A quick follow-up to my abbreviated MadCon report just past. Harlan Ellison arrived at the hotel Thursday evening, around eight o’clock. Only a few of us were in the lobby. Allen Steele, Peter David, Donna, and myself. Peter David’s wife Kathleen and their daughter (who Harlan “terrorized” to our surprise and her later delight). From that point on it became a really good experience. All the rumors that had been floating around about Harlan’s imminent demise proved exaggerated. Though he didn’t look his best—clearly he has been ailing—and he arrived wearing a sweatshirt and pajama bottoms (Pierre Cardin, as he repeatedly joked, since he wore them all weekend), as the weekend progressed he came more and more alive.
I have a couple of photographs of Harlan. I will not post them. Harlan has developed a deep antagonism toward the on-line postings that pass for “news” on the internet. He loathes the practice of recording and uploading on the spot. Someday, maybe. The pictures are for Donna and me.
But I do have a shot—a bit blurry, not great—of one of my panels.
From left to right, that is Gene Wolfe, John Krewson (of the Onion), Allen Steele, and Yours Truly. I believe this was the panel on how we all got into writing science fiction in the first place. Or just writing.
Saturday morning Donna and I drove down to the capitol, downtown Madison, for their semi-legendary farmers market. It was brisk, but a bright, lovely morning, and we walked around among all the vendors. I have a couple of shots from that, but not yet ready to post. They will likely end up in my Zenfolio portfolio.
On the way home, however, we stopped a couple times to take shots of the sunrise. We left the hotel at 4:15 AM and drove south into a wonderful morning. At one of the first rest stops, I shot this.
Not the greatest work of art ever produced, but there are elements of it I quite like. I may work on it further.
Anyway, it was a fine trip, in the best company. Maybe I’ll say more. Later.
Or maybe not.