Day 1869: Published!

On November 16, 2017, about 2:00 pm, my book went live on Amazon.com.   I spent an hour composing a Facebook announcement and posted it around 4 pm and then I waited.  The response was instant and overwhelmingly positive.  Over the next six hours I watched the comments roll in and my heart swelled.

Hundreds of people helped make this book possible and were waiting eagerly for its publication.  When it appeared, BOOM!  I think Anna Gullo was the first to purchase a book and lots more followed.  In the next few days, the books began arriving and a few folks posted pictures of it in their hands.  That made me very happy.

It's a bit surreal to see a book I worked on for nine years finally in other people's possession. I feel a bit exposed and anxious because it's my creation, and I can't help but wonder what they think.  We mailed a book to Steve's army buddy, Chuck and he sent a lovely email in response.  My Uncle Jerry is an avid reader and very ill with cancer, so I sent him a book, too.  When we saw him last weekend in New Jersey, he raved about it.  But, these folks have personal ties and are not objective.

Plans are developing for the launch party and I've lined up a few helpers.  Colleen, a former student and excellent organizer, has agreed to run the set up, decorating, and clean up.  My friend Rachel will take photos.  Heather will oversee the cake cutting and distribution.  Amy and Laraine will be cashiers.  I still need to speak with a few more people.

We spent Thanksgiving week in NYC with Evan and Justin.  Unfortunately, Steve was horribly sick with an upper respiratory infection and upset stomach.  The 88 kids in the middle school musical hacked and coughed all over him the previous weekend and he was totally exhausted.  He hasn't been that sick in many years.  Both of our sons were also fighting colds, so I was surrounded and doomed. Sure enough, on Friday, I came down with the same garbage.  At least I'll get it out of the way before we go to Laurie's and the launch party.

This year we went to see the musical Come From Away on Broadway.  I enjoyed it very much, but Evan thought it was "cute."  Oh well, not every show  can compare to The Color Purple.  The trip home from the show was dreadful because Steve was so ill.  There are no short cuts in NYC!  Plus, in the middle of the street, I stepped on a champagne cork, rolled and fell hard on my hip.  I was so lucky not to break anything.

On Thanksgiving we stayed in, cooked in Evan's oven for the first time and watched six episodes of the new Star Trek series called Discovery.  We loved it!  All day, Steve dozed while Justin and I made the meal.  By Friday, he was much better.

Then we traveled to my cousin Rick's house in New Jersey where we had an O'Donnell family reunion.  Thirty-five people came from all over.   It was so good to see everyone.

The trip home was full of surprises.  When we arrived in White Plains, we found the car's battery had died.  I knew we did not leave the car on because I even took a photo of the dashboard to ease our minds.  But, the combination of an old battery, the cold, leaving the overhead light on, and sitting for six days must have drained it.    Within an hour, AAA was there and gave us a jump.

The weather was perfect for driving so there were no difficulties along the way.  Just after we got off Route 86,  a huge deer was standing in the middle of Route 430. Fortunately, I spotted it and Steve stopped in time.  By the time we got home around 6:45, we were completely drained.

Parent meetings started this week, so I'll write an update in a few days.  No parents showed up at Brocton last night.  We'll see how it goes in Fredonia tonight.

Here it is!

The Amazon entry on Nov. 16, 2017

Evan's new apartment building in Long Island City.

He's moving in on Dec. 30.

Walking in Central Park

The O'Donnell Clan

Day 1868: It's ready!

The fourth proof arrived this afternoon and it's perfect!  Finally!  Quest: A Guide to Backpacking With Teens will go live online at Amazon.com tomorrow night!

From November 2008 to November 2017, I wrote and deleted hundreds of thousands of words, interviewed a couple hundred people, and researched numerous subjects.  I've written, rewritten, revised, rearranged, reorganized, reviewed and revealed.  I made thousands of lists, recorded daily word counts, ruthlessly edited content and recurring words, proofread a zillion times.  My writers group has critiqued, analyzed, advised, counseled, comforted, encouraged and praised.  I've counted words, commas, of, the, that, then, with.

When I thought I had finished in January 2016, the text was 136,000 words.  Research said it had to be 100,000.  So, I went back to the computer and cut 26,000 words.

I went through ten thousand backpacking photographs multiple times.  I culled, edited, chose and arranged.  I wish the photos could have been in color, but i just couldn't justify the added cost for the book.  The photo quality is lacking, too.  But, I had to reconcile to that and recognize that it's the stories that matter most.

Tomorrow night, I should see my book listed on Amazon.  There's lots more to do now to prepare for the launch party, promote the book and program and recover.

I'm feeling very excited, satisfied, proud, exhilarated , grateful and tired.  More tomorrow.

Day 1867: Proof number 4

For thirteen days I waited for proof number 3 to arrive.  As each day passed, I grew more anxious about the time line for release.  On Monday, I realized that if I held the party on Dec. 1, I would not have time to get 200 books printed and delivered.  So, on Tuesday I moved the party date to Monday, Dec. 11.  It would make it possible to get books there on time, IF, the third proof was correct.

It's not.  When it arrived today, I was frustrated, irritated, exasperated.  For some reason, the printer wrapped the back cover image over the spine and 1/8 inch onto the front.  The color is a bit washed out, but at least the white was truly white and not pink.  Also, the hikers are in proportion and positioned correctly on the page.  So, I called the publisher.  He put together another cover that is the original image, positioned correctly with a bright green frame around the title.  If the printer just replicates the design accurately, we'll be all set.  The green is more lime than I wanted, but so be it.

Now, I have to wait 10-12 days again.  I hope it comes before we go to NYC for Thanksgiving.  If it's ok, the book will go live on Amazon within 24 hours.  If a person who has Amazon Prime orders the book, they will get it in 2 days.  That's faster than I can get copies.

My next big question is when to send the invitations to the launch party.  I should probably wait till I see the proof, but that depends on when it arrives.  This part of the process is so stressful, but I must persevere.  I wanted to be done by Dec. 1, so I could spend the month resting and focusing on family. Oh, well.

Tomorrow, we'll be speaking with the 8th graders about Quest after school.  The student leaders will be there to share their stories and I'll show the new promo video.  The next few weeks are packed with student meetings and then parent meetings just after Thanksgiving.

Over the weekend, I sat and read a novel straight through.  It felt great and I liked the book until the very end.  It will be an interesting discussion at book club tomorrow night.

Day 1866: Transitions

What a sad, difficult week.  On Tuesday, we found out that another of our former student leaders had lost her father to suicide.  It was such a tragic loss to a beautiful, loving family and the entire community.  Yesterday, in the eulogy, the victim's best friend spoke of demons that had seized control of his friend.  He told stories of happier times and chose to remember his friend in better times.  His children, wife, parents, friends were absolutely devastated.  I'm afraid they will be forever haunted by this terrible, violent death.

Last evening we went to a party for Julius, Steve's best friend, who retired as director of county emergency services yesterday.   He is an extraordinarily selfless and self-effacing man who has spent his entire life in service to others.  He always deflects complements and turns the praise toward his team.  An inspiration to everyone who knows him, he is enduring about a half dozen parties and ceremonies in his honor and that's really difficult for him.  So, it was a bittersweet night as we joked and told stories about our friend and said goodbye to the "boss."

Then, during the evening we found out that our friend who is suffering from cancer has had more bad news.  All in all, the week has made us both feel helpless and sad.  How can we help our friends face these painful challenges?

On the other hand, the book work is going well.  I insisted on another proof of the book since the cover images were distorted and the color inconsistent.  Now, I must wait a week for the new proofs.  I got lots of the small tasks done in preparation for the Tradition Fest on Saturday, designed the new business cards and secured a new email address.

The best part of the week was speaking with the eighth graders on Tuesday.  It's a small class, only about a hundred kids, but there was some enthusiasm and lots of questions.  The after school meeting will be on November 9, so we'll have a better sense of the level of interest that day.  I also finished the Quest promo video which I absolutely love.  It should make a strong impression on the kids and their parents.

Another surprising and exciting moment came when I got a message from a former backpacker who is now teaching in Colorado.  It seems she wants to start a backpacking club and she asked for advice!  Plus, next week we're meeting with an instructor from the Audubon Society who wants to create a backpacking program.  Great things are happening!

Thankfully, the week was gorgeous and we were able to hike in Arkwright and around the village.  The steelhead are still running, but the water level is so low they've had to stay in the deeper pools.  Steady rain today and during the upcoming week will permit them leap over the falls to reach further upstream.  Hiking is one of the best therapies.  The quiet soothes my soul and calms my racing mind.

Julius and Melodee at the retirement party

His honey do list.

All the past and present fire coordinators

Day 1865: Approaching the Goal

I just noticed that it's been two months since I've been able to write.  Although the book took eight years to write, the months since February have been very intense.  Getting published presented a whole new set of challenges that I had largely ignored.

So far, I've done 14 mock ups and two sets of proofs.  The last mock up was sent out the Friday before we departed for our trip to NYC and Berlin.  When we arrived home, there was the first hard copy of my book! What an incredible thrill!  I was so excited, Steve took my photo holding it and then I sent messages off to my kids and sisters.

The excitement was countered by terrible worry about Paddy, however. He suffered terribly while we were gone.  He could barely walk and dragged himself out from under the back deck.  The sitter had left him outside most of the week without any water.  I don't think he ate anything.  We rushed him to the vet who did some tests.  He had lost two pounds, was dehydrated and had an infection.  His eyes were running and bloody.  The vet did blood tests and found a high level of calcium which is an indicator of cancer.  He thinks it's probably in the stomach and the only way to know for sure is to do a biopsy.  NOT going to do that to my beloved 14 year old cat.  We brought him home thinking he had only two or three months left.  The vet did not understand the power of intensive mothering.  In the last month, I have babied him.  We have fed him six to eight times a day and he has regained his strength and interest in roaming the yard.  It doesn't change the cancer diagnosis, but he's much better equipped to deal with the sickness.  For weeks he barely left my side.  Now, he is venturing out more often.

After the first proof arrived, I asked my friend and mentor Margaret Ruckman to do a close reading looking specifically for punctuation errors.  It needed fresh eyes.  My writer's group and I had read it so many times that there was no way I could identify any of the minor errors that I was certain were in there.  She read it in a day and then we met.

Sweet, diligent Margaret saved me 35 bits of embarrassment.  Not bad for 413 pages.  There were two dangling participles that I would never have found, even though I recognized them once she pointed them out.  Three noun verb agreement errors occurred in long complex sentences.  I was most worried about the dialogue and she found two capitalization errors and one misplaced comma.  She questioned the use of the word "till." but we looked it up and it's acceptable.  On money, I had included the cents, like $40.00.  She found that cumbersome, so I went through and dropped all the cents.

I also discovered several photos missing and a few others that were too fuzzy.  I resubmitted all of those too.  Most important, the cover was too dark.  The image as a bit gray and the color around the title was dark olive rather than a cheerful grassy green.  Finally, when I was satisfied, I resubmitted the 14th mock up.

On Thursday 10/19, the new proofs arrived.  I've reviewed it and found one extra s on a verb, one extra e on a name and two extra commas.  I am not demanding a new proof to fix those small items.  On the other hand, four out of five proofs had a slight pink cast to the white letters.  That is the last major issue to address.

In addition to perfecting the book,  I've been wild planning the launch and the promotion.  Every single step takes research so I've spent so many hours pouring over ideas for the launch party,  how to create a website, invitations, business cards, a Facebook profile, speeches, photographer, a sound system, food for the party.  Yikes!  I also agreed to do a presentation on Nov. 4 at the Dunkirk Tradition Fest where I'll have photos and equipment on display.

I also bought a new computer with a terabyte of storage so I could finally start working on the Quest video and remake the promotional video.   Today, I finished the promo video because I need it for the Tradition Fest.  The Quest video is about three quarters done.

So, where am I going with all this?  I had hoped to launch on November 10, but now I am aiming for December 1.  It was just impossible to get everything done by Nov. 10.   This week, I'll check in with the MS principal to book the MS or HS Library for the party.  I gave him one of the early proofs so he would know what's coming.  He's already agreed that the MS is the place to celebrate a book about our MS backpacking program.

Tomorrow, I'll be back at it with the publisher about the cover and whether I can get 300 copies printed by Dec. 1.  And there's a long list of other jobs to tackle as well.

I'm so excited I can barely contain myself.  It's almost here!  I'll be back now for a the next six weeks or so till after the launch.

Russian WWII Memorial

Street art in East Berlin

Our reflections in the Reichstag building

Holocaust Memorial

Scenes on the Berlin Wall

Just a bit of German ice cream

Holding the first proof when we arrived home on Sept. 25.

The second proof arrived on Oct. 19.  It's supposed to look like the one on the left.

And I just noticed the placement of the title is too low!  

Rats!

Day 1864: Disasters Brewing

Category 4 Hurricane Harvey just hit the Texas coastline near Corpus Christi.  Predictions are for over 36 inches of rain and a storm surge of 12 feet.  It's the most catastrophic storm to hit the US in over a generation.  The governor of Texas has already declared a state of emergency in 30 counties.

So while the country is riveted by the news of this impending disaster, what is 45 doing?

Pardoning Sheriff Arpaio, the racist sheriff from Arizona who used racial profiling, put prisoners out in the desert and was convicted of contempt of court.  Disgusting, but expected from the racist monster we have in the White House.  He is the most divisive, harmful president ever in history.

This comes after a Nazi rally in Charlottesville, VA last week where one woman was killed and nineteen were injured when a white supremacist drove his car through a crowd of counter protesters.  Trump equivocated and said there were good people among the crazed white crowd supremacist crowd and placed equal blame for the violence on the counter protesters.  Can't believe the KKK, Nazis and militia were marching through the streets chanting, "Jews will not replace us"  and "Blood and Soil."

Sick, sick, sick times.  Unprecedented, dangerous and terrifying.

Too much has happened in the past three weeks to write about.  Now that I've let the daily entries go, I have lost the discipline to keep going with this blog.  It will end sometime in October when the book is published.

Yes, it will be released in October, after just nearly nine years of work.  On Monday, I submitted the edits for mock up number 8!  This weekend, I'll do more work on the cover and back cover text.

On Monday, August 21, we celebrated our 46th anniversary.  I probably already wrote about how momentous August 21 is.  On that day in 1970, I finished college and got my first teaching position.  In 1971, we got married.  In 2000, my mom died.  This year, there was a solar full eclipse and we got tickets for Hamilton!  Yep!  On June 1, 2018, we'll be seeing the most acclaimed musical ever!

As for swimming, I am at 72 miles, far behind last year's tally.  That's life.  I can't do any more this year with all the other things I'm juggling.

So, more to come in the next few weeks and then, the blog will end.

Day 1863: New boiler

A friend took this photo of Steve when he was working a fire in Dunkirk.

It's the only one we've ever had that wasn't of his back.

Moving the new boiler into the basement.

It was about 300 pounds!

And the new water tank was a bit lighter.

Both now installed and operating efficiently and quietly.

The Fat Lady Sings

This was the first blossom and I'm so glad I photographed it because the deer ate the rest of the blossoms.

Book progress: Finished writing the Amazon blurb and back cover.

Swimming: 57.75 miles.

Pool dropped from 88 degrees on Friday morning to 78 degrees today due to a cold front that moved through our area and dropped cold rain.

Our nieces arrived today from Wisconsin and we will be busy with them over the next three days. Then, my family reunion will be held later this week.  Brad arrives first tomorrow, then my sisters and Sarah arrive on Wednesday.  Caitlin and Jason are driving up on Thursday.  Evan is flying in on Friday and my cousin Kathy will come on Saturday.  Wild and crazy week ahead!

Day 1862: Goal Oriented

My husband says I'm obsessed, but I think a better phrase to describe me is goal-oriented.  My two summer goals have kept me from doing lots of my regular summer activities.  I've barely touched the camera and my new lenses.  We've not been into Buffalo or gone out to see a movie.  I haven't shopped, which is no big loss.  And I've let my political action lapse.  Just another month of intensity and life should return to a normal pace.

In swimming, if I want to hit 100 miles this summer, I had to reach 50 miles by the end of July.  Today, I met the goal.  50.2 miles and I have one more day to spare.
Thats not bad considering I didn't swim four days last week due to the reunion and my fall injuries.
The big question is whether my elbow will hold out from the strain.

And the book.  Tonight I sent off edits on the seventh mock up.  Just three pages this time and all of them were very tiny items.  I think there will be two more line by line close readings after this.  So, maybe two to three weeks more on editing.

Justin worked a bit on the cover image and submitted four possibilities today.  However, I don't like any of them.

My next task is to write the blurb for the back cover and the Amazon entry.

The monstrosity that is our president committed a few more atrocities this week.  He declared in a tweet that transgender people can no longer serve in any capacity in any branch of the military. Estimates range from 2000 to 15,000 members of the military, both active and reserve, who are transgender.  Their lives, careers and families were thrown into chaos with his irresponsible tweet.

Plus, he spoke to the Boy Scouts of America at their Jamboree and said many highly politicized and inappropriate things.  The BSA had to apologize for his comments.  Then he spoke to a police department and encouraged them to harm those arrested.  Police agencies all over the country decried his remarks.  Then today, he went after China because they have solved the North Korea problem.

Fortunately, thanks to Senators Collins, Murkowski and McCain, the health care repeal was stopped.
For now.

Friends for more than fifty years, reunited once more.  

Day 1861: 50 Years of Memories

The Class of '67 members at our Friday evening picnic

The best reunion committee ever!

Wonderful, hardworking, dedicated people.

Love them all!

A celebratory cake, baked by our dear friend and classmate George!

Day 1860: The Class of '67 Reunion Madness

Tomorrow the reunion events begin!  We're celebrating fifty years since graduation from high school. Or perhaps we're celebrating surviving the last fifty years.  It's a bittersweet occasion because thirty three of our classmates have already passed away.  But this weekend we'll focus on the living and enjoy each moment we have together.

Thursday morning, we're meeting to pick up tables, chairs and coolers from several of our houses to deliver to the location where our picnic will take place.
Friday morning, we'll spend a couple hours decorating.  And I need to make a pasta salad for the vegetarians.
Friday evening, friends from around the country will be gathering.  For some, this is the first reunion they've ever attended.  Our caterer is serving pulled pork sliders, coleslaw, watermelon, beans, green salad and cookies.  There will be a dance contest, a photo booth and lots of fun!
Saturday at 1:00, Darrin will give us a guided tour of the school.
Saturday at 2:00, we have lined up the village trolley for a tour.
Then the evening festivities will be at the Clarion.  Dinner, dancing and music by the Wretched Group.
Sunday at 11:00 am, coffee and donuts at the lighthouse on the lake.
Monday, pick up the tables and chairs and return them to our homes.

Our committee has been absolutely the best.  Each person has been so generous with their time, talents, property, and expertise.  I am in awe.  I hear about other classes where the reunions are planned by two or three people, or they have to cancel because no one responds.  Anger, resentment, hurt feelings abound.  But, we have worked hard to make this reunion as accessible and welcoming as possible.

On the other hand, I know I'll be celebrating when it's over.  I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and catching up, but it's been very time consuming.  It's not just the meetings, phone calls and planning, but also the time I spend making mental lists of details left to address while swimming or lying in bed at night.  My brain has other summer priorities.  Like editing my book.

I got the seventh mock up today.  That means another line by line review.  Justin is working on the cover art using my photos.  I must write the dedication and a summary for the back of the book and for Amazon.  It's so close to completion!  Target date: Sept. 1!

Swimming update:  42.4 miles!  I am sunburned and sore.

Gardens: Spectacular blossoms this year.  The gardens have never looked better.  I've nearly finished labeling all the plants, but I've fallen down on photos.

Very tired.  More next week when the reunion is over.

Man on a Mission

One of our favorite locations on Quest!

Day 1859: A bounty of beauty

Hotlanta

Ruffled Truffle

Sweet Paddy

The lilies have never been more bountiful or the gardens more beautiful.

The book has progressed to mock up number five.

All the photos have been placed along with the captions. 

I did the first line by line edit and typed pages of items to correct.  

Not all were my errors.  Many had to do with spacing, titles, text boxes and 

photo credits.  I spent about twenty hours last week after the kids left on Wednesday night.  

  At Penelope this week, Carolyn asked for my timeline.

Hmmm....I'm shooting for August 1 to have all the editing done.

 I've asked my artist son for help, but of course, he's just so busy.  

I may have to hire a professional cover designer instead.

Although I have a concept in mind, I do not have the skills to produce a captivating cover.

So, would the end of September or the beginning of October be a reasonable date for release? 

We'll see.

On our last day together, we went to Burnham's Hollow for a picnic

and cooked hotdogs and beans over a small campfire.  It's our long time tradition and the place holds 

a special place in our family history.  Colin and April stand here in the exact spot where they were

married almost nine years ago.  It's always hard to say goodbye, but we were grateful for the time we had together. 

Day 1858: Kids on the Way!

Colin and April will be here in just a few hours!  I can hardly wait!  We'll be getting up at 4:30 so we can pick up the kids at 6 am.  The house is stocked with groceries, the fridge is full of Colin's favorite beer, the bedroom is spiffy and the bathroom is sparkling!  They'll get some relief from the intense heat in California and enjoy the luscious green of our yard.  Plus, they'll enjoy time with their friends and family.

I hit 18.8 miles today.  It's a bit behind the last two years, but considering the frequency of rain and cold this summer, that's not bad.  Last year, the pool was 90 degrees on this date.  Today, it was 78 and the air was cool and breezy.  It was a good day to finish weeding and mulching the stone wall garden.  Now all that's left is about forty feet of the property line garden.  It'll be done just in time for a garden party when the lilies peak in a few weeks.  About ten different lilies are in bloom now.   Time to get out my new camera lenses and practice.

Our poor Paddy took a trip to the vet on Monday to get massive mats of fur shaved off.  He looked  like he had wings, but now he's got a Mohawk haircut.  He's been clinging to me ever since.

Today, I submitted all the captions for the photos and squeezed in a couple more pictures. That's a total of 32 photos in the book.  After studying all my photos from the last ten years, I realized that I've been taking the same pictures every year of different people.  I wanted to include more variety of scenes in the book, but I just don't have them.  Nevertheless, I am delighted with the book.  We're on the third mock up and I'm sure the editor will send me a new one tomorrow.  The next task is a line by line examination of the entire book.  I noticed a few small spacing issues and some titles that need caps.  I've been working on ideas for the cover, but I know I'll need help with that cause that requires an expert.

Graduation was lovely as always.  Most impressive were the musical performances.  Jin played the clarinet, Will was on the saxophone and Matt, who is a tenor, sang without a microphone and filled up the entire concert hall.  They gave me goosebumps.  I was also very impressed with the guest speaker, Christine Bell, who is an international art dealer.  She spoke about the importance of introspection, quiet time alone and putting down their phones to think!  Since then we've gone to four graduation parties.

The Republicans have withdrawn their health care proposal because McConnell could not muster the votes.  The CBO calculated that 22 million would lose their health insurance, with the greatest portion of them poor, handicapped and older.  In fact, the proposal permitted insurance companies to charge folks in their fifties and early sixties up to five times as much as for younger customers.  The far right Senators wanted more cuts, while the moderates in states where Medicaid had expanded, feared the cuts.  No doubt they will not give up.

Day 1857: Father's Day 2017

Father's Day.  Another of our least favorite days.  The guys called Steve, but it was lonely without them.  It's been a long time since we last saw them.  We spent time with my sister and brother, though, and that was wonderful.  Fortunately, Colin and April will be here in ten days!

On Friday, the publisher sent me the first full mock up of my book to review.  Last week I made decisions about font size, book size and spacing and then he was able to format the entire text and photos.  My initial reaction was delight and then I was gripped by anxiety about the next steps, how to promote it and how my life will change.  Publishing a book is an opportunity for growth, which I embrace, but it's also scary.

When we reviewed the book at Penelope this morning, they helped me see a few areas to improve.  First, the text boxes are too distracting visually because the border is too wide and the print is in bold.  I hadn't even noticed.  Then, we examined all the photos and questioned whether each photo would help teach a key point, move the story forward or illustrate our varied activities.   We also discussed whether the photo was effective in black and white.   In a few cases, the answer is no.    Sara pointed out that I have too many photos where a group of people were all gathered together looking directly into the camera.  That has to change.  As Penny said, "More doing!"  Those two are treasures!  Both artists, they see elements that I overlook.

Tomorrow, I'll be hard at work reexamining thousands of photos looking for a different angles, more activity and high contrast.  Fortunately, Evan helped me out this evening to gain some more operating memory.  We're exporting my entire iMovie library to the upstairs computer via wifi.  When I delete the library from my laptop, that will free up 64 GB to work with.  Then, he suggested calling Netsync about their upstreaming service and perhaps upgrade to speed up the uploading of my photo library to the cloud.  Look at me!  Talking about tech like I fully understand it!  Almost, but not completely.

It's been very hot this week and that warmed the pool to 89 degrees!  Swimming for any amount of time was tough, but I endured and have now tallied 13.39 miles.  For hours each day, I've also been helping my sister with her house.  She works like a demon and has transformed that 1925 house into a little treasure.

The week was marred by several horrific events.  First, a madman ambushed the Republican Congressional baseball team at an early morning practice and shot one Congressman.  He is in grievous condition with a bullet that hit his hip, broke his pelvis and damaged internal organs.  An aide, a lobbyist and one capital police woman were also shot.  Several other people were injured in the process.

Then, a US destroyer and a cargo ship collided off the coast of Japan and seven sailors were killed.  It took great effort to keep the ship from sinking.  There are many questions about how those two huge ships could collide in daylight.

The upcoming week promises to be a bit cooler.  I'll be able to better concentrate on the book and move it along to the finish line.  There are other issues and tasks I would like to tackle, but the book must come first.

The first and last poppy

The first lily!  Thousands more to come very soon!

Day 1856: Black and White

Who is lying?

I will put my money on DT, the incompetent fool, who simply can't keep his mouth shut. 

But I am disappointed in Comey who did not have the guts to simply say NO! This is wrong.  No one has ever told DT no in his life and that's part of his psychosis.

Perhaps I have idealized Harrison Ford who in Clear and Present Danger told the president who was pressuring him, "I don't dance."  I read several perspectives written by women who had been sexually assaulted by their bosses and the behavior was very similar.  Frequent flattery followed by subtle threats of loosing a job, a closed door, just a bit of pressure by the most powerful man in the world.  

But, Comey is a schemer and his actions have put an interminable spotlight on the topic which is all good.   It will take years to investigate and who knows what powerful people will be destroyed in the process.  Jeff Sessions is up next and appears in great jeopardy.  

Comey knows more than he offered in his public testimony and turned away 13 questions for the closed session.  I want to know what he told the Senators.  The public has the right to know.

Look at their histories.  Who has lied about virtually everything? 

I'm not a black and white person, preferring to operate in grays.  I see the perspectives of others and very little is clear cut. Not this time! Hopefully, the investigative process will reveal the horrors.  

On the personal side, the debate this week has been about black and white or color photos.  The determining factor is the retail price of the book.  My primary objective is to get the published book into people's hands.  That means the book must be accessible so I want to keep the price of a print copy at $20.00.  If I included color photos, the price would nearly double.  Yes, my beautiful photos will suffer, but it's the stories and information that must take priority.   Now I have resubmitted all the photos in black and white.  There's no doubt color is better, but I can have more photos if they are B/W.   Plus, folks can view the color pictures on the Facebook page.  

The other debate is the book size.  Should it be 6 by 9 inches or 7 by 10 inches?  Eleven point text or twelve?  The publisher did mock ups of a 6 by 9 in both 11 and 12 point.  If I go with 12 point, the book will be 430 pages long.  NOPE! Back to 11 point. Now, he's doing a mock up of a 7 by 10 in 12 point.  That decision comes tomorrow and then he can finish formatting the book.  Crazy!  

Swam my first full mile today for a total of six miles since the season began! 

So, will these work in B/W?

Packing up pretzels in cook class.

Standing in the rain on the 2017 two day hike.

It lacks clarity because of the rain!

A great shot of Bri from when Cody fell into her tent and destroyed the poles.

Note the socks on her hands.

Hard to see anyone at all!

The 2017 Expedition

Day 1855: Sunning Snakes

It's been a happy week of catching up with our civilian lives.  I spent most of my time planting my container gardens and swimming.  We didn't even go out to dinner because I didn't want to get dressed up and put on make up.  Take out pizza, hot dogs and leftovers were just fine.

I may have overdone it a bit on the flowers, but I do not care.  The pots are gorgeous.  So far, I've created thirty fabulous pots.  

Plus, I swam 3.25 miles!  Starting with 50 lengths a week ago when the water was 74 degrees, the temp and the lengths increased steadily throughout the week up to 130 lengths in 80 degree water.  It was lovely, but in my eagerness, I have overly strained my elbow so it's time to rest.  

Lovely lupines in Molly's Garden

Laurie's new house

We have worked like demons to refurbish her new house and polish the exterior so it looks occupied.    The rhododendron wasn't in full bloom when she left, but it's gorgeous now.

Dogwood blossoms at the college

We walked a lot during our recovery week and discovered the wonders of spring spread throughout this little village.  Twice we spied this snake looped over this log in Canadaway Creek.  Can't blame her for catching a few rays.

Sunning snake

Much like DT.  Basking in the sunlight of his power, he makes it all about him.  He pulled the US out of the Paris Climate Accords, aligning the US with Syria and Nicaragua and abdicating US power to China.  We just gave them the opportunity to lead the world in energy production.  Fortunately, states, cities and companies across the US are banding together with Mexico and Canada to meet the standards set in the Paris Accords.  

Now, he's in a twitter war with the Muslim mayor of London who was simply trying to defend his city during another terrorist attack.  It is gruesome to watch.  Comey testifies to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday and it should be extraordinary testimony.  Never in history has a US president done so much damage in such a short time.