Donald E. Westlake, RIP

Donald Westlake, the prolific mystery novelist, died on New Year’s Eve while on vacation in Mexico. These are sad tidings for those of us who enjoyed his books. The man wrote something like a hundred under his own name as well as several pen names. He also wrote the screenplay for the movie, The Grifters, adapting it from the Jim Thompson novel. Westlake preferred to write his books using a manual typewriter. Given that he wrote an incredible number of pages, his fingers must have been ready for the Olympics.

Well, rest in peace, Mr. Westlake. Your books will be around for years to come.

Published in: on January 2, 2009 at 2:29 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Cat in Flight

I love cats and I love to fly but I wouldn’t expect my cat to go flying. Not in a small plane anyway. Well, check out this video:

That’s Iris the Bengal Cat on the dashboard while this fellow lands his Cessna 172. Beautiful landing and Iris provided her compliments to the pilot.

Gotta love those cats but I think the better part of safety would be to strap them in. Just saying.

Published in: on December 31, 2008 at 6:52 pm  Comments (1)  
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Spain Webcams

Spain has a fair number of webcams available to the public. Regular readers of this blog know that Spain is among my favorite places, (probably number one on the list). There is a great message board called Madridman.com. On it you’ll find very good information from people who live, travel to, and know the details about Spain. This includes travel information, favorite places, great restaurants, cultural info, and so forth. As I said, much of it is first hand information, the best kind there is.

What I like most, however, is taking a peek at the webcam shots every now and then, especially when I’m between visits. Here is a direct link to Madridman’s page that has a list of webcams from all over Spain: http://www.madridman.com/spaincams.html. Some of my favorites are the Segovia Aqueduct, the Plaza Santa Ana, and the different cathedrals.

There are many ways to travel in this modern world. Sometimes you have to put one foot in front of the other; other times you can do it from your computer. Sure, it’s not the real thing. But in a pinch, it’ll suffice. It may even help you work out your itinerary or enable you to communicate with people you might otherwise never meet. Try it. It doesn’t hurt a bit.

Published in: on December 27, 2008 at 1:21 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Good For The Goose…

The Grumman Goose was a legendary airplane. It served all types of functions, including shuffling people like Hemingway around the Caribbean. It was a rugged, sturdy design, capable of landing on land and sea, a fine example of great aeronautical engineering. Of course, history marched forward and the goose became a relic. Until… a couple of people set up shop to build them again. Here’s a photo of their Goose:

She may not be the most handsome aircraft, but she does conjure up plenty of emotion. The plane evokes the glory days of aviation, of island hopping, of finding that place that no one else has yet found. Hmmmm…. maybe I’ll write a story featuring this plane. It’s been a long time since I read Lost Horizon.

I sincerely hope this company finds great success. I’d love to see this modern version of the goose flying. Wouldn’t mind flying one myself.

Published in: on December 24, 2008 at 2:37 pm  Leave a Comment  
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