photo: AF at work on his Alice Tully book

We were at Fire Island, where Albert had rented a place in the Pines--his very own writer's retreat--to finish his Alice Tully book. As you can see in the picture (click on the image for a larger version), it was then called "Alice Tully: A Period Instrument," which was in fact an improvement over "Alice Tully: Edwardian Supergirl." The third try, "Alice Tully: An Intimate Portrait," was certainly the charm.

AF's Goal Exercise

Long before the current mania for "life lists," Albert Fuller had his Goal Exercise. He credited it with helping him think up the Helicon Foundation after he parted ways with Aston Magna. He regularly shared it with his students. Here's a copy I've kept for 14 years in a folder with my attempts to complete it. These attempts were all botched and abandoned, but I'm certain that just trying to complete it helped guide me to my more productive creative periods. So thanks Albert!

(click on these images for a larger version)