Diary From Japan:
Tom and Noriko land on Okinawa; while Actor Gene Hackman Gives
Mom's Friend a Free Painting

Mom and Dad do Europe

As Noriko and I were exploring the wilds of Okinawa, Mom and Dad
Diederich were conquering Europe. They both retired earlier this year,
and decided to treat themselves to a cruise aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2.
Five days of luxury from New York to London. The actor Gene Hackman
was also on board. Mom said he "looked taller and younger in person."

Gene Hackman is cool. He can play the heavy or the hero with equal perfection.
Apparently he can also paint. Mom and Dad were having tea one afternoon, and
were chatting with one of their new friends, "a nice European woman," according
to Mom. Anyway, the woman said that this "nice, middle-aged man" sat across
from her during a painting class. "He was a fast painter; he finished so much
faster than the rest of us," the woman told my parents. "I told him so, and he
said that he had painted me. He showed me the painting, and it was so good
that I offered to pay him for it. But he would have none of that. 'You can have
it,' he told me. Well, I asked him to sign his name, and he did. It wasn't until
later, back in my cabin, that my husband told me that 'Gene Hackman' was
a famous Hollywood actor."

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