Dallas cat cafe opens on Saturday at Vista Ridge Mall in Lewisville. Woohoo.  signing book and of course drinking coffee and playing with kitties.

I was lucky to get a sneak peek at The Charming Cat on Thursday. Got to take a tour of the “meeting” rooms and meet all of the charming kitties. So much fun.

Each room has a different theme, so not only do you get to enjoy feline company, you get to drop yourself into a fantasy location. The Charming Cat can transport you to a Victorian room, a tropical room, a future room. Even the lobby and open areas have kitties sneaking a nap in the most fabulous truly arboreal cat trees. They really look like trees!

The kitties are some of the most friendly felines I’ve ever met. They’re game for hugging, kissing, tummy rubs and lots of feather chasing. Best of all, if you fall in love, you can take your new heart cat home with you. All of these charming cats are available for adoption.

We all want The Charming Cat to big a big success so please join me there today.

Charning Cat Corner
Vista Ridge Mall #1306
Lewisville, TX
972-315-CATS (2287)

I was saddened to learn of the passing of my friend and Cat Writers’ Association member, Dan Poynter, on November 1 to lymphoma. Dan was a mentor and teacher to many members of CWA and other writers. He joined our merry band of writers and cat lovers in 2001, already a self-publishing guru.

I received Dan’s mentorship on a completely different path from other CWA members. So rather than list all his writing credits, which most writers already know about, I thought I would share a different side of Daniel F. Poynter.

I started skydiving in 1976 and made my final jump in 1980 with a just over 100 freefalls under my harness. By today’s standards, I’m one of the oldtimers. Not one of the greats, but an oldtimer, nevertheless. When I first signed up for ground school, my instructor required me to join the United States Parachute Association. A benefit of USPA membership was a subscription to Parachutist magazine, which I read ravenously when it arrived in my mailbox.

Jump ahead almost three decades. I met Dan Poynter face-to-face at the 2004 CWA conference in Houston. He was, of course, a pioneer in self-publishing. I was shocked and delighted to learn that he was THE skydiving Dan Poynter, whose column, “Parachuting Poynters” I read religiously every month.

Here’s a few facts about the Dan Poynter I knew.

He was a pioneer in, not only the sport of skydiving, but also the parachuting industry and parachuting safety. From his first static line jump in 1962, he rose to become one of the world’s leading experts in parachute design and engineering. A master rigger and canopy designer, he invented the Stylemaster parachute, the Fastbak parachute and patented the Pop Top parachute. (The first parachute gear I ever owned had a Pop Top reserve.) He wrote a dozen books on airborne sports that included skydiving, civil aviation and hang gliding. “The Parachute Manual—A Technical Treatise on the Parachute,” which he first published in 1972, was the bible of the parachuting industry and riggers around the world. (Riggers and especially master riggers have to go through an intensive training, testing and licensing process. Riggers pack the emergency reserve parachutes and do repairs. Master riggers can also build and repair parachutes and harnesses.) He managed a parachute company in Oakland, California.

Over his career he made 1200 jumps and accrued 12 hours of freefall time. He was also a pioneer of the sport of hang gliding and was a licensed pilot.

He earned all possible skydiving licenses and ratings all with early-issue numbers:   USPA D License (instructor rating) #454. Dan was Star Crest Recipient #271. (I earned mine in 1978. My SCR was #8294.) To get an SCR you have to be part of an 8-person freefall formation called a star. His Star Crest Soloist number was 63. To get an SCS you must have docked eighth or later on an 8-way or larger star freefall formation. In 1994, Dan even jumped onto the North Pole.

Dan served as president of both the Parachute Industry Association and the International Hang Gliding Commission and chairman of the board of the United States Parachute Association. He served on the boards of the National Skydiving Museum, American Museum of Sport Parachuting and Air Safety, the Commission Internationale du Vol Libre (hang gliding) of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (president). Poynter also established the eMuseum for the National Skydiving Museum in 2014.

He’s the recipient of the: USPA Lifetime Achievement Award, 2005 Parachute Industry Association Don Beck Memorial Achievement Award for parachute or skydiving achievements that have stood the test of time. In 2012, he was inducted into the Skydiving Museum and Hall of Fame.

Since that first jump in 1962, Dan wrote more books, reports, magazine articles and columns on the topic of skydiving and parachuting than any other author. He took his passion and turned it into an occupation. Dan taught and mentored CWA members and aspiring writers, the same way he taught and mentored skydivers.

Besides skydiving, Dan also loved cats. He authored The Older Cat, a book about the aging feline most likely based on Cricket, his beloved pet of 20 years.

Thanks Dan. I’m sure there are many skydivers whose lives were saved by your generosity and sharing of expertise and knowledge.

Dear Friends,

Earlier this year, my 95 year old mom fell and suffered three compression fractures of her lower spine. My sister, brother and I have been caring for her. (Mostly my sister Margaret.) Mom, the product of of rugged Texas pioneers, shocked and thrilled us all, and recovered from her injuries. (How does that even happen at 95?) After Mom’s amazing recovery, my siblings and I made the difficult decision to uproot Mom from San Antonio. (Our family moved to the Alamo City in 1955.) Mom and her kitty Lucky trekked north to their new home in Denver to be close to Margaret.

It’s hard to stay on track when life intervenes, especially on such a grand scale. As a result my book, articles, my website and FB have all suffered.C’est la vie! I certainly can’t complain. My siblings did most of the work.  As a dear friend reminded me, “You can write your book next year. This year, your mother needs you.”

Now, that my mom has settled into her new place, life is slowly returning to normal. I am having to play catch up on so many fronts. For someone as OCD, it’s a struggle. I’m revising my book deadline to a more reasonable date (to be announced.)

Thank you all for your well wishes, concern and prayers. I’m blessed to have you for my friends.

Purrs,

Dusty

Dusty