We are finally back home after our European adventure. You haven't seen
much on the Benelux meeting so far because I asked everyone to let me relate
the story when I got home. Well, this is a long one. . .
It all started with a simple plan by some of our European Olympus List
members to get together on a Saturday. I casually mentioned to my wife that
we probably had enough frequent flyer miles for a trip to Europe - and zoom!
The next thing I knew we were booked to Brussels in September!
We'd been anxiously awaiting the Benelux OM Summit meeting. I had packed and
repacked my gear, and in the process found that my cable release was
missing. So, I dropped in to Arlington Camera for a new one. As I walked in
I waved and said hi to Chuck, my favorite salesman (former Ponder & Best and
Olympus rep). He was engaged in conversation with a guy that I didn't
recognize, but he looked up and waved to me to join them. Turns out it was
the Olympus rep who serves this region, Mike Patterson. We talked a bit, and
I mentioned the trip. Mike's eyes lit up and he started asking questions.
Seems he is a real OM fan, even though the company isn't much interested any
more. He was blown away to hear that there is such an active group of OM
fans as we have on the Olympus List. Next thing we knew, it was closing
time, but Mike suggested we keep talking. My wife was away at a conference,
so we went to a country French restaurant here, La Madeline, and had a great
evening over quiche and red wine. Mike has been with Olympus a long time and
had lots of stories. He's met Mr. Maitani a couple of times - sez that he's
short and very intense. Along the way, I tried to call Lex to join us, but
didn't get an answer.
Finally, finishing dinner and a couple of bottles of French wine, we went
out to Mike's SUV where he showed me his stash of OM demo gear. Even though
the company isn't pushing OM gear, he's held on to an incredible variety of
stuff, including all of the exotics, but more on that later.
The meeting in eastern Belgium was great fun and I had a great time seeing
everyone in person. Marc Simon did a wonderful job organizing and selecting
the site. It's a special nature reserve, protecting a unique ecosystem from
development and allowing scientific study. The lady scientist that Marc
arranged to give the tour did a splendid job explaining the parc naturale
and the scientific station. Everyone enjoyed the walk and tour. We needed
the exercise after that great, heavy lunch that we met and got to know one
another over. Fortunately for this sadly monolinguistic Texan, everyone
spoke excellent English. And my wife and Wiliam Wagenaar's wife share the
same profession - which gave then both something to talk about. William's
wife is a charming lady, even if she does shoot c*n*n gear. And their kids
were delightful. By the way, Volkhart really can pass for an American, but I
don't think he can convince anyone he's Canadian <g>. Oh, can't forget
Fiona MacDonald. Everyone knows that Fiona is Scottish for "lady with a
beautiful name."
Now for the rest of the story. The Olympus rep that I told you about, Mike
Pederson, was terribly impressed that we all were so interested in OM gear
that we had organized this 5-country get-together. And, it turns out he was
scheduled to retire in a matter of weeks. The stash of demo gear that I told
you about? Well it seems that Olympus had already depreciated it all, and
the beancounters in New Jersey couldn't really handle getting it back. So,
it was up to Mike to dispose of it. Sadly for him, the company rules did not
allow him to keep or sell it himself. He was obliged to do something with it
that promoted Olympus, which usually means giving it to dealers. But, Mike
pointed out that these days the dealers aren't interested in manual focus
gear and would just unload it on ebay. He looked me in the eye and asked me
if the guys at the Benelux meeting could put it to good use. Well, I didn't
let him have time for second thoughts. Before he could blink I had the big
container of gear in the back of my pickup and promised him that I'd see
that it all got good homes. He laid out a few conditions and I was off!
So, now we had an extra piece of checked baggage loaded on to a Delta MD-11
headed out over the North Atlantic.
After the tour of the scientific station, we all wound up on an observation
deck on the highest point in Belgium. That's when I pulled the case out of
our little Avis Renault Scenic and sprung it on the group. To say that they
were flabbergasted is an understatement. They were all like kids in a candy
store, since much of the stuff had never been seen by the likes of us. I had
been a little worried about a method of distribution, but I needn't have
been concerned. Everyone seem to concentrate on what was the best fit for
everyone else, without concern for their own choice - a remarkable display
of generosity. In the end, we all agreed on each item. Christoph, who as
some of you know is a laser physicist, was clearly entranced by the
technical artistry of the Zuiko 250 mm f/2. William, with three bright and
LIVELY young kiddos will put the 35-80 f/2.8 zoom to good use. Everyone
drooled over the 350 mm f/2.8 and enjoyed stroking it, but after lifting it,
we all agreed that Marc was the guy best equipped to tote it. He's a
television cameraman, you know, and accustomed to carrying a huge broadcast
videocam on his shoulder. Besides, he loves motorsports. Donald, the Scot,
is a man of modest tastes, but was almost in tears over his 100 mm f/2.
Volkhart, as would be expected, was on his motorcycle and couldn't handle
anything big. We managed to stuff the 24 mm f/3.5 shift in his shoulder bag.
He likes landscapes and it was a good fit.
Since we still had gear left, we talked over who might have been a good
choice to receive it. I'm sure that Olaf would have loved the 180 f/2 and
Chris Barker would have put the mint OM-3Ti to good use. It lacked a body
cap, so we planned to put the 500/8 mirror on it for safety - but, alas
neither of them made it to our meeting. The conditions that Mike placed on
the gift specified that only those who were present could receive any gear,
so I had to pack up the leftovers and FedEx them back to Mike in Texas the
next day. I don't know what he did with them.
So, Chris and Olaf, YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!
Regards,
Gary Edwards
(who is from Texas where our tales are as tall as our SUVs!)
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