Missed telling you this, in the confusion of Jane coming back sick.
John Dalmas is an old neighbor of ours from Spokane. He’s been a logger (has fantastic stories to tell you about exploding trees) and a writer, has struggled with hearing loss, and the craziness of the market—and has just kept writing. He’s had to move from Spokane eastward, where family can help him out, as he’s gotten old as the hills—and darned near as tough. He had been supposed to be at San Diego, but health hadn’t let him make it.
So…John turns up at Miscon, one of his old favorite cons. And you’d know, being an sf writer, he’s not been shy about using one of the new-fangled oxygen concentrator units, which he refers to as R2O2, a little wheeled tag-along—they replace an oxygen bottle. Makes a little noise, but no disturbance to a gathering at all. And he was ignoring the elevator, climbing stairs and getting to panels, arranging to have his good ear on the proper side to hear remarks; and participating. One of the convention folk drove clear to heck and gone to pick John up in his new home and drive him to the con and back.
He’s one of the nicest, toughest, kindest guys you’d ever hope to meet, proud of his Nordic heritage, and interested in everything on the planet and off—lately investigating e-publishing for his work. You go, John!
I had to go jog my memory — I read The Yngling in Yamato in college. Glad to hear John is still around and making a go of it!
I adore John.
You know when he was a young guy on logging crews, he probably was also the gentle soul he is now, but I don’t think anybody in that environment would ever quarrel with him. He’s quite a guy. And heck if he’d take that elevator 15 feet from that flight of stairs. He’d lug R2O2 right up the steps.
He sounds like quite a guy. — Any guy with an O2 tank who’d prefer stairs to an elevator has got to be one tough hombre. I’m reminded of two of my great-uncles, with your “gentle soul” remark. Those two, brother and brother-in-law, are/were great guys, and one was a WWII POW who, I don’t know how, still came back loving people and life.
I think I’ll check for Mr. Dalmas’ books. — It’d be great if he goes into ebooks. 🙂 More power to him!
Also, kudos to whomever the nice con-goer / con occifer was, who drove him. I’ve been amazed at the majority of con folks when I’ve gone to cons. 🙂
Yep, Miscon is a special con—that’s one thing. But John generates that kind of sentiment, too.
What a cool sounding dude. I am sure being a logger means he has some very interesting stories. Do you know what kind of Portable Oxygen Concentrator he had?
😆 alas, I don’t. He calls it R2O2, and it’s about the size of a small rolling suitcase, following him very like a rolling suitcase.