I realized that the Mudcat is much, much bigger than just some faceless pseudonyms. (Actually, I had suspected it all along.) At Annap's first gathering and again at the Getaway, I got to see that without exception, Mudcatters are not only real, but are bigger than life.

It would be an understatement to say that I don't usually do well in groups. These events were totally different. I already knew many of the people and in many cases recognized them from their pictures on bbc's resource pages. This made things so very much easier for me. I was immeasurably more at ease. But of course the best part was being able to talk face-to-face without typing and to further cement friendships. Oh, and the music wasn't half bad either!