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[3092428]
[2006-09-08 06:19:17 +0000 UTC]
"Barb"
(United States)
# Statistics
Favourites: 17; Deviations: 75; Watchers: 29
Watching: 26; Pageviews: 10333; Comments Made: 3149; Friends: 26
# Comments
Comments: 167
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Yes? What's up?
Sorry for the delayed response. I don't check DA as often as I once did (or should.)
Barb
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Thanks for the information I may incorporate some of that into it. In answer to your question naturally enough Bugs is the only one who could be Nick and Lola is going to be Natalie and when he finally appears Pepe will be Lacroix.
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Went into Just Imagine the other day! Missing your cheerful face. I hope things are well!
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Thank you. Who was working? Let's see . . . Olaf (tall, skinny fellow in a baseball cap), Yenni (younger woman) or Virginia (older gal and owner of the store)?
Olaf is very friendly, especially if one likes board games. If you ever have any questions about them, he's the fellow to ask. Yenni is a little more reserved (at least when I first met her she was), but if you show up fairly regularly she will probably soften in that respect, if working with the public hasn't already done that for her. She and her husband are big into Magic cards and other games. Virginia knows little about the gaming/comic book aspect of the store (and has little interest in learning) but is very knowledgeable about the rest of the products in the store, and is quite friendly.
Yup, life is good, though I miss certain people and the social aspects of working at the store. No social life here at all, unless one wishes to count my husband 
But, I am enjoying a life with very few responsibilities. Heck, I find myself resenting things that take away from what I want to be doing, like doctor appointments or grocery shopping.
How about you? How are you and Eric doing? Is life treating you well?
Since the majority of California is under severe drought conditions, have the residents of Ridgecrest been asked/required to cut back on their water usage? (I'm thinking Eric and I got out of there just in time. 
They're talking severe drought here as well. Our area is supposed to average 69" of rain annually, but they've had about 10" less than normal since October. I see it, too. It rained like heck all September and the news guys spoke of how unusual that was, then October was all sunshine and dryness and that was newsworthy as well. Now, here at the coast (or close to it) the temperatures are in the high 50s or very low 60s in January. IN OREGON!
At least things are still green for the moment.
Let me know how things are going.
Barb
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Virginia, I think, though I've chatted with Olaf a few times as well. None of them replace you. *grin*
We're not under water restrictions--it's rained about as much as usual here (which is barely, of course), but we're no more "droughted" than usual.
Things are going well for us here. I hope the intervening months have seen you getting that extra social interaction you're missing.
And I just became a CV on deviantart, so I can set Literature DDs and generally have all sorts of power. *grin* So I'll be busy and online here a lot.
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The rainfall amounts of recent years might surprise you. When Eric and I moved to Ridgecrest in 1980 the average annual rainfall was 3.5 inches per year. According to Wunderground (my fav weather website) the rainfall for 2012 was 1.5 inches, and I believe it was essentially 0 for 2013.
I cannot check my facts because they recently "improved" their website and there is some sort of bug preventing me from accessing those tables from my tablet, and my laptop is soooooo far away - at least 8 - 10 whole feet from my current comfy position. ;D
Even before the drought there were concerns that the aquifer which supplies water to the area was being drained faster than the water was being replaced.
Nah, still no social interaction unless one counts spending an hour once every two weeks assisting my husband as he demos science experiments with about a dozen elementary school children. But hey, that gives me lots of time to read fanfiction.
So, what is a CV on DA, and what are DDs?
Barb
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Oh, the aquifer is for SURE depleting at a horrific rate. No one will be able to live in R/C in a few generations, but that's a problem the whole Southwest is having (see: Lake Mead, which will be dry in my lifetime).
CV = Community Volunteer, someone approved by the dA staff to liaise between them and the community at large, as well as run projects and generally be a muckity-muck. DDs are Daily Deviations, the pick of the art on dA, that you find in the footer under most pages (there are about 25-30 every day). Getting a DD means hundreds of views, dozens of comments, scores of favorites, and a handful of new watchers, which can be really awesome for 'undiscovered' people. So if you read something awesome here, suggest it as a DD! (Though if it's fanfiction, your suggestion should go to the fanfic CV, SingingFlames ).
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Hey, have you seen this? lisakellerer.deviantart.com/ar…
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I have indeed. I troll DA nearly every day looking for PotO fan art to view.
Btw, though I'm not much of a Doctor Who fan, I LOVE your latest piece. All those portraits and the 3D element with the "police box" make it a wonderful piece.
I'll soon have a bit more time to converse - unless I spend that time looking at PotO art or reading PotO fanfic. 
Weird, this box is behaving strangely - putting spaces between paragraphs that I didn't make, and moving the cursor into the "Add Media" space if the lines go too far down. Guess I'd better make this short. - Barb (no more room to add this to another line. 
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Aww, thanks. 
Enjoy the new house and retired life! Ahh...time to read...
Laura
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You're welcome.
I'm not looking forward to all the work the move will entail, but endless amounts of free time . . . blissful sigh.
Barb
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I hear that. Moving is a drag. But endless amounts of free time sounds great!
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Of course, the down side to retirement means less money, so I don't know if I'll be attending MediaWest any more. I've mentioned to my husband that we could drive to Lansing next year, but whether he'll be willing to do so remains to be seen.
Barb
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Oh, that would be too bad. Understandable though. Maybe you could swing it if you didn't do it every year.
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Well, it remains to be seen what will happen. Who knows, maybe I'll enjoy playing at the beach so much that MW just won't be the big draw it's been for so many years.
Besides, I'm not sure I want to continue watching MW's apparently unstoppable decline. It makes me very sad to see what's been happening to an event that used to be so wonderful. Sigh.
Barb
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Yeah, you have a point there. I'm sure you wouldn't be the only one who has made the decision not to spend their time, money, vacation days etc on a waning convention. Too bad.
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Llamas ARE awesome! Thank you for the badge and comment!
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You're welcome. I'm just sorry I can't give you more than one.
Barb
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You're welcome. And thank you for the one you gave me. It put me up to the next level of llamas!
Barb
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Hi! This is Laura Quiles...you purchased Shades of Sherlock at Mediawest. Thanks! I am overwhelmed and happy to think it will be added to your beautiful collection.
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This is so cool!
I LOVE "Shades of Sherlock." I love the three current Sherlocks together in one piece, and you've done such a wonderful job of rendering them. Absolutely gorgeous. I'm not sure where I'll find room to hang it - although, come to think of it, we're buying a bigger home up in Oregon and will be moving there some time before the end of the year, so there ought to be plenty of room for additional fan art.
Poor Druidwolf. I think she was kind of irritated to miss out on the piece, though I saw the size of her stash. She must have had eight or nine other pieces - including, I believe, your other piece that went up for auction? - so I don't feel too bad for beating her out on it.
Barb
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Oh..hehe...I was standing there looking when you were showing druidwolf (she and i are friends) your page. (I was the tall blond chick
Isn't it a shame that there is only so much room to display stuff? Even a bigger house can run out of space. Anyway, I am indeed happy that you like Shades so much and I'm sure it will look great when you find space for it.
As for druidwolf...she got plenty of great pieces so I wouldn't feel to badly for her. No, she didn't get the other piece I had up for auction (she's not a Supernatural fan) but she has gotten other pieces of mine in the past. I think she's quite alright.
Laura
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Good memory.
How long have you been attending MediaWest? Your name seems very familiar, but your earlier works must have been in fandoms I'm not into, otherwise I'd have more of your pieces decorating my walls.
Which fandoms are you interested in?
I'm the sort of person who clings to my fandoms, though with ever changing degrees of interest. Let's see:
Phantom of the Opera (mostly 2004 movie, though others to a lesser extent)
Once Upon a Time
Forever Knight
Dark Shadows (1960s TV series, 1990s TV series, not so much the recent movie)
The Real Ghostbusters (yes, the cartoon)
Star Trek
Star Wars (original trilogy)
Quantum Leap
Superman (and all variants: Smallville, Superboy, Lois & Clark, etc.)
There are more, but I don't want to be TOO boring.
It IS sad that one can only hang so much art upon their walls. Must be why there are palaces and museums.
Barb
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I've been attending Mediawest for about five or six years, I think. I didn't go last year, though. And I attended MW a couple of years in the mid 90's.
I know what you mean about clinging to fandoms. Star Wars is my big fandom (OT) and most of my work has been in that fandom. Doctor Who is another big one (ya think?) and Star Trek (though I haven't done much art in that fandom). I also love Buffy and Supernatural. And though I can't say I ever watched The Real Ghostbusters, I love cartoons. I really loved Avatar: The Last Airbender and it's spinoff The Legend of Korra. I also really got into The Clone Wars series.
Perversely, my place has hardly any wall space. Most of the walls have bookcases in front of them. I don't have much of anything hanging on my walls.
Laura
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I had to stop attending for several years in a row - about '98, I think, until 2005 - when I started attending again. Too many costly unexpected expenses: vet bills, doctor bills, our daughter got married, my car getting totaled not long after buying our 1st 2nd vehicle. (Three drivers for one vehicle, with a fourth driver looming a couple of years later just wouldn't do.)
I probably wouldn't have started coming again if it weren't for the "Phantom of the Opera" movie that came out late 2004. Now there was an unexpected fandom that not only gob smacked me
As an avid collector of fan art, I just knew that the 2005 MediaWest*Con would have the first - and best - selection of PotO fan art available for purchase.
Sadly, there were only 3 PotO pieces in the art show, which was shockingly smaller than it had been when I'd last been able to attend. I had brought a lot of money with me, expecting fierce competition, and let the earlier pieces go to lower bidders so I could win the one I wanted most, but was dismayed at the lack of interest and low winning bids for ANY of the art. Afterward, I tried convincing a couple of the better artists how much I would love (and would be willing to pay for) any PotO art they might enter the following year, but Karen River had decided it was time for her to "grow up" and so would no longer be creating fan art for the art show (that only lasted a few years); and though Jesse . . . McClain? . . . expressed interest and requested links to online photos (which I sent her), she entered no PotO pieces in the art show the following year.
I can understand why artists might be reluctant to enter items for older fandoms: MW fandom apparently became very splintered during the time I was unable to attend. With so many different fandoms to choose from, there are fewer bidders - and less competition - for any one category, thus pieces sell for significantly lower prices than they would have 10 or 15 years ago. Add to that the aging of the MW population and the realities of fixed incomes, a poor economy, and even death, an ever declining attendance leaves even fewer bidders.
Which begs the question, why should an artist go to all that work only to have their pieces sell for a fraction of what they might once have - if they sell at all - and so there is less art entered every year, meaning even less interest in bidding every year.
I don't think the change in hotels this year helped, either. A mere 49 pieces in the auction?
Sigh.
Maybe things will pick up a bit next year, as people become more accustomed to the "new" hotel and function space becomes more familiar and thus can be used more efficiently.
Sorry, didn't mean for this to turn into a depressing rant/sob story. Particularly since I'd love to see you and more of your work in next years art show. How do you feel about "Phantom of the Opera"?
Barb
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I had a gap of years between when I first attended and when I started going again. When I first attended in the 90's it was at the urging of a new friend who was part of FoE. I and several of my friends went, participated in the blaster battle and continued to enjoy going to MW for several years. Then, one by one those friends and I stopped going for one reason or other but I stayed in touch with some people I had met at MW. Somewhere in there I also started contributing art to some Star Wars fanzines. When I returned to MW it was at the urging of ZP Florian after I had contributed to her zine. That year I met druidwolf, among other new friends. The following year I contributed to druidwolf's Star Wars zine. I've attended MW every year since, except last year.
2005 - was that the year that Karen River did that PotO piece that was in a fan shaped frame? I've always loved the Broadway PotO. The movie was very good but the Broadway version can't be beat. You know, I've thought about doing a PotO piece but, you're right...that first year or so after the movie came out was the time to do it, at least as far as selling such a piece at Mediawest is concerned. For all the reasons you mentioned I don't think a PotO piece would have as much of a draw now (present company excepted). I'm surprised that neither Karen nor Jesse took you up on your request. Karen's reason is particularly curious as MW is ALL about fan art...and hers is such a draw it would be tantamount to throwing away money to stop doing it.
That being said, I sort of understand where she's coming from. Mediawest is kind of a unique haven for fan art. Fan art doesn't always get such respect in other places...and I usually hesitate to openly admit here on deviantArt that I might make money doing fan art. As great as Karen's work is, if she were displaying it at Dragon Con, for instance, she'd likely take some flack for showing fan art (though she'd probably still have sales).
As for Mediawest, dwindling attendance definitely doesn't help. My friends and I have been talking about this for several years...each year, attendance gets lower and lower...and the con com doesn't seem to be doing much to change that trend. Taking that into consideration, it's up to each artist to decide if its still worth it to show their work at MW. Personally, I like having that outlet just to be able to display my work to a live audience (even though I get anxious as hell when I do it). Having pieces actually sell on top of that is a bonus.
I do hope that Mediawest sees an uptick in attendance in the future. It would be a real shame for it to fade away.
Oh hey...were you aware that druidwolf wrote a PotO fanfic that was published in our zine Shipped First Class? It was kind of a prequel story. As for Jeremy Brett, I'm not at all familiar with him...maybe I should check his Sherlock out.
Laura
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Well, I for one am glad you're attending MediaWest again.
I believe you're right about the con com. I've heard in the past that Lori and Gordon won't advertise MW, and I think we're seeing the results. There ARE lots of young people out there for whom anime conventions are a great thing. They're mostly into cosplay, anime and manga, but what's cosplay but people in hall costumes? And anime and manga are just different facets of fannish universes.
One fellow on the Dead Dog panel this year commented that he would like to see MW advertised, but it got kind of ignored. (At least Lori or Gordon didn't tell him he couldn't.) I told him later that I thought it was a good idea, that he ought to advertise at MSU, especially since that's apparently where the seeds of MW were planted, along with U of M and perhaps other state colleges, but he said different schools had different rules for advertising, and wasn't certain that promoting MW through various school clubs could be done in a timely enough fashion.
I dunno. I guess the die-hards will continue to attend in ever smaller numbers until such time as Lori or Gordon shuffle off this mortal coil, and then MW will cease to exist. There doesn't seem to be a "next generation" to take over for them, and they are certainly the driving force behind MW.
Perhaps we fans thank our lucky stars for all the years of fun and friendships we've enjoyed thanks to them rather than whine about the negatives.
I certainly will miss MW when it finally ends, though.
Sigh.
Ah yes, Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes. You can probably find snippets - and perhaps even whole episodes - on YouTube. In the meantime, here's a link to some google images:
[link]
In my opinion, he was the epitome of Sherlock Holmes. He even looked kind of like the original drawings of Holmes. The episodes - at least early on - did a very good job of being faithful to the stories, and they did a fabulous job of dressing the sets and the characters.
Here are a couple of bits of trivia for you: Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi on ST:TNG) had a role in one of those early episodes; and Jeremy Brett played Freddie in the movie "My Fair Lady," though the singing was dubbed.
No, I was unaware druidwolf had written any PotO stories. Sadly, I've kind of stopped buying 'zines. There aren't any PotO 'zines being written anyway. I would consider reading other fandoms, but either no one is writing them (Forever Knight, Quantum Leap, and others), or I dislike the storytelling of the only author who IS writing them (Real Ghostbusters - sorry, there's only so much smarm/hurt-comfort I can tolerate, and that's all she writes), or the stories are slash (EVERY fandom), which I just don't find appealing. And, sorry to say, I'm also not interested in buying a multi-fandom genzine just for one or two stories.
Thank goodness I can get my fanfic fix on fanfiction.net.
Funny you should mention the PotO piece in the fan-shaped frame: I'm the one who ended up with it (or did you see it hanging on the wall in my "Shrine 07" photo?)
That was Karen River's work? It's been long ago enough that I don't remember who the artist was (and it's far too much trouble to try and reach it at the moment), but I thought it was a Barbara Fister-Liltz piece. Or did she mostly work in oils?
Well, once again I've written a novel. Sorry . . . sort of.
Barb
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I guess it's not surprising that Lori and Gordon won't advertise Mediawest. The head scratcher is why they don't want it to grow or to continue on when they day come a that they can't or no longer want to do the whole job themselves. Though after that dust up over including Downton Abbey panels, maybe it's not so surprising that they wouldn't welcome a whole lot of new, and probably younger, attendees with all kinds of new fandoms.
A couple of years ago some folks started their own convention, pretty much just like Mediawest, here in New Jersey (where I live) called Eastern Media Con. They did it for two years but wasn't able to make it cost effective. They went out of their way to include activities meant to get people mixing and mingling (like a Fannish scavenger hunt) and the con was so much fun. It's a shame they couldn't keep it going.
It's hard to imagine a day when there is no more Mediawest. The friends I attend MW with have talked about finding another con or event that we could gather at once a year but we haven't found anything that quite fits the bill. There are a couple of other cons that happen on Memorial Day weekend but they're not zine/media oriented cons, and there are Mediawest type cons at other times in the year but those times aren't convenient for all of us. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Hey, that Jeremy Brett is quite easy on the eyes, isn't he?
Figures you ended up with the fan shaped PotO piece. I think if it's not Karen then it's Barb Fister-Liltz...one or the other. I remember it being a really nice piece. (No I didn't see it in your shrine photos.) Sounds like it found a great home.
Not surprising/totally understandable that you're not interested in multi fandom zines...I was just contemplating a zine today that I decided against because it didn't have enough fandoms I'm into. Fanzines will always have a place in my heart but, for sure, they have limits. The Internet is great because even the most obscure fandom can be found out there. There's an artist here on deviantart that I think may just be a fandom of one...she draws Thomas Jefferson/Martha Jefferson fan art. Isn't that something?
No worries about long posts...I'm pretty good at that too!
Laura
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Perhaps they don't want to - as they see it - prematurely give over control of their baby. I can understand that; sadly there's fanfic I never got around to writing and wouldn't allow others to, either.
I attended the "Remember when we were here last?" panel and learned that Lori and Gordon were apparently associated/friends with some professionals in the entertainment industry: costumers, authors, a PR guy (I think), and maybe more. I do know that the woman who wrote the Star Trek episode "Empath" used to attend. (I didn't like her much - she was wheelchair bound and didn't mind whose toes she "accidentally" ran over, and would ask people in line to move aside, then would cut in front of them after they moved for her. It happened to me, and I heard negative comments about her attitude from other attendees, but that's beside the point.)
Jean Lorrah (written a couple of pro Trek novels, as well as her own SF novels) has attended MW probably since before I started coming in '85. Another female Trek novelist ("Battleship!" and "Dreadnought!" attended for a year or more back in the old days. A few years ago P. N. Elrod (pro author known for her three vampire series) attended but, sadly, hasn't been back since.
You know, 'zines used to be such a large part of the convention. Once I overpacked (by weight) my suitcase with them so much that it broke on the way home. At my final destination, I found it popped open (despite being locked) and wrapped in tape to keep it together.
However, these days people can find - if they look hard enough - good stories, at no cost, on the internet. Why would they be interested in attending a convention based in large part upon print media?
Not that I would change that aspect of MW, but so many young people just don't want to read these days.
Ah well, change of subject.
You know, I can't remember ever thinking that about Jeremy Brett. Perhaps, but it's been so long ago (about 25 years) that I just have no memory of thinking "he's cute." What I liked best was his portrayal of Holmes. As I said before, the quintessential Sherlock Holmes.
Barb
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You know, I think the disconnect between how Lori and Gordon run the con, and how the attendees would like the con to be run probably all lies in the attitude that MW is their baby. I've seen it referred to as "their playground"...and that was stated in a way that said we should all feel lucky to be allowed to play on it. That's a nice idea, but as an attendee, Mediawest isn't a playground, it's a business, and a service based one at that. I patronize that business but, I tell you, after Gordon's several public meltdowns on the Facebook page, I and a friend were about ready to call it quits...and we weren't even involved in the meltdowns (my friend was, marginally, involved in one of them.) Only by virtue of the fact that we really enjoyed ourselves, and enjoyed seeing each other and other friends, and the fact that we never directly interact with Gordon did we change our minds and decide to return next year. And if there was an alternative we'd almost certainly take it.
If L&G sees Mediawest as a business at all, there's got to be a limit to it for them. It doesn't seem like it's something they'd see as continuing after they're gone. Perhaps they like the idea of it winding down as they reach their twilight years and when they can no longer run it themselves they'll just fold it up. There are lots of things they could do to inject new life into the con and bring in new membership. It would involve embracing the changing face of fandom and the new ways Fannish content is disseminated to the public bit it seems they don't want to. I suppose, if they're getting what they want out of MW then that's their right. It's just unfortunate that it leaves the people who would like to see Mediawest grow and continue on to sit sadly on the sidelines and watch it fade away.
Laura
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Frankly, I suspect that after all the renovations and higher class look to the "old" hotel, we no longer fit the profile of the patrons they wanted. Not to mention we no longer filled up the hotel.
I took a spin out past BWPlus to mentally mock them for their emptiness over the holiday weekend, and was shocked to see the overflow parking lot filled beyond capacity. Cars were parked in the grass! Surprisingly, the parking lot behind the hotel itself was practically empty. According to their marquee, it's possible they were hosting two groups, though neither were "welcomed" as guests, so maybe not.
You know, I'd never really thought about L&G thinking of MW as a business, but that makes sense. A business that perhaps they're growing tired of. Their interest in dogs and dog shows rather surprised me when they first started doing that - maybe THAT is their true passion any more. Perhaps they grew out of fandom (or grew up
And just maybe, if fans old and new are lucky, someone will pick up the reins after they've passed on and MediaWest will live again.
Barb
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No the dust up on Facebook concerned the panels. There had been two panels suggested on the subject of Downton Abbey. After the first preliminary schedule had come out, those panels weren't included so the person who suggested them asked the people in charge of the panel schedule what the story was and were told that while the schedule wasn't finalized, the decision to leave off the DA panels was made by someone higher up. It was at this point that this person brought their question to the public Facebook page, asking if anyone could give her a good reason why the DA panels were being left off the schedule. A lot of people threw in their two cents speculating and criticizing that decision. Gordon eventually came on and quoted panel guidelines which state that panels should fall within the "core interests" of MW, those being subjects of a sci fi and fantasy nature. Needless to say, a lot of people pointed out all the subjects that are not of a sci fi/fantasy nature that have been included at Mediawest. It was at this point that Gordon started leaving extremely rude replies and when asked pointed questions he would avoid answering them instead quoting the guidelines again. The whole thread got really long but Gordon must have realized he was coming off as an ass because he deleted all his rude responses and the comments directly associated with his comments (he deleted about 40 posts). Around about that time, Lori stepped in, diplomatically pointing out that the schedule wasn't close to being finished and can't we all get along so that we can enjoy ourselves at the con like the boisterous family we are. And the Downton Abbey panels ended up on the schedule after all.
There was another, shorter dust up when the trouble with the rooms happened. An irate individual posted on FB her dissatisfaction of the way things were being handled and, again, Gordon was way ruder than he needed to be. I know irate people are tough to deal with but (and this is where the service based business idea comes in) the only way to be is diplomatic. If Gordon can't manage that, he shouldn't be the one to deal with customer service.
That's interesting to hear that the old hotel was bursting with business. Before the story of their trials with the old hotel came out, I was speculating that since MW has gotten so small they probably just don't have the negotiating power they once did (especially with new management that they don't have a history with). Of course, that's not at all the official story as related in the progress reports. The hotel MW was in this year was pretty decent...though our rooms were in the satellite hotel and were much nicer IMHO than the rooms in the host hotel. I suppose we'll see where we end up next year.
Laura
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Were you in the Hampton? I very vaguely heard that it was nice, and that perhaps there might be programming there as well as the host hotel in the future. Not sure what I think of that - depends upon whether it's within a short walking distance or not. If it's big enough, has enough space for panels, art show, dealer's room, etc.; and the rooms are cheap enough
Interesting about Gordon's responses. Maybe he was just in a cranky mood that day, (
I miss his cartoons. What a sense of humor he had. He used to have at least one piece in the art show (and usually the auction) every year, but I think he stopped even before that long gap when I couldn't attend.
If you can find it, there's an old paperback called "Startoons" of sci-fi related cartoons - mostly Trek and Star Wars, but others as well - and many of them are Gordon's. Some Phil Foglio, too.
Barb
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Yes, I was in the Hampton. It was very nice. Druidwolf is very keen to be in e host hotel next year but I found the Hampton inn rooms so nice that I would be perfectly fine if I wound up in the Hampton again. The room rate was exactly the same as at the host hotel (and they had a bit of an issue with our bill so we ended up not being charged for our roll away bed and we werent charged for one night...or something like that. It was a bit confusing but we came out ahead.)
I heard they were thinking of having some of the functions at a second hotel but, frankly, I'm not real crazy about that idea either. It wasn't that bad a walk from hotel to hotel but it was crossing a parking lot, then a wide street, then another parking lot. Doing it just a few times a day, spending the majority of the day at the host hotel, was ok but I can't imagine having to run back and forth to attend, say, panels in different hotels. And I'm 100% mobile...forget it for those folks who have mobility issues.
I haven't seen a lot of Gordon's cartoons but I've always found the ones of his that I've seen to be very charming. I wonder why he stopped doing them? Maybe the dogs take up too much of his time.
Laura
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How does the Hampton compare to the former HIS/now BWPlus? I must say, I was quite impressed with most of the improvements made to the old place, but am sadly not surprised that things no longer work out between them and MW.
Yeah, I can see where it might be problematical to hold events and/or panels in two different hotels. Even if there weren't those who have difficulty walking, people would undoubtedly miss the first bits of some panels just due to travel time between the hotels. And I suppose even those with motorized chairs have a limit on the speed those things will go.
Otherwise one of the events might be a chair race.
I'm not certain what Lori and Gordon do in the "real" world (besides show dogs and host MW
Barb
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I would say the Hampton was as good or better than the old BW. The rooms were very nice and the hotel had that free breakfast, which was great. (Perhaps the BW has added a free breakfast since I was there last but they didn't have it when it was Causeway Bay.)
Hey, your husband is an analytical chemist? My dad was an analytical chemist. He retired about seven years ago. Now, at 82, I think he'd read more...but he tends to fall asleep when he reads.
I can understand the feeling of art being "work". That's the reason I never pursued a profession in art myself. There have been people who bugged me about it in the past but I just never wanted to make it an obligation.
Laura
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That's very interesting about your father being a chemist. Except for my husband's co-workers, I haven't really met any others.
My dad (a former letter carrier ;D) is also 82. He and my stepmom both have kindles and read a LOT. He claims that they "own" Amazon, considering how much money they "invest" in the company.
Barb
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My mom recently splurged on an Ipad which has Kindle on it. She reads a lot and is in a couple of book clubs. My dad has taken up photography since he retired...he used to do it when I was a kid but had given it up for a long while. He's displayed some of his photos at the local library and even got one of his photos in a juried show! Together they also participate in the neighborhood gourmet club. Every other month the club picks a cuisine and each couple makes a dish and then they all get together to eat it all. They have also done some travelling. All in all, very much enjoying retired life.
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haha thank you for the lama! I looove lamas 
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I got most of the miniatures from various sellers on eBay, and a couple of online miniature sites. Except for mini Erik, it probably wouldn't be too difficult to find the things you would need to make a PotO diorama of your own.
The portraits of Christine I copied and pasted from works posted to DA, then resized and printed (and cut
Barb
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