Memorial Day for the past twelve years has meant a fun weekend with my cartoon artist heroes and heroines at the NCS Reuben Awards.  This year we were on the Jersey side of the Hudson with great views of lower Manhattan.

We enjoyed the parties and seminars and chance to spend some time with pals Roy Doty (in top form again,) Barbara Dale, Rich Thompson, Brian and Diana Crane, Tom and Marie Stemmle, Gerry Mooney, Tom and Anna Richmond and Yaakov Kirschen from the Jerusalem Post (below, right.) Those old enough to know about George Booth will appreciate my excitement in meeting this master of hilarious characters and settings.

Bill Plympton was also there and shared some of his animated shorts and process.  (Click on the dog to view a trailer.) SAM seems to get all this, or at least goes along with my groupie-like enthusiasm.  She sure looked beautiful for the evening affairs.

Got a note from Chris Sparks, Rich Thompson’s web guru in Swannanoa, that the Citizen-Times had run a piece I’d sent in.  All work these days using Painter + Cintiq.  It’s getting easier, but still a long way to go.

High points of the weekend were Michael Ramirez’ seminar and then the same Michael and his band playing at a local night club where we danced and sang.  Cathy Guisewite’s “picnic” for 350 at her home nearby was wonderful and a chance to talk with many heroes and friends.  Those of you who were alert in the 50s may remember a comedian, advertising genius: Stan Freberg.  He has always been a major talent in my eyes and I’ve memorized much of his material – like his 2-part musical of the history of the United States. At Cathy’s party he said I was the second person in his life who had offered to kiss his feet.  He was nice to let me pose for a few pics while Frank Pauer shot this.   Thanks Frank, and thanks Stan for all those happy memories.

SAM and I are off for a couple of weeks toolin’ around lower Caly-forn-yah and a visit with Stacey and Mark.

Updates to follow.  I also owe a post on the group tour experience in Italy.

Meanwhile, June is cool and folks here drive very aggressively and everyone is 25 years old.   Had our first lettuce smoothy…

We (SAM and sister Karen) traveled with a group of wonderful folks from Australia, Canada and the US on a Trafalgar tour.

I can hear those snickers, but hold on, I’ve more to say on that later.

We’ve  unpacked our duds and thoughts and are off to Hollywood for the Reuben awards and a can’t wait visit with Stacey and Mark.  So I’ll post those thoughts and some photos then.  For now, just some scribbles from my journal and  a big “buongiorno” to all our travel mates, our amazing driver Angelo, and fantastico Tour Director Lidia.

Grazie! It was a terrific trip.  YouTube clip of Venice gondola serenade.

The Journaling class is small with a diverse mix of students and a very creative instructor, Mary.  She prefers index cards to a carry-around notebook and, so far, tolerates my nonsense.  We’ll see how long that lasts.  Her homework (right) is the best part…

Portraiture will be all about breaking my bad habits.  Our instructor Rick takes a very classic approach and we’ll just be using charcoal.  We have a live model.  All I have do do is listen, see, take my time, and draw large. Yikes, that’s a lot for me!

Sunday, my old DC-Baltimore chapter of the NCS said it would be OK if I “attended” the annual Reuben category voting, this time for Magazine illustration.  At my new SE Chapter, voting was far away in Georgia, so just seeing old friends was fine with me.  Couldn’t vote, but glad to see some old pals’ entries around the table.  Nothing to say except Ron did a great job with the voting, counting and keeping his pie-hole shut about the tally.

The event was hosted by greeting-card-Barbara, now joining the NCS board (YEA!), at her amazing huge home in the Rowland Park neighborhood of Baltimore, MD.  Verrrry nice, like Wellseley, MA, West Hartford, CN or Cleveland Park, DC.  If you watched “The Wire” you know the neighborhood.  Barbara is a creative Krakatoa, her home is full of art for fun and we all have a giant crush on her.  Good news for a “grape” lady.

Thanks Barbara and Alan (her quiet, smart partner) you were perfect hosts.

The Reuben awards are the annual recognition of the best cartoonists and the best of cartooning. Mort Gerberg observed that cartooning is in decline. That’s mostly because newspapers are fading away. People everywhere love our graphic gags. Maybe we need to move to cell phones. Many of the all time greats were here and a lot of folks who are less well known but nevertheless talented and passionate about the cartoon arts. The field is evolving in many directions – animation, advertising, greeting cards, Internet, book illustration, and so on.

Mike Mikula, above (Roll Call and more) is one of my pals, heroes. So good to visit again with him and Sarah and hear about their family – two boys – and life in Atlanta.

The Ruben Awards is a formal affair, but totally wacky and fun. This year there were about 300 attendees.

At table #22 we passed around my sketch book for contributions.

One of my all time favorites, Richard Thompson (below with the Kodak) rode the train down from Washington DC as a nominee for his feature, Cul de Sac. He’s a very talented guy, who used to be a neighbor in Arlington, VA.

Mike Peters, this year’s MC, is a genuinely happy positive person. Creator of Mother Goose and Grimm, he also does political cartoons and caricature, and he uses a lot of India ink. A fine choice. Below, right is Mike, mugging with moi.

Many of the “old timers,” from the golden era in the 40s and 50s were there, thankfully. Roy Doty, Frank Springer, Bill Wilson, and of course, Mel Lazarus. Below left are Bunny Hoest and Jack Davis.

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Five of us worked as a “siding unit” and did so well we were dubbed the “Alpha” Team. Later, at the hotel, after showers we reunited at the opening reception. Below are (left to right) Don Peoples, Elaine Bernside, Bill Schorr, Aileen Heimlich and moi. Also a view of our house. We completed the roof and finished about 3/4ths of the siding.

The story here is the quiet stream of volunteers that are coming to help rebuild this unique city. This is a truly American response. We all were depressed by the devastated neighborhoods, the quickly painted “X”s with grim #s and the likelihood that it will happen again. Still, many residents are returning and rebuilding.

What was a major surprise, returning to the hotel we filed off our bus through a gauntlet of applause and thanks from hotel staff and NCSers. It wasn’t needed. We all felt very thankful already. This experience, and the Habitat organization will not be forgotten.

For more great coverage of this event see Tom Richmond‘s posting (link here.) BTW, Tom won the Advertising and Illustration category award this year. Steve Silver, another NCNer, won for TV Animation.  Bill Schorr (one of the Alpha team) won for editorial cartoons!

One of the nice features of this month is the opportunity to honor our moms. There are 365 other days as well, but you know how busy we all are. I was fortunate to have a smart, warm and supportive mother. She had a long and productive life. Dorothy is with me every day. There are of course many great moms who deserve a hand (literally) for all they do and are.

One of them, Hillary Clinton, was here as part of the hard fought NC primary. For many Democrats this is a very very tough choice, very close, for different reasons. In the end, I feel Hillary has the best chance of defeating McCain, which turned out to be my most heavily weighted criterion. If Barack Obama wins the nomination, I will be proud to support him for President.

Soon it will be time to visit barber Jack and prepare for the Reubens gathering, this year in New Orleans. “Just a trim, Jack.” Will my tux still fit?

At this annual gathering of the National Cartoonists Society, our members recognize the best among us in 15 categories and overall – for works produced largely in the past year. (NCS Reubens link) It is a grand affair with a formal dinner and hilarious awards presentation. Each year we attend seminars and smaller social activities generously hosted by some of the syndicates. This year many of us have also signed up for a day with Habitat for Humanity and some local work there in the city. Cartoon illustrator and caricaturist Tom Richmond from Mad Magazine and also a leader in the NCN has done a great program cover illustration – AGAIN!

On the other side of the world, (Dumagueta in the Philippines) a great family is celebrating the 80th birthday of an amazing man, Alexander Amor. I would love to be there. Mr. Amor is still a practicing attorney and quite vigorous. When I was on my RTW, he and family members living nearby took wonderful care of me and taught me about this natural paradise and the some of the history and culture of the Philippine people. One of his sons made his way to the USA and remains a good friend, despite his humanitarian impulses.

Normally, I’d be at the annual NCS Reuben awards, but this year’s location was lame (Orlando) so, I decided to take a bye. Here’s the (LINK) with this year’s results. Special congrats to heroes: Bill Amend (chemistry major,) Tom Richmond, Hillary Price, Stephan Pastis, Mike Ramirez and Steve Brodner. Glad to see pal Bud Grace back in the program.

Here, around the beltway, I was visiting Annapolis (Naval Academy graduates and parents everywhere,) taking long walks in open fields, smelling the honeysuckle, sketching, dinners, a local production of Godspell, off to a morning picnic, and then out for dinner with old friends at Clydes, in Columbia Maryland.

Rolling Thunder is in town for their 20th year. Being a vet from that era, they have my salute. Over a hundred thousand bikers this year according to WaPo. (LINK) The Pentagon opened their parking lot for a staging area, quite a sight.

Three new pages (donated for the occasion) for my analog journal by Jay, Bud and Casey. Thanks guys, and farewell chapter mates.

Got a swell new clock that doesn’t tell time. It says (to me) “make your own time count.”

Brace yourself SE Chapter.

Packing for Tokyo…

This evening he spoke about his early days and artistic influences. Feiffer, who grew up in the Bronx, was first inspired by the boy cartoonist in Sheldon Meyer’s “Scribbly.” Later influences included E. C. Segar, Milt Caniff, Roy Crane, Alex Raymond, Al Capp’s writing, Peter Arno, Walt Kelly, and later Herblock. His greatest influence, and first employer when he was just 17, was the famous Will Eisner, who also gave him his start in writing. He shared a few of his Village Voice pieces and said he gave up the political cartooning after the break up of the USSR and the global drift to the right. Jules is still producing children’s books, including his latest “The Long Chalkboard,” a collaboration with his wife, Jennifer Allen. At 78-79, he is still funny, literate, and unafraid to take a poke at dishonesty.

At the Reubens this year, he looked at a caricature I’d sketched of him and said “who’s that old man?” He is one of my heroes.