Robert Lincoln:

I say 'crushing' because he is not in that kind of health where every hour of every day is fine. A few years ago, after his stroke, he mentioned in conversation that..."you don't know how tough it's been." With all the people dying around him (his brother not that long ago, etc etc)...the medication he must take for his health, dragging his body around with a walker, being pushed in a wheelchair, hands hurting from signing autographs...there are those unknown times during the week that only the cvloset know about. Getting old (Ray will be 86 this year) is *#*!!

Shame on you, Nard! Wash your *#*@~ mouth out. He's not getting old, forever young in fact, and forever trampling through the fields of high weeds and dusty pathways of Greentown.

grasstains:
Well, then, hurry up and get out to Los Angeles and tell the man you love him before you must say farewell to summer.

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[This message has been edited by Nard Kordell (edited 04-24-2006).]

Thanks alot Nard! It just sounded like something specific happened, glad not. Yes he is getting up there, but what an amazing man! By the way, Nard, you must be tired too with all that driving. Cool story, thanks, I treasure your stories.

Ray once told the story about how he went to Vatican Square early one morning when no one was there, looked up, raised his hands and yelled, �Papa, I love you!� and then went home. I can�t get to Los Angeles, but I�d love to do the same for him.

Here, here!

I'd like to do something similar for Stan and Babe midway up that famous flight of stairs...

Ah, someone else who knows Oliver Hardy�s nickname. There should be a plaque on those steps in memory of �the boys�.

�And let this be 'another' lesson to you.�

grasstains, following Nard's lead, above: "hurry up and get out to Los Angeles and tell the man you love him. . ."

You haven't met him? If not, Nard's right. You MUST. Even if you just stand there in front of him at a signing somewhere and shed a tear, HE WILL KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. Your life will never be the same.

1998, Champaign/Urbana IL, I met him, shook his hand, at a signing. To borrow Bryant Gumble's words from a Today show, I "expectorated dust," mouthing "thank you." Not missing a beat, in that Voice, he said, "You're welcome." And he signed my favorite book, Something Wicked This Way Comes. I haven't opened it since.

Few moments in my life have meant more to me. I would wish you the same experience.

AMEN, ravenswake! My favorite moments of the whole visit with Ray, well, they were all favorite moments, but those which really made an impression were when I would just look at him, and he would just look back, and we didn't have to say ANYTHING!

As for his brother's death, the one-year anniversary must have just passed, and one-year anniversaries are generally more painful even than feelings of six months later.

To clarify things, there IS an historical plaque on those steps, and Ray was instrumental in having it placed there. While there, I asked a local man to take me to see the steps and the plaque. It didn't work out as the guy said he absolutely would not take anyone to that neighborhood again--the last time he was there, someone had been shot ten minutes before--then we didn't end up getting together anyway due to scheduling conflicts of his.

Oh, wow! There is a plaque there! And Ray took part! Hear that? Top o� the world Boys! It doesn�t get better. It just doesn�t get better than this!

Thanks Dandelion!

Ya see? It all ties together eventually!
Well, I've got stuff about the famous steps but have yet to make a pilgrimage...
I'll post some things on the other board, as I can't seem to attach pictures here.

Oopos! Spoke too soon. Per my above posting concerning LA Festival of Books! Bradbury is sold out! No tickets! Aw! I wasn't aware that people line up around the streets of Ticketmasters in LA on the day tickets go on sale for the LA Festival of Books. Of the many many writers speaking at the event (even Billy Crystal [just did a children's book] and Ray Harryhausen will be there)...every ticket seems gone. But just maybe.... ...

I must say... posting here seems to be at a snail's pace. I posted something about 2 hrs. ago...and it still isn't posted. These postings must churn around some ancient wooden barrel and occasionally are lifted out of its spinning by small harmless elves whose feebleness is evident in the time it takes to dispatch a posting...

Continuing on that above post that still isn't visible...

I have managed a ticket... NOT to the Bradbury event, but another, close-by...and that gives me at least entry somewheres. In the meanwhile, I have discovered that as many as a dozen tickets are held out to each event and handed out at the time of the event. So I need to get to be one of the first in line. That means I should get out the door right now and bed-down with napsack and water somewheres around the UCLA campus. Oh, sure!! Yeah!
Well, maybe not THAT early...

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Nard, try posting, then going back to the first page named �Ray Bradbury Discussion Board�, then return to the page you tried to post to and you should see your posting. At least that�s what�s been working for me.