Nice to touch base - I've seen your posts around and always meant to say something, but was always in a rush!
I almost got to Virginia beach by some strange 'coincidence' just after I had read the above biography (you are going to love it, by the way!! and it's nice and long...) but, in the end, I didn't go..still...being from the west coast of Canada it was quite crazy that my bf's double bass luthier competition was taking place less than an hour from A.R.E.! (in the end he decided not to go in it)