By John Hertz: At Los Angeles International Airport on June 13th, next to the arrivals’ door, Jerome Scott and I awaited the 2014 Down Under Fan Fund delegate.

Scott with his renowned graphics power had made a yard-long sign Juanita Coulson. She had never met him. I was along to help.

People emerged and time passed. Scott and I were cheerful and made remarks. Finally a voice that can outsing steamboats said mildly “Hello, John,” and there she came the other way. She had her luggage, so we took it and her to the garage.

When I’d told Coulson who’d meet her in L.A. she didn’t place his name for a moment, so I said “Remember that exhibit of Diane & Leo Dillon’s art at Chicon VII? Jerome Scott’s wife Elizabeth Klein-Lebbink worked with me on it and did those wonderful banners.”

The E&J house is in El Segundo about ten minutes south of the airport. E&J and I thought it would be friendlier for Coulson than a hotel room somewhere. Scott drove Coulson in his car so they really would take ten minutes. I following in mine (this is L.A., folks) made only a few wrong turns.

E&J are active with s-f con Art Shows. The inside walls are full of art. Not just the walls. The books and toys and games go without saying – oops, sorry.

Coulson had tales of Australian Pride (that’s Marilyn Pride, 1986 delegate with Lewis Morley and Nick Stathopoulos) and things Beyond the Norm (that’s Norm Cates, 2004 delegate). She did not meet kangaroos in Australia but she did meet a tuatara in New Zealand. She didn’t see many zoos but she did attend the 53rd Australia national convention Continuum X. The fan-funds auctioneers there were Justin Ackroyd and Norm Cates, next to whom I am only an egg.

There were twenty-three hours until Coulson’s next plane. Only guessing what she’d want, and having alternatives ready, I asked her. I’d guessed right; the answer was sleep. Seeing all was well, and hearing Scott was working at home that afternoon (why “from” home?), I left.

Lunch, the Proud Bird restaurant on Aviation Bl. Twenty historic aircraft both original and full-size replica outside, hundreds of photos of Neil Armstrong and Dick Bong and Bessie Colman and B.O. Davis and Amelia Earhart – just to start the alphabet – inside.

Several hours later I heard life was lively again at E&J’s so I phoned a few filksingers and went back myself. Singer-dealer Mary Creasey came by. She was armed with a guitar and songbooks but we sat around chatting of filk and fans and fanzines. Creasey works nights on machine maintenance for the Postal Service so her personal time wasn’t far off.

Saturday morning Scott and I (in one car) took Coulson to the airport for the next leg of her trip home to London – Ohio.