Garden bloggers, let's Spring Fling!
Calling all garden bloggers! On April 5, the Austin bloggers will host Garden Bloggers Spring Fling 2008—the first-ever social event for all garden bloggers. It’s going to be a LOT of fun, and we want you to join us. Let’s get out of cyberspace for a day and gab about gardens and blogging in person.
We’ve put together a whole day of garden tours and talks, networking opportunities, and informal discussions about blogging led by your peers. This is your chance to meet bloggers you regularly read and comment on. Add in a happy hour with Texas martinis, some good Tex-Mex and BBQ, and a visit to beautiful Austin, Texas, during bluebonnet season, and Garden Bloggers Spring Fling is an opportunity you won’t want to miss.
Check out our website to see the great events we’ve lined up for you. To help with your travel planning, you’ll also find lodging information, projected expenses, plus a page of garden-related day trips around Austin if you want to make a longer vacation of it.
And although the invitation has only just gone out, take a look at the guest list (updated regularly as we receive RSVPs). You’ll be hanging out with an eclectic, fun mix of pioneer garden bloggers, Mousie winners, Blotanical’s “Most Favourited,” and brand-new bloggers.
Please help us spread the word to any garden bloggers you know. We need your help in publicizing this event. And if you’d like to show your support for the Spring Fling by posting our badge on your site, just select the HTML code as shown, and paste it into your sidebar.
Come on and say howdy, fellow garden bloggers. We can’t wait to meet you!
P.S. If your garden blog is registered at Blotanical, you may already have received an emailed invitation to the Spring Fling. A huge thank-you to Stuart for putting the networking resources of Blotanical to use for us. If you’re not yet on Blotanical, please consider this your personal invitation to Austin.
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
OOOOoooooo sounds like fun.
It will be, Lisa. I hope you can join us! —Pam
Pam, I tried twice to add the button to my widgets on my sidebar. Both times I got a fatal error, and then I realized something ate a good portion of the text widgets on the sidebar. Now, my sidebar did need a redo, but gosh, I never expected that. It may just be me, but I wanted to let others know. As to the fling, it sounds like fun and well thought out. I may try to come.
Dee, I apologize for the badge problem. Melissa, who has helped me tremendously by designing the Spring Fling website and who knows far more than I do about html code, will be responding to you to see how to fix it. Thanks for your patience and your support. And we would love to see you in April! —Pam
If I could, I would attend your Spring Fling event. It is a great idea. I imagine there will be many attendees. The rest of us garden bloggers will be there in spirit and looking forward to seeing photographs and reading posts.
Thanks for the supportive comment, Kate. I wish you could join us, although I know it’s a long way from Canada. Maybe you’ll find a good deal on airfare . . . 🙂 —Pam
why…why do I live in Sweden!
It seems to be very fun.
Regards Ken
Ken, it’s not an insurmountable distance. I made the trip from Austin to the Netherlands last year, after all. 😉 —Pam
The Spring Fling does indeed sound like a good time to be had by all. Melissa very kindly helped get the code for the badge in a form that blogger understood. Hope to be able to attend.
I’m glad Melissa was able to help. Thanks for showing your support of the Spring Fling by putting up the badge. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll see you in April, Frances. —Pam
Pam, Thanks for organizing this and thanks to MSS for the website. Bluebonnets in bloom and bloggers in person sounds like the perfect combination. I’m crossing the creeks and counting down the days until April!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
I can’t tell you how excited we are that you are coming, Carol, and that we’ll get to meet you in person. See you in April! —Pam
How I wish I could attend, it sounds like fun. I’ve always wanted to visit Austin. My uncle used to work for 1 of the newspapers there before he moved to Tucson. He was quite detailed about what he liked about Austin & it sounds great.
Well, we wish you could attend too, MMD. If you’ve always wanted to visit Austin, this is a great excuse to do it with a bunch of garden bloggers, during one of the prettiest times of the year. —Pam
Sounds like fun! Hopefully it will be a success and become an annual event so that I can come sometime in the future.
Thanks for the good wishes, Apple. We will see where this leads, but I know it will be a fun weekend in April. —Pam
I CAN’T WAIT! Austin, gardens, garden bloggers, food, and drinks – this is going to be such a good time! Pam, what a gem you are … I am so looking forward to this!
We can’t wait to meet you, Germi! You were our first out-of-town RSVP, and your enthusiastic response made my day. Thanks for that. See you in a couple of months! —Pam
Makes me wish I was a blogger and not just a reader. Great idea Pam. A big Texas welcome to all.
Jean, thanks for your support and the friendly welcome to the out-of-towners. You’re not “just” a reader to me. I’m glad you’re here. Thanks for commenting. —Pam
May I suggest that all garden bloggers sitting on the fence try using kayak.com, which is an airfare search engine. That’s how I found a fare low enough to enable me to go. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a vacation budget.
Thanks for a great tip, Kathy. Did you leave this comment on the Spring Fling site too? (I haven’t checked yet.) We’re so happy, by the way, to have a chance to visit with you again. Thanks for spending your vacation budget to Spring Fling with us! —Pam
I only have one regret: that my garden is still not visitor-worthy at this time. *blush*
Thank you, Pam, for planning such an awesome event for everyone! What a wonderful opportunity for the Garden Bloggers to meet and in a Green place like Austin! And it’s after the cedars have stopped pollinating. I thank you and my sinuses thank you. 😉
Well, we’re coming over anyway, Dawn. Psych! I bet your garden is lovely, though. I’m happy to know you can join us. Not just join but help host by carpooling! Thanks, and see you after cedar fever season. —Pam
P.S. I put the widgit on and it my blog & it worked fine. 🙂
Thanks for helping us publicize the Spring Fling, Dawn. —Pam
This is a fabulous idea! I am so there! 😀
I’m glad it sounds good to you, Lori. If you aren’t already, start your garden-blogging engine, and we’ll see you in April. —Pam
Pam, this really does look fun – wish I could go. I’ll have over-spent my vacation budget by then though on a honeymoon in Paris. If only Bwold had the $$ to send me! I think we’ll just have to consider hosting a fling some day…
Ah, a honeymoon in Paris. Congratulations, Kris. You’ll always have Paris. Maybe next time for Austin, then. —Pam
Pam: If I can be there, I will be there! Never been to Austin!
Excellent, Layanee. I hope you can make it. —Pam
How fabulous, Thanks for your efforts Pam in planning a first-of-its-kind event. And Melissa, the badge looks great. I’m definitely in for the events – now how can I convince my husband to keep the kids for the whole day so I can attend everything?!!!
I’m glad you’ll be joining us, Bonnie. Thanks for your help with conceptualizing the event. Just tell your husband it’s a networking opportunity and offer to trade-off during the next big sports weekend, right? —Pam
I’m coming! You’ve done such a great job organizing this thing, how could I resist? Really, good going, y’all! (Yes, I’ll try to resurrect my Southern accent just in time). S
Awesome, Susan! You and Elizabeth will make a good showing for the Ranters. See y’all in April. —Pam
What a wonderful idea! Sounds like you have a great event that has been well planned. I’m checking the airfares right now!
Good—we need a representative from Colorado. Hope to see you, Jocelyn. —Pam
This sounds like great fun. I’m going to attend. Just a short drive for me!
Terrific, Kathleen! I can’t wait to meet another Texas garden blogger. —Pam
It sounds like such fun Pam and is a wonderful idea! I meant to comment yesterday, but got sidetracked by your look-back post (which is sooo interesting!!). I won’t be able to make it, I’m afraid, but will look forward to reading the various posts of the lucky attendees. I’d so much love to meet you all! Sounds like it will be well attended.
While I’m sorry you won’t be able to join us, Kerri, I trust the Fling will be well covered, so perhaps it’ll be almost like being here. Thanks for your nice words about my retrospective post. —Pam
Oh my gosh, this sounds like so much fun.
What a great idea.
What a great things you’re doing.
I wish I could go.
I’ll have to talk to hubby.
Yes, indeed. Hope you can make it, Chigiy. —Pam