I Know More Than I Think

I love to talk about Alaska, anywhere, any time. Airport gate areas, in line at the zoo, on the ferry, in the Fred Meyer parking lot surrounded by hundreds of transient RV-ers; you name it, I'm on it, and woe to the poor soul who pulls out a map within my earshot and says to his or her companion "What about this place?" I'll tell you about that place, and the next one, too.

Tonight I hit "send" on Section Three (or is it Four) of Alaska On the Go: Exploring the 49th State With Children. Road Trips. Alaska's roads are not complicated in a structural sense, we only have about 12 actual named highways. But they are full of interesting sights and attractions and such, necessitating a lot of knowledge. A whole lot.

Throughout this book-writing process, I am always amazed at the amount of 49th state knowledge crammed inside my brain. One would think there isn't a lot of room up there, given the fact I am parenting one child here in Alaska, one child in Denver, managing a husband and two dogs. Not to mention my own self. But I did remember stuff, and it was good stuff, too.

Stuff like the playground at the Tok School, with steel-piped slides and monkey bars and random local children who follow you around, asking questions. Stuff like excellent customer service aboard the Alaska Ferries, or the taste of Trisha Costello's cinnamon rolls at the Talkeetna Roadhouse. I love remembering where we've been, and I love thinking ahead to where we'll be going.

That's the beauty of writing a guide book, it just never, ever ends with one chapter. There's so many more ahead.

P.S. Anybody want to know about Alaska? I'm waiting.

Where I Write

I am happy to provide you with a snapshot of my favorite writing venues, because some days, a gal's gotta go someplace else to capture the muse.

This is the view from my cozy little office (aka spare bedroom). The Chugach mountains are consistent friends, greeting me with pink in the wintertime and glorious green during the summer months. Right now, however, they look as tired as I feel. But it's okay, spring is here. I think.

On occasion (okay, more than occasionally), I move operations to a trendy coffee shop not far from my son's school, where I hold court. Brew is strong and internet, fast, so that's generally good enough for me. If I really get to writing, I may go through two or three Americanos, after which the world seems to spin a little. But that's not all bad, right?

Lately I've been hanging out at the family table. I have a huge paper trail for this book, and am more organized when I can spread things out where highly visible. Plus, the company is pretty good (see dog, below), the view just as lovely, and I have easy access to the Nutella.