Visit to a Paleontologist Extraordinaire

This morning I visited Jack Horner at the office in the Museum of the Rockies to discuss his life as a Curator of Paleontology for the past twenty-five years. My exclusive interview will be published in DISTINCTLY MONTANA's spring issue.

(I have written six other pieces for the magazine; here is a link to the most recent profiles of writer Deirdre McNamer and actor Peter Fonda.)

Jack Horner has made the most astonishing discoveries in the field of paleontology during the past quarter of a century. All of his major work has taken place in Montana and concerns dinosaurs. His work is showcased at the Museum of the Rockies which has the world's most extensive dinosaur collection and research facilities.

Jack Horner was the recipient of a MacArthur Genius Award in 1986.

Horner is a Montana native. He has had an amazing life. He was a technical advisor to Stephen Spielberg on his Jurassic Park movies. He even has a sizeable Wikipedia entry.

I cannot think of a better way to spend a Monday morning than listening to Jack Horner recounting his adventures in the field.

Up Above the World so High

A week ago I had a bird's eye view of Yellowstone Park and the Paradise Valley. I was aboard a four seater single engine plane that looked like a toy when it was on the ground. Our pilot and guide was a Livingston lawyer. My companions and hosts were a Bozeman couple who purchased the trip at a benefit auction for a local theatre.

We took off from Gallatin Airport on a two hour trip, looping over the mountains, through the park and up the valley. It was a beauiful calm clear day. I could see my house as we glided over Bozeman. What a great way to sightsee! We circled Old Faithful but the geyser was not gushing at that moment. Instead, we spotted a number of other geyers in action. We paused over the waterfall for a photo op, observed the Lamar Valley and Mammoth hot springs. Gardiner stood sentinel serenely outside the park with its great archway dating back to Teddy Roosevelt's time. What a spectacular trip!

One week before we were forced to postpone our trip because of a huge snowstorm. As they say around here: If you want to see a change in the weather, stick around for an hour or two.

Nobel Prize in literature to Doris Lessing

On Thursday morning Oct. 11th when I turned on the morning radio I heard a discussion of Doris Lessing's work and life. I thought, "Lessing is 87, she must be dead." I had to wait an hour to learn that Lessing had won the Nobel prize for literature.

It brought me back to London twelve years ago when I had the good luck to visit Doris Lessing at her home. It was for an interview. She had been difficult to reach because she avoids being interrupted by inconsequential events. As soon as she opened the door and invited me in, neither of us could help noticing that we were wearing exactly the same attire, navy skirts, shirts, tights and shoes. Only our scarves were different. The coincidence made us laugh. We got off to a good start which gathered momentum as the time passed. Before we left she asked the photographer with me to take a photograph of "the navy sisters." We found that we had many interests in common. It was a memorable morning for me.

Three years ago I saw Lessing again at Hay on Wye, one of the great English book festivals. She kept a standing room only audience enthralled as she recounted various tales from her very full life. Every now and then she would pause and say, "Now where was I? Oh yes, ..." and she was off again on another verbal adventure. I spoke to her briefly afterwards and presented her with a small cat I had bought for her at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. She was delighted, even though she was quite tired and the crowds were pushing forward with their books to be signed. What fortitude! What a great spirit! How lucky I was to be there!

The Last Rose of Summer

The leaves are changing color from summer green to glorious shades of yellows, orange and rust. Time to turn off the sprinkler and put the garden to bed for the winter.

The Hatch Film Festival is in full swing. The festival was founded half a dozen years ago by Montana resident, Peter Fonda. (See my interview with him in Distinctly Montana, Fall 2006). The Bozeman Symphony gave the first performance of their fortieth season with a rousing rendition of Rachmaninoff's 3rd piano concerto (opus 30, D minor) with Jon Nakamatsu at the piano and Matthew Savery at the podium.

My next foray will be to speak at the Billings bookfest October 18 to 20. More about that later.

Ketchum Hemingway House Benefit

I spent last weekend in Ketchum, Idaho attending the third annual Hemingway Festival there and being the featured speaker at the Nature Conservancy's one thousand dollar a plate benefit dinner. The proceeds will be used for the upkeep of the Hemingway house which was bequeathed to the non-profit conservation group by Ernest's widow, Mary Hemingway in 1986.

Drinks and hors d'oeuvres were served on the newly paved patio after which the twenty-four guests partook of a very elegant dinner in the large diningroom overlooking the Big Wood River, with a view of high mountains and sagebrush hills. I think both Ernest and Mary would have been proud of the feast, an elk tenderloin, preceeded by slivers of smoked wild duck and partridge filled pastries. Soup, salad and pear tart completed the meal which was accompanied by a variety of wines. The house was open to the guests for inspection and for photographs.

As I drove back to Bozeman, I noticed the changing of the colors in the trees, yellow, red, orange and rust. The fleeting autumn season, gone before it hardly begins, was apparent as the first snows descended on the distant mountains. All I encountered on the highway was a heavy rain but I have lived in these parts long enough to know it could turn to snow at any moment

9/11 in Denver

On September 11th I spoke to a very appreciative audience of about five hundred people as part of the Town Hall Denver lecture series. The unflagging interest in Ernest Hemingway's life and work never ceases to amaze me. The questions are always stimulating, After the talk and booksigning I was taken to the beautiful Denver Country Club for lunch with the dialogue continuing throughout the meal.

A couple of days ago I saw the film: 3:10 to Yuma, the latest western with its fine photography, spectacular scenery, and complex characters. Apart from the excessive shoot'em'ups, the story is one that gives much food for thought. What do you think?

Next week I shall drive for seven hours to Idaho to speak at the Hemingway House in Ketchum. The $1000 a plate dinner sponsored by the Nature Conservancy is a benefit for the preservation of the house where the writer spent his last year and where he took his life. Often our first big snowstorm of the fall occurs at the equinox. Fingers crossed that this year it will hold off till my return.

On the Circuit

September has come and I'm back on the road giving talks. On Tuesday September 11, I'll be the featured speaker at the Town Hall luncheon meeting in Denver. The subject will be my memoir, Running with the Bulls: My Years with the Hemingways. There seems to be an inexhaustible interest in Ernest Hemingway, his life and work.

On September 22nd I'll give a talk to a private group at the Hemingway House in Ketchum, Idaho. The occasion will be a special fundraiser dinner to benefit the Nature Conservancy and the Hemingway House which will take place during the Sun Valley Hemingway Festival.

In August I gave my memoir writing workshop to a group of forty in White Sulphur Springs, Montana as part of the Meagher County Bookfest. The workshop was so successful I was invited to give similar sessions in Great Falls and Fort Benton.

The second weekend in August I spoke at the Irish festival, An Ri Ra, in Butte. It is one of the more colorful Montana summer festivals, covering all aspects of Irish culture. Particularly endearing are the Irish step dancing performances by children from three years up. The music, much of it imported from Ireland, was fabulous.