It was a beautiful 82 degrees in Chicago today, so we decided to pay a return visit to the zoo!
In front of the carousel
Grrrrrrrrreat! 
Sipping a MAI TAI on the new SUN DECK at STINGRAY BAY!
Josh was actually able to pet the sharks. Sara and I pet several STINGRAYS. 
Des Plaines, IL
Paid a visit to the first McDonald's after my birthday dinner at CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE
Josh and I picked up some neat comic books at the con during my birthday weekend! BRUCE TIMM based his SUPERMAN design from the MIGHTY HERCULES character. Watching the complete I LOVE LUCY DVD set and picked up #1 at the show among other cool things! A BIG THANKS goes out to KEVIN at www.timeandspacetoys.com Saw the whole cast of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD with GEORGE ROMERO at the MONSTER CONVENTION too.
WALMART has the NEW release of RANKIN/BASS' THE DAYDREAMER well stocked in their DVD section and for a GREAT $9.99 price too! Well worth it! Had a terrible experience with PALACE PRESS this past week that I will go into more detail on later. Talking with a few more reputable publishers right now about republishing THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF RANKIN/BASS: A PORTFOLIO and also doing THE RANKIN/BASS TREASURY.
I still have a limited number of THE MAKING OF THE HOLIDAY CLASSIC: RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER available in hardcover and you can purchase directly from me at Rickgoldsc@aol.com I want to publish my RANKIN/BASS TREASURY BOOK soon BUT may have to change publishers. I would like to get it out within the next year or so and things are moving a bit slow.
Starting a NEW recording project in MARGARITAVILLE this week. It will be a little harder edged.
http://www.timeandspacetoys.com/ MONSTER CON across the street from DONALD H. STEPHENS CON CENTER this weekend!
http://www.timeandspacetoys.com/ If you live in the CHICAGOland area....TIME & SPACE TOYS will be at WIZARD WORLD CON this coming Friday through Sunday and there is also a MONSTER CON directly accross the street that they will have a booth at as well. You may run into our friends ALEX ROSS, MITCH O' CONNELL, MARK BRAUN, NOEL NEILL, RICH KOZ, etc. at the cons!
Love vintage rubber faced dolls like these. There were PINOCCHIO and OZ dolls created from the RANKIN/BASS series like these! Also love all the MATTEL dolls manufactured in the 1960's. Why doesn't a toy company produce something cool like these anymore?
We will be in the bleachers at this Thursday's game against the Baltimore Orioles!
Josh and I took a ride out to Michigan City, Indiana today to remember Patrick Owsley's Dad Jim at a nice memorial at FAITH CITY ASSEMBLY OF GOD Church. It was GREAT seeing PATRICK, LESLIE and Patrick's Mom again! I remember his dad as being a very nice, happy guy and we are all sorry to have lost him.
Josh, Myself and Patrick
Patrick and Leslie Owsley
Found this in an ANTIQUE MALL in Michigan City, Indiana today! Love the art of MEL CRAWFORD! He did the art in two other ROOTIE KAZOOTIE books I have and many HANNA-BARBERA GOLDEN BOOKS. GREAT stuff!
Actually the NEW film missed it by ALOT! I don't like to say anything bad about a creative work BUT in my opinion, I would advise anyone that was going to spend money to see the film...to spend it on either the TIME-LIFE box set of the original series OR season one of GET SMART (which will be released soon on DVD). My son JOSH and I love DON ADAMS and the original series! We were hopeful that the new film would at least be funny BUT we did not laugh one single time during it. Some people did...people that like to see MAX SMART dancing with an over weight woman or Max shooting himself in the face with darts or barfing in a bag on a jet or even seeing his naked behind. The original series developed the characters and made you like them. Don Adams had talent and personality. My son and I could not even remember what the plot was about in this film. There were lots of flashing computer screens, Russian type villians and a really bad backing score that was noisy and sounded like techno music from the 1990's. The Makers of this film decided to try to blend the TOM CRUISE verion of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE with comedy and should have focused on comedy. The action scenes were pointless and the plot was weak at best. HOLLYWOOD needs to quit trying to remake something that was/is already GREAT and come up with some NEW and FRESH ideas.
The classic RANKIN/BASS series will be on DVD October 14th.
