Busy of late, but thanks and recognition to several school/festival visits in October and November is LONG over due! To start, in mid-October I attended my second
Humbolt County Authors Festival. In a nutshell...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPNItJiuqy-B1E-ZBMGga5hFi9ouCrm4IiYOd9Pk6QkBkIg70bcYfvOuSJ0quthQmjVCMK7VbtIoBGzbg7yP13-kutRiCWcPBVnoUVuOm4GHmzwsLOJeU3CWeBu-DUgrVdRXo/s400/HC09_12.jpg)
....I tagged along with a gallery tour at the
Morris Graves Museum of Art and did a short illustrator talk about my work from
Dog Diaries...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ83F4ZaYHBQ84RhV2aUyMI63xbqBFQSfn_FVeiHtS73SlQCT0_AnLewNtJ4ygI3RKOY4sL3L461ZWNbBpVtppQaMxQxFYZuYsozVs9gH-HEfpaaxwn1luhcrG1E4movzxNdao/s400/SI09_1.jpg)
...I visited Washington Elementary and Arcata Christain Academy...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyay32cfPVJzFksTLplLVeoPPyHeFkHMsYLoW1lC-UR9ZehLp5kE2BE-i4P2LH5UEmJ_bdmS6jMRaqK2y4GsSrAxfzXaT-PimLV3SkHz9j6qHf2HP0G4TDRw-3iuX6e3cSsogQ/s400/HC09_1.jpg)
...made guest appearance on the cable access t.v. program "Homework Helpers"...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIyDfP2x6ATwgFTjqULLoyYqDKXR4m9iNM6zCXv2FuJhcPAzY8vHjlL5FCivzvdWhgG-ElEKyjJPOxOaw8krS8rd7mYG7qrKuA92wSdqjvb7D-qEEKBSvNKRyQl58Im0COU6n/s400/HC09_2.jpg)
...and pretty much basked in the joyful glory of the "school visit" part of my job! Check out these great projects by the students at Arcata Christian. Above: construction paper sloths and cheetahs ala
Slow Days, Fast Friends.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaf9iY56ndWlSXFYrEZsyN4FXcAtq692rfAYif7oZoW6if26rrOrbEqv64gl59bcn7yTussTL5PqyO_FaJ7bbXxm9pvf3aGA2vjUCYwHpQXRtoV1PhXbPZl0cMYn0l7YxCfClB/s400/HC09_6.jpg)
On the fast/slow theme as well, the teachers crafted this great creative writing excercise. "I want to slow down when... I like to go fast when..." PLUS, they brought in an art component as the kids each painted sunsets!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwyT_egKcgRi8UCRaFDGDHLM2ErD1V52G_XovIHTfmCELOXcqwgB9SlXfM9uTTQp99q4sYEWjhST8OXfW8f6kDh4vPMTATeDauq6RWewY3ibgo1PdaubidK995-OyCP85sqEM/s400/HC09_5.jpg)
Kids also wrote and illustrated their very own
Dog Diaries...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvJx8HEY__JYGdT0JCfZzAhJcvx63xNM7Bn6vSUmaOLKGK5g5LM7Q5x33ke2vedtksUq3pC4esGJHa9c_UN6C72TelLLRxfvarOC_h-zemWt_Uk7N7Cbmg8jFXHHlQg-ilWlw/s400/HC09_4.jpg)
...and built their own mosters ala
Octavius Bloom and the House of Doom.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja989syqgyQJXC_cH0XgMOS6Ok1L1RRj0AxibDEofCj2orIeCCF0M3Cit4INziVIVkrAlx46uKeszDqC0hfbBVg2TMiXzzH7KIbvbjT8G7fCtxhEY9dM9n4PRWIrTuQOUlgceQ/s400/HC09_3.jpg)
As usual, I did some drawing to compliment my talking. Here is the Alligator, Bear, Crocodile for the ABC Pre-schoolers. Yup, alligators and crocodiles are pretty similar, but that's what they wanted :)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBTc01Gz9ArcgoHiSQCUasDOhfn2NEWgm2j21yhIoKhayC-abrrx48Agi1K_JSAtIGrVP7zGyR6q9otX1Fu5vShpg0TCTVr-IuCPdJnBHpWYAmzELUFa_bIhxSUKU43xQbs6P6/s400/HC09_9.jpg)
As a special treat at lunch, we had
Slow Days, Fast Friends cake. So cool!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCtGMHROjU8z5o4stStUGgYoEVAXaL90YsPom0fWTJusQNo0YAULMs21BFBmlYyzFDoHBCXjhMRJu6_fnjq3BxcHikldCW4sOBqOaMB3-Xw7mWhRxr0KGGSTKvxlq6C2Hqi-h/s400/HC09_8.jpg)
Look at that CAKE!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKiXwwoCnGJjwUbU2xrIpW944MK-VarB3WrqJXO37bfJUXUK9yzJMECOGuZbPCZ8jATxjig6pu36GNYrQZNGJCx5XnQUirYl_6hqAGj431CfE9e7F5XRl8giLB32UGWkxnU6d/s400/HC09_7.jpg)
The final morning is a big booksale at the beautiful Humbolt County Library.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvKnDOQNB4J2scZl8iFpHjGEJveeMMrdCknTGZ5TdO1oC_3qBYBk9pWuR1D9TXC7tvVkDwKQ6sAJqLPdekM3QWjak1jAFDvkZRfH0fZwVXvQY_xFvQYokIlxjTKb10j2-JJgV/s400/HC09_10.jpg)
I shared a table with the amazingly talented writer, illustrator, singer
Bruce Hale...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqnSd6uCyxj7SzmzExXO5tZF3YPd9vdMgrCvEhHcWyRqXwq_7hatRM2LRIV20dhQlWh0By1DhwhQ5DYI7EU7LwOtot7YuILo7ib0EgqCAf0gna5FLPN1UUs5Z8ueUduzvGHcM/s400/HC09_11.jpg)
...and the entire 3 days with the rest of these incredible folks.
Larry Dane Brimner, Shirley Climo, and
Mathew Gollub are pictured in the foreground here.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqX8nMW_yCp6RGjnI0JpLmS6il7j6gjoaJCta2dHyg0ySTX3tPTYCVyj2Q_rTnxBtnYY0LI_n2FDBDIhEI9N6ACDpSGtoOa8eIJ7XLmI3EXx6pu7SArZ3pncZ4C9b7rD8pKNDY/s400/SI09_4.jpg)
Finally, on Nov. 4-5 I visited 3 different schools and libraries in the
Sno-Isle Library System as a part of their annual Children's Book Week. Great, inquisitve kids in all three places...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlMBihbcOeNFVNbCiZhvcZTOcuwCUPB_iMi5c5yn_XPMVkhUDv55zK4JnZhDH1WPqi6hvdpQ76JpR9uIqUnGRwU1_t19haWmN9vFjLX4HOxsPnbaLS_Ys84X6tN8gNJdBsuUM/s400/SI09_3.jpg)
...plus there was more CAKE! Otis the otter, featured here, is one of the many drawings that I did last spring for the Sno-Isle Kids Library Homepage. Cheers!