Chillin' - Tuesday May 12

We let everyone sleep in a little today before heading for breakfast at yet another "gourmet delight" in Reno .. the Black Bear Diner. Once again, we are in a couple of different groups .. Stef had taken three students who had Safety violations to the Convention Centre to correct those. The rest of headed off to eat. The restaurant is decorated Good food, huge portions and we all decide we probably aren't going to need lunch!

We're noticing that the groups are mingling a lot more, and they are not always sitting with the same people. Everyone's getting to know everyone else, and they all seem to be enjoying each other's company.







A number of the students want to practice their presentations again, and a number also have pieces to take to their projects (binders, updates, etc) so we split them up for the morning, asking them to meet us in the lobby at 11, and we'll head to the Historic section of downtown Reno. A number of them ask if they can go to the mall instead, so we decide to let them have that option. At 11, there are five who want to go downtown, and all the rest want to head to the mall! Ray, Gus and Susan take the five downtown, and Liane, Spencer, Caitlin and I head to the mall with the rest. Stef is still with the projects clearing violations with a few of the students.

Downtown Reno is a bit of a disappointment. There was one antique store, an old book store, two souvenir stores and a lot of pawn shops and deserted motels. The group went looking for a skateboard store for Jake, and finally figure out that not only was the store out of business, but it had been knocked down, and was now a parking lot! The group though found a free tour bus ride that took them up to the university, then back down to city centre. Well, after they got on that is. The bus stopped right in front of them and they tried to get on. The driver informed them that she couldn't let them on as that wasn't a real bus stop, and directed them two blocks away to the bus stop, where she drove around a loop to come back and pick them up! Then, as they were all getting on, she closed the rear doors on a passenger, and they had to sit while her supervisor was called and performed an accident investigation.

One of the things we had located before coming was that Circus Circus does free performances. Trying to salvage the day, the group headed over to view the show. But there was nobody there, the stage was dark, and there was no trapeze or other equipment evident. When they went back out to catch the bus, the investigation was over, and the bus had gone. That's when they caught the next one for their short tour. The really funny part was that after they caught the city bus to return to the hotel, it took them on almost the exact same route the tour bus had!

Meanwhile, the other group headed to the mall. One of the ladies that I works with is an avid knitter .. and actually plans some of her vacations around yarn shops. So on our way to the mall, we happened to pass a yarn store that she had talked about. I called her from outside the store to see if there was anything she had wanted, and she said that she had looked on their website and there wasn't. We decided to take a picture of the store just for posterity!

At 2 pm is the Nobel Laureates panel. This year, there were 8 Nobel Laureates in attendance, and the kids have the opportunity to ask questions, meet them, and listen to them talk about their experiences. Jonathan has two of the Laureates sign the shirt that he's wearing. After that, everyone comes back to the hotel to hang out for a little while, and to get ready for the Host City Welcome dinner at the Grand Sierra Hotel.

Dinner was yet another buffet, with a country band for entertainment. Choices were chicken and pot roast .. both of which were pronounced the best buffet of the week! After dinner, the band was playing, but no-one was dancing. Liane got the Canadian gang out on the dance floor, started teaching them grapevine steps, as well as a few others, and made up her own dance with the kids following along. They got a couple of songs in, then, just as others were starting to join them, the band decided it was time to take a one hour break.

We always try to get lunch for judging day organized the night before, so we hand out order forms for subs, and try to get the kids to fill them out. While waiting for everyone to gather, a large game of "Stella-ella-ola" breaks out in the corner. The kids decide they all want to head back to the hotel, so we decide to come back. This picture was taken just before we boarded the bus. A number of them decide to head to the pool for a little relaxation before bed. Curfew is 10 am tonight as tomorrow is judging day.