Mini Texas

Tonight I find myself in another hotel room - this time it's the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine. It's a rather impressive establishment, with structural representation of just about every major Texas landmark, i.e., the Alamo, the Hill Country, oil rigs, etc.

We're here this week for Commodity Classic. This will make CC No. 2 for me since I've been with corn. Last year, we journeyed to Nashville to yet another Gaylord property, the Opryland Hotel. Like the Gaylord Texan, the Opryland requires a map to navigate - only it's a little over twice the size of this hotel. Very Vegas-like.

Every time I step inside a new hotel room on work trips, I always wish I started a photo diary of hotel rooms. It's like opening a present on Christmas morning each time - you may have an idea of what's inside, but you never really know. This particular hotel room has wall decor that I wouldn't mind taking home with me. (If this reminds you of anything, well...you know who you are!)

It's always fun to come to conferences like Classic, because I get to reconnect with people I've met at different times in my career, whether it be during my college organizational involvement, internships or whatever. I like that my career choices have intertwined this "community" of individuals in agriculture.

So, I will be here until Saturday, immersing myself in the world of grain policy and leadership. I've thought about hitting the hotel's fitness facility tonight. To get there, I have to cross the "Riverwalk" - a slightly smaller version of the Riverwalk I wrote about previously.