Day 2 Scrapbooking retreat

Some people are so hard to please, and yet others are so easy going. This point really drives home whenever we put a bunch of ladies (like 81 of them) together in a big room for a scrapbooking weekend.

We are in a 3 star hotel - this at the request of the majority of ladies polled after our last weekend extravaganza at l'Esterel in the Laurentians; most ladies said then that it was too expensive and would prefer something less fancy and less expensive. Fine; so this hotel, situated in the heart of Granby, is a gently aging establishment. Nothing fancy here, but it is clean and the beds all have brand new mattresses which are very comfortable (OK - I only know for sure that one mattress is very comfortable - but I didn't receive any complaints about any uncomfortable mattresses, and trust, me, if there had been so much as one uncomfortable mattress, I am sure I would have heard about it). I found the rooms to be very clean, even if not fancy, and the bathrooms are all renovated and spotless. But the hotel has no elevators, and some ladies had to walk up two flights of stairs - lots of flack there. Some ladies didn't like the downtown view... some were cold, some were hot..

Now the food ... How can one complain that the food is not good when you are served a wonderful fresh green salad with all the trimmings, homemade soups to die for, delicate sandwiches with the crusts cut off, and then fresh fruit salad with little cakes that just melt in your mouth. (That was lunch). Well, some ladies complained bitterly and then decided to go out for food for the rest of the weekend(they probably prefer poutine & hot dogs). I really don't understand! Mind you - the majority of ladies loved it. Dinner was equally excellent fare and we have had coffee and tea served all day and evening long.

The room we are in is a very big banquet hall. The ladies have ample room to spread out and scrap, the chairs are comfortable, and the temperature has been a stable 21 degrees all day long. But, some ladies complained of being cold, others of being overheated - gee, are they different species? Some think the music piped in is too loud, others not loud enough, some don't want music.. We will never be able to please everyone all the time.

It's a good thing that the majority of ladies are simply having a grand old time, and that's what counts. I find that the hotel manager has been the most patient and understanding fellow - he has catered to every whim and has been present for us from morning to evening. He really wants us back and it shows. I would never be able to run a hotel - I would always be telling those few grumpy guests to put on a sweater or to take off a layer - and I would let them know in no uncertain terms that walking up a flight of stairs is something they should try more often, judging from the width of their very big bottom....

So here I am again, past midnight, babysitting a bunch of crazy scrapbookers and enjoying it despite it all. They are staying up later tonight, I still have 42 women showing no signs of slowing down... Hum, may be a long night...But I am smiling, they have been spending like crazy!