October 31 to November 10, 1997
My trip began on halloween. I left Madison just after noon on Friday with a jack-o-lantern staring out the rear window of my car. I was on my way to Holland, Michigan, where Robert Burck now lives. We had both been involved with Sellery Hall Association, at the UW-Madison. Robert is now involved with the Jaycees, and that evening we went to the haunted village he had helped work on.
Saturday morning I continued on to Toronto, for what was to be a relaxing visit with my grandmother and uncles. We played Woidz and Breakdown, and I caught up on sleep. I was also repeatedly told that I am such a good looking grandson (though my grandmother's eyesight isn't what it used to be).
On Tuesday, I drove to Pennsylvania, where Dave Freedman, Harriet Kohn, and their daughter Paulina, live. While there, Harriet gave me a tour of their area, and Dave gave me a tour of Rodale Press, where he works. I also went to a local shop, Toystar, to see if they would carry my games. Now they do.
On Thursday, I drove to Connecticut to visit Val Gundlah (formerly Val Kays), who I've known since second grade, but haven't seen since high school. We went out to dinner and caught up on old times -- a lot can happen in ten years. I also got to meet her husband Brent. We all played Breakdown, and he came in second. Val and Brent also have a wonderful collection of Victrola record players.
Then on Friday, I drove to the Mohonk Mountain House in New York for the Wonderful World of Words weekend. This is the most incredible place I've ever been to. I arrived around 11:30, but check-in wasn't till 4, so I decided to do some exploring. Despite a severe warning (what I thought was just another lawsuit stopper), I embarked on "The Labyrinth." If I had known the warning was an understatement, I might have curled up with a book until 4. But by the time I discovered what I'd gotten myself into, it was more dangerous to turn back than to keep going. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I felt fortunate to get out alive. There were multiple instances where I traversed from rock to rock over stone-lined crevices 30 (or more) feet deep. I also climbed up rocks where a minor slip meant a major fall. No nets. No soft grass. Only jagged rocks below. After about 45 minutes of this (though it seemed like hours), I reached the peak and snapped a photo of the Mountain House below.
The rest of the weekend was equally exciting, but much safer. I met Will Shortz, editor of the New York Times Crossword Puzzle; William Garvey, an editor for Reader's Digest; Richard Maltby, Jr., a Broadway director and composer; as well as many other interesting people.
On Sunday evening, after a weekend full of game playing and other fun, I headed straight back to Madison.
The End.
Now I want to go to: