MiGO Winter Social

From the album:
"MiGO Silver Coin Awards" by Michigan Geocaching Organization
Basswoodbend- Dick and Nancy

These Silver award recipients began caching in June 2003. Since that time, these retired teachers have found over 2500 caches in 41 states. They have attended 37 events, 2 of which were Cache In Trash Out gatherings. In the fall of ‘07, they completed the Michigan County Challenge and had a geocoin minted to honor their 50th wedding anniversary. Having owned 81 caches to this point, you can find their caches in the Michigan Lost Towns series, along the Shore to Shore series and, to rave reviews, the popular Trekking Traverse Trails series. As Traverse City residents, they have also worked with the Traverse City Visitor’s Center and the Convention & Visitor Bureau to bring Geocaching into the Welcome Center in downtown Traverse City. There you can pick up information about the sport and if you look in the right spot, you’ll find a cache waiting to log. So for their contributions to our sport, I am proud to present Dick and Nancy, of Basswoodbend, with the Silver Coin Award from MiGO.

The Winter Social is something we look forward to every year. This year it was held in Lansing - well, it's been in the Lansing area for the last few years, but this venue was right in the Big City.

We had such a good time - we saw people we haven't seen for a couple of years - it's always fun to re-connect. As always, we saw a lot of good friends, and met some new friends too.









There were two major highlights for me - well, maybe three. Every year they award Silver Coins to caching teams who support and advance caching in the State of Michigan. We were thrilled when we were one of the 5 recipients of the silver coin! It was thrilling and so unexpected! We experienced real shock and awe. It's a good feeling to be put in the company of winners past and present whom we have always admired. Wow. In the teaser before the announcement, Chad mentioned how many caches we have found and placed, that we've found a cache in all of the counties of Michigan and in many States and countries. He brought up the Shore to Shore series and the Trekking Traverse Trails series that Dick put together last spring. He also mentioned Dick's connection with the T.C. Visitor Center to promote geocaching in the Grand Traverse area. I'm very proud of Richard!



To put the frosting on the cake, Tim and Susie also received a silver coin - how great is that?!



The five teams receiving the silver coin were Basswood Bend, DinoDuo, TreePlanter, Pairomedicchick, and DeRock. Good company.

The Wolverine Warriors were there with their three great children, the newest of which is their six month old son Braylon (named for Braylon Edwards). They were nice enough to let me hold Braylon as long as I wanted - he is a darling, snuggle-puppy kind of a baby - very content to just snuggle up and observe his surroundings. Gee, that was fun. He is such a great baby.





Jodi took a picture of Dick taking a picture of me.


Justin is wondering if I will ever give the baby back!


The silent auction is always fun for me, and this year was no different. I didn't get the quilt that I bid on 3 times, but the two of us did win 3 auctions and we were happy with them.

All in all, it was a wonderful day - full of joy, adrenalin, and warm fuzzies. We were exhausted afterwards - when I got back to the motel I took a nap right away. Am I getting too old for this? No, that can't be it!

I closed my eyes with memories of silver coins, good friends and a warm bundle of baby boy Braylon.

When Dick logged the event, I realized that he is a much better writer than I am!

As Chad stood at the microphone and read the description of the first coin recipient, lights flashed on in our heads and we glanced at each other in disbelief. the tips of our ears and the backs of our necks reddened. the room suddenly became much warmer. We were stultified! To be placed in the same category as De Rock, Tree Planter, Paramedic Chick, and Dino Duo, not to mention the coin winners of the past years is incomparable. We have long recognized them as outstanding members of the Michigan Geocaching community, but to be grouped with them, and given special recognition by our peers, for behaviors and actions which we perceive to be ordinary and normal in the pursuit of our favorite hobby is overwhelming. We are honored and humbled.
We wish to recognize the BOD and the countless worker bees who labor to make this and all of the MiGO sponsored events a success. We are well aware that they are the ones who deserve the awards and recognition. Thanks to you all and thanks to our friends, old and new, and even those whom we have not yet met for making this day one we will never forget.

From Facebook:

Michigan Geocaching Organization: Beginning in 2005, the Board of Directors established a program by which to recognize the outstanding contributions of MiGO members to our organization and the Geocaching public as a whole. For this purpose, 50 silver MiGO coins were minted, numbered 1-50. For this honor, the Board of Directors chooses those members who have truly gone above and beyond the call of duty in the service of our organization, offering of themselves and their talents freely for the benefit of us all. The contributions of these people have been significant, and will have long lasting effects on our group and the quality of geocaching in Michigan.