Night time visitors

Mortie, the jackapoo, was upset, trembling and whimpering.  We slid back the patio door to our balcony and there on the railing sat the three fattest raccoons I've ever seen.  I mean they were small bears.  

Mortie growled his deepest most threatening rumble.  One of the racoons hissed.  None of them budged.  In fact they posed for a long time.  I suggested my husband the photographer set up his tripod, reflective umbrella, and any other equipment he needed to properly take their portrait as they were clearly going to pose until the compost box arrived.

Meanwhile, Mortie and I are holed up in my office.  Mortie's still whimpering and clawing at me.

"But Mortie, they're way bigger than you are!"

Thanksgiving with an elephant

The whole weekend was spectacular.  Golden and warm.

Sunday we had dinner with Andrea Wayne Von Koningslow, author and illustrator of my favourite Bing and Chutney picture books.  Bing is the pig and Chutney is the elephant.

Sunday was dinner with our gang, Robin, Kevin and Hunter,

Craig and Eireann and Adam, Jen and William.  We dug out his future Halloween costume, formerly Hunter's, and it didn't take a lot of convincing to get him to model it.

Now we just need a Bing to trick or treat with 

Getting the Setting

It's a real pain to find my way around in my current world but of course for The Fly Catcher, my historical novel, I need to walk around behind the eyes of a 10-year-old boy in Hamilton in 1912.

Second time through the draft,  I visited the Hamilton Library Archive and got a street director for 1912.  I can tell exactly who lived where and what shops and businesses were located wherever my character Will walked. Now I will go through the manuscript and paint another layer of detail over it.

Dinner at the Falls

This was an airmiles birthday dinner.  Makes it more special when we don't spend real money. The Keg in Niagara Falls is one restaurant, not in a tower, with a great view.

Look closely and you can see me taking the photo as well as my husband Bob gazing at me in rapture.