Winkie Conference Road Trip, July 12-17, 2006
Return to Oz
Whenever I get the chance, I go with Eric to the Winkie Convention in Asilomar. And whenever possible, we take Torvald along to enjoy the trip. These are the pictures from the 2006 trip. This year, Eric and I joined up with Karyl and Lacey in Oregon, and traveled with them through the Redwoods in Karyl's little PT Cruiser.
At a reststop above Crescent City, we got out of the car to stretch and move around a bit before entering the Redwoods. You can see the car in the background as we look past Torvald down, literally down, the road back toward the city.
The pictures I took of Torvald looking out at the bay all came out poorly thanks to the bad angle of the light. This is the best one, and I had to manipulate the light settings a bit so you could see Torvald in it. Only minutes before we were down by the water.
When you go to the Redwoods, you have to visit Paul Bunyan and his pal Babe, the Blue Ox. Torvald had to stand well forward to make sure he could be seen in these pictures with the pair.
After visiting Paul Bunyan and the parking lot of the Trees of Mystery, we went across the street to the Forest Cafe for dinner. We were greeted by a bear, passed a no wishing well, and settled underwater to enjoy the meal. Torvald got caught by a fish.
We spent the night in a little cabin in the Redwoods. Torvald was distressed to see a no dogs sign that bore a marked resemblance to himself, and thus shut himself up in the house for the night without even taking an evening stroll.
Leaving the Redwoods we found the entrance sign and took a handful of final pictures. Look at the size of those trees!
Finally arriving at the convention itself, Torvald got busy visiting the folks who were around. These included a couple of Munchkins from the MGM movie (and an honorary Munchkin who missed being in the movie due to appendicitis). Clarence Swenson played a Munchkin guard in the movie, and his wife Myrna missed out on being a Munchkin because of illness.
Margaret Pellegrini appeared in quite a few Munchkinland scenes as a Munchkin, most often with a flowerpot on her head, but also as a sleepyhead.
Robert Baum is the great-grandson of writer L Frank Baum, who wrote the orginal Oz books.
The grounds of Asilomar are as familar as a second home to most Winkies now. The main center of action is the Fred Farr Forum, where the lectures happen.
The beautiful dunes of Asilomar are a nice walk for folks who want to get away from the bustle of the convention action. Torvald enjoys the sites, and stays on the path. He has even spotted a deer while out walking.
When the convention is over, Torvald perches himself on the dashboard of the PT Cruiser, ready to head home. As you can imagine, the passengers get a little tired of watching his butt.
The crew stops for breakfast at a casino, and Torvald takes the opportunity to check out the games. We think he didn't win anything, but he's not telling.
A quick stop in Oregon to meet with some friends from the old country.
Lunch on the way home.