onlt obsessed one. For myself I am a very shy person around new people, But i listened and got alot of great tips. Next time around it will be alittle more comfortable for me. I would like to give a great thank you to Al.
He put this thing together so that we could me people with the same intrest.He put alot of his time and money into this and i know that I speak for everyone when I say THANK YOU. I also got to meet a man that is a legend in this business and a man that I only thought that i would read about in a book. Han's thankyou for bringing these great fish to the U.S.A for us to enjoy.

I would also like to say thank you to the new people that I can call friends.
Ashay, mark, steve, robbie, mark, david, mike, francois and jeff.

Members of the forum, don't miss this one next time....

Patrick R.

[GrillMaster]

Okay I'm not going to tell how great it was to meet all of you, and I'm not going to tell how GREAT Al's beer was, I'm not going to tell anything.

Only..............man that Al guy is a lucky #$@%^ to have a wife like Carrie who let him do all those great things,

All the best and see you all soon in Baltimore,

Joanne and Hans.

What you talkin bout Wilis? Heres a man callin the kettle black...;) :D

I think you are one lucky guy there bud to have a wife like Joanne who lets and helps ya do all the things your doin...:D :D :D

Carrie is definately a class act!! :thumbsup:


So did ya all miss me??

So.....Yer gonna be at the next get together we have then right? Wait....Its a Discus meeting........ ;) :D :D :D

Sorry Marie...Couldn't resist. ;)

[subcooler]

I'll start off with a huge thank you to AL & Cary:angel:'s for opening up thier beautiful home to us all & hosting the BBQ.
Food was delicious,conversation great & everyone friendly- I agree that First impressions of forum members sure change when you meet them in person!
I'm sure many lasting friendships were made yesterday!
I believe that most everyone walked away with some beautiful driftwood too!
It was great to get to meet other members face2face to share discus tips,ideas,questions etc...
There was something for everyone-It was nice seeing other members with a year or so in the hobby.
After seeing Al's basement it's hard to not walk away with an interest in collecting some wilds- he sure has some beautiful wilds!:D
Al's planted tanks upstairs had us all impressed also!(even the planted tank guru)
The varied experience in discus raising(or just general fish keeping) planted tanks,etc... was terrific.I'm sure all who attended will be getting many PM 's as follow up to some of the ideas mentioned yesterday!
The members driving distances seemed between 1/2 hr. - 5hr.'s
Thank you Hans/Joanne for attending & your generosity!
The auction fish were beautiful!-It was tough to walk away without any new fish(I was forced to remember there's a plan & impulse buying ain't in it!):(
I'm certainally looking forward to the next meeting already & would urge all members within a few hours drive to try & attend!
I'll be posting pics soon-I see that most of my pics are of Al's fish(imagine that!)
Rob

[MarcG]

Hey! How'd I get in those pictures. I wasn't there! It would have been great to meet all of those people though. I suppose I'll see Patrick the next time he shops around for fish at the local retailers...

If I had been there, I would have walked away with a few nice Red Scribbles from Hans, and they'd be eating some of Al's special beefheart mix. If only. ;)

[brewmaster15]

If I had been there, I would have walked away with a few nice Red Scribbles from Hans, and they'd be eating some of Al's special beefheart mix. If only. ;) yeah right....and I suppose IF you had been there you also would have left with 4 each 20 gallon tanks that Jeff Richards brought to sell and help with costs of the day...;)


BTW...Thanks Jeff! In my mental stupor this am I left that out!:)

thanks all!
-al:D

[dandestroy]

We had such a great time with all of you yesterday. It was a perfect day, nice weather (even if it rained a little bit..), great people and nice fishes.

First, we would like to thank Al, his wife, as well as Beckie and Ethan for the great time. You have a nice family and we really enjoyed our day with you. Also, we would like to thank all the people who participate to this meeting. It was very nice meeting you.

We are so looking forward to have Discus again... they are amazing fishes!

Thanks for the pictures. They are great souvenirs of this first get together.

Take care and we hope to see you soon,

Now we are back to torturing ourselves on not owning discus!!

Catherine and Francois

[MarcG]

yeah right....and I suppose IF you had been there you also would have left with 4 each 20 gallon tanks that Jeff Richards brought to sell and help with costs of the day...;)


BTW...Thanks Jeff! In my mental stupor this am I left that out!:)

thanks all!
-al:D

I'm not so good with this theoretical stuff.

Dandestroy--maybe Delta will let you keep a tank at their counter in the airport. They owe you one!

[2075turner]

Okay, count me in for the next meeting. I am renewing the passport tomorrow. lol.

Looks like everyone had fun, wish I could have made it.

Evelyn:)

[brewmaster15]

Okay Northeast Discus nuts...

We need to start planning our next Northeast meeting...I'd think late October , early Nov is good...so any volunteers in hosting it? :)As I said at the last meeting... no takers and I'll host it here at my place in CT again.:)


drop me a pm or shout out here...


thanks,
al
ps...

coming up this weekend a few of us from the northeast will be heading to Baltimore to
see Discus Han's hatchery and hear Dick Au speak in Maryland....

details here...http://www.forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=65439s...

all are welcome here too!

[dpt8]

Al, I am looking forward to our October/November meeting since I can't make it this weekend. October/November is a good time of year as long as its not October 18th. I am hosting a choral workshop and have Mark Hayes, a famous sacred music composer coming. Any one into contemporary sacred music?? I'd like to host a meeting January /February.. :9) Your Aprentice

[ashaysathe]

I would be delighted to host you all. I sent you a PM as well..

[brewmaster15]

cool.:):):)

[2075turner]

Could someone shoot me a pm to let me know where and when it will be,

Thanks
Evelyn:)

[Darren's Discus]

Makes me want to sell up and move to the States !:D:D:D



cheers

[ashaysathe]

Could someone shoot me a pm to let me know where and when it will be,

Thanks
Evelyn:)

Considering my proposal to host is accepted, the venue is going to be in CT. Given you are from Canada; airport will be BDL (40 mins); BOS and JFK both 2 hrs north and south respectively. For dates; I don't think its decided as yet. Touchbase with Al and come up with one.

[Ed13]

JFK both 2 hrs north and south respectively.
HMMM, I could do JFK and the taxi my way up...When is this thing again?
If I get back some cash I lended to some people in time....

[Moon]

I can drive from Burlington to Middletown CT in about 7 hours. Count me in. Evelyn if you can make it down to my place I can give you a ride.
Joe

[2075turner]

Thanks Joe,

Might take you up on that offer. I will be travelling from Ottawa by then, with a stop off in North Bay to drop off the kids with the grandparents, so I might just head down through the Burlington area. Just shoot me a pm once you know what your travel plans will be and maybe we can work something out.

Take Care,
Evelyn:)

[2075turner]

Ashay,

Thanks for hosting, I look forward to meeting you and the group.:) More than likely I will be driving down, as opposed to flying. So once you guys figure things out, just let me know.

Thanks, Evelyn:)

[Ed13]

HMMM, I could do JFK and the taxi my way up...When is this thing again?
If I get back some cash I lended to some people in time....
Nevermind...just talked to the boss and said I HAVE TO WORK!!!:mad:

[GrillMaster]

You know I will be there wherever it may be! :)

I have dibs on next summers meetin though!! ;) :D :D :D

[GrillMaster]

Ashay, I understand that your going to host the next meetin...Thats great! :)

Have ya got any dates in mind?

[brewmaster15]

Details on the next meeting are here...

http://www.forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?p=471808#post471808

I started a new thread ..so lets make all further comments on the OCT meeting there...

Thanks all.

-al