Now I know why people call mini-carpets "throw rugs." A few years ago, one threw me face-first onto the edge of my bathtub. Results? A broken arm and head injury. Meeting me as I staggered out of the emergency room, my husband took a concerned look at my sling, cast, and turban bandage. "How was Sarajevo?" he asked.

"That’s not funny, Larry," I moaned. "It really hurts, and because of a stupid accident, we’re going to miss the Taos Talking Picture Festival this year. " Fortunately, dear reader, one should never underestimate the power of imagination. That’s how, while recuperating, I took a magic carpet ride to Taos for the 2001 April  film festivities held in that picturesque New Mexico town. (Just blame it on the head injury!)

Dinner with a living Hollywood legend emerged as the highlight of this fantasy trip. Everyone knows Elizabeth Taylor is the last of the Great Movie Stars, so it was a thrill to see her in person. She received the Festival’s Maverick Award, an honor given each year to a cinema artist "who has retained his or her unique vision over the course of a distinguished career." Although Liz already has two Oscars (for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? and "Butterfield 8") and was dubbed Dame Elizabeth by the Queen of England, this woman deserves as many awards as she can get after fifty-five years as a Hollywood leading lady.

Immediately following her Festival tribute, Larry and I joined Liz for dinner at the Holiday Inn Don Fernando. She looked lovely in a white jacket that contrasted dramatically with her dark hair and famous violet eyes. After congratulating her on such an amazing film career, I told her about what my mother did when MGM was searching for a child to star in National Velvet. "She sent the studio a picture of me riding a horse," I said.

"I wonder how many other mothers did the same thing?" Liz mused. "But I think you’re lucky you didn’t get the part. I hurt my back during filming National Velvet, and that was probably the beginning of all my health problems."

Larry pointed to my cast and added, "Betty Jo has had her share of those too. Looks like both of you are real survivors."

"And you are a real sweetheart," Liz tossed back at him flirtatiously.

Suddenly it dawned on me that Liz is between husbands now. No wonder I breathed a sigh of relief when dinner was over. After all, this was my fantasy, not Larry’s.

**********************************************

Rest in peace, Elizabeth. You will be greatly missed by your fans, family and friends.