Long Journey Home part 4- Los Angeles

Oh right...I have a blog. Time to finish up this move report.

Los Angeles! This was my last stop on the trip, but one I was really excited to see because so many of my friends have settled out there. I got to spend a few days with Adam Staffaroni and Heather Einhorn, and Adam was nice enough to give me a tour of the Boom! offices. Spent a day at Adriana Yugovich's, who is the new front-runner for "busiest person ever", but I got to stay at her cool house and meet up for lunch. And spent an afternoon with Caitlin Plovnick-

-we went to Newport Beach and pretended we were on Arrested Development.  Frozen banana stands everywhere!

So I'm a bad artist, and even thought I brought like four sketchbooks along on this trip, I kept forgetting them behind in the suitcase. First and only time I remembered was on a trip to the LA Zoo.

This condor seemed to really enjoy the attention, he was hanging out at the back out the cage when I started sketching him, then got up close to check things out. Hope he approves of the likeness.

Finally, a live elephant!

Not sure if orangutans have a naturally sad face, or if this one was just having a bad day.
 
So yeah, LA was pretty great, but mostly because I'm lucky enough to know some great people. Other stuff happened too, but I'm tired of typing. Here's the pictures.

There will be comics on Wednesday, I promise.

Long Journey Home part 3- Chicago!

I've never been to the midwest before, and there's some debate as to whether or not Chicago counts because of the lake. Whatever, land-locked states make me uncomfortable.

But Chicago was great! Easy to get around on the train, pretty buildings, museums, and lovely fall weather. But best of all...



Chicago has Beth Hetland! Beth is a CCS alum, and worked with me at the Dartmouth Library (though her job was way cooler than mine) AND now she's in Chicago teaching at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. And she makes some pretty awesome comics.  I know this is a lot of "ands", but she is a busy lady, aaand a great tour guide. We went to more museums and attractions than I can fit into a blog post, so here's the highlights-



In keeping with theme #2 of the trip, there were dinosaurs abound at the Field Museum. This giant sloth tried to sneak up on me.

 

 Next day we headed to the Art Institute of Chicago where, besides some cool lions, they have an amazing collection. I saw a real Van Goghs! And a Jacques-Louis David! And this Goya series-



- that is totally a comic. It was pretty exciting stuff, makes me wish I could go back to school and take a few classes at SAIC.


photo by Beth Hetland

Next best thing, I got to go speak with one of Beth's classes at SAIC! Talked about comics, my weird process and working on Island Brat.  They were a great group, I'm grateful I got the opportunity to speak with them, and I hope to be reading all of their comics some day!

But my favorite part of Chicago was probably the donuts.

Next stop, Los Angeles.

Long Journey Home part 2- New York!

So I got a ride from SPX to New York from GP Bonesteel and his lovely fiance Alison. This is where Theme #1 of the trip came into play- everyone I visited was either sick or just getting over a cold. I'd planned to stay with Katherine Roy and Tim Stout during my stay, but was delayed the first night 'cause they were feeling under the weather. The lovely Robyn Chapman and Dennis Pacheco came to my rescue, and put me up on their Brooklyn futon my first night in town.



Besides seeing all these great people, the big reason for stopping in NYC was to visit some of the museums I'd missed in previous trips. First stop, the Met!



...still can't believe I got to see a Vermeer. A person!



...and took a goofy picture of myself in front of this mural. So yeah, the Met is huge. I walked around for three hours, got lost, ended up in a pyramid, got lost again, found my way outside and ate a hot dog.



Next went to the American Museum of Natural History, which brings us to Themes #2 and 3 of the trip:



DINOSAURS (rawr!) (#2) and



#3 elephants. The museum had two taxidermied elephants herds, and the Field Museum in Chicago had another. This is why they're endangered!



Another endangered species preserved in the museum- Sasquatch!



After museums, a late lunch at my favorite restaurant in the city, and a cannoli...or three, I got to meet up with some of my favorite people for beer and pizza! Andrew Arnold, Sean Ford, Leon Avelino, Robyn, Dennis, Katherine and Tim for making the time on a week night!



...apologies for the blurry photos, I dropped my camera in a lake.

Next stop, CHICAGO!

Journey Home part 1- SPX

Okay, so I'm moving back to Washington, right? And I decide that, instead of flying straight there, to make a bunch of stops along the way. So I head from Vermont to Bethesday, MD for the Small Press Expo (SPX, like anyone reading this doesn't already know that), from there to New York City, then Chicago, then Los Angeles, then home.
















This was a stupid idea. It's also been awesome...and sad, and exhausting, and you wouldn't believe this bruise on my leg from where the rolling suitcase keeps bumping into it...but mostly awesome.  Anyway, the first stop was SPX!



I was lucky enough to share a table once again with Jon Chad and Laura Terry. Katherine Roy had to miss the show this year, which was sad, but it was because she had a gallery opening to attend, which is great!

We were also next to the Sundays guy and gal, which was nice. Family reunion!
 


The Ignatz Awards happened. Joseph Lambert won two of them, which surprised no one but delighted everyone. Look at that crowd! Cartoonists are a fire hazard.

Been putting off writing an SPX wrap-up post because I was struggling with what to write in regards to Dylan William's passing. So many people have articulated it better than I ever could. I only met Dylan twice, once in Olympia when I was just starting out, and once in Portland at his Bad Apple dvd store. When two shy and quiet people meet, not much happens. I've come to know him better through the good things others had to say about him, and...yeah. It's a sad time.