Elle and I got back from Macstock 2019 (a.k.a. Macstock 5) on Monday. We stayed an extra day to spend some time in Woodstock, the wonderful little Illinois town that is host to Macstock (or close enough, it’s actually in nearby Crystal Lake).

It seemed scheduling conflicts and personal affairs abounded this year, but despite some notably missing faces the numbers grew again, as they do every year this goes on. And what a crowd, I met so many new people this year, and had some great times with friends new and old.

The talks were great. I loved presentations from David Sparks, Rosemary Orchard, Allison Sheridan, Mike Schmitz, and all the others. I especially enjoyed Chuck Joiner’s presentation on how to create a good presentation deck — presented the day before my own talk — that made me realize I don’t know how to make a good presentation deck. I felt like my own talks went well enough, though I always feel like I get more credit than I should. Imposter syndrome, I suppose.

There were live podcasts from Mac Power Users and others, as well as the Macstock Film Festival, game night, and plenty of entertainment to go around. And if you have/make the time, there’s Woodstock to visit and lots of local shops to enjoy. (I love Ethereal Confections and would be severely disappointed if — on any given trip to the area — I didn’t get to go.)

To everyone I met I want to say that it really was great to meet you. I wasn’t just saying that. There were enough people there that I felt it was important to talk to that I might have come off as uninterested on occasion, flitting from one conversation to the next. Please don’t think it was anything less than an honor to meet you. The number of times I was thanked for my work, my blog, or my podcasts was tremendous and meant the world to me.

I did not take as many pictures as I should have, but here are a few I did pull off…

Image: A little bit from a 360° photo shot by Mike Rose.
A little bit from a 360° photo shot by Mike Rose.
Image: Stephen Hackett disassembling an iMac over the lunch break. As one does at Macstock.
Stephen Hackett disassembling an iMac over the lunch break. As one does at Macstock.
Image: John Voorhees and Dan Peterson, representing MacStories, 1Password, and the hair club for men.
John Voorhees and Dan Peterson, representing MacStories, 1Password, and the hair club for men.
Image: Chuck Joiner presenting about presentations
Chuck Joiner presenting about presentations
Image: Macstock does not mess around with decaf.
Macstock does not mess around with decaf.
Image: Some of the outdoor crowd at a dinner.
Some of the outdoor crowd at a dinner.
Image: A presentation by David Sparks
A presentation by David Sparks
Image: Allison Sheridan and Kelly Guimont (and me)
Allison Sheridan and Kelly Guimont (and me)
Image: "Yoga for Nerds" instructor Elle Newman
"Yoga for Nerds" instructor Elle Newman
Image: Wally Cherwinski and Guy Serle
Wally Cherwinski and Guy Serle
Image: Me and Chuck
Me and Chuck
Image: The guy who makes all the presentations go smoothly, Brian Henson
The guy who makes all the presentations go smoothly, Brian Henson
Image: Mike Potter, father of Macstock
Mike Potter, father of Macstock