After Christmas, I’ll post some stories about the birds in Ecuador. The most fascinating story is how four antpittas in the rain forest, very elusive birds – impossible to see, got their names. These birds are impossible to see most of the time. Come join me after Christmas.
Four members of our family have just returned from a week in the Ecuador Andes.This giant antpitta was a major reason for going to Ecuador.
We met a conservation/reforestation project while there that is making a big difference. Saving the wildlife, birds and forest is their aim. Check it out. mindocloudforest.org.
As the Festival of Faiths keynote speaker, Eboo Patel, author of Acts of Faith and founder of the Chicago-based national Interfaith Youth Core, spoke yesterday evening to a crowd of nearly 500 at Beth Shalom Synagogue. He called for a new generation of interfaith leadership. He outlined a time of choices in which we live. We can choose to live the reality of the pluralism in our communities…or we can choose the path of extremism. Patel described three things that interfaith leaders do: 1. Change the conversation…stand up against religious prejudice. 2 Launch projects…interfaith projects…raising the question: what does your faith’s theology inspire you to do? 3. Transform the environment…create a new ethos in which interfaith cooperation becomes the social norm. Patel urged us to build bridges instead of bigotry, barriers and bombs. It was an exciting and thought provoking evening for all.
Heavens…it is November and I haven’t written on here since September. We had two book signings…my book: A Pioneer Love Story…in October. One was at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, TX. This was especially fun since my grandfather helped found the Museum in 1934. Also it is near the Palo Duro Canyon which is a wonderous bit of geography. If you haven’t explored it…I suggest you would love it.
The other book signing was in Arkansas City, KS…our hometown. Rod and I were both having high school reunions so it was a marvelous few days. The Ark City Arts Council is converting the Burford Theater (where we saw movies in high school) to an Art Center…and that is where we had the book signing.
When we returned from NC and our two weeks of writing and watching waves there was a surprise waiting for me. The High Plains Public Radio Station in Garden City, KS wanted to buy fifty copies of A Pioneer Love Story. They offered it as one of their gifts for a certain amount (don’t know how much) donation to the station. I knew my cousin had given a copy of the book to the station in Amarillo, but hadn’t thought any more about it. There seem to be many people interested in true stories of pioneer days and the history of their land.
Last week another surprise. A member of a committee I’m on looked at me and exclaimed, “You’re an author, I don’t know any other authors. I have to buy your book.” We have two book signings scheduled in October…one in Canyon, TX at the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum and one in Arkansas City, KS at the Burford Center for the Arts. I’ll report on those later.
I think we all experience that with Ted Kennedy’s death we have passed from an era. It is hard to imagine this nation’s history without Kennedys at the forefront. I know the next generation is alive, well and active. That is different. The task now is to finish the work that Ted devoted his life to…and pass a respectable health bill…and name it the Edward Kennedy Health Bill.
It does seem strange to think of the hole that his passing is leaving in the Senate. Even though he has not been physically present for a time…he has been there in everyone’s imagination.
We move on to another era.
After several days of watching…and photographing the crashing waves as from Hurricane Bill as it missed our east coast, Kaze and I settled back down to serious writing.
And then yesterday…another kind of wave crashed over us. The New York Times Sunday Magazine was so exciting that we went back to the grocery store and bought six more copies.
The whole magazine is based on a new book by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. The magazine is about what women are facing worldwide…and what women are doing about that.
Kristoff and WuDunn start their article in the magazine with this statement: “The oppression of women worldwide is the human rights cause of our time. And their liberation could help solve many of the world’s problems, from poverty to child mortality to terriorism.”
need to go.My friend, Kaze, and I are gazing at the Atlantic
Ocean as we struggle to write stories of our lives.
The intent is another book. Stay tuned and see
what we make happen.
Finally, the pictures are on Picassa from our Kenya Safari in six albums. The total number is a bit overwhelming and I may be the only one to look at them. I like having them there…and hope you enjoy the virtual safari.
Now the hard part…I want to put together a Kenya Safari presentation for family, friends, and church groups, etc. Whoever shows an interest in this experience. The elimination process gets serious now. An outline I am considering for a show is: • Locations and scenes, • The Big Five – (leopard, lion, buffalo, rhino and elephant), • Other animals, • Birds, • The Masai Village & Celebration. This will be fun to work on and fun to watch.
It is easy to get swamped by all the digital pictures after a marvelous two weeks in Kenya. I’ve finally put the first batch of pictures from the Masai Mara on my Picasa site…but still have a bunch more to go through. It is a lot of fun, but the hours fly by when I’m at the computer…where does it all go?
This is our sixth trip with our guide, Dave Richards…a Brit who has lived in Kenya for many years now. Not only is he a super guide…he is also a professional photographer and author. I always learn so much when with him. Many of our friends met him several years ago when he visited Kansas City. That visit was at the peak of the snow geese coming through Squaw Creek – up north – so we had a chance to show off our birds while he was here.
