Manitoba Orchid Society

[Jim Toomey]

Man what a sorry lot.
Probably a bunch of frustrated underpaid wanna-bees.
You handled it much better than most of us may have...
I hope the USA was kinder to you upon your return.

 

[Orchidzrule]

Geez, I felt so bad for poor Ernie when I heard about his experience. I'm afraid he won't want to come back after such an ordeal--and couldn't blame him if that was his decision. I was on his judging team and really enjoyed the experience. I've judged slipper orchids in previous years, but this is the first time since I started growing and so I think I got a lot more out of it this year.

As always, I bought way too many plants. For anyone interested, I'll list them:

PAPHS

Paramount
Macabre (pre-order)
Harmon Andrews (pre-order)
Pinocchio
Yi-Ying Northern Lights (in spike--probable vini)
Bo-Ying Chow
fowliei X hennisianum

Orchids Limited
Ano Puddle 'Eureka' AM/AOS X Skip Bartlett 'White Pepper' HCC/AOS
hainanense

Orchids By Kimberly
Chen Samn Colorful

PHRAGS

Orchids Limited
Memoria Estelle Getty (I bought it with the intention of trading with Jorch, for a couple of paphs he has that I'm interested in, but I'm starting to want to keep it!)

NON SLIPPERS (Assuming anyone on this forum is interested)

Orchids Limited
Psychopsis Mendenhall alba 'Yellow Butterfly' (Jason said "You need this, Rob" and then he very generously knocked 5 bucks off the list price! How could I refuse?)

Orchids In Our Tropics
Tolumnia Popoki 'Mitzi' AM/AOS
Tolumnia Jairek Rainbow X Catherine Wilson

I will try & post photos of some of the blooms in a day or so.

 

[Bolero]

It must be good to meet people you befriend in forums like this.

Congratulations Kyle!

 

[Ernie]

I will gladly return. Shoot, I'm going to keep trying until I get it right. Last year they sent me to immigration too, so this year when they did, I thought nothing of it. I'll keep going back as long as the WOS will have me and until I've seen every room in their airport.

On the way home, US customs took a while x-raying my laptop backpack- turns out they were fixated on two AAA batteries (for MP3 player) which admittedly look like bullets. They also sampled my laptop for chemical residue, but they did that last year too.

-Ernie

 

[Yoyo_Jo]

Oh geez, I'm so embarassed for our country. If it makes you feel any better Ernie, they don't sometimes don't treat Canadians any more kindly when we're trying to get back into our own country.

 

[smartie2000]

yea our customs are a little too picky....esp. when it comes to agricultural stuff. Plus they have silly policies.
I'm not sure why they get so concerned about non orchid tropical things when the potential pests die anyways in the winter, or dried cultivated ginseng roots when they are sent by mail (when the agent noted to me that they are fine as carry-on).

I think they were screwing around with you. that was very disrespectful, especially with the deli containers!

On another note, Nice purchases Orchidzrule! I'm enious of your Psychopsis Mendenhall alba 'Yellow Butterfly'. if you get to divide it let me know please.

 

[Orchidzrule]

I will gladly return. Shoot, I'm going to keep trying until I get it right. I'll keep going back as long as the WOS will have me and until I've seen every room in their airport.

-Ernie

Glad you are undaunted! As far as "trying until you get it right" goes, one slight correction--we aren't WOS. Although the vast majority of our members are in Winnipeg, we do have members outside the city too, who wouldn't like us calling it Winnipeg OS. I'm sure I speak for everyone who has had the opportunity to meet you & hear you speak, that we'd love to have you back. Perhaps we could even prevail upon you to speak at the banquet!

Fren, your request is duly noted. You're first in line for a division. I gotta warn you, though, it's likely to be a slow moving line!

 

[Ernie]

My bad- the MOS, for Manitoba OS (not Winnipeg OS). I knew that, just goofed. Lorne was considering me for the banquet this year if the Parks guy fell through. He was good and would be a tough act to follow. I think I could work up some good dinner jokes though. I think taking you through my orchid travels and all the silly stuff I've seen and crazy people I've met would be fun.

-Ernie

 

[parvi_17]

I can't believe this happened to you Ernie! Sometimes customs officials can be pretty ignorant. Hopefully it won't happen again!

 

[Kavanaru]

wow, that's an experience... I really feel sorry for Ernie and everybody being in such situations... but that can happens everywhere... I remember coming back from Venezuela (end 90's) on a Lufthanse flight which had the route Lima-Bogota-Caracas-Frankfurt... I was the only that looked "non-german", so it was almost like having written on my forehead "Drugs dealer": They checked even my underwear - By the time I was allowed to leave the airport, my friend had left thinking I did not take the plane
or a friend of mine coming from Frankfurt to attend a congress in Mexico. For some reason, the plane could not land at the mexican destination and had to stop in the USA. immigration checked my friends pass: no USA Visa... They asked her why she had no Visa for the uSA, and she was very honest and said she was not planning to visit USA but attending a Congress in Mexico. Agent: BUT you are now in the USA and you cannotbe here without a visa. Friend: well, you can contact the airline and they will explain the reasons why the flight landed here and not in Mexico. Agent: We have nothing to discuss with the airline, but with you. And you are in the USA without Visa. So, they put my friend on an airplane, back to Frankfurt. Where the airline apologized hundreds of time and put her on another plane flying to Mexico: Frankfurt-Miami-Frankfurt-Monterrey in 48 hours

 

[NYEric]

I had 1 or 2 hard times when I was going to Canada to play in Pball tournaments ! :rollhappy:

At least your problem didn't involve smashed plants and policemen!