News and Events:

July 2003

I can't believe I got talked into Dallas-Ft. Worth AGAIN in July! I have LOST my remaining mind. Believe me, if it hadn't been Meredith Hodges askin’, it wouldn't of happened. Of course, it's been un-naturally hot up here in Sandpoint these past several weeks, but east Texas is in a whole 'nuther league! The thermometer read 101 degrees when we fell off the plane on July 29. Then, they told us, with the humidity index thrown in it was like being 118 degrees. You got no argument from us. What this was was a publicity tour and book signing for our "JASPER" children's book and along with author, Meredith Hodges and myself, publicity guru Wendy Wilkinson and production gal, Maury Golder-Dobbie were along to take care of the "talent". A good plan.

Meredith put us up in a Hilton so we were very well cared for in that department, and Wendy had rented a car to get us to and' fro. We had two full days of tooling around to do. Little did we know, there is no such thing as "tooling around" Dallas, Texas. Only the innocent would even attempt it! I promise you, in Dallas, you can't get there from anywhere, and when you finally cry calf-rope and ask a local, you get multiple choices and a rabbit’s foot. What I'm saying here is that we four women spent MOST of Wednesday lost somewhere in downtown Dallas in heavy traffic and 100+ degrees of heat and it was NOT a pretty sight. However, when we DID get to where we were going, everything went well and we were treated just fine.

Our first stop, early, early Wednesday morning, was for a TV spot for their CBS affiliate's early morning show. It was an interesting process we'd never encountered before--the hostess was somewhere else. She coulda been in Houston for all we knew. They stuck a plug in one ear and taped us to the floor in front of the camera and we corresponded with a spirit. Then it was off to the very bowels of downtown to the studios of the big Texas Cable Network. There we had an OUTSTANDING and rather normal interview with their gal, Traci Johnson.

Third stop, after over-shooting the mark only once, was Children's Medical Center where two TV crews followed us through some of the hospital's playrooms. As Meredith read to the kids from "JASPER", I drew them images of the book's heroes. There was a dear little girl in the cancer ward in the first playroom we visited that we all wanted to steal. Although she had lost most of her hair and was hooked to an IV and an attendant, her spirit and intelligence were soaring in the stratosphere. What a doll!

Room #2 had an older boy with a busted leg and he wasn't buying into THIS hokey "JASPER" program. That was for those little kids, not him. He wound up asking for a triple "Moxie" drawing and having a good time.

Room #3 was a delight, but ole BS got challenged on a professional basis. I sat down next to a pile of mischief called Dewey and he decided I needed some competition. With the utmost self-confidence I handed over my pad and marker to him and he proceeded to do a self-portrait and dedication. Now I ask YOU, did I deserve that?

We ended up at Children's with Meredith doing an interview with a very impressive young fella named Daniel for the Time, Inc for Kids magazine. That winding up all our formal commitments for the day, all we had to do was find our hotel and kick-back. NOOooo Problemmmmm.

I'm not sure just how many times we wandered up or down this road with the name "Harry" in it, but we became intimate enough with Harry to begin' giving it "nick-names". But, no matter what we called him, "Happy Harry", "Harry the Hoofer", he wouldn't let us find the NW Expressway, which we were deluded into believing would take us to the hotel. When we finally shed "Harry", we found ourselves on the way to Waco. Well, we KNEW that wasn't gonna work, but if we could get off the south-bound and flip back up in the NORTH bound, we would at least be going in the right direction. Well, guess what? We got off all right--back in the middle of down- town and 347 one-way streets! By this time, Wendy, the driver in all of this, was a wreck and her eyes were bouncing off the dashboard. We pulled into a parking spot (Yeah, we FOUND one of THOSE!!!) and she threatened to quit right then and there and, take a CAB back to Colorado!! That shut down the back seat driving for a moment and we all started to cry on her. That was a CLOSE one!!! We got her calmed down and pumped up for another run at it. What a gal!

This time, instead of using science, logic, maps, compass and Ouija boards, we just sorta set out to see what would happen next. We went PAST "Happy Harry's" Blvd and low and beholden--NW EXPRESSWAY popped up. We passed up the highway marked with a big “D” and a circle, though I insisted it was the Dummy Route. Democracy worked that time. Unfortunately, on the way down the NW X-WAY, they spotted an Italian restaurant that, wouldn’t you know it, they just HAD to go there. No Mickey-D's for those three. Democracy again. BUT, B_U_TTTT, WE COULDN'T GET THERE FROM HERE!

We passed it going north, and then we passed it going south. It waved from its position of safety and smiled benevolently. We ALMOST drove all the way back to "Harry" before an emergency exit onto a toll road took us past the TV station we’d started at so many hours ago. By GAWD!!! WE KNEW WHERE WE WUS AT!!! Well, sorta.

It just so happened the access road to the station went directly to the shopping center where that precious restaurant sat and somehow we needed the right exit and the right lane to be in and we were COOKIN now. Well, we get to the shopping center slick as snot on a rock, but said restaurant is still eluding us. We are on the north end and it is on the south. No problem, you say, for four women. Shopping centers are cleverly designed so harried and distracted females can find their way in the dark, if they have to.
Well, dear readers, not in DALLAS. I guess, since everything else in their fair city was convoluted and obtuse, they were going for consistency here. There's NO WAY, girls. Gottcha. We took many turns and were trapped in several private Parking lots before we even SAW the south side of that place. Then all we could see was the NW EX-WAY and three billion cars going 85mph. Were we discouraged? No way.
Although this place was laid out like the maze that held the Minotaur, there were three determined women with paper cuts from useless maps in that little car and they were gonna eat Italian or DIE! Damn the one-ways and dead-ends and the 100+ degrees of heat. I’m proud to be associated with 'ern. We ate Italian in their chosen spot and decided, tomorrow we would hire a car and DRIVER.

We found our way to the hotel and refused to leave until James and the limo arrived at our door that next morning. Yes, I said James. Our innocent driver's actual name was James and he arrived in a shinny black Lincoln with tinted windows. Now, we're talkin’ transportation.

James's first assignment was to get us to Ft. Worth and the studio of KTVT where we were scheduled to tape a segment of "Positively Texas". It was well on its way to 100 degrees again when we arrived and James waited in the car. Don'tcha LOVE it?

There were to he four interviews for the show that morning and everyone was herded into their "green" room to wait. In actuality, the room was a hot orange, and THAT is where they shoulda taped their show. We had two gals from some clothing chain doing a fashion spot, a beautiful black lady from a charity, Alturo from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Jasper Gang. Then they called for "MAKE-UPPPP"!
B.S. got "made-up". I kid you not. Maury took pictures. And, yes, I had on overalls--but they were my nearly white Carhart painter pants variety. I wuz dazzlin!! Then, the on-camera hostess got Meredith's name wrong (Jones??) and Mine (Becky, was it?) So much for fame. Just to keep us centered, we got lost trying to get outta the studio.

When we finally succeeded, we found James parked under a tree, AC blasting away, music playin’ on his headphones and him peacefully snoring away. We felt bad having to disturb him, but we were gonna be late for our date at A.D.M.S.'s new headquarters in Lewisville-- which you couldn't get to from there.

James got on the phone to Leah in Lewisville and handled directions while the four women flopped about that beautiful car and gushed about their make-up and the name screw-ups. Typical celebrity stuff. We arrived in Lewisville and ADMS just like the stars do in Hollywood. I wonder what the neighbors thought of that? We met the whole gang--cat, guinea pig, three hound pups included--and applauded the progress and the hard work of Leah and her staff in the relocation process, moving 35 years of ADMS from Denton to the new digs. Paul and Betsy Hutchins were there, too. We invited James in for the tour and I'm sure he never expected to EVER be in the capital building of the donkey and mule world when he showed up for work that day. He maintained his dignity and sense of direction through the whole thing, but I'd sure like to have been a fly on the wall in that garage when he got back that night.

Paul had an attack of something and took us ALL to lunch at the Salt Grass restaurant in town. We sure did enjoy being together again and getting to know the "new" people. Paul announced he has just retired for sure from his teaching position at Texas Woman's College in Denton, so I began to immediately campaign for them to visit the Great North West more. It was too soon over and time to climb back into our limo for the ride back to Dallas. It was with a flashin’ of fantasy I announced, "Home, James." We had one more "Official" function that day, a book signing at a very popular Borders Books and Music store on Preston Road. The problem was--James wasn't involved. We were once more ON OUR OWN. We asked at the hotel and they assured us it was only a couple of miles and three turns to get there. Wendy took a deep seat and we proceeded to the next adventure with confidence.

Amazing as it sounds, we found the place right off, AND, it was in a "normal" shopping center, and they had their "JASPER" signs up. Farris, the store manager, was there to greet us as we wandered in the door. We were just getting our bearings and eyeing the smoothie bar when this big guy with a million-dollar grin walks up to me. Drop MY Falsies if it wasn't Charles Williams and his wife, Vee! Charles is on the board of the Academy of Western Artists, the outfit that drug me to Ft. Worth LAST year for cowboy cartoonist of the year award. They were there purely by chance and it was sooo goooood to see a familiar face. Farris had everything set-up for us and there were even a few brave souls waiting to hear about "JASPER". Meredith and I told them about the book and the video and mules in general. Leah from the ADMS office showed up with her husband and a good time was had by all. Farris wants us to come back when the video is out. Sounds like a plan to me, but next time--not in the dead of a Texas summer, please. And James, you better be on guard, fella!