Being the Artist Guest of Honor at Mid-South Con in Memphis was truly a great experience that will be hard to top. For one thing it will always me memorable for me because it was my first time flying. Yeah, I had been in a puddle jumper and flown over Cincinnati before 9/11 but the trip to Memphis was my first time in a real jet flying over real clouds! I was a little anxious but my fascination was stronger. While we were up there I noticed several folks had drawn their shades. Personally I never get tired of looking at clouds from the ground so I can't imagine ever getting tired of looking at them from above! Some people take the beauty of nature for granted.
Memphis is an hour's flight from Cincinnati. It is also in a different time zone so we had the distinct pleasure of landing in Memphis at almost the exact same time we left Cincinnati. We time traveled! That weekend was also the start of daylight savings time so I'm still a little unsure what year I'm in!
So I'm not going to go day-by-day but suffice it to say we had a great time. The staff was the best! All of them! Sylvia picked us up at the airport and we had lunch/dinner with her. And Jane put up with us on Friday when she hauled Heather, DC comics' Gail Simone, her husband Scott (who are some of the nicest people BTW) and myself around Memphis to sightsee. We got to see Graceland and Sun Studios both of which were awesome. And not awesome in the modern sense but awesome in the original sense of the word, inspiring awe.
We got to meet some old friends like Sam Flegal, Mike & Paul of Aradani Studios, Shorty, Stephen Zimmer and others that I know I'm forgetting, as I usually do! Some of the highlights of the weekend was with our new friends.
We finally got to meet Chesley ward winning AD and editor Lou Anders from Pyr. Minutes before the opening ceremonies I was informed by the Toastmistress Lee Martindale that when I was introduced I was to stand up and say a few words! Not being a public speaker is a bit of an understatement! So when I took my seat I was so caught up in that horrid news that I didn't realize I was sitting next to Lou! My speaking "engagement" wasn't a disaster and spending time with Lou over the weekend was a treat. He has some great stories and it was nice to find a kindred spirit in the world of conspiracy theories and Forteana.
We got to have a couple drinks with Kevin J. Anderson who is a super nice guy, breakfast with Lin Workman, Memphis bar-b-que along with some other good Southern style home cookin' and made a lot of new friends, one of which lives just down the road from us! Let me tell you, those Mid-South Con folks know how to put on a show. We'll be going back! Thanks guys!
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