Passing the Boot with #dmtweetup

The #dmtweetup at Hessen Haus on July 29 brought out several new faces. Hillary Brown (@hillabean), back in Des Moines fresh from California, was a pleasure to meet and definitely a great addition to the crew. She is happy to be back in the Midwest and working with Nathan Wright (@nathantwright) at Lava Row. We’ll see how she feels about her decision when the first snow flies this year.

Other first timers in attendance were Jon Palestini (@youwithoutme), who owns his own clothing company called Nightmare City Apparel and works at Sacred Skin, and Neil Roberts (@pottedmeat), a JavaScript dev for Dojo Toolkit and SitePen. I didn’t get a chance to talk to Neil much, but he seems like a cool guy. Some of the regulars in attendance were Kathy Landen (@kathy_L), Daniel (@danielshipton) and Abbie Shipton (@abbieshipton), Brett Trout (@bretttrout), Jeremy Bingaman (@iowaradioguy) and Troy Rutter (@trutter). I know there were others I have left out and I’m sure I’ll hear about it.

One of the best things about our crew is it is such a diverse group. Where else can you sit and chat with a lawyer, a radio personality, web and software developers, a video producer, social media gurus, etc. all in one place? With such a wide range of personalities there is always something interesting to talk about.

The building that now houses the Hessen Haus has a long and varied past. Formerly an old train station it has undergone numerous transformations over the years – playing host to a variety of restaurants, bars and dance halls – and nearly facing condemnation and destruction at one point. Early in its history, it even served as an open-air structure for housing horses. It has a large open feel with plenty of room for a group.

I had a couple German beers I couldn’t pronounce and a burger that I’m not sure was German, but was tasty none the less. I may not speak German, but I do speak beer. Pass that boot.

See the rest of the photos from this #dmtweetup on Flickr.