Heart of America part 2

Saturday brought us back to Missie B's for a very different view. No day-glo to be seen, but there was leather. This year's Judging Panel featured Stan Dibble, Jeremy Morris, boy Tony, Pup Luckey, and me. The judges had interview time with the contestants while classes ran in the upstairs bar. The two contestants were both running for LeatherMan; unfortunately there was no Leatherboy contestant this year. These men are very new in the leather community, and they have a great future of learning and fun ahead of them. Both men were intelligent, presented themselves well, and faced the questions with grace. We didn't even make them cry! Then it was lunchtime (delicious buffet) and time for more classes. Luckey and I tried out a new class presentation we call Digging Deeper, which is more of a Puppy 201 class. No floor time, all talk time. It was our first time to present this, and there were some bumps, but we were well-received. There was good feedback, and I know where we'll be making some edits and changes for the next time.

When classes were done, we had enough time to grab a shower and head back for All You Can Eat Sushi (eating again) before the contest started. The wonderful Karen Ultra returned as M.C., and Luckey brought her the rocket fuel she consumes from Starbucks. Of course, she was dressed beautifully. The contest ran smoothly; the contestants performed well; the audience was entertained and respectful. In the end, there was a victor. Dom J will carry the title for a year and represent at American Brotherhood Weekend this Fall. In reality, both men won. They shared their hearts and their lives in a very public way, and that is SCARY. I had a good visit with both of them afterwards, and I'm convinced that they will both be involved in the leather community for years to come. With the contest wrapped up, it was time to relax. We headed off to finish the night relaxing with our local pack of friends and family, and eventually fell asleep before heading back to the hotel. Did I mention there was a "Christian Women's Conference" in the hotel? We got some funny looks when we walked through in our leathers, lol.

Sunday morning arrived way too early, and we headed back to Missie B's for brunch. Wow, what a spread! (yes, eating again) Plus we got a surprise - International Leatherboy BammBamm and his pup, Pup Tugger, drove out to join the festivities. It was great to see them and hang out for a while. There was more socializing and flirting, and good visits with both contestants again. Finally, it was time to drive home. It was a bit harder this time - probably because we were so tired from the non-stop weekend of fun. There was an early dinner stop at Braum's near Salina, KS, because it's really hard to drive past one, and both Chris and Hayes had never eaten there. Once again, the February weather was gracious to us and we arrived home safely that night.

Many thanks to boy Elena and the entire Heart of America crew for producing a wonderful weekend. Thanks to Missie B's for hosting, and thank you to our friends, family, and the local community of Kansas City for showing us such a great time. Great job everyone!

Heart of America part 1

Since 2009, boy chris and I have been doing our best to visit Kansas City every February for the 2013 Heart of America LeatherMan/boy contest. Last year we took Luckey for the first time, and he quickly found out why we love this weekend. It's the people - the community - the friends. They take us into their pack and we go go go and spend the time with friends. They treat us like family, and it's an amazing time.

Boy Elena asked Luckey and I to serve on this year's Judging Panel, and asked Chris to serve as Talleymaster. We were happy to help and contribute to their weekend. So when Friday the 8th rolled around, we began our great adventure.

See, this was the first time we were all traveling together. And by all, I mean me, Chris, Luckey, and his partner Hayes. Did I worry? A little. I did NOT expect any problems, but adding a new person to the mix for a trip when we're essentially going to be together for three days all the time - it has potential. Gladly, my little bit of worry was in vain.

Eight hours of road time from Denver to Kansas City with four drivers means lots of naptime, unless you want to read the billboards about stating "abortion is wrong" and "jesus loves you" all across Kansas. Leaving at 6am also contributes to plenty of naptime, but dealing with 4 appetites and 4 bladders means that 8 hours drive time became 10 hours of travel time, with an hour time zone shift in there too. No complaints here. It was one of the easiest drives I've ever done, and the weather was perfect. I am thankful.

Elena emailed on Thursday night asking if we wanted to do any kind of demo. We talked and got started texting friends and found a portable sling stand we could borrow for the night, and asked the ever sexy boy Tony if he would like to be airborne. We also texted our friend Travis as we passed Ft Riley to say we were passing by, and convinced him to meet us in KC that night. Once we arrived in KC, it was time to settle in to the hotel room, freshen up, and head off to Hamburger Mary's for a bite to eat before the Meet & Greet Social + Demo Time started for the night.There were introductions and raffle sales, socialization and flirting, drinking and flirting. As the night progressed, the room filled up with kinky folk, and everyone was friendly and welcoming. After we watched a punching/caning demo (ow!), we set up the sling stand and Luckey pulled out the rope. Soon, Tony was hanging around in a face-down horizontal suspension, and catching quite a bit of attention. Flying sheepie! It was a good night. After things wound down, we dropped Luckey and Hayes off at the room and Chris and I went to Missie B's. We met up with Travis and his friend there, and enjoyed the incredibly diverse crowd of people in the bar. There was a neon/day-glo themed event somewhere that night, and it looked like the early 80's had mugged most of the patrons - which was cool because there was apparantly a BUNCH of people at the event. Community support!

Kink U

Our friend Jeremy Morris invited us to come visit Des Moines during the first week of February to kick off a month of kinky and educational weekends. We packed hemp rope and puppy gear and flew in around noon on Friday the 1st. Jeremy picked us up at the airport and it was off to lunch then time to get settled into our hotel room for a nap (and visit to the hot tub) before heading out for the bar crawl that night. The Blazing Saddle was our host bar for the weekend, and their motto is "Never a cover and always a double!" The hospitality in this city reminds me of my hometown - friendly, open, genuine, generous, and warm. It makes the 12 degree weather much easier to handle when your heart is warmed by friendship. There were five bars to visit that night, and a crowd of forty+ leatherpeople migrated around the circuit, finishing up at the Blazing Saddle to close the night. Luckey, Jeremy, and I took a few minutes to toast the memory of our friend George Wong. It would have been his birthday, and in his own way, he touched my life. We remember him with stories, with great affection, and with shots of Jager.

Saturday afternoon found us back at the Blazing Saddle for Kink U. Luckey started the afternoon with a rope suspension demo, hanging Ryan Brown up for display while I handled the talking points and some of the questions. Next came a very smart joint presentation combining flogging and caning & paddling. Two presenters, two bottoms, and they fastened them facing one another across a portable sling stand. The presenters took turns talking and applying their art. The crowd was educated and entertained. Next up was a Puppy 101 class with me and Luckey. He was lively and we had a lot of fun sharing the basics of safe puppy play and handling. We finished up the afternoon with the four presenters up front for a Dom/sub lifestyle discussion panel with Q&A. Then came dinner and we were back to the Blazing Saddle for gear night. Hot men, hot gear, strong drinks, and great fun! We ended up hanging out with Alexis from Le Chateau Exotique quite a bit this weekend, and she held her own in a crowd of gay leathermen.

Sunday was brunch and back to the Blazing Saddle for another beer bust and jock auction. Finally, after all our goodbyes were said and everybody hugged, we went back to Jeremy's house for pizza and some tv. There was football, singing, more football, and I napped through a good portion of it. Monday came and it was time to head to the airport, and then homeward.

My big impressions from the weekend?

• The community is amazing in Des Moines. I met so many wonderful people and had so many great conversations - I am touched and warmed from the time spent there.
• Those people know how to have a good time! oh my...yes.
• Those people know how to EAT. omg. I'll be eating salads for two weeks as penance for all the wonderful things we ate. Zombie Burger late in the night - Walking Ched, Fried Brussels Sprouts; Dim Sum - so many great flavors (chicken feet - they're ok, but the texture is a little gummy for me); Quentin's; All you can eat brunch. oh yes, it was good.

Thank you again, Jeremy, for inviting us up and thank you to the Blazing Saddle for hosting us for such a great weekend.