Deb's Doings - 2009

December 25

Merry Christmas! I don’t send out snail mail greetings, so this little diary is our Christmas letter. Hop around through the archives and you’ll see what we’ve been up to.

We open gifts on Christmas Eve between Karl’s music making at a couple Christmas Eve services. Our kids appreciated the recycled gifts they received from us. We took a look at the electronic gadgets in our home that weren’t being used as much as they would be by the younger members of our family. Kaj inherited the Flip video camera, Sandra got my iPod, and Jean now has a digital camera. Maybe this will be a new tradition. They’re already telling me I need a new computer.

And Ollie with his new toy…

Sweet dreams for your new year!

November 30

November was eaten up by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. The best part wasn’t even the novel I ended up with at the end of the month. It was the realization that I can crank out a 50,000-word story from nothing in just a handful of weeks. So much for the 20 years I’ve spent on the one that isn’t completed. It was also a month of thinking about the writing process, encouraging others to write, and dreaming of next year’s November insanity. Check out the daily (okay, not daily) NaNoNuj throughout my November entries at Deb Lund ad lib.

November 14

Sandra has always wanted to be in a wedding. Her dream came true this weekend when friends Anita and Joe got married.

November 10

This shiny red gem appeared in our mushroom-filled acreage this fall. A little bigger than a softball in this picture, it opened up to be the size of a dinner plate.

October 25

Years ago I wandered around absolutely awe-struck inside a large building on a pier at Seattle’s waterfront. It was my first encounter with Bookfest. Authors, booksellers, organizations, and activities filled the large hall, and the crowd browsed as if it were a bookstore until they found the areas that drew them in. We missed Bookfest when it disappeared. We were there on an earlier attempt at revival, but that was short-lived. This year marks a new beginning for Bookfest, and throngs appeared.

Secret Garden, one of my favorite bookstores, operated the Children’s Stage, and a few of us put together a Halloween presentation for them. We shared songs, stories, and even a Halloween parade. It was a great to present again with my good friend Kathryn Galbraith.

October 22

Karl got his turn to escape, this time on a tour with the Brothers Four, the Kingston Trio, and the Limelighters. I’m not naming them all for you, but Karl is the first one on the left.

October 24

Sandra and Jean donned a couple of Mama’s old Halloween costumes for Coupeville’s Halloween parade. In the end, they wore something else anyway, but I’m glad I captured the fashion show.

This was our first year to attend the Halloween parade. Costumed munchkins meandered down the two-block parade. Kaj rode his unicycle, and Sandra and Jean got to ride the Halloween bus to the school carnival with friends. No pictures. We forgot our camera, borrowed Uncle Vern’s, and dropped it. Oops.

October 17

Cec Monson, father-in-law of Karl’s brother Vern (and our family patron), turned 100 this year.

Cec is congratulated by a 103-year-old friend.

Sandra and Aaliyah (Cec’s great-granddaughter) find a corner to play in during the celebration.

October 15

The delightful Kari Yadro somehow manages to pull together numerous Barnes & Noble events at their Lynwood store and make everyone who participates feel like a long-lost best friend. This “teacher appreciation night” reconnected me with Barb Weber, host of one of my favorite school visits. They were just finishing a building project at the time, and got to hear MONSTERS ON MACHINES before the book came out. We’re looking forward the day we get to do it all over again in the finished facility.

Back at home, I’m reminded what all this kid and book stuff is about as Jean reads to me and Ollie.

October 14

We love our dog, and he tolerates whatever the kids do to him.

Ollie the star.

This is getting old.

If I get rid of these, maybe they’ll leave me alone.

October 12

Silver Falls

After missing the last several years, I returned to the Oregon SCBWI Silver Falls Retreat. Robin (the chapter’s “Not the Mommy” leader) pulled off another fun, folksy event that is perfect for this state park setting. If you’re a children’s writer, check it out! For me it was the perfect combination of old friends, new friends, great food, and great sessions, including an impromptu presentation about organizing research with my friend Michele Torrey. So fun to travel a state away to listen to my local friends Laura Kvasnosky and Kathryn Galbraith present, especially when I’ve presented with Kathryn more than I’ve seen her present alone. And it wouldn’t be Silver Falls to me without Suz Blackaby. Wish I had a picture of everyone who was here. This year felt like coming home.

Robin Koontz

Laura and Kathryn

Michele Torrey

Suz Blackaby

Thank you, amazing cooks at Silver Falls!

September 25

Kaj joined me for the day as we traveled first to Olympia to spend the night with Rhonda, the bookseller who invited us to speak at a regional WLMA (Washington Library Media Association) meeting. We spent the night with Rhonda in the “guest house” which contained its own pub and art studio. Our visit to Westport winery the next day for the meeting gave us an opportunity to meet some great librarians from another part of the state. Kaj played his guitar all the way home to Whidbey.

In our lodging…

At the winery

Deb signing books

September 20

Sandra makes statements about herself in a myriad of ways…

And when she can, she helps others make statements as well…

Don’t tell Kaj I put this in here!

But then, Kaj has his own statements to make. I think Sandra may have suggested hair pins.

September 17

Barbara Lewis, conference director, and I have talked about a children’s writing strand for the Orcas Island Writers’ Festival for a few years now. Those of us on these northwest islands know we have boundaries that can limit us, especially in economically depressed times. Here on Whidbey we saw a decline in conference enrollments and intentionally planned a smaller event for the Whidbey Island Writers Conference this past year, but the Orcas festival had its second year this year, and it’s going strong.

Deb and Michele Griskey worked together on the Whidbey conference for years. Now Michele is part of the Orcas team.

Deb reading to kids at a presentation during the Orcas Island Writers Festival.

Most of the Orcas Writers Festival faculty was imported from Vermont, and it was a treat to watch them oooh and ahhh over our scenery and perfect weather.

Here we are at a dinner at the Ecotopian.

Jody Gladding, Matthew Goodman, Ellen Lesser, Deb Lund,
Al Young, Barbara Lewis, Diane Lefer, Rik Nelson, Nance Van Winckel, Brian Lewis

A highlight of the festival was getting to know these special folks. Al Young or I often came in to meals and found the only opening next to each other. What a treasure we have in this poet and musician.

Al Young

I taught a day-long workshop on the Thursday preceding the festival for 22 or so writers. The day flowed seamlessly as we shared stories, suggestions, activities, and information. This was one of those groups with no domineering voices or defensive responses. We laughed, encouraged, and played the day away. Barbara later said, “This was the best children’s writers’ workshop I’ve ever seen.” Thanks, Barbara. It was one of my favorites, too.

September 6

One of the gems for Karl in singing with The Brothers Four has been his time with these amazing guys. Twenty-three years ago, Mark Pearson and Mike McCoy, long-time friends and “Brothers,” recorded an album called “Between Friends.” Now, after seeing each other through a couple more decades of their life experiences, they revisit that idea to create “Between Old Friends.” Karl plays with them, Bob Flick produces it, and we get to share a day of taping with them in Seattle.

But, back at home, now that school’s in swing, it’s Kaj and math, math, math…

August 30

Deb & Jean on the Lake Chelan boat trip to Lucerne. A bus will take us 8 miles up in the Cascades to Holden Village.

Karl and I celebrated our 20th anniversary at Holden Village on the 26th. We invited the village to help us celebrate our twentieth anniversary at a concert. Rock, folk, classical, pop, jazz… Karl sings it all, and I still marvel at his talent like I did the first time I heard his voice. How lucky I am.

The kids feel lucky just to visit Holden Village. Kaj brought his unicycle this year.

And if you happen to get your ice-cream cone as they empty a bucket, as Jean will tell you, that’s extra lucky…

August 25

Kaj picked up the guitar this summer, and three days later played “Wabash Cannonball” for us, with all the chord changes, playing and singing, all without music. It brought back memories of my brother Tom, one of the best guitar players I know, who also started when he was about 12, and was just as driven.

August 22

Sandra and new friend Montana at M-Bar-C Ranch

Lots of girls dream of riding horses, and we thought this week at M-Bar-C Ranch here on Whidbey would be a nice little treat for Sandra, who has begged to ride horses for years now. We didn’t have a clue what it would do for her. The closeness of that big animal, the trust, the freedom… She loved it. We haven’t figured out how to keep this going for her yet, but we’ll do what we can to make it happen. After all, when the instructor says she’s never had a beginning student take off trotting bareback before, we know this is a fit for our girl.

Sandra on her horse

Riding with an egg

August 20

My friend and critique partner Carole Dagg shares what she has so freely, including her “cabin” on San Juan Island. Ruby Tanaka and I invaded Carole and Gosta’s second home last week, a lovely timber-frame perched on the narrowest piece of San Juan Island, with water views on both sides. We wrote and wrote for three days, and now I know just how much can be accomplished away from the distractions at home. Can we do this again, Carole?

Carole, Deb, & Ruby on the porch

Ruby inside Carole’s San Juan Island home

Deb, Carole, & Ruby at Carole’s Writer’s Hut

August 18

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SANDRA!

Sandra celebrates her birthday each year at the beach and our Island County Fair. Here are our kiddos at the fair…

Sandra and Jean

The Shifty Sailors

August 16

Families from this area with kids from Barbara Walker’s Ruuska Village in Haiti gathered for a camping weekend in eastern Washington. It was great to meet other families, see old friends, and to show Barbara how all her children have grown.

That’s Barbara Walker in the blue coat.

The beach crowd

Jean showing off the arrowhead necklace he made at the park

We couldn’t leave Ollie behind!

S’mores!

August 14

Camp Lutherwood used to be a favorite of Kaj’s because of canoeing, the Blob (big innertuby thing in the water) and a rope course, but this year he got to do all that and attend their choral camp. Grades 6-12 sang pieces I didn’t see until college. Vivaldi’s “Gloria” and other works were intertwined with a play of sorts, with Kaj as Vivaldi. It’s been a joy to see this boy start to claim his talents. He hopes to participate this coming summer as well.

August 9

I could have shown you the bands, competitions, dancing, and games at this year’s Highland Games at the Greenbank Farm, but this sweet picture of Kaj and friend Ben watching it all is my favorite.

Who’s dog is that? Ollie gets a haircut…

July 31

Dana Moffett is one of the gems of Whidbey. Her Rubatano Center has made Whidbey into a northwestern Zimbabwe marimba destination. Kaj has been playing in Shanduko, one of Dana’s performance groups, and all three kids participated in Dana’s summer camp. Guest teachers included members of Mbira dzeMuninga. (www.dzemuniga.com)

July 15

This year, when Karl said “I’m not getting in a van for three days with our kids,” we booked flights to Minnesota to see my family. Once there, however, we did travel in a car…

They faked this one, but we encourage that sort of thing.

Don’t let this sweet face fool you!

If you’re in the Alexandria MN area, stop in and meet the nice folks at Cherry Street Books. You’ll be delighted by the book talk and savvy selection!

A break at Paula’s cabin before we head north

It doesn’t seem to matter how big our kids get–They still love playing on the teeter-totters my dad made for my sister’s birthday almost 50 years ago.

I probably say this every time I add Spirit Lake beach pictures in here, but my earlier summers consisted of getting up, putting on a swimsuit, and going to “the beach.” “The beach” is “up north” talk, just as “the lake” can refer to one of well over 12,000 in Minnesota. It’s a shared and uniting experience, no matter which lake is yours.

The next lake stop was Stocking Lake, just a couple miles from downtown Menahga, and the home of sister Cindy’s and Jeff’s cabin. Kaj was determined to water ski this year, and he took off like a pro. Jean tried, but he was just too small. You wouldn’t catch Sandra on those sticks, but give her an inner-tube, and she’s all over it. Literally. And laughing. Not Kaj. He and Sandra just can’t understand what’s wrong with the other one sometimes.

As a kid, I’d win enough money in the Midsummer races to pay for my rides at the carnival. Menahga Midsummer Celebration kept us going until Christmas.

Kaj and Sandra in the 3-legged race

Jean in the wheelbarrow race

Kaj came in so far ahead of the pack that they didn’t notice him or tag him a winner. He was fine with that.

Jean and Sandra bought a wristband so they could climb…

and climb…

Kaj eventually had enough of just watching and bought one, too…

Ahhh, the parade!

Notice the kids and their candy bags. They say they love parades. Of course they do.

My cousins, twins Lorie and Leo, were the parade’s queen and king.

Another reason we chose this week to “go home” is because of my class reunion. Can you guess which year? To find the answer, find an MHS yearbook. Tim Pederson found his, and as he recited the names of classmates, they spoke about their lives, or if the person wasn’t there, we all filled in what we knew about them. Nice.

We’re a group of life-long friends, and for many of us, family. Of the fifty or so kids in my graduating class, four of us were first cousins, and in addition to them, I had two second cousins and a friend whose grandmother was married to my uncle. Small-town living inspires great reunion reliving…

It doesn’t feel like home unless I have a book signing at my favorite northern Minnesota bookstore, Beagle Books in Park Rapids. A real treat for me this year was sharing that time with Leif Enger, another Minnesota author (I know, I know, I’m a Washingtonian now, but I’ll always be a Minnesotan).

Deb and Leif discussing language in picture books

And if all that wasn’t enough, we had a Lund family reunion. These were big, big events in years past. There were 12 kids in my dad’s family, and many of them had large families, so I grew up with lots of cousins.

Sundays were spent at Grandma’s farm, just across the street from the Midway store and baseball field where my dad played. Not too different from our combination store, gas station, and post office here in Greenbank. Back then, I shagged fowl balls for five cents a ball and spent the money on goodies at the store. Remember Push-ups and Dreamsicles? My relatives still make up a big part of the Midway team, and I know where to find them during the baseball season.

Here’s the oldest and youngest at our reunion. That handsome guy is my Uncle Ed, my dad’s brother.

And a few of my dozens of singing cousins…

Basil sings a love song he wrote for my mom.

The Menahga Midsummer Celebration weekend traditionally ends with fireworks. This year it was particularly spectacular.

A cartful of kids in Dorset, Minnesota…

Dancing with Grandma!

One,

Two,

Three! Well, almost three.

And now, tired out, they try again to convince us they’re sleeping. As if we’d ever catch them snuggling up for a real snooze.

My brother Tom treated us to an amazing picnic. His smoked ribs and grilled chicken are the best. Here’s my mom, Kaj, and I enjoying Tom and Cindy’s yard at Shipman Lake.

Cowboy Jean, led by Dani.

Sister Cindy and I decide to check out yet another festival, the Hewitt Picklefest.

For the best fried walleye, look for Tom’s stand.

From the Picklefest to the Mall of America. Makes your head spin. I especially like the sign in the lower right corner.

July 15

When they bring by the babies for us to admire, we can almost forgive the deer for eating everything we plant outside our garden fence.

Kaj shows his Norwegian heritage in this K’nex Viking ship he constructed.

June 28

Summers for our kids include several Sugar Festivals. Sure, they go by other names, but that’s the focus for our crew. The closest one, The Loganberry Festival at the Greenbank Farm, even without a parade of candy throwers, manages to fill our kids up with sugar no matter how hard we try to get good stuff into them. But then, loganberry pie IS good stuff, which Sandra understood right from the beginning. She slowly ate hers. This was one time she knew the real winner was not the winner of the race.

Kaj, however, went for the gold and was left with nothing as Sandra still savored her pie. A definite role-reversal for these two.

June 13

It’s hard for Jean to choose between soccer and baseball, but this spring, our little Lefty grabbed his bat.

June 1

Our marimba family enjoyed a photo shoot with Zimbabwe friends Mbira dzeMuninga as they prepared for a new CD release.

April 30

Three weeks in Japan may have forever changed my son Kaj. He’s always had an interest in Japanese language and culture, so witnessing his immersion, including eating a roasted grasshopper, was a delight. Kaj helped with my school author presentations and learned to maneuver train stations and airports like a pro. For details of our trip, check out my blog, Deb Lund ad lib, for entries in the last half of April.

But since we ran out of steam before recording all the fun we had at Misawa, here’s one from Sollars Elementary. Yes, those are seasick dinosailors.

April 10, 2009

Jean hanging out during spring break

April 9, 2009

Spring, and especially Easter, are such reminders of new birth, transformation, beginning again. Take time to notice the changes in your life. Kaj and I are definitely in for a change. We’re off to Japan early Monday morning to visit schools and do some sightseeing. You can follow our adventures on our blogs…

Deb’s blog - http://www.deblund.com/blog

Kaj’s blog - http://portalreads.edublogs.org

March 30, 2009

Happy Birthday, Karl!

We walked on the ferry and celebrated at Ivars with the rest of the local Olsen family.

March 25, 2009

Kaj had his second ever concert with the Langley Middle School sixth grade band. He was right in front with his flute, unlike our friends who kept trying to get pictures of their daughter Isla. Thanks to them, we got these…

March 23, 2009

At the end of last summer, I met librarian Linda B. from Briarcrest Elementary at an event at Third Place Books. It was great to see her again at her school. Thanks to teacher Suzanne Norring for arranging the visit. Two assemblies with eager attentive kids made for a great morning.

Later that afternoon, my cousin Bryan and his mom, my aunt Mabel from Minnesota, came to visit. It was a treat to see both of them again. Bryan and I were on a sea-kayaking trip together 21 years ago when I re-met Karl out here. I’m tempted to go into the whole story, but you’ll have to wait and ask me about it sometime.

We gave them the quick Whidbey-by-car tour. The lighting at Fort Casey was especially interesting that day – an after-rain yellow-grayish glow made Admiralty Lighthouse stand out.

March 17, 2009

Watch out for leprechauns! You can see how small they are by comparing this one (spotted in the Lund Olsen yard) to the sapling behind him.

LepreJean

March 16

Sometimes the big people are sillier than the little ones!

Lisa Kohn from the Bloomington Normal Home Builders Association in Bloomington, Illinois invited me to sign books at their Home Show. My daughter Sandra and I spent a few days in Bloomington, guests at a lovely facility owned by a member of the association. Another member, Stark Excavating, covered my travel expenses. Thank you, Stark! We noticed your name everywhere…

The Home Show was a delight. I signed 160 copies of Monsters on Machines, and met dozens of great folks of all ages. The proceeds from book sales went to the Ronald McDonald House.

Deb reads with Ronald McDonald at the BNHBA Home Show

Sandra and I took the train to Chicago to spend a couple days with my friend, children’s author Fay Robinson and her adopted daughter Cati. It was great to finally see these two girls together, and to spend time with Fay again. We did the Sears Tower tour, visited the American Girls store, the Hersheys store, and Sandra got in a beach trip. A highlight was getting to see Cati do a highland dance with a friend in her 1st grade class. Fay and I even managed to break away one evening for an incredible Ethiopian dinner.

Sears Tower replica made of Legos

Cati & friend

AND -- Happy St. Urho’s Day to all my Menahga Finnish (and Finnish for a day) friends and family! I apologize to those of you not-in-the-know, but it’s too long of a story for here and now.

March 5, 2009

What a blast talking with Suzanne Lieurance at Book Bites for Kids. You can hear the interview at Blog Talk Radio.

March 3, 2009

Sunnycrest Elementary was the perfect site for my monsters. The school is split into two sites of portables while construction of their new facility takes place. In spite of the chaos, this staff and their students keep a sunny attitude. I felt like I had instant friends there. It’s not often that principals stay and participate in presentations. What fun!

Sometimes the big people are sillier than the little ones!

Usually when I get book idea suggestions from people, I tell them they should write it. A Sunnycrest student piped up with “You should write a book about that” as I was presenting – so I did. Who knows if it will ever be published, but it’s now part of my school visits. Sorry, no details to share yet, except there’s a character named Midge, and she’s built like a fridge. Scary, huh?

February 28, 2009

The Whidbey Island Writers Conference was condensed into two days this year instead of three. Karl and I sang “Story Song” at the opening, a piece we wrote years ago when I was an elementary librarian. Karl followed up with new words to “Green Fields,” wowing the crowd like always. I moderated the agent/editor panel, and helped host the children’s “Chat House.” It was a treat to be a “floater” this year that wasn’t needed. It means I got to hear my good friend George Shannon present, which is always a combination of great information, humor, and rapport …

George Shannon

February 19, 2009

My school visit at Island View Elementary in Anacortes was all I hoped it would be and more. Macushla, the librarian (and my new friend), gave me a wonderful wooden train to go with ALL ABOARD THE DINOTRAIN. The Anacortes schools will always be special to me, thanks to great book people like Macushla and Margo. In the past few years I’ve visited all of the Anacortes elementaries, and I’m looking forward to more days with them somewhere off in the future.

Deb & Macushla

February 15, 2009

Karl’s almost annual Valentine’s Day concert was well attended as always. It always feels like a party just for me…

Our friend Bill Humphreys accompanied Karl

A real treat was getting to see the Clausens again for the second week in a row. It was Anne’s 50th birthday, and she celebrated it with a trip to the Olympic Spa in Lynwood. The guys stayed here with the kids. Sorry, no pics from the spa.

KariAnna, Lars, and Kai Clausen

February 14, 2009

Kaj’s gang piled into our van, and off we went with the Clausens to meet up with our old friends Karen and Jack for a pair of fun events.

Our Seattle area Kids Heart Books author appearances on Valentine’s Day took us to Edmonds Bookshop, a lovely store with an amazing staff. It’s right across the street from Savvy Traveler, another favorite of ours. We sang, read stories, and ate yummy Monsteroni & Cheese made by Mary Kay. If you don’t know about monsteroni and cheese, you’ll have to pick up a copy of Monsters on Machines.

Now, why didn’t anyone tell me my wig was all wigged out? A simple tug next time, family and friends! Sheesh!

Then it was off to the Seattle waterfront for the arcade out on one of the piers. Kaj and Jack, who are old Greenbank stroller mates, had both requested Valentine’s birthday trips to the arcade. While the kids whacked, bopped, threw, stomped, shot, and turned in tickets for trinkets, Karen took shots of me, then Karl, on the wharf. Check out Karen’s web site, and watch for our new photos on upcoming PR (with no purple wigs!). (www.karenanda.com)

These pictures are from Anne, not Karen…

Our gang

Karl and quick-footed Kaj

Sandra & Jean

Kai & KariAnna Clausen

John George

Nate Martin

Nathan Lux

But, our day was not done. We topped of f the night back on Whidbey at a fundraiser Valentine’s dinner at Trinity, celebrating with friends…

Anne & Lars Clausen

Mike & Kristi Etzell

February 8, 2009

I waited only one day after my birthday for my party. It was my first “adult” birthday party, mostly attended by my writing group buddies and friends from other Whidbey circles. My good friend Sherryl opened up her home. Anne Clausen, past house mate, surprised me by showing up from Chelan. No boys allowed for this one. Just a bunch of singing, dancing Mama Mias.

January 20, 2009

We kept our younger kids home on the morning of the inauguration, and without television reception here in rural Whidbey Island, we went to Vern and Martha’s house in Coupeville. Friends joined them, and watching Sandra and Jean take in this historical moment was a gift for us all.

January 15, 2009

Our December birthday boys – one on each side of Christmas – didn’t get the “friends party” they hoped for (because of our Minnesota Whidbey winter), so we moved their kid parties into the new year. We had a blast at Jean’s party with a few first grade friends, reliving the games I grew up playing at birthday parties. It was all new to these kids, and to their younger-than-us parents. Remember “Drop the Clothespin?” I had that game down and could hardly wait for it at each party. And did you ever play the Cotton Ball Game? Blindfolded (or in this case, wearing the monster masks they created), each participant takes a turn spooning cotton balls from one container into another.

January 1, 2009

We delivered our “Boxing Day” items to Island Thrift this week. After Christmas we refill the space under our tree with empty boxes to fill with items we want to give away. We declutter through the year (you can’t really tell by looking at our home), but this feels different. It’s not so much the “unloved and not needed” stuff, but also the “would someone else love and need this more” stuff.

Time to declutter?

Karl and Kaj joined 150 other crazy people in the Polar Bear Plunge – a leap into the icy waters of Puget Sound. Jean and Sandra tagged along to watch. I snuggled up at home near the fire with my journal.

Later we packed up for a trip to Double Bluff Beach, where we wrote our resolutions in the sand, a ritual we’ve done for many years. The theory is simple. The wishes and thoughts are either carried away to become reality, or they’re washed away, leaving no record that they ever existed. Either option is fine with us.

Kaj – “Just Be”

Sandra & Jean

I’m looking forward to this year, and as the kids head back to school, I’ll be busy again writing, teaching, and sharing my stories with kids.