Con-Version 17 was last weekend, and I've finally got around to editing all my photos and putting all the junk together. So sue me.

mike resnick, guest of honor

My role, as Con-Version approached, got more and more involved. As the con's vice-president, it was my job to act primarily as a gopher and firefighter. My job was basically to be everywhere I was needed at any time.

I'm not doing it again next year.

Friday morning we got up bright and early for the trip to the Tyrrell museum. I talked about this a bit the other day, but here's the version with pictures. ;)

thor osborn (science guest) and his lovely wife julie lacquemont (artist guest)

Lisa and I had actually managed to get our luggage packed and away in enough time to get downtown on time. A little early in fact (shock of shocks). We got the folks at the International (the official hotel of Con-Version 17) to lock it away until we could check in and went out to meet the guests.

We all climbed into the rental van and hit the road. Poor Mike Resnick, our guest of honor was trapped in the other van with Talkative Tim, while the rest of us rode in quiet bliss. Ahhh...

the wild bunch. the lady in the middle is candas jane dorsey, our canadian guest of honor

The ride to Drumheller is boring. Mile after mile of prairie, baking under the summer sun. Residents of Saskatchewan and Iowa know what I'm talking about here.

We were a little nervous. Paul, the con's president and buddy of mine, was driving the massive 15 passenger van.

paul at the wheel. oh... my... god...

Now it's been YEARS since Paul has driven a vehicle, and big vans are notoriously tricky to handle if you don't know what you are doing. At every curve in the road Lisa dug her fingernails deep into my arm and my right foot kept trying to find a brake pedal.

We did get the chance to chat with Olga a bit. Olga is Paul's fiancée, who was in from Russia for the month.

olga

Now, now. I know what you are thinking, but Paul did NOT pick Olga out of a mail-order catalog. She's a really sweet girl he met when she was taking some classes here last year. I'm happy for Paul -- he's got a notorious bad streak with Canadian women.

nice hair, phil. hee hee.

We got to the Tyrrell only a half hour late, and we met up with the esteemed Dr. Phil Currie for our tour. His hair was mussed and he was in a T-shirt. My kind of scientist.

The tour was neat, neat, neat. Even the loading bay, where Dr. Phil showed us the 20 foot high doors that were still too small to get some of the exhibits inside the museum.

The whole back area give the impression of frenetic energy. Everyone there was working hard, but flashed easy grins at us happy tourists whenever we poked at something or asked a question.

The neatest room was the preparation room. Those of you who have been to the Tyrrell will have seen it -- in the museum proper is a set of windows looking in on the area where the staff is laboriously chipping and brushing away at the stone surrounding the fossils.

More!