The Democrats came, drank coffee and red wine, ate boxed cookies and speechified to all of our delight. There were an amazing group of people--all very bright exuding excellence and inspired. These are giving people who give to their community who are working to preserve and intelligently develop a strategy and plan around how our little village and slightly bigger town can grow and change. We had a great time learning about the projects, efforts and thinking of this small group of excellent people. Had a great talk with Jules Burgevin about Memento Mori. Turns out, that Jules was teaching at Ithaca College taught on death to a group of 250 students for a semester. We should get together get a glimpse of his thinking and impressions. Jules is the personification of effusiveness...he is lovely (as is his wife who fell in love with a heron I had illustrated)...and would inspire more thinking. He wears a coat with patches of all the fire departments he volunteered for with the words, (in all caps in an arc) TREMENDOUSBURG shouting out how he feels about our little hamlet.
Carol Tinkelman sent a totally excellent schedule for the up and coming trip to Ft. Worth...with a great lineup of illustrators and sight seeing. She is so amazing and through...I cannot believe it...from what we are doing, when and where to the hotels etc unlike my former program which I found part of the degree was to be a travel agent as well. We are so lucky to have her smart brain, her unparalleled organizing skills, and her focus on doing things the right way. I feel absolutely privileged in having her as the iron behind the program.I am psyched. Am trying to sum up what my thesis is...and will try to see someone about the idea and where it could go. It will be good to see where the current second/going to third year students are...their thinking, the breadth of the work etc. to gauge where I could go.James Tennison, Ray-Mel Cornelius, Gary Myrick, Dorit Rabinovitch, Jack Unruh, Phil Boatright, Don Punchatz, Real and Muff Musgrave, Bart Fobes, Jose Cruz are some of the illustrators we are going to see. We are also going to Billy Bob's and the Rodeo as part of the fun.
On the way to the Pool of Dilemmas, I was slowed down and driving the speed limit in Jacksonville (40 mph) and clipped a deer who approached the car from my blind spot. Scary. I am okay...It cracked part of my bumper (bummer) but all else seems okay. I did swim (thank goodness) and worked to a normal state. Still am a little rattled as you never want to do that.
Need to go. Work continues on.
Later