Time for a short debrief of the weekend.

BricksCascade was my second LEGO convention in Portland, the first having been BrickFest 2009. Since that was the last year of BrickFest, Cascade has taken its place as the biggest con in the area.

The organization of Cascade was in general somewhat lacking. One of the great things about BrickCon is the many seminars, discussions and roundtables; Cascade didn't have much in that department. What Cascade did have was lots of free and discounted sets. Every attendee is guaranteed one free big set - I got the Ultra Agents Hurricane Heist - and on Saturday night there was a scratch-and-dent sale with sets for 47% off. I bought the Star Wars AAT, the Superman Battle of Smallville and the Ultra Agents Mission HQ for a grand total of $91. The Exo-Suit, Kopaka, Protector of Jungle and a couple of Hero Packs were acquired at the LEGO store. Also, Micah (Kakaru) generously gave me one of the trans-orange Tahu Masks that LEGO sent him, and Pat (DeeVee) gave me a clear Tahu mask and, even cooler, one of the Bionicle t-shirts from NYCC!

By far the highlight - and, more and more with every convention, the biggest reason to go - was all the people. I listed all the BZP members that attended the full convention in my last entry (plus Rene). Dallior and possibly some others also made an appearance during the public hours. Trisha (Kayru) and Ben (ChocolateFrogs) were fantastic roommates for the weekend.

My flight on Sunday night to Seattle was delayed, which would have caused my to miss my flight from Seattle to Edmonton. Instead of staying in a hotel in Seattle for a night, Jason (xccj) generously agreed to put me up for the night. Ben was staying with him as well. Staying the extra day turned out to be great; I had the chance to explore Portland a bit more, and I took advantage of the extensive shopping district. I also watched an apparently homeless man sing the Irish national anthem like a pro in Pioneer Square.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend and the only thing that went wrong ended up being a good thing. Thanks to all for the great company and memories. See you all next time!

-Letagi