A couple weeks after the kidney stone affair and a trip the the doctors office to have a stint removed I attended with Sandra the annual Florida Outdoor Writers Association meeting. I picked up the pen for the first time since the medical mess and tried drawing. I had a heck of a time with focus and depth perception. A doctor there said I was still suffering from a form of disorientation from the anesthesia. As I drew I was able to better focus, but the whole thing was very disturbing to me. After 30 years of drawing I hadn’t felt like that before.

Above Sandra adds to her multi-numerous awards! Here presenter Ralph Allen congratulates her.

Here’s FOWA members Sandra, Pat Pochurek, Charlene Johnson and Doug Kelly.

Late Thursday I had been drawing caricatures. To the left is one of the drawings I had done. A few hours later I was awakened by extreme pain and rushed to the hospital by my dear friends the Singers.

The folks at Sandlake hospital did a great job getting me through emergency room and into a hospital bed. The pain was as you may have either felt or heard of. Just horrible.

The next day emergency surgery was done to blast away a 7 millimeter stone that was blocking my kidney. Just before I was put under I asked for a piece of paper and pen to sketch something to put in the sketchbook. To the right is a quick sketch I drew of the anesthesiologist.

I woke in a hospital bed with all sorts of tubes connected to me. I learned from the urologist, Dr. Hilwa that there had been complications and the normal 45 min. work went on for 3 hours. I had pain return that was as bad as when I had entered the hospital. I was released the next day. My friend Ann Alexander at the hospital was great to visit and bring flowers and a balloon. The balloon helped me with concentration to get around the pain. Below is a photo of me by Sandra just before leaving the hospital.

Met with Irina Zakahrova, Ken Culotta and Marsha Eaton at what is becoming a frequent meeting spot for me, Denny’s.

I attended the Friday luncheon of the Florida Press Association at historic The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida. During the luncheon the Florida Press Association presented awards to those of the daily papers. Also given were awards from The First Amendment Foundation. The Pete Weitzel/Friends of the First Amendment Award was given to Pat Gleason, who is an assistant to Governor Charlie Crist on many things including open government. She is a great lady. She assisted Sandra and I when visiting the Governors Library & Sandra donated many of her books. Governor Crist was at the luncheon to present the award. Below is a fuzzy photo of Pat Gleason speaking, to the right of the photo.

I was honored to receive the Sunshine Award for my editorial cartoons on the subject of Sunshine Week. Below the photo are the two Sunshine Week cartoons. My time at Orlando City Hall greatly helped my constructing these two cartoons. Director  Barbara Peterson was a big help!

To the right is a colored sketch of drapery in The Breakers.

While at the Florida Press luncheon I met Mark Mathes who once editted a ton of cartoonists when he was with Tribune Media Services. Amongst those is cartoonist and editor, Dick Kulpa. Dick was one time editor of the infamous Weekly World News.  I once penciled a week of comics strips for Dick’s comic strip ‘Ghost Story Club’ many years ago.

Anyway, Mark invited Dick over and we went to dinner. Dick and I drew each other and a photo of such is below.

Wednesday morning I drew our friend Stuart. Above is a short film of some of the drawing. The battery died in the camera as it filmed. Below is Stuart and the finished art.

Sandra and I took one of the last tours, touring the architecture of Charleston. Below is the “Four Corners of Law”: Federal, Municipal, County and God’s Law. Each building holds one of the four divisions.

Here are some sketches I made as we made our way through the tour.

I’m spending a lot of time putting these together and need to cut it a bit. So please excuse me for just placing the following photos in without comment from the architectural tour in Charleston.

The next day (the 9th) I slipped over to the 1713 Powder Magazine. Please click on the links to lean more of each location.

The first tour for Tuesday was to Patriot Point. Photos below. Patriot Point is home to the U.S.S. Yorktown naval ship which is so large that inside is a naval air museum full of airplanes.

The locations honors our Medal of Honor recipients. Below is a photo of the wall of those who earned the honor.

Below our exemplary guide, Ken Goodman, helps writer Stuart Newman locate a school buddy of his who posthumously received the first Medal of Honor during WWII. The terminals are set up to look up all those honored with the Medal of Honor.

From Patriot Point we made our way to Fort Moultrie. The fort is where Seminole leader Osceola was imprisoned and then killed. More about that soon at our Genuine Florida site.

Our next tour was a movie set tour. Amongst the places we stopped is the current working set for Lifetime network’s ‘Army Wives’. Below are sketches from around the sets we visited. We got to get a very private tour just for our group that included watching scenes being shot.

Below are photos from the costuming area. Buckets of military boots and racks of military shirts.

Later that evening we were driven out to Middleton Place and had a farewell dinner with some fine entertainment from this bluegrass band. Middleton Place is a fantastic site of gardens and history.

The next morning (the 8th) was a breakfast meeting for the SATW. I went out and got a photo of one of two neon signs left in Downtown Charleston.

The first of our tours of Charleston was to The Citadel.

I loved these hand painted metal soldiers. I wish I had that kind of patience to paint such intricacy!…Well, a lot of people wish I had that kind of patience!

The second tour was to Magnolia Gardens. Below is a page of sketches made there.

Below is a few photos from Magnolia Place.

We made our way north to the annual meeting of the Society of American Travel Writers/Atlantic-Carribean Chapter in Charleston, South Carolina. Upon arriving the Chapter board hit the town and had dinner at a snazzy spot (I forget the name of). Above is a sketch of folks at the bar just beyond our table.

The next morning (the 7th) I ran outside and got photos, including the one above of a staue of the father of our country.

There was a reception for the membership. Afterward we went on a ghost tour. Photos below.

Day 1

A greeting from me as I register for the National Cartoonists Society annual meeting in Hollywood, California.

The ‘Reuben Weekend’, as the NCS annual event is referred to, started with talks by cartoonist Steve Moore, animator Eric Goldberg and the incredible illustrator Drew Struzan. I first saw his work in Variety in the late ’70s and have been a fan of his ever since. He was very kind to sign books and chat with us after his presentation. That’s me and Drew Struzan above.

Here Struzan speaks with John Read (of ‘Stay Tooned’ magazine), Nick Meglin (of MAD magazine) and Ed Black (Cartoonist, photographer and cartooning historian).

The evening of the 22nd was our annual reception. Above is Craig Anderson (of Marmaduke) and Tom Stemmle (Cartoonist and beer taste-tester).

DAY 2

We sstarted Saturday with our business meeting. First we had the old board get up and the new board get on. Below is a sketch of NCS Prez, Jeff Keane and movie director J.J. Abrams who came to the meeting to suggest us get involved with a charity he’s involved with.

Chad Frye brought some of his fantastic art. I actually begged him to bring it. He’d been showing the progress on Facebook. Admiring the art is Andy Eng (Left) and John Norton (Center).

We had a number of panels. Above is during the future of comic strips panel.

That evening was the annual Reuben awards. Above is winner for Cartoon Illustration, Sam Viviano (on right) and fellow MAD colaborator, Nick Meglin.

Here is Momma’s Mel Lazarus and Hi & Lois acrtoonist Bill Janocha.

Here’s Archie Comics master cartoonist Stan Goldberg and his lovely wife Pauline. Stan holds the secret of who Archie Andrews will pop the question to!

Here’s someone who greatly inluenced me, Don Orehek. His wife Suzy has dragged him kicking and screaming into the internet world recently with a blog and Facebook page. Way to go, Suzy!

Rose is Rose artist Don Wimmer gives the typical rection to one of Tom Stemmle’s jokes. Tom’s wife Marie quickly leans away from Tom and starts asking everyone around her who this stranger is sitting beside her. (Tom, Marie and I are good buddies and love to rib each other….Until he calls his Jersey friends to visit me…..)

The Silver T-Quare Award went to Jeff Bacon who spearheaded and organized the resurrgence of visiting military hospitals and Veterans Administration locations in the U.S. and abroad.

Day 3

The next morning the Stemmles and Jerry and Jeri Dowling and myself made our way to Mel’s Diner, made famous in the film,’American Grafitti’. To the left is a sketch I drew of an unused bar in the back.

Here I am with the closest I can get with a photo of Dino.

Tom Stemmle and I were going to a favorite Frakie haunt, Musso and Frank’s. They were closed but I did get this interesting photo of the sign as a bird came by.

Our next group stop was at, Cathy cartoonist , Cathy Guisewite’s house. There was a theme that is self explanitory by the costumes worn by Cathy’s parents. Receiving dinner instructions is agent Bill Kellog. Just past him it Family Circus creator Bil Keane.

My Swiss cheese meory fails me now! This is, gag cartoonist, James Este’s daughter and husband holding a drawing they asked me to do.

We all got to tour Cathy’s house. Here Jerry Dowling examines Cathy’s work area.

Cathy asked us all to sign the toy piano and vase. Here John Norton and Bill Schorr scribble away.

I got to meet a hero. It’s humorist extrodinaire, Stan Freberg!

After Cathy’s house we were taken to a club to hear editorial cartoonist Mike Ramirez’s band, which is on stage above.

Here George Pieper belts one out during karoake, which followed Mike’s band! Below is a sketch I made of a band member.

Sandra and Rob made their way to the Suncoast Inkslingers meeting in Pinellas County. It was held at writer Sandy and brainy scientist/bass choral singer Bill Huff’s large property.

Above is a film of Rob cartooning a suggestion by Ron Johnson at the meeting. Sandy Huff broke open a pile of sketch pads and colored pencils. Rob took advantage of them. Under the film is the drawing Rob drew. Ron is telling a story of an interesting encounter, if you can hear it.

Below is a photo of some attendees: Kurt Wright, Jim and Dan Smith.

My first entry of my new Rob’s Video Sketchbook. Friends, J.R. Griggs and Mark Shilensky suggested this and I’m giving it a go. The first one is clunky, but it’s a start. below is the sketch. All done at the Steak ‘n Shake on 17-92 in Winter Park.