I would add my hearty agreement as well. Jeff Calvin and I have further costs as the travel distance is further. I would propose alternating between a TX location and a Midwest location. The cost for the NY and other east coast folks must really be high just to get there and back.
With the little time left for sleeping after all the learning and socializing that we hear about at these conferences, any bed will do for a few hours and then back to the conference the next day. Clearly the drawing point is not the venue but the quality of the education at these events (and hopefully the focus stays that way)
I also feel much of the camaraderie and sharing that goes on in this site is most strongly felt by those who happen to live in Texas. The rest of us kind of are kind of like the kids looking wistfully through the glass from outside.
It might be wise to see if there can be 'local chapters' of pondmeisters who can enjoy the sharing, visiting each other's ponds and properties, and general companionship that the deep south members enjoy.
