Category: travel Page 13 of 19

February 4, 2013: First day on the Qantas project, creating a jet plane full of people made of sand.

Sand In Your Eyes (www.sandinyoureyes.com) is the longest running Australian sand sculpting company. It was formed by Master sculptor Dennis Massoud more than 20 years ago. The team is currently sculpting a Qantas airplane. complete with tail fin and passengers in seats, in front of Sydney, Australia’s Common House at the foot of Young Street. February 5, 2013, was the second day on the job for Massoud’s team, which has sculpted sand all over Australia and in locations as diverse as the Gobi Desert in China and Luliang Province. In fact, the work assignments have taken Massound around the world 9 times in the past 7 years. He has been offered an assignment, which, if he accepts it, will tie him up for 3 years creating the biggest world’s largest sand sculpture from 38,000 tons of sand, with a base 100 meters across and 38 meters tall. Massoud was the 2003 winner of a sand sculpting competition in Denmark in 2003.

One of Massoud’s team prepares the sand on Day One in Sydney, Australia, in front of the Commons House.

Crowds are absolutely stunned by the detail and creativity of Massoud’s team of sand sculptors. The most commonly questions asked are “How can you do that?” and “Is it just sand ?” The answer is, “Yes,
it is just sand but a lifetime of skill and experience is necessary to learn to mold it into lifelike forms.”

A few seconds before this was taken, Dennis Massoud cautioned me about touching the sand on the sides of the “chair.”

Me as Qantas passenger.

Massoud, himself, began sculpting sand as a small boy of 7 on Australia’s beaches. When surveys are taken at major events where the creativity of Sand In Your Eyes is on display, sand sculptures have proven to be the most popular form of entertainment. In shopping centers it’s quite common for crowds to swell by 50 to 70%.

“Don’t touch the chair arms!” (say with spirit).

Massoud’s team has worked in locations as remote as the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, and remote islands such as the Mariana group, as well as in places as sacred as Gothic cathedrals or as chic as the only eight-star hotel in the world, the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Overview.

Sand in Your Eyes (www.sandinyoureyes.com) is the only Australian sand sculpting company that’s affiliated with the prestigious WSSA ,World Sand Sculpting Association. The founder of WSSA, Gerry Kirk, is the grand master of sand. He holds four Guinness book world records involving sand sculpture that have never been broken.

Plane in progress.

The team of approximately 20 sculptors have been at work in front of the Commons House in Sydney for 2 days and there is a contest associated with the sculpting that involves a free trip. In allowing me to sit in the plane seat under construction, I signed a release and was cautioned not to touch the sides of the seat. When I appeared to be brushing the seat with my arms, Massoud rushed over to caution me.

I’ll be back tomorrow, on Day Three, to see how the Qantas display shapes up.

Sydney, Australia Museum of Modern Art Anish Kapoor Exhibit

By Connie Wilson

On February 3, 2013

In Education, travel

Sky Mirror, Sydney, Australia.

February 3, 2013 – Anish Kapoor designed what is popularly known as “The Bean” which graces Chicago’s Millennium Park. He is best-known for his sculptures involving mirrored surfaces, and is one of the British sculptors along with Tony Cragg, Richard Deacon, Shirazeh Houshiary and Antony Gormley. The exhibit of Kapoor’s work began December 20, 2012 and will continue until April 1 of 2013.

Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia.

The exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Australia presents a wide range of Kapoor’s sculptures, including one of his most famous, the 2006 stainless steel sculpture entitled Sky Mirror, which has also graced Rockefeller Center and London’s Kensington Gardens,and currently stands in front of the Museum, reflecting the clouds on Sydney Harbour. The giant mirror measures 10 meters.

Memory, 2008.

The largest sculpture resembled a giant egg and weighed 24 tons. It is the 2009 sculpture “Memory,” which looked like nothing so much as a warped football/basketball/soccer ball.

At the Anish Kapoor Exhibit, Feb. 3, 2013, Sydney Australia Museum.

Saturday, February 2, 2013 in Sydney, Australia

By Connie Wilson

On February 2, 2013

In Music, travel

Our 8th floor digs at 44 Bridge Street.

A gray day here in Australia with temperatures near 70 Fahrenheit. We watched “Network” and “Midnight Express” till 3:30 a.m.. so we got a late start.

Much like my obstructed view in Chicago, we can see the Harbour but the view is obstructed by buildings.

Stacey joined us at 3 p.m. and we took off for Circular Quay Theater, 2 blocks away and saw “Silver Linings Playbook.” Cost of an adult ticket? $18. Cost of a ticket for a senior? $11.

Cornet player Paul Wheeler and me, post movie, in Sydney, Australia.

Afterwards, we strolled next door and had fish and chips and burgers at a bar nearby where Paul Wheeler played cornet.

Stacey and Craig and I on Circular Quay on Saturday, February 2nd after the movie “Silver Linings Playbook.”

We walked back to Bridge Street and Stacey left to “socialize” with her friends.

Craig and cornetist Paul Wheeler.

Tomorrow, we’ll hit the Museum with the Anish Khapour exhibit. We already visited the Museum right across the street from us and the Mint and Parliament and also strolled past the Hospital.

Ringo Starr is touring Australia. It’s like a European-ized version of the United States. The cornet player was invited to the book signing on Thursday (5 to 8 p.m.) at the Galaxy Bookstore on York Street.

Australia Trip Down Under

By Connie Wilson

On January 23, 2013

In travel, Uncategorized

Stateroom, Room #1075.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013: First day on the ship. We do not sail until tomorrow. We ended up sitting out by the pool, but Dad’s suitcase did not come very promptly, so he did not get to get in the hot tub with us. Our evening meal was shrimp cocktail, prime rib, mushroom soup and profiterole with pecan ice cream and chocolate sauce. Scrumptious.

Stacey & Craig with Sydney Harbour Bridge in background

, January 17, 2013: Second day actually ON the ship and setting sail at 6:30 p.m. for Melbourne. We had dragged our suitcases from the Holiday Inn in the old part of Sydney down to the cruise ship (Celebrity Solstice) without benefit of a cab. Today, we did not sail until the evening, so we went ashore and took a Jet Ski boat trip that was quite wet. It was my pick and cost $60 per person. We put on red ponchos, but that didn’t help much. We got our seat assignment changed from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and, tonight, we met Dom and Kath, who were from Manchester. Tomorrow we are going to take part in a wine tasting onboard ship. Dom and Kath are newlyweds and seem quite nice. Tomorrow is the “dressy night” in the dining room.

Sydney Opera House.

Sydney Harbour.

Friday, January 18, 2013: Third day. At sea. After our late dinner seating, everyone was so tired that the movie Stacey selected (“Jeff, Who Lives At Home”) was incomplete when we turned it off and retired at midnight. At that point, I was the only one awake, and I wasn’t watching the film at all, as I saw it at the Chicago Film Festival year before this (2011) with the Director present to answer questions. So I continued reading my selection (“Odd Thomas: The Apocalypse” by Dean Koontz), obtained from the free onboard Library. (I had planned to take John Irving’s latest, but I didn’t grab it in time and it was gone.) You can just take a book and you are simply asked to return it at the end of the cruise. Sort of the honor system. Someone topside was reading a book that had, in big letters, WILSON, and I commented that it was too bad it wasn’t one of MY books, but it underscores the prevalence of the surname “Wilson” in the world of literature (or anything else.) At breakfast today, the Captain came on and announced that we had traveled 270 nautical miles and had about 285 nautical miles to go, i.e., we are roughly halfway to Melbourne, which is, according to Stacey, about a 9 hour drive by car. We are traveling at 18 knots. It is 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the water temperature is 68 degrees Fahrenheit. There are 20 to 25 mph winds and we will arrive in port around 3 am. There are reports from the Melbourne area of forest fires raging out of control. The town of Toongabbi reported a temperature of 43 Celsius (about 110 degrees) and Shane Fitzsimmons of some authority reported on our in-room TV that the Newell Highway was closed in both directions. We were told all this on the elevator by an Aussie couple and Craig responded, “I guess I’ll have to look for smoke,” which convulsed them with laughter as they departed the elevator, since we are roughly 300 miles away. The Captain’s quote (Words of Wisdom, he called them): “Borrow money from a pessimist; he won’t expect it back.” Not sure what that has to do with anything, but, at 2 p.m., we are scheduled to go to wine tasting with our old friends Dom and Kath also in attendance ($23 per person). Stacey and I purchased the Coca Cola plan, which allows you unlimited Coke products, as long as you only take one at a time. It costs $8 per person, per day, and we definitely have been getting our money’s worth, as the cost, per Coca Cola, is about $3 otherwise. This is an American boat, which means that all my pluggable items (hair dryer, curling iron, electric rollers) work. Stacey is the one who needs an “adaptor.” This will all change when we return to Sydney for 2 weeks, at which time we will need all the adaptors we can get out hands on. They sell for about $12 per adaptor down here in stores near The Rocks, but the Holiday Inn put a $32 charge on our bill until we returned a borrowed one. I also posted one time, from our hotel room, and I had to sign on and got kicked off quite late. Rather than purchase 24 hours (for $22.95), I purchased one hour for $10 and, later, after we watched Stacey’s friends plan at the bar, $10 for another hour. Unfortunately, with 5 minutes left in my hour, the machine kicked me off. I thought, “Oh, well,” and signed on for (yet another) $10 hour, but the computer would not allow me access. Therefore, Craig had to argue about taking the charge for $10 off for the last hour (which I did not use, it being close to 1:30 a.m. at the time). We did succeed in getting the $35 in bogus charges removed, and the hotel was so close that we could walk to the boat pulling our luggage. I thought I would be unhappy that I had taken my computer AND the normal 2 bags I travel to Cancun with (one for clothes, one for make-up) but, so far, I have been very happy with my choice of garments, which ignored all the “It’s hot” stuff and brought lightweight sweaters, etc. to wear with lighter-weight garments. I am wearing my sleeveless blue-with-silver dress now and I found a blue top that compliments it (but not the one bought to go with it, which I could not find). We ate breakfast a few minutes ago, and it was a huge buffet with most things one would expect at breakfast. (eggs, sausages, bacon, hash browns, corned beef hash, fruit, etc.). Only the orange juice was sub-par. Apparently, it is made from concentrate and the concentrate had run out in our dispenser, leaving us with water. I drank a fruit juice (like Hawaiian punch) that was like that given us as we boarded. In order to board after disembarking, we have to show our key card, which has a picture attached to it. They are very particular about NOT bringing booze onto the ship. They put your luggage through a metal detector and, if booze is found, they confiscate it and store it in the duty-free room until after the cruise. I am happy because, being an American ship out of Miami, the cruise offers Berenger’s white zinfandel by the glass, which almost no one in Australia has, according to Stacey. We will sample various wines at 2 pm today, and then, tonight, is the Captain’s Welcome with fancy clothes. I plan to wear a fancy black jacket with white cuffs and a sparkly clasp and a long black velour skirt. Tomorrow’s temperature is going to be only 72 Fahrenheit, so my outfits will be fine, although Stacey, who started her sojourn in Melbourne, says there isn’t that much “tourist-y” to do in that city. I’m not paying for Internet on this cruise, since it is slow and unreliable and extremely pricey.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Downtown Melbourne, Australia.

We arrived in Melbourne today. I got up at 8:30 a.m. , showered (no bathtub, unless you forked out an additional $4,000) and we set off for Melbourne. I knew little to nothing about Melbourne. We found out that the Australian Open Tennis Tournament was going on about 2 miles from where we were. We walked up and down Swanston Street and had a drink at an outdoor café. (I ordered a lemonade from Schwappes, and it tasted like 7-Up). Here, they call “McDonald’s” Maccas. One Krispy Kreme donut was $2.50. At home, you could probably buy a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts for $2.50! We tried to go to the Aquarium, but the line was horrendously long, so we got out of line and went to an Internet Café, instead. I got a nice note from Pam, at home, and a note from Pan, my friend in Minneapolis, saying her account had been hacked and not to open any mail from her. My impression(s) of Melbourne were that it was not much different than many seaport towns: nothing architecturally interesting, etc. The homes we saw along the trolley route reminded me of the homes in Mesa, AZ in that they didn’t have any basements and were relatively alike. The park (and hotel near it) were kind of grubby and flat. It wasn’t my favorite Australian city by a long shot. (Of course, it’s only the second one, and I’m not likely to visit many others.)

Sunday, January 20
We danced to Beatles music in the main area after dinner. Stacey had a Swedish massage. I had a facial. We were at sea. I watched “The Exotic Marigold Hotel.”

Monday, January 21

Milford Sound, Dusky Sound, Doubtful Sound, New Zealand (Dusky is only reachable by boat.)

Dr. Jose (Hernandez?) from Mexico told me about the Alaskan cruise involving a helicopter ride. Tomorrow, the Milford Sound stop where only 120 people live but over a million people a year visit. One of the wettest places on Earth. Sand Fly Point is mentioned for the end of a 6 hour run to that point. Different things to see coming in to Milford Sound: waterfalls—some of them are fed by moss—so thick that it can absorb water and hold it for day and feeds the waterfalls for days afterwards. Water falls over one kilometer (over one mile). With the very high falls, they don’t actually get to touch the water of Milford Sound, which gets blown away. Mitre Peak is named after the 5 peaks of a Bishop’s mitre. Rock faces all the way around. Rain forest going all the way around. The Elephant and The Lion are the most famous peaks. We pull in at 7 a.m. tomorrow. Mitre Peak, The Elephant and the Lion are the 3 we will see upboard on deck. Mitre Peak is 1700 meters out of the water and one of the most photographed peaks of N.Z. The top is often shrouded in mist and clouds. We should be able to see at least a portion of that big mountain. New Zealand is a hiking center. “No worries.” It’s possible to climb Mitre Peak if you have overnight and don’t mind falling. I0 hours one way. Below the water, it is a similar temperature in winter and summer: cold all the time. The water flows down the cliffs and gets soaked by the tannens from the plants and creates a unique sea water barrier that blocks the light. With that light being blocked by the tannic water, black coral and other weird sea life forms are fostered. Black coral usually lives 500 meters below the surface, but you can see it only 10 meters below the surface. It is a popular dive site. The temperature can be challenging for a beginning diver because of the tannic water, you can’t see much.

Tuesday, January 24, 2013

Dunedin, New Zealand, just opposite our private deck, on the hill.

Today, we sailed into Milford Sound. It is rocky with mountains with fog on top. Stacey and Craig went upstairs to take pictures. I followed along, but not until about 10 a.m., at which point the boat had sailed in, turned around 360 degrees, and was sailing out. We will sail into Doubtful Sound at 1 p.m. It is now 11:30 a.m. Stacey has (apparently) lost our TV control, so we now cannot watch anything on our in-room TV, which sucks. It was cold on the deck, and I could never find Stacey and Craig. I eventually went into the dining room and had a roll, some fruit, and some juice and talked to a couple from Dallas/Fort Worth area. If we can relocate Stacey, we may be able to relocate our TV control, but, otherwise, we are screwed. We have several channels and free movies IF we can find our TV control to use our TV.
My shots from the on-ship doctor seem to have left little “bumps” at each side of my mouth. I wonder if the Pearline is suppose to disperse downward over time? Otherwise, I have 2 little “gopher pouches” on each side of my mouth, which is interesting, to say the least, but not quite what I thought was the desired effect. At least it was not as painful as Restylane in Cancun, with just an ice cube.

Wednesday, January 25, 2013
Spent the day in Dunedin (Port Chalmers) New Zealand and took a train ride, which I hope to illustrate with photos.

Australia, Here We Come!

By Connie Wilson

On January 15, 2013

In travel

Sydney Airport on arrival at 9 a.m. Australian time, after leaving the U.S. at 10:45 p.m. on Sunday, January 12, 2013. Arrived Tuesday, the 15th at about 9 am.

Drove for 3 and 1/2 hours to Chicago, then flew from Chicago to San Francisco for departure (4+ hours). Began trek to Australia (13 and 1/2 hours) and was happy to find out that I was on an aisle seat and there was nobody in the middle between me and a nice girl from Canada (Edmunton). I could not sleep and watched “Trouble with the Curve,” part of “The Words,” and lots of re-runs of “The Big Bang Theory” before landing in Sydney and going through customs.

Traveled approximately 7,500 miles and read a lot of magazines before going through customs.

Australian customs crowd,

Holiday Inn near the Rocks in Sydney,

Checked into Holiday Inn at the Rocks (Old Sydney) right across from where our cruise ship is docked at 10 a.m. Aussie time. (It was something like 7 p.m. our time, as they are 16 hours ahead of us.

The cruise ship (The Celebrity Solstice) is visible from our Holiday Inn window.

Here is a picture of our cruise ship from our Holiday Inn window. We move to the Celebrity Solstice tomorrow and begin sailing for Melbourne and New Zealand after that.

Stacey and Craig at Gigi’s our first night, for dinner.

Tonight, we had dinner with Stacey at a nice restaurant (Gigi’s), pizza and lasagna: bill $74. Gelato for dessert. Afterwards, we would go listen to some of Stacey’s flatmates playing at a local bar.

James Morrison on lead vocals, Miles Frasier (in Deere hat) on lead guitar.

Here are The Morrisons, all graduates of Sydney University in music, with Stacey sitting in on one song. Lead guitar Miles Frasier has on his John Deere hat, courtesy of Yours Truly.

Miles, up close and personal, sporting Moline’s Deere hat. The group sang “Sweet Home, Chicago” for Stacey.

I sent John Deere shirts, hats and memorabilia ahead to thank all of Stacey’s friends, especially the Frasiers who took her in for the holidays.

Jimmy on mandolin, Stacey (Wilson) and James (Morrison), aka “Morry.”

Stacey sat in on one of the songs, by invitation, with James Morrison, Jimmy, Ian (on bass) and Miles.

Downtown near our hotel in Sydney, Australia

Some random shots taken of buildings in the area.

I think this might be City Hall, but all I know for sure is that we are on George Street, near the docks, which is a very trendy, nice area of town. All of Stacey’s friends in Australia were very kind and nice to us (which is more than I can say for the one person I know in Australia) and we had a great evening hanging out with the extremely talented young musicians.

Downtown Sydney.

Tomorrow, to the ship.

New Orleans in December: “Writers for New Orleans” Gather at Hotel Monteleone

By Connie Wilson

On December 13, 2012

In Books, travel

The Blues Brothers (Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi) statues at Midway Airport, upon departure.

I left Chicago’s Midway Airport bound for New Orleans about 3 p.m. today, Wednesday, December 12th.

the Blues Brothers statues, dancing, at Midway Airport.

New Orleans Airport.

I took a seat in the third row from the front. My seatmate, who had nailed down the aisle seat, was an elderly lady with a cane, who did not seem happy about having a seatmate, even though we had an empty seat between us. (I was merely looking for space in the overhead bins). We also had a dog onboard (!) yapping in his or her cage.
Arrived at the New Orleans Airport near Rush Hour. All I can say is that the New Orleans airport has a lot in common with LaGuardia, if you’ve ever flown from it.

Hotel Monteleone Lobby.

Now, I’m at the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter, and spent some time in the bar making friends with the locals.

John Smith on the eve of his birthday.

The gentlemen in the top hat, John Smith, is a card trick and Elvis impersonator who is having his birthday tomorrow. A native of Colorado, he was a dealer in Vegas for many years downtown and also began his Elvis impersonating there. He moved to New Orleans and is scheduled to sing at the Hard Rock Cafe (as Elvis) in January. John has also had bit parts in several films, including the recent “Looper” and the most distant film with Kevin Costner dressed as an Elvis impersonator involved in robbing a casino.

Bernie & friends.

I spoke with a couple from Chicago introduced to me by “Bernie” who is pictured here with her girlfriends. Bernie also introduced me to ANOTHER couple, also from Chicago, and when he said his last name was Stompanato, I had to ask. Yes, Johnny Stomapanato (Lana Turner’s ill-fated boyfriend) WAS a relative.

Mike Dapolo and Anita Shah in New Orleans.

The young couple pictured here, Anita Shah and Mike Dapolo, were on vacation..maybe even their honeymoon, although that may well be a different couple. People kept sitting down and then drifting off and they were from Idaho and elsewhere.

New Orleans, me, important data, Christmas tree.

Finally, here is one of me, ready to go forth and do something worthwhile, in front of the gorgeous Christmas trees.

Back From Paradise

By Connie Wilson

On September 10, 2012

In Books, Interviews, Pop Culture, travel

My panel: Topic – “Women Who Can Do It All”

I spent a week in Honolulu, Hawaii, presenting at the Spellbinders Conference held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. I’m including some candid shots of the gorgeous surroundings, and the remarks made by 1992 Pulitzer-prize-winning Jane Smiley (“1,000 Acres”) and a quintet of Hollywood screenwriters who spoke of their work on such films as “Golden Eye” (the James Bond reboot), “The Book of Eli,” “The Hulk,” “The Punisher,” and many, many others, including many television shows.

1992 Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley (“1,000 Acres”) lives in Carmel, California, now, with her husband Jack Canning, but there was a time when she was an Iowa (Ames) professor of writing and there was a time before that when she was a student at the acclaimed University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Connie Wilson and Pulitzer-prize winning Iowa grad Jane Smiley.

After “1,000 Acres,” a retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear story set on an Iowa farm was made into a movie with Jessica Lange, Jason Robards and Sam Shepherd, Jane Smiley moved on to write “Moo,” a humorous tale that dealt with politics at the university level. She told a charming story that went this way: “I was flying from Monterey to New York via San Francisco and I fell asleep on the flight. One hour into the flight, I woke up to the sound of laughter. My seatmate was reading “Moo.” I said, “That’s my book.” She said, “No, it isn’t. I bought it in the airport.” I said, “No, I mean, that’s MY book. I wrote it.” She looked at me and said, “No, you didn’t.” Her laughter was the best compliment I ever got.

Author Smiley reads from her book “13 Ways of Looking at the Novel.”

When asked if she would ever consider teaching writing again, Smiley responded, “If I could do it MY way, I’d teach again.”

When asked how it felt to learn she had won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature (in 1992) she said: “My 14-year-old daughter was staying home that day. She was at that age where it is absolutely impossible to have any positive impression of her mom. A reporter from the Ames ‘Tribune’ called up and said, ‘What would you say if you were told that you’d won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.’ I gave her some response. About 2 p.m. the phone rang and some guy from the Washington ‘Post’ called to tell me I had actually won. I said, to my daughter, ‘Honey, I think I won the Pulitzer Prize’ and she said, ‘Hmmmm. Cool.’ Later, in the hallway outside my office at the University, I heard someone screaming, and it was the stringer for the Ames Tribune. They (the Ames Tribune) had scooped the Des Moines Register, who had always scooped them. But, after you win, you go from being a wannabe to a has-been. You are no longer cool—although I never was. I was 16 weeks pregnant at the time, so I didn’t have to run around and go to a lot of things, because I was throwing up all the time, anyway.”

Opening Night Luau.

On writing, in general: “You can be the kind of person who enjoys the process, or you can be the kind of person who enjoys the awards. If it enhances your feeling of being alive, of finding things out, remember that there are never enough awards.”

Legendary Comic Shelley Berman & Wife of 65 Years Still Going Strong

By Connie Wilson

On September 4, 2012

In Books, Humor and Weird Wilson-isms, travel

Shelley Berman and his wife of 65 years in the lobby of the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu on Labor Day, 2012.

As I was working on updating all of you readers (all 2 of you) on the comings and goings of the first Spellbinders Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, and mourning the fact that I did not see Shelley Berman when he visited the lounge last night (although everyone else apparently did), who should stop, this afternoon, but Mr. and Mrs. Berman.

Shelley Berman was probably my favorite comedian of the 60s. I liked him better than Cosby (although I have to admit to listening to Cosby’s comedy albums and loving the “What’s a cubit?” bit re Noah’s Ark). I liked him better than Bob Newhart, although both of them pioneered the “man on the phone” comedy method. (I think Shelley says Bob took it from him, but, then, Bob probably says the same thing in reverse).

My favorite bit had the hassled comic on the phone from a large department store, where a female clerk was on the ledge outside the building and Shelley was calling for help. When asked how she got out there, his response was: “I don’t know how she got out there! Maybe she tried on something and SNAPPED out!”

Last time I saw Shelley at a small comedy club in Davenport, Iowa, which was within the past 10 years (Linda White could help me out here, if she’d “friend” me on Facebook, as it was after her younger daughter’s wedding reception at the Holiday Inn.) My own son (Scott) had gotten married just months prior and we had a reception at our country club, and I had the Big Bright Idea of purchasing a lot of glow-in-the-dark stuff for fun. I remember that one of my then-friends (Linda Davidson) thought it was a stupid idea at the time, but it went over great, and soon became “de rigeur” for weddings. To this day, I think it is. I had the idea because of the Oriental Trading Company stuff I routinely bought for my Sylvan Learning Center.

Anyway, I was wearing several glow-in-the-dark necklaces and bracelets and chose to gift Mrs. Berman with one, saying, “Thank you for sharing Shelley with us all these years.”

At this morning’s breakfast, James Strauss told a story of touring Honolulu to find an electric shaver for Shelley, as he had forgotten his. I could relate, as I forgot my curling iron and my hair looks like it, as a result. Nice guy Jim and wife Mary scoured the island for all-night pharmacies and found Shelley a $29 electric shaver, which he delivered to his room no doubt to the delight of the elderly couple.

When I saw the Bermans enter the lounge, I went over, expressed my admiration for his comedy talents, and asked Mrs. Berman (among other questions, how long the couple has been married? (A: 65 years). Learning that they have 20 years on me, I then asked her if she ever remembered going to a concert with Shelley where a woman came up after the set and gave her some glow-in-the-dark paraphernalia. She claimed to remember this, and even named the town correctly, unprompted.

I said, “I’d like to thank you, again, for sharing Shelley’s comic genius with us all these years and, also, to congratulate you on such a long and happy marriage.” And I gave her a copy of my newest book (“Hellfire & Damnation II”). I only had that one with me. Too bad I didn’t have a copy of “Laughing through Life” in my purse at the time, but maybe tomorrow?

Mr. Strauss, if you’re reading this, shoot me the room number, and I’ll hand deliver a copy. It’s probably more Mr. Berman’s style.

Labor Day in Hawaii at the Spellbinders 2012 Conference

By Connie Wilson

On September 3, 2012

In Books, Pop Culture, travel

Jim Strauss, Conference co-organizer and writer, addresses the brunch crowd in the Rainbow Tower.

A brunch was held for participants at the Spellbinders’ Conference this morning. Co-organizer James Strauss was the keynote speaker and James is always good. Although I try to make it a rule to “be the change I want to see,” and the change I want to see is starting things no earlier than 10 a.m., after blogging till 1:30 a.m. I fell out of bed, did a very bad job of make-up and hair (naturally, some young photographer wanted to take my picture and the lens was literally less than foot from my nose, as I stared into the lens, bleary-eyed and hair in disarray. THAT one will be good—NOT!), and traveled down in the Tapa Tower elevator to join the others in the ballroom where our meals have been being served. Or so I thought.

Nobody was in the room, when I arrived there, and when I tried to take the elevator back to my 18th floor room to check on the location in the program (a) the elevators would take me neither up nor down (b) I remembered I HAD no program, since I lent it to Jon Land, who needed it more than I did and (c) 4 other lost people were trying to find the location of the brunch. Among them were Susan Crawford and Peter Miller, agents present to take pitches. And we also collected some other lost folks along the way.

While Susan made phone calls to various others, we tried to find the Rainbow Tower, where the hotel had apparently moved the brunch without notifying those of us trying to find it. As a result, several of us were very late, but the food was (as usual) good, and Jim Strauss, as always, gave an amusing and interesting talk to the assembled masses.

Authors Jacqueline Mitchard (“The Deep End of the Ocean”), Jon Land (the Caitlin Strong series) and Gary Braver (back to camera) listen to James Strauss’ speech.

Originally, some of the members of the group were to move on to Turtle Bay. I think that idea has been jettisoned in favor of staying on here at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, but what do I know? (Jim also told me that the entire cast of “Hawaii 5-0” was going to substitute for the MIA John Travolta and Garry Marshall, but I think this was his idea of a small joke. I don’t watch “Hawaii 5-0” and Scott Caan is too short for my Favorite Leading Man, so no big loss.)

Meanwhile, we’re checking out the cost to “rent” an umbrella on the beach. Yes, you heard me right. To rent one. They are not free to hotel guests. And the riff-raff from town are no longer allowed to congregate anywhere in front of the hotel–[-if they ever were.]

I love Hawaii and always have, but I can assure vacationers that, if you travel to Cancun and stay where we stay (the Royal Resorts properties), you won’t be charged extra to sit under one of the fixed “palapas” on the beach in front of the Royal Sands or the Royal Islander. I used to call Cancun “the poor man’s Hawaii,” but, of late, it has gotten pricier, as well. Still, charging $6.50 for ONE coke beats Australian prices (gas is cheaper than Illinois, however), and making guests pay for the use of an umbrella is a new twist on gouging the tourist trade, which would probably not cause the tourists to want to repeat the experience, if a similar beach could be experienced, with bluer water and cooler sand, for NO extra expense.

Casual shot of the group as the brunch broke up.

The food has been uniformly great. The presentations have been useful and enjoyable. As usual, I never hear anyone say, “Hey, we’re going to go hang out at ________ after this. Wanna’ come?” but that is probably because I’m a minnow in the literary pool. Still, it would have been nice to have been frequenting the bar where Shelley Berman showed up last night (he has a guest spot on “Hawaii 50,” they say), but why should this be any different than ThrillerFest or HWA or Love Is Murder or the Backspace Writers’ Conference or any other writing thing I have ever attended? I go. I pay my money. I am pleasant to one and all. I attend the functions. I end up in my room watchong TV, because I think you have to reach a certain level of income or popularity or thinness or attractiveness or something-ness to ever be allowed into the “Inner Circle” that gads about. Just the way it is. Unlikely I’ll ever reach that stratosphere. But at least the husband and I are here together, which gives me ONE person who doesn’t blow me off repeatedly and take off with a large group to go socialize and have fun at the “in” places I am not aware of.

Paradise.

Two more days of fun in the sun.

No idea what the deal is with this guy. He is either starting his own religious sect, stretching before or after exercising, mourning the recent death of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon or planting something. He was in that position for a LONG time, though, folks, and it looked extremely uncomfortable.

Hilton Hawaiian Village grounds.

View from the Rainbow Room brunch.

Jim Strauss, the ubiquitous Nadia (not Comanece), Tony and Tori Eldridge (“Lone Tree Productions), after the Spellbinders’ Brunch.

2012 Spellbinders’ Conference in Hawaii Winding Down: Jane Smiley Speaks

By Connie Wilson

On September 3, 2012

In Books, Interviews, Pop Culture, travel

Connie Wilson & Jane Smiley in Honolulu.

If you grew up in Iowa, as I did, or attended either the University of Iowa (Iowa City), as I did, or Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa), you probably remember when Iowa City graduate Jane Smiley, author of “1,000 Acres” won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. She followed up that tragic retelling of the King Lear story, set on an Iowa farm, with “Moo,” a comic piece that poked some fun at the politics of teaching on a university campus.

Jane Smiley has been in residence at the 2012 Spellbinders Writers’ Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, and her workshop on writing, which I attended, had much valuable information to share with less proficient authors—like me!

It was also fun to hear her tell the story of the day she learned she had won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and other stories from the career of someone who is truly a much deeper thinker than Yours Truly. Jane Smiley (“1,000 Acres”) lives in Carmel, California, now, with her husband Jack Canning, but there was a time when she was an Iowa (Ames) professor of writing and there was a time before that when she was a student at the acclaimed University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Pulitzer-prize winning author Jane Smiley with husband Jack Canning at Opening Night luau on August 31, 2012.

It was this kinship over our Iowa roots (although Jane was born in Los Angeles and raised near St. Louis) that led me to ask her questions about her writing process at the first Spellbinders’ Writing Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Hilton Hawaiian Village that is concluding on September 3, 2012.
After “1,000 Acres,” a retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear story set on an Iowa farm, was made into a movie with Jessica Lange, Jason Robards and Sam Shepherd, Jane Smiley moved on to write “Moo,” a humorous tale that dealt with politics at the university level. She told a charming story that went this way: “I was flying from Monterey to New York via San Francisco and I fell asleep on the flight. One hour into the flight, I woke up to the sound of laughter. My seatmate was reading “Moo.” I said, “That’s my book.” She said, “No, it isn’t. I bought it in the airport.” I said, “No, I mean, that’s MY book. I wrote it.” She looked at me and said, “No, you didn’t.” Her laughter was the best compliment I ever got.”

Jane Smiley at luncheon on September 2, 2012.

Asked about her years as a Professor of writing at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, Ms. Smiley said, “I did enjoy it. When we let them in, we explained it was NOT the University of Iowa (in Iowa City’s) world-renowned Writers’ Workshop. About one-fourth of them said, ‘Oh!’ (with disappointment in her voice). But most were engineers and engineers are used to doing their work. I’d give them writing exercises, like, ‘Eavesdrop for 3 days and then come to class and read what you’ve heard.’ That was hilarious! Or, ‘There are 3 beings in the room and something happens.’ Some of them would write about 2 people and a dog. It was really more fun than work.”
When asked if she would ever consider teaching writing again, Smiley responded, “If I could do it MY way, I’d teach again.”
When asked how it felt to learn she had won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature (in 1992) she said: “My 14-year-old daughter was staying home that day. She was at that age where it is absolutely impossible to have any positive impression of her mom. A reporter from the Ames ‘Tribune’ called up and said, ‘What would you say if you were told that you’d won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction?’ I gave her some generic response.

Jane Smiley, reading from her book, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel” during her conference presentation at Spellbinders’ Conference in Hawaii.

About 2 p.m. the phone rang and some guy from the Washington ‘Post’ called to tell me I had actually won. I said, to my daughter, ‘Honey, I think I won the Pulitzer Prize’ and she said, ‘Hmmmm. Cool.’ Later, in the hallway outside my office at the University, I heard someone screaming, and it was the stringer for the Ames Tribune. They (the Ames Tribune) had scooped the Des Moines Register, who had always scooped them. But, after you win, you go from being a wannabe to a has-been. You are no longer cool—although I never was. I was 16 weeks pregnant at the time, so I didn’t have to run around and go to a lot of things, because I was throwing up all the time, anyway.”
On writing, in general: “You can be the kind of person who enjoys the process, or you can be the kind of person who enjoys the awards. If it enhances your feeling of being alive, of finding things out, remember that there are never enough awards.”

Asked to assess her effect on the lives of others, the self-deprecating Smiley said, “I never think that way. I cannot experience myself from outside.”
Truly a class addition to the Spellbinders Writers’ Conference in Honolulu, held from August 31st to September 3rd, 2012.