Strange terrain

Hi everyone,

I love exploring places I’ve never been before, or at least never looked at from quite the same angle before.

For example, here I’m in one place.

And here I’m in a different.

And here I’m still in the same place.

No wonder a committee has so much trouble describing an elephant, even when they can see.

Different back yard, different treasures

Hi everyone,

Maybe JEFF and JENNIFER need to name their waterful greenway behind their home in Portland. It’s a fascinating backdrop.

So much to see, so many wonders to think about.

Wild dog stalking its food supply

Hi everyone,

You met Petey in an earlier post when he was just a pup. Now he is a wily hunter, a true son of his wolf ancestry. I caught up with him in Portland, demonstrating how to leave victims helpless and happy.

A good week

Hi everyone,

A short week but a good one. We returned from Oregon on Tuesday after a great trip with Jeff and Jennifer that included Portland, Crater Lake, Sunriver, and Cannon Beach. Spectacular views, wonderful food, and loving company. Couldn’t ask for more or better.

I’m twenty work-days away from my Fairfax deadline and feel confident I can make it. A lot of things are going undone for now but it won’t be much longer before I can return to a more normal routine. This past week I agreed on terms for an old story of mine, “The Little Boy’s Secret,” to appear in a U.K. HarperCollins anthology for 7-year-olds. The story originally came out in THE BOOK OF GIANT STORIES, co-published by American Heritage Press in the U.S.A. and Jonathan Caple in England in 1972.

I’m set for a virtual return on October 30 to The BookMark in Neptune Beach, Florida. This time I’m introducing the new book, I WANT AN APPLE. I look forward to it.

I began sketching notes for a video I promised to make as part of the Fairfax project. I need to make it before the end of November. Mary Jo Fresch, Laura Robb, Tim Rasinski, and I made plans to rehearse a 60-minute webinar for California Reading Conference that will be broadcast live on November 18.

Next week I speak at American Association of School Librarians at its national conference in Salt Lake City. Kate Coombs and I will discuss science/nature-based poetry for young people. Our presentation, “Take a Walk on the Wild Side: Connecting Young Readers to Nature,” will be moderated by award winning librarian Amanda Jones from Louisiana. I’ll speak on the subject in general but with emphasis on THE DIRT BOOK.

Time to get to work.

Crater Lake

Hi everyone,

We’ve had a busy week playing with Jeff and Jennifer. One of many highlights was Crater Lake. I found a babe there that made the whole trip even better!