Taken at West Virginia's Bone-Norman Cave during Convention 2000, this picture demonstrates the beauty to be found in caves. The 5 foot stalagmite is a sight to behold and the flowstone in the background makes for quite the pretty picture. The photographer is none other than Paul Gillis of the Potomac Speleological Club. His two assistants, Mike Frisina and Devin Kouts, also from PSC, worked hard to help with the photography. I, myself, worked hard to stay still for the pictures, despite my shivering body. This is but one of many pictures taken that summer day in a cave in the hills of Greenbrier County. Paul also had me remove my boots, socks, and helmet for other shots. Try putting your bare feet on cave rock, maintaining few poses, and you too will see how cold you can get. After a while of this, I was no longer the eager model I wanted to be. Still, many of the pictures taken are beautiful and illustrate not only the beauty of caves but also a fine photography job by Paul Gillis.

This photo was taken at Bowden Cave in West Virginia during Convention 2000. Our trip leader was Donna Cobb of the Birmingham Grotto. Other participants were Sal Maniace and Danny Marchese, both Met Grotto members. While there were no pretty formations (in this particular spot) that would make me want to pose here, I was happy to be in a cave as my smile reveals. I'd forgotten that I put my disposable camera in the leg pocket of my "army surplus" coveralls and my camera got wet. Donna, however, took many pictures on her fancy schmancy camera while Sal complained that this was a "photo session" and "not a cave trip." Nonetheless, we did have a good time in our exploration of Bowden Cave.

Bob Cohen and I partied, in more ways than one, at the Howdy Party during Convention 2000. Bob wore a funny hat with huge bat wings on it. Later on, he accompanied me to the port-a-john, which I found far too nasty for my taste.