When Kin came out for his first visit last Spring, we hit it off almost immediately. So much so in fact that we ended up just gabbing for hours instead of looking at artwork (if there are six boxes of art to go through and you only make it through one, that’s a lot of talking). When he told me that he usually visits his relatives a couple of times a year, we immediately planned for a return visit so we could finish (or at least TRY to finish) the rest of the boxes. That second visit came yesterday afternoon.

Before we even started looking at any artwork, Kin said “Oh, I have something for you.” As he reached into his bag, he explained how badly he felt that my Jeff Smith Bone sketch from Heritage had been bent in transit. Kin is a big fan (of Jeff and Bone, not bad shipping or damaged art). So he pulls out this wonderful autographed Phoney Bone doodle and hands it to me. I was so blown away. I think there was a long chain of “wows”, a brief pause, and then more “wows”. Honestly, I didn’t know what else to say. It was such an incredibly generous and thoughtful gesture.

Now I know this is Kin’s moment, but I have to squeeze in a few folks who later became participants during his visit. As the day of his trip out west approached, Kin had mentioned that he was also trying to coordinate with my local friend Andy. They had met through a deal on CAF Live last Spring so Kin though it might be nice to kill two birds with one stone (never really cared for that proverb, so violent LOL). We discussed the options of individual meet ups with Andy and I, or maybe just get all three of us together. As Andy had already seen all of my collection (being local), I suggested that Kin and I would do the art thing and then ask Andy to join us for dinner afterwards. But even before we could hammer out (what is it with these violent expressions) all the details, I was already thinking of inviting another local collector, my friend Ben. Even though Kin had no connection with Ben, it just made so much sense since all three of us lived in town (plus both Andy and Ben would be coming from work at Pixar). As we were deciding on restaurant options, someone else popped into my head. Another local friend, Vinh, who also worked at Pixar but had never met either Ben or Andy. I had been trying to get them all together for a while now and I thought this might be the perfect opportunity.

After all the specifics were worked out, I honestly did not know what to expect. Andy was tentatively confirmed, Ben was iffy, and at that point I had not even heard back from Vinh (but he eventually confirmed). As Kin and I drove to the restaurant, I asked him how he would feel if it ended up just being me and him. We both laughed. When we walked in, they asked us how many and I said hopefully five. So they put a couple of tables together and we sat. After a while, Kin excused himself. No sooner had he disappeared from view when Andy walked in. And about 20 seconds after he sat down, Ben walked in. And no sooner had Ben sat than when Vinh walked in. I was ecstatic. And I’m sure Kin was stunned when he came out to see a previously empty table now full of smiling faces.

Long story short. The food was great. The stories were fast, furious, and fun. And as far as the company, well, that was probably just some of the finest human beings you could have seated at one table. Thank you Kin for using up an entire afternoon and evening of your family visit to spend time with me (including the train travel). To my CAF/Pixar bros Andy, Ben, and Vinh. Thanks for coming out in the rain after a hard day’s work. Whether you realized it or not, spending that time with the four of you was a gift. The most fun I’ve had in a long, long, while. And a day I won’t soon forget.

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