Strange creatures, we humans, seeking challenges that include wallowing in the muck. Whats the allure, besides family fun? The question may be philosophical, rhetorical, or possibly one of those Zen koans: What is the sound of mud napping?
Dad left way too soon — he was only 54 when he died of cancer — but the memory of him is still very much alive. That's a part of our legacy, I guess — what people remember of us. Irving Birdseye was particularly good at being a good man, and gave me a high bar to strive for. Thanks, Dad. I remember!
An Eskimo custom offers an angry person release by walking the emotion out of his or her system in a straight line across the landscape; the point at which the anger is conquered is marked with a stick, bearing witness the to the strength or length of the rage.
Yep, get out there.
Nature is my muse. So when I came upon the bent-branch chair at the Carl Sandburg home in western North Carolina, I had to give it a try. It didn't disappoint. Where do you go when in need of inspiration?
#thereisnomapforthis #carlsandburg #natureinspired
You don't need to hang a bear bag, just backpack on a different planet!
Sometimes the best way to go forward is to retreat — as in a writing retreat. Much progress made on the new novel, tentatively titled BLOWUP, during a 4-day deep dive at the beach. Now, onward!
#writing #tombirdseye #oregon #writingretreat #thereisnomapforthis
Delight found in a book. Grandson Griffin reveling in riddles.
#bookstagram #riddles #reading #readers
Let's celebrate! Saturday, April 26 is Independent Bookstore Day. For me that will be at Grassroots Books in Corvallis, Oregon — over 50 years of service to our community.
#grassrootsbooks #oregon #thereisnomapforthis #indiebookstore #IndieBookstoreDay
Yes, wine can make you tipsy, but since when does it also affect the glass?
#tombirdseye #thereisnomapforthis #GroundwoodBooks #oregon #wine #magicalrealism
Reading in situ — aka the snowy wild.
#thereisnomapforthis #GroundwoodBooks #oregon #cascades
#readinginthewild #reading #yabooks
So lucky to come upon freshwater otters in Oregon's Crooked River, Smith Rock State Park. Talk about awesome fishing skills!
The first day of spring.
If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender stores two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one,
And with the dole buy hyacinths,
to feed thy soul.
Thirteenth-century Persian poet Saadi got it right — beauty matters. Feed your soul.
Meet-the-Author of THERE IS NO MAP FOR THIS, a recording of yours truly holding forth on the novel:
share.teachingbooks.net/QLF7AJP
#thereisnomapforthis #GroundwoodBooks #Oregon #yabooks #meettheauthors
Home from the Fisherpoets Gathering in Astoria, Oregon, a celebration of commercial fishing and its community. It was centered, not on a genre — sci fi, fantasy, mystery, etc — but on a chosen career. Are there other professions that inspire in this way? I'm coming up blank . . .
Happy to get this news re my novel, There Is No Map for This — among the winners of the YADude Books 2025 Reviewers' Choice Awards.
yadudebooks.ca/announcing-t...
#thereisnomapforthis #GroundwoodBooks #orgeon #yabooks #YADUDE
Yesterday I lit a candle in honor of my dad, who died 51 years ago — the flame is a metaphor for the light a life brings to the world. This morning the candle had burned out. Dad might be long gone, but he's still alive in my heart. I carry the light with me, a flame that never burns out.
No caption needed. Create the story that goes with this image.
The joy of no victory, the agony of no defeat — Non-Combat Scrabble.
Reading in the wild: There Is No Map for This on the summit of Ryan Mountain, Joshua Tree National Park.
#thereisnomapforthis #GroundwoodBooks #yabooks #comingofage #readinginthewild #yabookshelf #literature #booklover #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #joshuatree #joshuatreenationalpark
Philosophers suggest that to maximize peace in our lives, we should accept the objective truth of any given situation. Gnashing our teeth and wringing our hands and spewing vitriol is neither healthy nor effective. Wishing everyone equanimity, empathy, peace, and commitment to being good humans.
Celebrating Month-a-versary #608. The best that you can do is fall in love.
Novel goes novel with travels: There Is No Map for This explores Ladder Canyon, California.
#thereisnomapforthis #GroundwoodBooks #yabooks #comingofage #readinginthewild #yabookshelf #booknerd #bookaddict #bibliophile #bookshelf #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookaholic #libros #readers
Facing fear, grandson Griffin first time top roping. What's your crux? Mine is facing the empty page.
Oh, Canada!
#thereisnomapforthis #canada #GroundwoodBooks #yabooks #comingofage #readinginthewild #yabookshelf #literature #booklover #instabooks #books #bookstagram #reading #bookworm #bookish #booknerd #bookaddict #bibliophile #bookshelf #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookaholic #readers
You've heard of minimalism. Well, this is our maximalist approach to gingerbread house design and construction — aka, Why just do it when you can overdo it?
Looking for a gift for someone? A book is a gift that can be opened again and again.
It could happen any time, tornado,
earthquake, Armageddon. It could happen.
Or sunshine, love, salvation.
It could, you know. That’s why we wake
and look out—no guarantees
in this life.
But some bonuses, like morning,
like right now, like noon,
like evening.
William Stafford
Despite the supposed "bad luck" of Friday the 13th, billions of atoms still got together on Friday, July 13th, 1951 and in a statistical miracle turned into me. How lucky is that? Grateful to have been born. Grateful to still be alive. Feeling very lucky. Maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket . . .
If you've read it and feel inclined, I'd be super grateful if you'd leave a review of my YA novel There Is No Map for This on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or Barnes & Noble. Posting about a book helps others find it, and just boosts it in general. Thank you!
