Saturday, December 15, 2012

The Official Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, "Visage" Book Signing, in Pictures

 
Copies of the 2012 holiday edition of Visage patiently wait for Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, to attach his signatures to them. Ed had overslept this morning and was running late to his own signing.
 
 
Despite the hurried start to his day, Ed did not forget his traditional Santa Claus hat.
 
 
 
After greeting his constituents and passing out candy canes (each and every carrier, manager, and helper in the distribution center always receives a candy cane from Ed each and every day leading up to Christmas), Ed assumes his best book-signing position.
 
 
 
A close-up view of Ed Calkins' official candy canes.
 
 
Before Ed's immortalization, he had dubbed Denise "paper goddess" because she had the largest route in the distribution center at the time (nearly one thousand newspapers on a Sunday, not counting her husband's papers). Ed therefore dubbed her "paper goddess" and assumed this position when hand-delivering her daily route book. For nostalgia's sake, Ed and Denise recreate this classic pose, substituting candy canes for paperwork.
 
 
 
Denise is so delighted with receiving an official Ed Calkins candy cane, she forgot to give Ed permission to rise.
 
 
The Steward of Tara poses with Dan Yates, his prime minister.
 
 
The Steward poses with Christopher Baran, owner of Channahon Computer Repair and the author's official "limo" ride for the night.
 
 
 
Ed signing a copy of Bryony, the first book in the BryonySeries.
 
 
The Steward admires the cover for the holiday edition of Visage.
 
 
 
 
Ed prepares to affix his signature to a copy of Visage.
 
 
Ed signs a copy of the official Bryony cookbook: Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from "Bryony."
 
 
The Steward poses with Bryony and Visage, while reminding one and all that the storyline is really only about him.
 
 
A farwell photo until next year's signing, the best part of the night for Denise, since it's not often she's photographed with someone who does not exist. Correspondence for the next twelve months will consist mostly of email telegrams, with an occasional phone call for more personal, ruthless updates.
 
 
 
As a parting gesture, Ed leaves a few candy canes behind, so Denise can share them with other members of her household.
 

1 comment:

Denise M. Baran-Unland said...

Most of the photos, of course, are only of Ed for two reasons. Many newspaper carriers don’t take their best shots while working after midnight in a warehouse and thus object to seeing those pictures posted online. Moreover, the Steward of Tara believes himself to be the only BryonySeries character worth depicting. Why, he reasons, add additional subjects? He did, of course, make a few concessions, as you shall see.