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.

I love Charles Geer’s artwork. I first saw it in elementary school and love to now find his illustrated books. This is one I found today. Above is the cover to ‘Open Throttle’, a collection of railroad stories for children. It has just a handful of his wonderful illustrations inside.

Below is a very large caricature I delivered today.

I saw my sister for the first time in a couple years with dinner at Black Angus Steakhouse. The restaurant is a new version of the old haunt my sister and I went to in Winter Park during oour childhood days. Above is my father, my sister, her two daughters and me.

Below is a caricature drawn later that day.

Here’s a sorta fuzzy fellow with his equally fuzzy caricatue.

Later met with Ken Culotta and Marsh Moreno.

Another caricature! I hadn’t done a triple in many, many years!

Later I met with ol’ Ken Culotta workin’ on some political gags. Below is part of the work space. The pad has a sketch Ken made for Tuesday editorial cartoon that I was sorry to set aside at the last minute.

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.

Started off an event by drawing a large caricature of the fellow who put on the show. That’s him above, Ken McArthur.

Here I draw J. R. Griggs.

Jonathan Freeman gets his drawing.

Here’s Marc.

Was at the Ormond Beach Memorial Art Museum at their annual fundraiser.