
Time got away from us while we were souvenir shopping and we had to hustle in order to get back to the hotel and get ready for the Ladies, Let's Go Fishing Mini University in time. First things first - let's find our registration paperwork! Dot and Marilee made the transition a little quicker than Liz and I so they got a head start to the Community Center, with four camp-style fold-up chairs slung over their shoulders. Days before the event an e-mail from the organizers went out to the participants asking to bring extra chairs - seems there were more ladies registered than they had chairs for. Marilee brought several. Liz and I were scurrying around in the kitchen trying to whip up a fabulous club sandwich and then we eventually met up with Dot and Marilee who had thoughtfully lined all of our camp chairs up in a row. That's how we ladies roll!!
See if you notice a trend

As expected, once we walked through the doors of the Community Center, we were greeted by group of four ladies each sitting behind a table full of name badges. They crossed our names out on their list and handed each of us a beautiful vinyl tote bag donated by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. Half the fun of getting these goody bags is rummaging through them to see what interesting little treasures they've tossed in there. So let's see what we have here...
1. The official Ladies Let's Go Fishing three-ring binder (Education Manual)
2. Business cards from some of the guest speakers: Rick Karnes ....we'll get back to him later....
3. 15% discount coupon from Bass Pro Shop of any 'qualifying' purchase from March 7th - March 20th
4. Sea Tow business card & DVD: "Go Boating Lee County"
5. Card for Guy Harvey's World Headquarters Showroom
6. Flyer for the Museum of the Islands
7. Flyer for Mind Your Waterway Signs
8. Coupons for Dick's Sporting Goods
9. Flyer for iPilot GPS Trolling System
10. Matlacha Tide Chart
11. Flyer from the kayak fishing guides at Florida Paddlesports www.floridapaddlesports.com ...we'll get back to them later, too.
12. Flyer from Old Pine Island Marine & Tackle
13. Flyer for Captain Jack Fishing Charters
14. Capt. Terry Fisher's 80 page TIDES resource guide for local boaters
15. 32 Page Pine Island Visitor's Guide 2014
16. 28 Page Pine Island Chamber of Commerce Member Directory
17. 74 Page Southwest Florida Traveler's Guide
18. 75 Page FWC Fishing Lines magazine
19. Lee County Parks & Recreation Guide (a guide map to Lee Co. beaches, parks, pools, preserves, boat ramps, recreation centers and dog-friendly facilities www.leeparks.org/
20. Pine Island Nautical Chart poster
21. 75 page Hummingbird (freshwater) marketing book
22. 80 page MINN KITA marketing book
23. 35 page Fort Myers edition of the Coastal Angler
PAPER....Lots and Lots of Paper....
1. The official Ladies Let's Go Fishing three-ring binder (Education Manual)
2. Business cards from some of the guest speakers: Rick Karnes ....we'll get back to him later....
3. 15% discount coupon from Bass Pro Shop of any 'qualifying' purchase from March 7th - March 20th
4. Sea Tow business card & DVD: "Go Boating Lee County"
5. Card for Guy Harvey's World Headquarters Showroom
6. Flyer for the Museum of the Islands
7. Flyer for Mind Your Waterway Signs
8. Coupons for Dick's Sporting Goods
9. Flyer for iPilot GPS Trolling System
10. Matlacha Tide Chart
11. Flyer from the kayak fishing guides at Florida Paddlesports www.floridapaddlesports.com ...we'll get back to them later, too.
12. Flyer from Old Pine Island Marine & Tackle
13. Flyer for Captain Jack Fishing Charters
14. Capt. Terry Fisher's 80 page TIDES resource guide for local boaters
15. 32 Page Pine Island Visitor's Guide 2014
16. 28 Page Pine Island Chamber of Commerce Member Directory
17. 74 Page Southwest Florida Traveler's Guide
18. 75 Page FWC Fishing Lines magazine
19. Lee County Parks & Recreation Guide (a guide map to Lee Co. beaches, parks, pools, preserves, boat ramps, recreation centers and dog-friendly facilities www.leeparks.org/
20. Pine Island Nautical Chart poster
21. 75 page Hummingbird (freshwater) marketing book
22. 80 page MINN KITA marketing book
23. 35 page Fort Myers edition of the Coastal Angler
PAPER....Lots and Lots of Paper....
Items Up For Bid

We saw Betty Bauman, the event organizer, still taking care of a few last-minute details so we knew we had a few more minutes to spare before the seminar got underway. That was our chance to peruse the items up for bid on the silent auction tables.
We all had received an e-mail several days before the symposium with a list of items up for bid anywhere from a pair of sterling silver fish earrings to a Grand Bahama vacation package. Some of the smaller items were bundled together in a small bucket and auctioned off as one unit.
We all had received an e-mail several days before the symposium with a list of items up for bid anywhere from a pair of sterling silver fish earrings to a Grand Bahama vacation package. Some of the smaller items were bundled together in a small bucket and auctioned off as one unit.
We noticed Betty, out of the corner of our eye, heading for the podium so we knew this was our que to head back toward our seats and make ourselves comfortable.