"Guess what Charlton was publishing in 1967?"

Diversions of the Groovy Kind: Watchmen Weekend Begins with The Question and Peacemaker

Diversion of the Groovy Kind is a blog I like to watch. I've suspected for a long time that there was an uncanny resemblance, and not just visually, between The Question & Rorschach. Check this blog out for the full scoop, a little comics history lesson...

Tumbleweed Connection final update

During the fire, smoke filled the building. Water is everywhere. The roof at the rear of the building is gone.

I didn't learn if the front roof is damaged. Some smoke damage is visible above the balcony in the top and middle photos. A fire truck extension can be seen in the middle photo, behind the building.

The bottom photo was taken from a nearby roof behind the Tumbleweed and shows a couple of DFD vehicles including the extension.

In case you didn't know, the Tumbleweed had been serving really good breakfasts and lunches for some time. Our father, Walter, had been breakfast/lunch regular there for a long time.

Our friends and family celebrated my son, Ian's, 21st birthday at the Tumbleweed.

I don't get out much, but I've had a decent list of memorable times at the Weed with my friends and family.

We don't know the full extent of the damages or how things will go from here but, we all hope for the best and look forward to the possibility of many more good times at The Tumbleweed Connection in the future.

Tumbleweed Fire update

The smoke is beginning to die down and I managed to get this shot a few minutes ago. I hope all of this is confined to the upper floor. If so, it could allow the business to re-open quickly.

Fire at the Tumbleweed Connection

Friends of the Oregon District and, specifically, The Tumbleweed Connection (a.k.a. The 'Weed) should be aware of a fire currently in progress at that location. I'm with customers and can't get complete details.

Word from the street says the fire began in the office of the Tumbleweed. There is an awful lot of smoke and the smell has just gone from wood to rubber, which is not a good sign. I know many of the buildings here have rubber roofing.

As yet, there's no telling how this will turn out but, we wish the Weed our best and will be there to help out if we can. More details as they become available.

Did you know ... ?

A lot of people don't know that we've got a great selection of recent used books. Avid readers who haven't stopped in lately (or ever!) are cordially invited visit.

Bonnett's Book Store
502 East Fifth Street
Dayton, Ohio 45402
(937) 228-1222
Noon - 8pm, Mon-Sat

Here's a short list of popular books we have available right now (and a lot more!):

Jeffrey Archer - A Prisoner of Birth
David Baldacci - The Whole Truth
Steve Berry - The Venetian Betrayal
Suzanne Brockman - Into the Fire
Alafair Burke - Angel's Tip
Lee Child - Nothing to Lose
Mary Higgins Clark - Where Are You Now?
Andrew Davidson - The Gargoyle
Robert Ellis - City of Fire
David Ebershoff - The 19th Wife
Barry Eisler - Requiem for an Assassin
Janet Evanovich - Fearless Fourteen
Janet Evanovich - Lean Mean Thirteen
Linda Fairstein - Killer Heat
Vince Flynn - Protect and Defend
James Frey - Bright Shiny Morning
W. E. B. Griffin - Black Ops
John Grisham - Playing for Pizza
Jack Higgins - A Darker Place
Khaled Hosseini - The Kite Runner
Linda Howard - Death Angel
Don & Hal Iggulden - The Dangerous Book for Boys
J. A. Jance - Cruel Intent
Jerry Jenkins - Riven
Faye Kellerman - The Mercedes Coffin
Stephen King - Blaze (Richard Bachman)
Eric Van Lustbader - Robert Ludlum's "The Bourne Betrayal"
George R. R. Martin - Inside Straight (Wild Cards)
David Michaelis - Schulz and Peanuts (Charles Schulz, Snoopy)
James Patterson - Cross Country
James Patterson - Double Cross
James Patterson - Sail
James Patterson - The Quickie
James Patterson - You've Been Warned
Ridley Pearson - Killer View
Lisa A. Phillips - Public Radio: Behind the Voices
J. D. Robb - Salvation in Death
Joel C. Rosenberg - Dead Heat
Charles M. Schulz - It's a Dog's Life, Snoopy
Lisa Scottoline - Lady Killer
Daniel Silva - Moscow Rules
O. J. Simpson - If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer (Goldman Family)
Karin Slaughter - Fractured
Stephen White - Dry Ice

Banana peel on ice

After a week or so of stumbling around on slippery and uneven ground, I found the idea of taking this photo a-peel-ing. Feel free to add your thoughts, perhaps a silly or insightful caption. Have fun, be smart, and be alert for banana peels on ice.

Writers, poets: Enter the DDN's contest

Sharpen your quills! The deadline is March 20, 2009. Click the link for details...

Writers, poets: Enter the DDN's contest

R.I.P. Donald E. Westlake

Official Website: http://www.donaldwestlake.com/wks_bkex5.html
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_E._Westlake

Donald Westlake has died of an apparent heart attack while en route to a New Year's Eve party while vacationing in Mexico.

He had many pseudonyms. It is said he used pseudonyms because publishers didn't believe he could write so much so quickly. Also, it was uncommon for houses to publish more than one book a year from any given author. Not to mention some racy titles published by Monarch books.
See his Wikipedia page for a list of pseudonyms.

See the bibliography section of his website for a list of his works, also available on the Wiki.

Many of his stories were made into movies (IMDb).

The Hardcase Crime series has published a Richard Stark novel, "Lemons Never Lie" and two Donald Westlake novels "Somebody Owes Me Money" and "361".

Awards:
Earned the Mystery Writers of America "Grand Master" title in 1993, has won three Edgar Awards, and received an Academy Award nomination for "The Grifters" in 1991.

Random House published Westlake's first novel, "The Mercenaries", in 1960.

Trivia:
Wrote more than 90 books, most of them on a typewriter.
Photos of typewriter keys are used to spell out his name in his web page banner.

This is a link to some Science Fiction short stories, at least the first of which was published in Playboy magazine:
http://www.donaldwestlake.com/wks_ss6_intro.html

Donald E. Westlake on Amazon.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS

That's all, really. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Rest in peace Miss Bettie Page

From modeling to missionary work, Bettie Page changed the world in many ways.
Her unique and unmatched ability to convey a wide range of personalities for the camera lens have inspired countless other models and photographers to try and follow suit. Many come close but, so far, none have gotten the Bettie Page mystique just right. She was truly one of those rarities, a one-of-a-kind.

Thanks, Bettie. We'll always remember you well.

Bettie Page: April 22, 1923 - December 11, 2008