Con-Folk Cometh September 1, 2005 – Posted in: Aberrant Normalcy

I boarded a seaplane at Lake Union this morning and flew over the panoramic San Juan Islands, an archipelago of hundreds of islets, in my ongoing quest to experience–after the fact–a setting I’d already written about in a short story. When I arrived on the lush island of Orcas, I chartered a sailboat, as in my story, captained by a knowledgeable local Orcasian who pointed out the dolphins, otters and other sea life we encountered as we cruised the San Juan Channel. The gloriously sunny day seemed un-“Pacific Northwest” to me, except for the slight chill in the air. What struck me most during this day of sailing—and this was something that I failed to capture in my story–was the intense quiet, the sense of peacefulness that permeated the air. Otherwise, I must say that I think my fictionalized conception of the islands—if one tosses in a pinch of global warming and a dash of chemical contamination—wasn’t too much off the mark.

I’m growing more excited as Cascadia Con approaches. The hotel parking lot is now crammed with the cars of arriving attendees, Federation officials and other dignitaries. The hotel isn’t the only place where I’ve run across Con-folk. While visiting Pike Place Market and other tourist spots I was able to accurately identify several people as Con attendees—and spoke with them to confirm the fact. I’ve found there to be something, ahem, unique about the appearance of Con-folk—and I’m not talking about the glint in their eyes or their genre-related T-shirts. No, I’m talking about the heavy-set, bearded look. What’s that about? And why has it just now occurred to me as I sit here writing this blog, clad in my Star Wars T-shirt, that I’m borderline bearded and heavy-set…. Hmm. Hold on while I spellcheck “epiphany.”

On another topic, I plan to visit the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in the next couple of days. Frommer’s Seattle 2005 notes as follows: “[T]his place is an absolute must for devoted fans of one of literature’s least respected yet best loved genres.” Thanks, Frommer’s. I really needed to read that. Heck, at least sci-fi is loved.