September 2000 Volume 22 Number 3

President's Letter

The annual meeting has been planned for months and by now you should all have received your registration packets. The meeting will be in the Miners Foundry on Spring Street, and the reception next door at the Winery. The town is small, and everything, including the meeting site, is within easy walking distance. I just returned from a back-packing trip in the area, and Nevada City is beautiful, the scenery refreshing, and the town full of interesting architecture and shops.

Our meeting will begin Sunday evening with a reception at one of the local wineries. In keeping with our historic interests, WAAC choose the winery with the longest tenure. The county's first vineyards were planted in 1852, and the original Nevada City Winery produced 8,000 gallons of wine in 1889. As a bonus, the winery will open up the entire winery for WAAC members for tours, tasting, and a talk on wine production.

The conservation talks this year include some from every speciality, and our gratitude goes out to our colleagues who are making the effort to share their observations and experiences with us. We are planning a special session addressing in-painting topics and have six talks lined up. We'd love to make a full morning session of in-painting tips and experience, so please consider contributing and presenting a talk--there's still time.

The Board has worked very hard this year, and now we all hope to meet you at the conference to retreat from our daily routines, contemplate our careers and profession, share ideas, look at the landscape, and have fun!

See you in Nevada City!