I’ve been so sorry to hear all the post-storm news from New York and New Jersey. What a terrible time the residents are having. Still no power for millions of people, others with homes lost, and many with no food, water or gasoline. I am thinking about all of you east-coasters and hoping for a speedy and safe recovery.

Today, I received a personal phone call from the New York Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side. I had pre-purchased tickets to visit the museum on my research trip to NYC. The young staffer from the museum told me they were refunding the tickets because the power was still out on the Lower East Side and the museum couldn’t open. She hoped I was safe and dry.

I asked her if the museum had been flooded, and she reported it hadn’t. She asked me to please visit on my next trip to NYC. I promised I would.

Take care, East Coast folks. Thank you for your call.

It’s been a few weeks since I posted and I am pleased to report that we west coasters have indeed seen the sunshine. We are thrilled!

I recently returned from a trip to the very west coast of Canada — to Long Beach and Tofino, BC. I am posting a couple of photos taken from Mackenzie beach where we stayed. The beautiful sunset photo was taken by my niece on an evening stroll down the beach. The other photo (blue sky, tide out) was taken by moi from the porch of the cabin we stayed in.

As always, it was an inspiring trip, seeing the power of the ocean and the beauty of the rainforest. It’s possible there may be a book in the works. And on that note, I picked up a copy of Long Beach Wild written by my friend and fellow author, Adrienne Mason, who is a Tofino resident. It is fascinating reading. I recommend it!

Hope you enjoy the photos and are having a lovely summer.

I’m back after a wonderful couple of days in Salt Spring Island schools. Thank you to Deb Nostdal, teacher-librarian, who invited me and organized my trip. Thanks also to the students and staff at Fulford and Salt Spring Elementary Schools. It was lovely to meet you all!

And speaking of lovely, the photo above is one I snapped at a local beach early one evening. My friend and fellow author, Margriet Ruurs, lives on the island and she took me to see her favourite beach (shown in the photo). She also has a B&B with a literary focus. It’s called Between the Covers, a booklovers B&B.  A great place to stay!

Every time I go to Salt Spring, I check out the real estate listings and dream…

I’m just back from a trip to Toronto where I was visiting my publishers. There are many changes going on in the publishing world right now and it seemed like a good time to catch up and chat with people face-to-face.

A few highlights, in a nutshell:

– Spring has arrived in Toronto. It was great to sit outside and eat lunch under a bright, yellow sun.
– My publishers are so smart! They were very hospitable and gave me lots to think about.
– Toronto is a vibrant, multicultural city. It was fun to see areas, such as Rosedale and the fashion district, that I had not visited before.
– I enjoyed strolling through the historic St. Lawrence Market.
– I had a chance to meet my web designer and most recent editor, who were both lovely people.

My conclusions? I need to go back soon. Lots is happening in that great city!

I hope spring sunshine has arrived where you are, too.