Aug 19 2013
Arriving in the Bay Area
Glenn Glazer has a sign and he’s not afraid to use it. He was waiting for me at San Jose and then whisked me away to the Winchester House.
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Aug 19 2013
A collection of fan fund winners
The Seattle fans held a party for me on my last night there and we discovered there were rather a lot of fan fund winners there.
Aug 17 2013
Whidbey Island Fair
Today Ulrika and Mary Kay took me to the Whidbey Island Fair.
Many animals were there. They were held in the balance and some were found wanting
Aug 15 2013
Welcome to Seattle
I was met at the airport by Luke and Julie McGuff. The plane had conspired to get in early so I was there before they were and things all get terribly confused as we tried to meet up. Eventually we did bump into each other and they whisked my away to show me lots of nature stuff and hand me over to Randy Byers. I didn’t take a photo of their welcome so we re-enacted it in their apartment with Randy sitting nearby.
Aug 14 2013
Meeting with Charles Vess
Today Curt and I ate out at Cracker Barrel where I discovered Grits.
We went to see a mill and Curt came within inches of being bitten by a Copperhead snake.
We visited the college radio station WEHC from where Curt broadcasts his radio programmes and I recorded a Station ID for them.
I also got to meet the world famous artist, Charles Vess who lives and works in Abingdon. It was such a joy to meet him and his enthusiasm for his work was a joy to encounter. He is currently working on a graphic novel based on the Appalachian Jack folk tales.
Here’s Charles showing me Appalachian Jack as a rabbit on a boat that floats in the air.
Aug 13 2013
Monticello
Today (12th August) Curt and I were up before the lark taunting the poor bird for its idleness. We were Monticello bound and pausing only to consume delicious scrambled egg and crispy bacon (one thing that Americans do far better than we in the United Kingdon is cooking bacon) prepared for us by the fair Liz, we were on our way.
A four hour drive but well worth it (especially as I didn’t have to do any of the driving). Monticello was the plantation home of Thomas Jefferson way back in the 18th century. A beautiful place lovingly designed by the great man himself. I had an incredible time and I’m extremely grateful to Curt Phillips for taking me there.
Aug 11 2013
TAFF candidate in the USA
US customs tried desperately to keep me out of the country by using the diabolically cunning tactic of hiding all the pens so we couldn’t fill out the customs declaration that they claimed they wished to see.
However I fooled them by bringing my own pen and in the blink of an eye, much shuffling of the feet and tortuous search of my bag I was through customs and allowed into the United States. Have now flown from Toronto to Cincinatti. I’m waiting for a connection to Atlanta. Then I’ll catch a flight to Tri-Cities and hopefully there will be a Curt Phillips there waiting for me.
Aug 9 2013
Arriving in Toronto
I filled in a declaration form on the plane. I hadn’t realised what a vital and exciting document this is. I searched on the instructions to find where I was supposed to leave it but there was nothing there. I left it on my seat figuring that maybe someone collected them all up and just filed them on a dusty shelf somewhere. It seems I was mistaken. This is super important document that carries vital information for everyone in the airport.
The uniformed chap looks unimpressed at my passport and says the single word “declaration”. I tell him that I don’t understand what he means. “Card you were given on the aeroplane.” Ah, yes. “That’s on the aeorplane”. He looks at me but says nothing. I’m obviously the biggest cretin ever to attempt to walk upon Canadian soil. I realise I will need one of these declaration thingies and ask where I can obtain another one. “Back” says he. Hmm. I task one of the women who are herding queues. “Back” she says. I explain that this back word isn’t helping me much. Please please please I need more specific instructions.
Through several miles of queue herding tape there is a little table and I see someone bent over it doing some writing. This, it seems is the naughty boys and girls table where they must obtain their declaration forms. I go to do my duty returning later with correctly filled out form.
Now there are more questions. Why are you here and why for ONLY four days. Just visiting someone and then going on to visit someone else. And where does this someone live? Erm, I don’t know. You don’t know? “In Toronto”, I offer. She’s called Catherine. I’ve used up my two pieces of information. I have nothing left. Customs woman presses the point. She wants to know what expensive and luxurious gifts I have brought for this Catherine. I say that I’ve brought nothing at all. I didn’t think she’d really want to know that I had a copy of Pips for Catherine.
Much suspicion continues about how I know this Catherine. I tell her that we meet at Science Fiction conventions (which isn’t entirely true as Catherine and I haven’t yet met – I wonder what the penalty is for lying to a customs official – maybe I’ll be dangled from the CNN tower until I say sorry or made to wait in a customs line for eternity).
The customs woman understands about Science Fiction conventions and nods and smiles. I have made it into Canada