Saturday, June 4, 2022

Triss Stein--Almost Julia Child

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Last week our Lucy Burdette talked about her current obsession with cooking icon Julia Child. In the comments on that post, our JRW author friend Triss Stein commented that she'd lived in the same Cambridge neighborhood as Julia and that she had some stories to tell. 



We were intrigued and asked Triss to come on the blog and share those stories with us!

Almost Julia Child

by Triss Stein

Julia Child’s first television broadcast was in February 1963. In 1966 she was on the cover of Time magazine. In 1967, I moved into the apartment in Cambridge MA that made us neighbors.  Some context here:  I was a college senior, a hick from a small city in New York dairy farm country. I had never, ever seen any famous person in real life or believed I ever would. 

Well, we were almost neighbors.  My shared apartment was on Trowbridge St., south of Kirkland. 

It was at the back of a typical Boston three decker with stacked porches in the front, floor-throughs long since chopped up into student rentals. 



One bedroom had a built-in china cabinet- we had no china-  and we looked out at the scenic driveway.  



North of Kirkland Street, this student  almost-slum became a neighborhood of spacious Victorian homes occupied by Harvard senior faculty, and yes, Julia and Paul Child. Right there  on Irving Street. 



Savenor’s is the grocery store mentioned in the series. It was right around the corner from us, on Kirkland Street, handy for that forgotten quart of milk, and run by an intimidating, messy, elderly woman. Imagine our surprise when we learned she was Mrs. Savenor and the store had a butcher department famous all over greater Boston. Yes, Julia bought her meat there. The housekeeper for John Kenneth Galbraith, the renowned diplomat, writer and Harvard professor, also shopped there. Someone I knew overheard her telling the butcher the meat had to be especially excellent as Mrs. Kennedy was coming for dinner! (Yes, that Mrs Kennedy.)  

Sadly I never did see Julia  around the neighborhood, but I knew people who had. The best story ever: some grad students decided it would be an adventure to cook a whole suckling pig. They managed to obtain one but then realized they had no idea what to do with it. So they did what any smart grad student would do in those olden times: they opened a phone directory (a paper book, free from the phone company), looked up Julia Child’s home number and called her.  She was enthusiastic about their project and walked them through the whole process. I remember that she invited herself to the dinner, but it is possible I made that up.  


Finally, years later: my husband worked at Knopf, and would bring home the best cookbooks ever, a whole new kind of cook book, edited by the brilliant Judith Jones, another unforgettable character in the PBS series. Classics by Madhur Jaffrey, Claudia Roden, Edna Lewis, Lidia Bastianich, came to me hot off the press.  



I’ve read several books about Julia and Paul and that time and place. Here are two of my favorite Julia facts: she liked McDonald’s French fries and wasn’t afraid to say so. And when Paul Child was old and ill and needed constant nursing care, she called him at the nursing home every night, same time Cambridge time, no matter where she was and what time it was there. 


Triss Stein has spent most of her adult life living and working in Brooklyn. She was inspired by Brooklyn’s varied neighborhoods and so is her urban historian heroine, Erica Donato. In the most recent, Brooklyn Legacies, (Poisoned Pen Press, 2019) a chance encounter draws her to the quaint streets and deep conflicts of historic Brooklyn Heights.

 


These days, Triss is hard at work on an entirely new project.


DEBS: What lovely behind-the-scenes glimpses of Julia, Triss. Did your husband know Judith Jones? I wish they'd make a TV series about her!

And of course we're hoping you'll give us a teeny hint about your new project!

Reds and readers, have you ever brushed orbits with someone famous?

Oh, and has anyone managed to watch the Julia documentary?

79 comments:

  1. This is just fascinating, Triss . . . . thanks for sharing it with us.

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  2. Jennifer PoslusnyJune 4, 2022 at 1:17 AM

    I just watched the documentary. It was excellent, my whole family enjoyed it. We took a peek into Savenor's on our trip to Boston a few years back.
    I've bumped into a few famous/ semi-famous people over the years, particularly if you are a figure skating fan ( we've been to quite a few competitions). Probably the most recognizable person was Richard Dreyfuss. We were at Mt. Vernon when he was there filming a documentary for the History Channel. He chatted with everyone in line on the porch and was very friendly and gracious.

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    1. I came to NY for grad school and never left, and yes, here I've seen a number of famous people just living their lives. Including "that" Mrs Kennedy in a posh department store, Senator and former Knick Bill Bradley at a play and author E.L. Doctorow on a Greenwich Village street. True confession? It's always fun

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    2. Triss, my apartment mate and I (both North Country girls) watched every single episode of Julia's show from the time it was first picked up by PBS. The week she demonstrated how to roast a whole suckling pig, we convulsed with rueful laughter when she explained (in her wonderful Julia Child voice) how to keep the tail from burning. She said that nature had provided a perfect place to put the tail during the roasting process, and neatly introduced the tail into the anus. How undignified for the poor piggy! But she did make fetching little aluminum foil covers for the ears...

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  3. What fun. Too bad you never ran into her, but thanks for sharing your memories.

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  4. Triss, this is wonderful. Too bad you weren't at the pig roast!

    Starting in 1982, all the time I lived in West Medford, Somerville (in a triple-decker apartment), and Cambridge, riding my bike to work at MIT, Child wasn't on my radar. And I've never even stepped into Savenor, but it appears to still be operating.

    In terms of famous people, I've met Elizabeth Warren, and of course crime fiction luminaries like Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky. I regret not going with friends to see Obama in New Hampshire when he was campaigning for his first term. My sister in Ottawa and I were talking yesterday, and she mentioned she set eyes on Queen Elizabeth when she was in Ottawa many years ago (when Canada got its own Parliament).

    Can't wait to hear about your new project!

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    1. Edith: That time in Ottawa must have been when the Charter of Rights and Freedoms came into effect (1982). An exciting and important moment in Canadian history. "The Charter’s enactment meant a transfer of authority of Canada’s highest law from Great Britain to Canada." https://humanrights.ca/story/canadian-charter-rights-and-freedoms

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    2. Exactly, Amanda - thanks. I couldn't remember the details of what she told me!

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  5. TRISS:How fun! I can imagine Julia's enthusiasm with helping the grad students cook that succulent pig. And I am envious you got the access to the cookbooks c/o your husband at Knopf.

    Living in Ottawa, I did come close to Prince Charles & Camilla when they toured the Byward Market on May 18 as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. They went to the same butcher & produce stall I go to shop. And I have met other Governor Generals (Queen's rep) in person. I also met former Prime Minister Jean Chretien during one of my group walks. He was alone & we all took photos with him.

    Celebrity meetup with my favourite Canadian country-rock band singer Jim Cuddy. He was strolling with his wife Rena in the Greektown Toronto neighbourhood where he lives. Friendly, chatting with everyone.

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    1. P.S. I also met former VP Al Gore when he came to University of Toronto to give his climate change lectures in 2012.

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    2. I have a funny Canadian/celeb story. A much older cousin worked as a guide at the giant Niagara Falls (Canada) hydro-electric plant , and was chosen to operate the elevator when Princess Margaret was there on tour. I was a child and was knocked out the idea of a real live princess! Why was my cousin chosen? Because she was shorter than Margaret! Royal etiquette at work.

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    3. Royal etiquette, indeed. Totally different experience recently with Prince Charles & Camilla. It was an informal walk-around, they were shaking hands, chatting casually with us onlookers. There was a couple from Buffalo standing beside me, they had no idea who they were!

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    4. Fun stories, Grace. Apropos of the Queen's Jubilee celebration: I learned yesterday that she had a particularly friendly relationship with Jean Chretien, with whom she would speak French. When Chretien was signing the Charter of Rights (see Edith's comment above), the pen didn't work, so he said 'merde', tossed it aside, and took another pen to complete his signature. The clip of that moment shown on the news last night shows the Queen smiling broadly at the incident and Chretien's swearing. An endearing moment.

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    5. I saw that interview with former PM Jean Chrietien this morning (replsy of last night's The National ). I had no idea they had met so many times, and yes that shared moment during that 1982 signing was fun.

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  6. When Governor Bill Clinton was campaigning for president he came to my town with an entourage of Connecticut Democrats. Two weeks earlier, I'd led a delegation of 35 women to the D. C. office of Senator Joe Lieberman to discuss among other issues, abortion rights, and when he saw me in the crowd, he said," Stay right there, Judy. I'm going to introduce you to Bill Clinton. " He did.

    With about 40 onlookers, Bill and I chatted about the volunteer buttons that I had pinned all over my vest. I asked him about a program that he and Hilary brought from Israel to Arkansas called HIPPY, the Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters, in which mothers become their childrens' first teachers. He was extremely proud of that and they had to pry him away once he began to tell me about it. Both he and Hilary spoke at our conventions and I was there for handshakes, etc.

    Gayle King was a news broadcaster on our favorite station and we lived in the same condo complex. She and I walked our dogs together. One year at Hanukkah she asked me for my son Jonathan to come to the station to film the lighting of Hanukkah candles. She is a peach!

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    1. Judy, a friend met Bill Clinton at a fundraiser here in Cincinnati, and she said he was the most engaged person she'd ever met. And I've read that he can recall names and faces decades after he's met people, possibly even you!

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    2. He had to be extracted from our conversation as though no one else was waiting for him. It was such a nice experience to meet him like that.

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    3. That's great that Clinton was so engaging.

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    4. Judy: I know the HIPPY program! It's terrific.

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    5. So interesting. My brother, a constitutional historian and deeply cynical about most polticians, had exactly that reaction to Bill Clinton! He met him at a White House reception for a history film he had worked on and said he was the most charismatic person he'd ever met

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  7. Thanks Triss for sharing your story! Like Grace, I'm envious of those cookbooks:). I'm proud to know lots of rock star authors, if that counts LOL.

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  8. Living in NY, I've seen many famous people and I when I see them, I always do the "I know you know that I know who you are, but I'm not going to scream your name it, but I know you" and we give each other the look and move on.

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    1. That's me too. I've seen a few tv actors riding the subway, just like the rest of us. And everyone pretending not to notice. Cause we're too cool for that, right?

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  9. Completely in love with the building you lived in when you were in college! What a fabulous story about Julia helping college students with a suckling pig. I do hope she attended the party - think of the stories.

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  10. Fun memories, Triss. Thanks for taking us back with you!

    We've been friends with our neighbors the Protos for 33 years, and through them I've met Doc Severinsen, and the actors/singers Cleo Laine and Paul Winfield when they performed Frank's jazz opera, The Ghost in the Machine.

    I met Jerry Springer once, at a bar in Cincinnati where he was at a poorly attended event and I was almost the only person there. His daughter is friends with my good friend in Chicago, and they're active in the same charity. But before they moved to Chicago, Jerry was on Cincinnati's City Council, and he was the mayor for awhile.

    As Lucy says, rock star authors! Too many to count.

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    1. One of my girlfriends dated a lot of celebrities in the 1970s. Greg Cook, the first quarterback for the Bengals, and Scott Cook (I know, she was in a name rut for awhile) who later invented Quicken and started a tiny little company called Intuit. Scott lived here in Cincinnati, working for Procter & Gamble, before he got married and moved out to Seattle.

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    2. Rock star authors! FOR SURE!

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    3. Agreed about rock star authors. Having gone to Bouchercon since 1992 & Left Coast Crime since 2000, I have met many of my favourite mystery authors in person, including all the Reds.

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  11. What a wonderful memory you have shared with us! But I, too, want to know about your latest project. Will there be no more Erica? That was a very enjoyable series.

    My closest brush with a famous person was when a soap actor came into the crowd and gave me a kiss! I even have it on video!

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  12. My favorite American Idol contestant is Melinda Doolittle, who came in third (and should have won) in the sixth season. I've followed her over the years and managed to nab front-row seats when she gave a concert in San Luis Obispo 10 years ago--even my husband agreed it was the best concert ever!. More than a year ago, I heard that Melinda was starting a Patreon group on Zoom and instantly joined. At our meetings we would analyze what was happening on Idol and on The Voice, and Melinda would give special intimate concerts for us and treat us to behind-the-scenes experiences about Idol and her concerts around the world. We even got to view a rehearsal for a recent Christmas concert in Tennessee, where she lives. Over the next year I got to know Melinda, although never in person. She is such a lovely person, and she loved my comments on the contestants. I even got the opportunity to have two one-on-ones with Melinda--one 30 minutes and one an hour. It's an experience I'll never forget.

    I once saw Jerry Van Dyke (Dick's brother, also an actor--remember him) at a blackjack table in Tahoe, and of course I've met so many of my favorite authors through Left Coast Crime and through my membership in Sisters in Crime's NorCal chapter (I am their newsletter editor).

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    1. That Patreon group sounds like a blast, Margie! What a great idea!

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    2. Julia Child was a wonderful neighbor when I was in graduate school. We would often run into each other at the dumpster or the grocery store down the road. I loved her.

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  13. I've seen one or two famous people in the far off distance but my husband and Bill Bradley (Knicks, Senator) are both from St. Louis, Mo (he from a suburb). They were classmates at Princeton and a group of students drove home together at the end of his sophomore year. One funny incident happened when they stopped for gas station and diner. Bill tripped over a cord gas stations had that signaled the gas pump guy (technical name), and a group of people watching laughed at him for being clumsy. Bill, my husband and the other in the car all went in for lunch and to joke around Bill started knocking stuff over to pretend to be really clumsy. The other group laughed again at him and said he is so tall, if he wasn't so clumsy he'd be a great basketball player!

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  14. The other famous person I've met was at a PU reunion in 2015. She was on a speaking panel with other alumni foodies. I believe she was introduced as Roberta Isleib aka Lucy Burdette! I had the chance to briefly tell her how much I enjoyed her Key West Crime books.

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  15. I met the Reds (sans Julia but with Ingrid) at Bouchercon Toronto! And I shook Carl Bernstein's hand at a journalism conference a few years back in Winnipeg, and he signed my copy of All the President's Men (which I was bold enough to thrust at him while he was making his way through the room).

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    1. Judy Collins was here in Cincinnati to promote her book, Sweet Judy Blue Eyes, several years ago. She was lovely to meet, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading her story.

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  16. What defines fame? Because I've met author, rock stars and movie and TV film actors/writers/producers, comic book artists and writers and wrestlers. My Facebook page has photos with most of those I've met over the years.

    And I have not seen the documentary.

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  17. Hank Phillippi RyanJune 4, 2022 at 10:41 AM

    This is so terrific, Triss! And so much fun to read. And I laughed out loud at your description of what a phone book is. What amazing memories, and I must say, you are absolutely a terrific writer and a storyteller. I can absolutely picture it all.

    And hey, thank you so much for taking the time to share this. I love that the jungle red community can be such a supportive and loving one!

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  18. I would love to have run into Julia at Savenor's. Thank you for sharing these stories, Triss. Now when I read about Julia's life in Cambridge, it will feel much more real.

    For quite a few years I rented a flat in London from the actress Anna Chancellor's godmother. You may know Anna best as "Duckface" in Four Weddings and a Funeral, but she's been in many many things on screen and stage. She's very tall with this wonderful voice, and was so kind to me, even getting me tickets to a play she was in at the National.

    London is much like New York in that you see actors out and about doing ordinary things. I once passed Michael Caine walking down Piccadilly. I did a double take! More recently, I passed the English actor Nigel Havers and his wife on the King's Road. He was quite dapper in a blazer and ascot and a Panama hat.

    I have to add my dear friend, jazz singer Barb Jungr in the celebrity category, and of course all the rock star authors!

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    1. P.S. My little fantasy is that someday I'll bump into Daniel Craig in a London pub:-)

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    2. Debs, my oldest daughter and her husband had dinner in London at a table next to John Legend!

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    3. Almost as good as Daniel Craig:-)

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    4. I just remembered that I was eating dinner on my own in an London restaurant and thought the man at the next table with his wife looked awfully familiar. It was Ken Stott, and that was about the time he was starring in Rebus. Not nearly as exciting as eating at a table next to John Legend lol

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  19. Debs, if you do, hold him until I get there! -Julia

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  20. My closest brush with a famous person I can think was in the late eighties. I was entering the Ritz-Carlton in Boston (meeting a girlfriend for afternoon tea as a special treat) and a very handsome older man with an impeccable coat held the door for me. I thanked him, and was two steps into the lobby when I realized it was Robert Wagner. Swoon! Good looking, and good manners. -Julia

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    1. Robert Wagner? Oh, be still my beating 8 year old heart. Never had a teen crush but never quite got over seeing Wagner in a movie about John Philip Sousa.

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    2. Robert Wagner was the very kindest of all my interviews. We had lunch at his house and he was so easy and natural and funny he felt like an older brother (yes, really). When I was leaving, he kissed my cheek goodbye. THEN I felt a bit swoony!

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    3. He was a remarkably handsome man.

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  21. Hank Phillippi RyanJune 4, 2022 at 12:25 PM

    And oh, let’s see. I’ve interviewed Prince Charles, and Warren Beatty,( incredibly handsome! Incredibly!.) And Jimmy Carter and I had a wonderful interview. Dustin Hoffman. Cybill shepherd. Barbara Walters. But you know who I saw At random, one day shopping in Boston? Fabio. Yep. Fabio. And he let someone take my picture with him. I have to find that. He was pretty adorable, and his face is huge.

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    1. Hank, of course you've known lots of famous people. So interesting about Fabio. Lots of people who photograph well are a bit odd-looking in person. But not Warren Beatty, apparently! What was Prince Charles like?

      I gave Nigel Havers a big smile, by the way, and he tipped his hat to me.

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    2. Hank Phillippi RyanJune 4, 2022 at 12:44 PM

      Prince Charles was completely charming! :-) Short, shorter than I am, but looked to me right in the eye, and told me a story about the insignia on his signet ring. The three feathers of the blind Duke of… Someplace. He’s probably told the story 1 million times, but he seemed like gosh, this is hard to describe. Completely at ease. Who knows. Maybe it’s the royal training to make everyone feel noticed. I was surprised at how engaging he was. and yes, Warren Beatty was the handsomest person I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I mean absolutely showstoppingly handsome. I was truly almost speechless. Cybill Shepherd walked in wearing jeans and a full-length neck-to-ankle mink coat. :-)

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    3. And an extremely extremely famous basketball player‘s home is about two blocks from ours. We have all agreed that if we ever see him, we will just smile and nod or do a silent applause or something. I think famous people who are just out living their lives like that you acknowledge they exist, but do not usually want you to come talk to them.

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  22. I love this so much. I recently bought my first Kitchenaid standing mixer and now I have to go find my Julia cookbooks...Inspired!!! Thank you so much Triss!

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    1. My dad was a distributor/rep for Hobart, the industrial company that made KitchenAid. She always had a restaurant-strength mixer sitting on the counter. And his store had the smae models, only they sat on the floor and came up to a man's shoulder! Best kitchen equipment ever. You will love it. :-)

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    2. Jenn, as much as you bake, I can't believe you haven't had a KitchenAid before now! What color did you get? I have to say I don't use mine (cobalt blue) nearly often enough.

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  23. I've seen celebrities at a distance but the only one I can think of that I actually met and talked with is Efrem Zimbalist Jr. My husband was in Austin to meet with some security/loss prevention honcho and Efrem was there to narrate some of the security films they were making. He was very gracious and offered to take a picture with me. I declined because it was summertime and I was a sweaty mess. We had a nice unhurried conversation and he mentioned his daughter Stephanie who was in Remington Steele at the time.

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  24. Love the sucking pig story! I remember reading that Julia served her guests champagne and goldfish crackers as an aperitif before dinner. I've always been curious if that factoid is true. People are people and everyone, famous or not, deserves a nod, a wave, and privacy.

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  25. I got some autographs (where are they?) of actors when I worked as an usher at a small summer theater. Lana Turner, John Raitt, Efram Zimbalist Jr. (mentioned above), David McCallum (the man from u.n.c.l.e. tv show and later NCIS)

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    1. I wish I remember more. I was in high school at the time, so fuzzy memories. I remember them all as being fabulous on stage and gracious talking with folks afterwards. I love live theater and especially smallish theaters. Such intimate performances.

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  26. I've interviewed a number of old-time movie people, but my favorite was Katharine Hepburn. She invited me to her home in Turtle Bay and when I knocked precisely at 10 AM, she threw open the door and barked approvingly, "You're prompt!" I was so unnerved that I could barely squeak. She ushered me into her living room and asked, "Where do you want to sit?" I said, "I'll sit wherever you tell me to sit, Miss Hepburn!" Suddenly she grinned like a child. "I know, I AM terrifying," she said with satisfaction.

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  27. Big thanks to everyone who asked what I am working on now. It means a lot, truly. My publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, was sold a few years ago, leaving me and others as orphan authors. I also worked without an agent, so it means fully starting over, big time (or retiring). Advice is to do something different. I happen to have considerable experience with a famous business firm that has had some embarrassing scandals in the last years. Can I turn it into an compelling story? I'm working on figuring that out. :-) Jury's still out....

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    1. Triss, we're all wishing you success with the new project!

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    2. I love your Brooklyn series! Will you ever write more? Indie?

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  28. I meant to comment earlier, but I had to go out and grocery shop and buy the skunk odor removal shampoo that my daughter recommended. Our Lulu rolled in where a skunk had sprayed. The vet told us to use a paste of Dawn dishwashing detergent, peroxide, and baking soda. To rub it all over the dog and leave it on for at least 10 minutes, then rinse off. Well, Lulu's head still stinks, so we're going to try the special shampoo that my daughter swears by. Don't waste your time on tomato juice.

    So, to today's fascinating topic. Triss, I love your claim to fame with Julia Child and the story about her taking an interest in the pig roasting. I've always wondered if her voice was the same in normal conversation as on her cooking shows, as her voice was so unique. And, Triss, I can't wait to read more books from you. I still wish you could continue with the Erica Donata series. I loved learning about Brooklyn through those books.

    My famous people are all the authors I've met, here on Jungle Reds and others. Learning how down-to-earth authors (or most) are was such a pleasant revelation. I did ride on an elevator with Julian Lennon when we both stayed on the same floor at the Peabody Hotel (the famous ducks) in Orlando. That must have been around 1988. And, although I haven't run into George Clooney when he visits his hometown of Augusta, KY, I did eat dinner next to his parents there when I went in to visit my hometown of Maysville, KY. The Clooneys, Rosemary and her brother Nick are from Maysville. Speaking of authors, I met and got my picture taken with Neil Gaiman and learned what a lovely person he is. I can't think of any more now.

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    1. Kathy, I've never had a dog skunked. Knocking wood here!

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    2. Anyone who says as supportive things about librarians as Gaiman does is immediately great in my world! And thank you for your own kind words to me, Kathy.

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    3. Debs, I'd never had one skunked before now either. Apparently, I'd been and you've been very lucky. Triss, I love that about Gaiman, too.

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    4. Kathy, the comment above, about Neil Gaiman and librarians, - and especially, thanks for your kind words- listed as "Anonymous" (!!!!) was from me, Triss Just wanted you to know I appreciated it.

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  29. I saw or met famous adjacent like Pat Boone's dog and Liberace's sister-in-law. We saw Euell Gibbons across the Harrisburg airport. Too bad my dad didn't get to meet him as Dad was very into Stalking the Wild Asparagus for a while. After he found something very bitter, he changed to gardening.

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  30. I just watched the CNN documentary on Julia. it’s my weekend for great women. Saw documentary on Queen Elizabeth I I, Diana and just watched Billie Jean King awarded the Legion of Honour, France's highest civilian award, on Friday.

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