Michael was on a popular television show in China on October 26, 2013.  Very funny episode!

Hannah had a nice modeling portrait made by her photographer sister, Margo Timon. Margo has taken great pictures of Charlotte Pendragon and Frances Willard.

30 Years of the Topit

It has been 30 years since the first publication of "The Topit Book."  A lot has changed since 1983! It's a thrill to release the new Topit Book as a digital iBook - because the information can be presented in the best way possible, with all the multimedia enhancements available. I look forward to publishing the hardback copy in the next few months.

Rotterdam

Michael's lecture in Rotterdam, Holland. A real fun group of guys! The venue was an equestrian center, of all places. This is the hometown of our friend, Hans Matena - who publishes the funny AmmarFacts.com page. It was great to see Hans and his wife.  A special thanks to John, too, for helping me get my coat back!

Lille

Pascal and Emmanuelle Marc are very dear friends in Lille, France. We have known them for almost 15 years. They treated us to a great homemade lunch on May 19th. We hardly recognized their three beautiful kids - just little ones when we first met!

Now we're in Paris

We've just arrived in Paris. Our wonderful host, Olivier Pelletant, met us and took us wherever we wanted to go. I am reminded constantly how lucky we are to be in magic!  Here, Michael is showing him some video on his phone of his recent adventures in Las Vegas.

We passed the Eiffel Tower on our drive. When you see it going right past your window, you fully realize, "Now I'm in Paris!"








Before the Paris lecture we had a dinner at a crepe restaurant with a great group of guys. A special thank you to Stan Vitko.

Amsterdam Keynote

Michael gave a keynote address at the ACE Conference in Amsterdam on May 18, 2013. It was a three day conference for excellence in clinical psychology.  Michael spoke (and joked) about the link between magic and psychology.  The venue was hundreds of years old; once the West Indies Trading Company. It was in this building  - in 1627, the governors ordered the construction of a fort on the island of Manhattan - laying the foundation for New York City.

Michael is speaking to the other keynote speakers:  Dr. K. Anders Ericsson (center) and Dr. Scott D. Miller (right). Dr. Miller is a professor in behavioral health and the founder of the International Center for Clinical Excellence.  Dr. Ericsson is a scholar and professor at FSU - and his research formed the basis for some of Malcolm Gladwell's books. He was Michael's volunteer for the Linking Rings. LOL

Versailles

On May 21, 2013 we visited the Palace of Versailles, outside Paris. We got lucky because they turned on the Musical Fountain that day. We had lunch inside the palace. The best part of all was our host, magician Claude! He knew how to get in the back way, avoid the crowds, arrange a private tour! Spectacular.

Michael will be giving a very special Topit Seminar in Zurich this summer. The seminar will include a new magic curriculum he has developed too! If you are in Europe and would like to attend, Facebook us and let us know! It will be in August.

Magic Castle Fire Sale

We bought the panel you see in this photo at the Magic Castle Fire Sale. After the fire on Halloween, there were some things that didn't find their way back into the Castle. This is heavy wood panel that for decades separated the dining room from the hall leading to the Palace of Mystery. Milt Larsen autographed it for us. Maybe we'll use it as a headboard...

Easter Sunrise

A tradition with our neighborhood is to take a boat out before sunrise on Easter morning, and watch the First Baptist Church Sunrise Service from the lake with close friends. We take coffee, fruit, and breakfast bagels. This was the view this year on Lake Down. It is so beautiful and peaceful.

Mardi Gras Float Riders

Every year we ride in the Mardi Gras parade at Universal Studios. This float was a little scary! Called "Earth, Wind and Fire" - it made cackle sounds and shot steam and confetti every few minutes. The hard part of the job is grabbing handfuls of bead necklaces and trying not to tangle them. I wasn't so good at aiming, I think I hit about 10 people in the face! Oops

Big Time Rush

I took Savannah and her friends to see "Big Time Rush" concert last night. Wow, what a big time rush. Those boys can sing and dance!  Imagine 10,000 11 year old girls screaming as loud as possible! LOL

Limo to Houdini's Mansion

My mom and I visited LA for a week to attending the memorial for John Daniel. My mom knew John since she was a 13 year old girl. While it was a sad occasion for us, it was wonderful to see Cathy Daniel, and all our other friends at the Magic Castle. One of the most memorable things to happen was being invited by Erika Larsen to make a visit to the Houdini Mansion. The mansion was purchased recently by a fascinating man from Chile (I know him only as Jose). We are pictured here riding up Laurel Canyon in his limo. He gave us the grand tour. Fortunately, Houdini Expert Patrick Culliton was with us too, so we had every question answered!

The local magic guys put together a great show at Sleuths - a mystery theater in the tourist area of Orlando this month. Michael was the headliner, and commented after how much he enjoyed it. Every city needs a little "Palace of Mystery" - don't you think?

Happy Birthday, Dear Frances...

My mom's birthday is in December. Many don't know her father (Willard the Wizard) shared the same birthday with her.  I hope I look as good as she does when I'm her age!

Kids have it all these days

Savannah loves "Justice" - the store for tweenies. On her birthday we shopped there, and look what she found! Press-on nails with googly eyes! Sweet.

Jack O Lantern Jailhouse

Our good friend, and comedian, Bill Martini came up with a fabulous pumpkin at this years annual pumpkin carving picnic. A jail with two convicts inside, in reference to recent town scandals involving our police chief and town manager. So clever! Love the expressions on their faces!

Bosom Buddies

Evan and his buddy from school on a play date. The snakes only cost me $50 in quarters at the mini golf arcade.

Anna Maria Here We Come!

Our last "hoorah" before summer ends. We went to Anna Maria Island to enjoy the classic Florida beach getaway. Savannah wanted to parasail, thank goodness it was too windy and they weren't having any sessions that day! Gulp!