I did a bad job taking my own photos this year. In fact, as I was packing up, I realized I’d never even taken my actual camera out of my bag. While I do have a few taken with my iPod, they’re low quality and exceedingly sporadic. Therefore, it is only through the generosity of others that I am able to bring you a photographic recap of the 26 Seasons of Gallifrey One.

In previous years when we’ve done our group cosplay, we’ve taken the opportunity to get a photo of all of us with one of the guests. Due to the pricing changes for those photo ops, we weren’t up for it this year (though now we can plan ahead for next year). So although several of us have individual shots with Barrowman (and goodness are they fun), we don’t have the entire League of Doctors (our Who character/comic character mashups) with him, which is a shame, as he’s been both Who and DC characters himself.

However, one of our friends (Andy Staats) had agreed to be our “official” photographer. With his kind permission, I’ve included a few of my favorites here. (Unless otherwise noted, all these are his; see more at flickr.) First up is the whole group of us.

We’ve got our Fifth Doctor/Power Girl mashup, our Poison Ivy/Amy Pond (“Poison Amy”), our Harley Quinn/Fourth Doctor, our Loki/Eleventh Doctor (“Elevki”), our River Song/Catwoman, and our Eighth Doctor/Thor (“DocThor,” which is me).

My Saturday was panel-rich. I jumped in right at the beginning of programming with “The Gallifrey Genderbend,” a panel discussing the pros and cons of a future incarnation of the Doctor being (or at least presenting) female. There was some rich conversation, including a rapid shift near the beginning from “should it happen” to “who should be cast.” Later, the panelists conducted an informal poll asking who thinks the Doctor should at some point be a woman—yes, no, or don’t care. There were some hands for each option, but the solid majority voted “yes.” Time will tell.

Next I sat in on the interviews of Carole Ann Ford (the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan) and Wendy Padbury (Second Doctor Companion Zoë). Each of them had some fabulous stories about things besides their time on Doctor Who. Carole Ann talked about her early career in a rambling, roundabout way that included getting in a cage with a tiger at the London Zoo, among other things. Wendy talked a little about her time as an agent, including how she became Matt Smith’s first agent (and got him his first job within days of first seeing him). Both are delightful people.

I took a short break to grab lunch and get Carole Ann’s autograph in the dealers’ room before heading to the next panel to meet some of my friends there. On my way into the dealers’ room, I ran across said friends, though. One of them was still shaking from the adrenaline rush of getting her photo taken with John Barrowman. For the past three years, since she first made her 60’s style TARDIS costume, she’s wanted this photo, and she finally got it. I have to say, “Captain Jack” clinging to the TARDIS is among the best celebrity/fan photos I’ve ever seen. She had every right to be excited.

Today’s the day I give my annual forewarning to my readers that the onslaught of Gallifrey One posts is about to begin. This year marks my fourth time attending the con, and more of the usual shenanigans are on the horizon.

I was all set to make this post about various panels, planned costumes, and so on, but things took an unexpected turn last week when I slipped while walking the dog (fresh, fluffy snow + previously-melted-to-a-fine-sheen ice = super slippery), fell, and broke my wrist. So my Gally 2015 experience may well have a strong cast-related component.

One of my first thoughts on having the break confirmed (I was pretty sure it wasn’t just sprained, but you have to have X-rays to tell for sure) was, “At least it won’t interfere with my new cosplay!” As with the last two years, I’ll be part of a group cosplay. This one we’ve dubbed the “League of Doctors”; it involves mashups of Doctors (or Companions) with superheroes (or sidekicks, or villains). My costume is sleeveless, so a bulky cast won’t completely ruin the look. Look for photos here in the roundup next week.

I joked with a friend that today’s blog post would be short and sweet: “Sunday I spent all day in Program A. The end.” While that’s an accurate summary, though, it’s neither interesting to read nor anywhere near complete.

Because of the timing of our Tin Litter photo with Paul McGann on Saturday, we’d had to miss the Billie Piper interview panel. So around 9:30, I went down to see if I could get in to the repeat panel that started at 10. There’s no reason I should have expected anything else, but I was still slightly bemused to come across a huge line snaking around outside the ballroom and onto the patio. When I got in line, we were already up the ramp toward the driveway; by the time the line began to move, there were probably at least half as many people behind me as in front of me.

Seeing Billie was lovely. She didn’t take herself too seriously, told some fun stories, and just generally gave us all a sense of her real personality. Similarly, Arthur Darvill, whose panel followed, came across as a very real and approachable person, even if the conversation went off the rails pretty early on.

In the long tradition of poaching better seats as the ballroom clears, I’d moved up to the fourth row by the time the day’s third panel began. This one, called “Variations on a Theme,” was an interview with composer Dominic Glynn, who is responsible for the theme music for Season 23 (Trial of a Time Lord) and the incidental music for several Sixth and Seventh Doctor adventures. The highlight of the panel was the last few minutes, when he performed a live remix of the theme tune, never before performed, and created especially for Gallifrey One. I only wish I could have seen it from the stage side, to watch the screen of his Mac as he mixed.

It feels very strange to be writing my first post this morning, after so much has already happened. Although only a single day of the official con has passed, Gallifrey One has been happening unofficially for many days now, a few of which I’ve been lucky enough to experience.

After a little travel excitement (though not nearly so much as many), I made it to LA on Wednesday night. All that travel combined with the two-hour time change (and in the wrong direction, dammit) kept me from being social, but the next morning I met up with some friends to have breakfast at our (non-Marriott) hotel and then drag all our stuff to the Marriott, where we’d all be staying for the duration.

The rest of the day was a slow ramp-up to LobbyCon, which is the socializing that happens outside con programming in the Marriott Lobby. Thursday night, the night before programming begins, is traditionally the night that LobbyCon begins (though as folks arrive earlier and earlier each year, it has stretched out well ahead of the con), and ribbon trading begins in earnest.

I also managed this year to get in on another Gally tradition: the run to In-N-Out Burger. Having never tried In-N-Out before, I figured it was worth a shot. However, because it’s a bit of a hike from the Marriott (25 minute walk) and the particular folks I was with didn’t have a car, I ended up blistering my feet on my not-a-good-fit-for-long-distances shoes. Frankly, the food wasn’t nearly good enough to make up for it. In other words, having done it once, I see no reason to trek to In-N-Out again. (I got ribbons, though!)