Wishing you a very…

National Parks screensaver

The National Park Foundation has put together a FABULOUS screensaver  slide show that’s free for downloading on their website.  Click here to check it out.  Perfect for writers looking for a distraction inspiration…

Here comes the sun

Well, OK, not really.  There’s a winter storm watch in effect here in Portland, Oregon, and I’ve just sent my boys to the grocery store (one major benefit of having teenage drivers around) to stock up in case we get iced in.  Last year we were stuck at home for days and days.  They’ve called twice with questions, so it will be interesting to see if what they come home with is even close to what’s on the list.

Back to the sun.  I was in L.A. over Thanksgiving, spending a couple of weeks with tween niece while my sister and her husband were in China fetching home new wee niece (more on that delightful addition to the family in another post).  We went to Disneyland and got sunburned (it was 80 degrees!  in late November!), and we also made a jaunt to Balboa Island, one of my favorite spots in Southern California. 

The transition from the land of perpetual sunshine back to the frigidly cold Northwest hasn’t been easy (I’m having niece withdrawal, for one thing), and on an icy day like today it’s lovely to have a few photographs to remind myself that summer will be coming around again here, too, soon enough…

Welcome to the tiniest ferry in the world

It’s true — just three cars.  See?

The destination is so worth the short ride:

We had burgers at Ruby’s at the end of the pier and watched the surfers.  Then it was time for Balboa’s most famous treat.  Yes, all you Arrested Development fans, you guessed it — frozen bananas on a stick!

This one was taken with my old cell phone’s crummy camera, but I quite like the Holy Grail-like ethereal glow.   It perfectly captures my feeling of reverence toward my new favorite treat.

After frozen bananas, it was time for a ride on the Ferris wheel, which is almost as teeny as the ferry, but still manages to give a good bird’s eye view of the bustling island.

All in all, a most satisfactory day, as you can see from our smiles.

Words can’t express…

… how great it makes an author feel when a reader falls in love with  his or her books.  When that reader happens to be a bookseller or librarian and a blogger to boot, well, we feel like we’ve hit the jackpot. 

Heartfelt thanks to Tanya at Books4yourkids and to Stacy at Welcome to my Tweendom for totally making my day!

Craft, Career & Cheer

The amazingly energetic and delightful Cynthia Leitich Smith just posted an interview with yours truly on Cynsations.  It’s part of her ongoing “Craft, Career & Cheer” series, featuring conversations with writers and artists who create books for young readers.  The series has been a fascinating one to read, and I’m thrilled to be included!