In the Good Old Summertime...

Don't you just love learning something new? My friend Celia, the writer of the world's most delicious blog, "Fig Jam and Lime Cordial" got me turned on to an iPhone app called Hipstamatic. She explains it much better than I ever could, so read her post here.. that's okay, I'll wait...

http://figjamandlimecordial.com/2012/07/18/cool-thing-13-hipstamatic-iphone-app/

So since I downloaded this app I have been wandering around taking pictures of everything in sight.

 

Here's one of the dragonflies that live in the cattails in our pond. And speaking of cat tails... lots of cat pictures have been taken.

 

  Cats and Small Dogs.

 Feed me pudding... look into my eyes... puddddiiinnnnngggggg.......

 

  

 My friend Michele is studying Chinese Therapeutic Massage and came over yesterday to turn us all into puddles of relaxed goo. There are not many things finer than lying in the backyard with a cool breeze blowing off the ocean and having all your knotted muscles unraveled one by one.

The wonderhub has been building guitars and ukeleles this summer. He and his friend Jeff bottled beer and with the spent grain he made bread, pasta and a crusted pork loin. He also made a large batch of mozzarella.

The boy has been busy working the lights at the local community theater and practicing for the golf team. The highlight of the summer is the San Diego Comic Con. I made this costume for him. He went as Xemnas from Kingdom Hearts. It was a good day.

 

He also makes extra pocket money painting these tiny Warhammer figurines. He has an army of them and plays in tournaments.

  

 This is my little neighbor that helps me test paper toys. I have been busy working on "The Toymaker's Mysterious Math Carnival."

I also got to go to the ALA, the America Library Association.

 

 At the ALA hanging out with my friend Sari and the lovely people at the Sterling booth.

My new book "Haunted Histories" that I cowrote and illustrated with J. H. Everett was right there in the Henry Holt/Macmillan booth. If you would like to read more about it go here... http://hauntedhistories.com


Macmillan had a party afterwards and there were mountains of cupcakes and cookies. My only regret was that I was so busy talking to people that I didn't get a chance to eat any of them.

So far, our summer has been  relaxing and filled with lots of creative things. How about you? What have you been learning? What are you working on?

Best thoughts,

Marilyn.

---

Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's

clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered

spirit.  A few of those days and you can become drunk with the

belief that all's right with the world.

-    Ada Louise Huxtable