It's time to power down the office PC and make for home. Thursday will find me at the pride of Connecticut -- Bradley International Airport. If you've never been there, it is not a bad facility as airports go. So far, however, they have steadfastly rejected my suggestions to employ domestic cats as TSA security screeners. (A "cat scan," get it? Ouch!)

My dear sainted mother informs me that preparations are underway for my arrival at Casa De Mi Madre, my lavish Hamvention accommodations. Sad to say, however, she can no longer inflate the air mattress on her own. To that end, she has hired two local gentlemen, Lil Luke and his brother Dwayne, to see to my comfort. I can't wait to meet them.

Meanwhile, the ARRL Expo team has nearly completed the booth setup. At the moment they are sampling some of Dayton's culinary delights, such as Chien Malchanceux sandwiches. Tomorrow they will finish and all will be ready. Cry havoc and set loose the Dayton Hamvention!

Actually, it is T-Minus 47 hours from the time I posted this entry, if you want to be precise. What we need is a old fashioned drive-in movie countdown clock. They had a certain hypnotic quality that is difficult to describe. If you watched them long enough, you had no choice but to obey. Those of a certain age can recall these things, but if you have no idea what I am talking about, click here. (I dare you to watch for the full 5 minutes without taking a hammer to your computer.)

Dayton weather has deteriorated a bit, but I think the threat of rain is minimal. They are calling for cloudy skies Friday and Saturday with a 50% chance of rain at most. A cloudy sky is really a blessing if you are spending a lot of time in the fleamarket. I'll take clouds over a second-degree sunburn any day.

The ARRL HQ advance team is already in Dayton. More will be flooding in tomorrow. They've encountered problems, as you can see in the accompanying photos, but it is nothing this brave crew can't handle!

Well, things are starting to happen here in Newington as we get ready for the 2009 ARRL National Convention and Dayton Hamvention. Our warehouse crew is sending boatloads of fun and exciting exhibits, merchandise and good stuff to Hara Arena. I can't begin to even fathom how much stuff is being sent -- I think "tons" would be an understatement!

Now, if I could only get my luggage shipped out there...

If you've been following Duncan's Twitter posts at twitter.com/arrlyouth, you know by now that the weather forecast for Hamvention weekend is spectacular--sunny skies, no rain in sight and highs in the upper 70s.

It was not always so, however.

To this day Hamvention veterans frighten their children and grandchildren with stories of automobiles mired in seas of mud and rainfall that hadn't been seen since the days of Noah. One memorable year I was hiking back to my car with an ancient boatanchor radio slung over my shoulders, eyes blinking furiously against the driving rain. There was a small puddle of murky water between the asphalt and the grass into which my car was slowly sinking. I attempted a slight hop to clear the puddle and instantly found myself dazed and horizontal in the muck.

An earnest teen with a handheld transceiver raced to my side. "Are you hurt, mister?"

As black spots swam in my field of vision, I waved my hand and replied, "The only thing injured is my dignity."

I remained seated for a moment, feeling the cold rain against my face and realizing that I would never been clean again. I thought of Batty in the science fiction movie Blade Runner as he sat in the rain and made his final statement. Paraphrasing to fit my own predicament, I mumbled, "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Waterlogged tarps flying in gale-force winds. Cars dragged from quicksand near the fleamarket gate. All those Hamvention moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain..."

And the boatanchor? Well, it would never be clean again, either.

Do you Twitter? Follow ARRL Youth Editor Duncan MacLachlan, KU0DM, and explore all of the convention's nooks and crannies through his Twitter updates! twitter.com/arrlyouth