Trip to WOL-2002-A Great Success-LONG

Thor · 03-04-2002, 12:45 PM

Well.....what a thrill to get to do this all over again.

Thursday-The road trip to Phoenix as quick was I couldnt help but think about all the great people I was getting ready to meet and all the Lugers and P.38s awaiting my trembling fingers....I was excited. A thermos of coffee and an Elvis CD helped to ease my jitters or at least distract me.

Friday-A first breakfast with Luke Smithwick and Bob Tracy got things off to a great start, then off to Ralphs for Luke's Navy purchase. Luke really did this right, made arragements with Ralph and set aside a couple of hours to get just the right Navy from Ralph's great selection-The three of us had a great time and Luke ended up with his Navy and another Luger and a great looking Pre War-PPK (I was very envious) he did very well indeed. Ralph took us all to lunch at the Country Club and we enjoyed discussions with him about Luger collection/shooting/gunshows. What a great time-Thanks Ralph! Then off to GTs that evening-What a thrill-Ron Wood brought a fantastic collection of Minty top of the line Collection Grade Lugers including a Michael Krause 45 reproduction Luger-WOW. Ralph and Nancy Shattuck were there also and it was fun talking to them. GT and Carol had a great feed and bier bash for all to enjoy. We were loving this a lot. GTs son Gerry was there too, a great young man with a thirst for gun collection too. I met lots of people in person for the first time. Really a thrill to meet DOK, and see his fantastic work, he brought along Luke's case for an Imperial Luger complete with the Imperial German Eagle on the top of the case-FANTASTIC To see Dok's work in person is an incredible thrill, it is simply awesome! I was getting really pumped about this next project-A presentation case for my Baby Luger. Ed Tinker was a kick too, he has a great personality and sense of humor!! GT's fantastic P.38 colleciton was availabe for review and I especially liked the baby P.38 that John Martz made for him. It was also very interesting to hear from GT on his wood bottom making and up coming endevours. GT gave away some great prizes and we all hated to leave.

Saturday-The breakfast meeting was great and more neat people to meet. My new friend and client Bill Stanley and lovely wife Linda were there and I really enjoyed talking to them. Hugh and Minta Clark were a delight as well and Hugh gave me another strange looking Luger to rework for him with a long 30 Luger barrel made from a rifle barrel I think. He also returned three sets of Grips he had worked on for me and as I have come to expect, they were all perfect. On To Ralph and NAncy's place. The trip to WOL didnt take long at all from the restaurant and Ralph and Nancy greeted all with a big smile and warm welcome! They really rolled out the red carpet for us all and Ron Wood brought some great cotton white gloves for the visitors to use while handling the super Luger Inventory. It was very satisfying for me to see so many of my friends finally get to experience the thrill of Ralph's place and getting to meet him and Nancy is every bit as great IMO. Well, I took some pictures and looked a several Lugers and just loved to watch the guys go nuts pulling Lugers and checking them all out. I was in the first "wave" and I know several Lugers were purchased in that meeting. Ralph and I kidded John Dunkle that I was going to trade my Luger collection to Ralph for a minty Krieghoff or two to see if I could shake John up a bit! He QUICKLY saw through my ruse and of course was a ver good sport about it!! I think the second wave was equally sucessful with several Lugers bought then two. All in all a most wonderful visit by the forum to the WOL. Then off to the country club that evening for drinks, and really good food courtesy of Ralph and Nancy Shattuck! Thanks so much for a great time. John and Jen Dunkle did a FANTASTIC job on this Luger convention and Ralph and Nancy opened up their hearts and homes to all. They are so gracious and warm people! So nice to all their friends. Thanks to everyone for making this such a great trip and meeting, it was a THRILL! This trip was memorable for Natalie and I and the Lugers were great and so were all the Luger people. The forum has brought together some of the nicest and most interesting people that will continue to enrich each other's lives for some time to come I think. What a thrill to be part of it! Thanks again! IT WAS GREAT!! ~Thor~

Marvin · 03-04-2002, 01:03 PM

Thor,

Thanks for the great "blow by blow" description of the Convention. I just wish I had been able to attend this year, but I guess work does come first. I was so looking forward to seeing the old faces and meeting the new faces this year, but there is always next year and I plan to definetly be there next year.

Marvin

John Sabato · 03-04-2002, 02:03 PM

get your best photos uploaded so that the rest of the crew here on the forum that couldn't be there can see what it was like...

Hopefully NEXT year! (sigh!)

Glad you all has such a good time (he said sincerely, but with envy...)

regards,

John

Ron Wood · 03-04-2002, 05:27 PM

Great write-up Thor!! And thank you for your kind words.

Thor · 03-04-2002, 05:31 PM

Thank you for bringing all those AWESOME Lugers. Thor

03-04-2002, 08:45 PM

I took about 40 or 60 photos of Ralphs Lugers, another 10-20 at GT's house and at the dinner.

Anyone that wants a copy on Cd-ROM (I'll do them this week), e-mail me.

They should be pretty good, but I haven't looked at them besides the little view finder thingy and I am bushed, got up at 3:30 and got home a couple of horus ago.

Had a great time, can't thank everyone enough!!

Ed

Luke · 03-04-2002, 10:09 PM

It was really nice finally, meeting everyone after all the email and phone conversations . . . . and reading so many posts on the Forum over the last year.

What a great group this is !!!

Look forward to doing it again next year, even if it is 2000 miles from North Carolina.

I really had a good time and learned a lot. Agree with everything Ted said.

BILL · 03-04-2002, 11:36 PM

..I will upload some pics (took quite a few) and would also like a CD from you, Ed (that would be great). Linda and I have not gotten too far..had to have a shopping cart welded up after I went back to Ralph's for the third time after everyone else left town (didn't realize how heavy those longer barrel Lugers get when you try to carry them out to the car!). Seriously, what a great time! It is truly impossible to put it into words, or even pictures (even if they are worth a thousand words). Right now Linda and Nancy Shattuck are trading recipes in the kitchen while Ralph is helping me stack these artilleries and carbines in some shipping crates (we are thinking that just renting a van will be easier).

Actually, this has been more like a 'homecoming' than a convention. Next year..Lugerfest 2003..anyone like the sound of that? Time to start forming the planning committee NOW..both me and my wife Linda would like to volunteer for anything that can be done.

Take me to your Luger!

03-04-2002, 12:45 PM	#1
Thor User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Rio Rancho, New Mexico Posts: 4,583 Thanks: 958 Thanked 970 Times in 276 Posts	Trip to WOL-2002-A Great Success-LONG Well.....what a thrill to get to do this all over again. Thursday-The road trip to Phoenix as quick was I couldnt help but think about all the great people I was getting ready to meet and all the Lugers and P.38s awaiting my trembling fingers....I was excited. A thermos of coffee and an Elvis CD helped to ease my jitters or at least distract me. Friday-A first breakfast with Luke Smithwick and Bob Tracy got things off to a great start, then off to Ralphs for Luke's Navy purchase. Luke really did this right, made arragements with Ralph and set aside a couple of hours to get just the right Navy from Ralph's great selection-The three of us had a great time and Luke ended up with his Navy and another Luger and a great looking Pre War-PPK (I was very envious) he did very well indeed. Ralph took us all to lunch at the Country Club and we enjoyed discussions with him about Luger collection/shooting/gunshows. What a great time-Thanks Ralph! Then off to GTs that evening-What a thrill-Ron Wood brought a fantastic collection of Minty top of the line Collection Grade Lugers including a Michael Krause 45 reproduction Luger-WOW. Ralph and Nancy Shattuck were there also and it was fun talking to them. GT and Carol had a great feed and bier bash for all to enjoy. We were loving this a lot. GTs son Gerry was there too, a great young man with a thirst for gun collection too. I met lots of people in person for the first time. Really a thrill to meet DOK, and see his fantastic work, he brought along Luke's case for an Imperial Luger complete with the Imperial German Eagle on the top of the case-FANTASTIC To see Dok's work in person is an incredible thrill, it is simply awesome! I was getting really pumped about this next project-A presentation case for my Baby Luger. Ed Tinker was a kick too, he has a great personality and sense of humor!! GT's fantastic P.38 colleciton was availabe for review and I especially liked the baby P.38 that John Martz made for him. It was also very interesting to hear from GT on his wood bottom making and up coming endevours. GT gave away some great prizes and we all hated to leave. Saturday-The breakfast meeting was great and more neat people to meet. My new friend and client Bill Stanley and lovely wife Linda were there and I really enjoyed talking to them. Hugh and Minta Clark were a delight as well and Hugh gave me another strange looking Luger to rework for him with a long 30 Luger barrel made from a rifle barrel I think. He also returned three sets of Grips he had worked on for me and as I have come to expect, they were all perfect. On To Ralph and NAncy's place. The trip to WOL didnt take long at all from the restaurant and Ralph and Nancy greeted all with a big smile and warm welcome! They really rolled out the red carpet for us all and Ron Wood brought some great cotton white gloves for the visitors to use while handling the super Luger Inventory. It was very satisfying for me to see so many of my friends finally get to experience the thrill of Ralph's place and getting to meet him and Nancy is every bit as great IMO. Well, I took some pictures and looked a several Lugers and just loved to watch the guys go nuts pulling Lugers and checking them all out. I was in the first "wave" and I know several Lugers were purchased in that meeting. Ralph and I kidded John Dunkle that I was going to trade my Luger collection to Ralph for a minty Krieghoff or two to see if I could shake John up a bit! He QUICKLY saw through my ruse and of course was a ver good sport about it!! I think the second wave was equally sucessful with several Lugers bought then two. All in all a most wonderful visit by the forum to the WOL. Then off to the country club that evening for drinks, and really good food courtesy of Ralph and Nancy Shattuck! Thanks so much for a great time. John and Jen Dunkle did a FANTASTIC job on this Luger convention and Ralph and Nancy opened up their hearts and homes to all. They are so gracious and warm people! So nice to all their friends. Thanks to everyone for making this such a great trip and meeting, it was a THRILL! This trip was memorable for Natalie and I and the Lugers were great and so were all the Luger people. The forum has brought together some of the nicest and most interesting people that will continue to enrich each other's lives for some time to come I think. What a thrill to be part of it! Thanks again! IT WAS GREAT!! ~Thor~

03-04-2002, 01:03 PM	#2
Marvin User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Upstate S.C. Posts: 1,132 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Trip to WOL-2002-A Great Success-LONG Thor, Thanks for the great "blow by blow" description of the Convention. I just wish I had been able to attend this year, but I guess work does come first. I was so looking forward to seeing the old faces and meeting the new faces this year, but there is always next year and I plan to definetly be there next year. Marvin

03-04-2002, 02:03 PM	#3
John Sabato Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The Capital of the Free World Posts: 10,154 Thanks: 3,003 Thanked 2,306 Times in 1,097 Posts	PHOTOS! We want Photos! P-L-E-A-S-E get your best photos uploaded so that the rest of the crew here on the forum that couldn't be there can see what it was like... Hopefully NEXT year! (sigh!) Glad you all has such a good time (he said sincerely, but with envy...) regards, John

03-04-2002, 05:27 PM	#4
Ron Wood Moderator 2010 LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Santa Teresa New Mexico just outside of the West Texas town of El Paso Posts: 7,022 Thanks: 1,090 Thanked 5,178 Times in 1,703 Posts	Re: Trip to WOL-2002 Great write-up Thor!! And thank you for your kind words.

03-04-2002, 05:31 PM	#5
Thor User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Rio Rancho, New Mexico Posts: 4,583 Thanks: 958 Thanked 970 Times in 276 Posts	Re: Trip to WOL-2002 Thank you for bringing all those AWESOME Lugers. Thor

03-04-2002, 06:14 PM	#6
John D. Administrator & Site Owner LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: A Little NE of Somewhere... Posts: 2,651 Thanks: 477 Thanked 515 Times in 128 Posts	Hi John S. and All..... (Dinner Pic).. http://www.lugerforum.com/images/WOL_group1.jpg

03-04-2002, 08:45 PM	#7
66mustang Guest Posts: n/a	Re: PHOTOS! We want Photos! P-L-E-A-S-E I took about 40 or 60 photos of Ralphs Lugers, another 10-20 at GT's house and at the dinner. Anyone that wants a copy on Cd-ROM (I'll do them this week), e-mail me. They should be pretty good, but I haven't looked at them besides the little view finder thingy and I am bushed, got up at 3:30 and got home a couple of horus ago. Had a great time, can't thank everyone enough!! Ed

03-04-2002, 10:09 PM	#8
Luke User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: NC - USA Posts: 1,239 Thanks: 0 Thanked 18 Times in 6 Posts	Re: Trip to WOL-2002 It was really nice finally, meeting everyone after all the email and phone conversations . . . . and reading so many posts on the Forum over the last year. What a great group this is !!! Look forward to doing it again next year, even if it is 2000 miles from North Carolina. I really had a good time and learned a lot. Agree with everything Ted said.

03-04-2002, 11:36 PM	#9
BILL User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Western Washington Posts: 826 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	When I get back.. ..I will upload some pics (took quite a few) and would also like a CD from you, Ed (that would be great). Linda and I have not gotten too far..had to have a shopping cart welded up after I went back to Ralph's for the third time after everyone else left town (didn't realize how heavy those longer barrel Lugers get when you try to carry them out to the car!). Seriously, what a great time! It is truly impossible to put it into words, or even pictures (even if they are worth a thousand words). Right now Linda and Nancy Shattuck are trading recipes in the kitchen while Ralph is helping me stack these artilleries and carbines in some shipping crates (we are thinking that just renting a van will be easier). Actually, this has been more like a 'homecoming' than a convention. Next year..Lugerfest 2003..anyone like the sound of that? Time to start forming the planning committee NOW..both me and my wife Linda would like to volunteer for anything that can be done. Take me to your Luger!