The end of summer is upon us. Sigh. I had a wonderful time, but it is always too short. I got to see some old friends, and spent plenty of time with my children, which is always endless fun. My oldest and I took a few long hikes in the Catskills, which is something I love to do more than almost anything in the world. We had family camping trips in Watkins Glen and in the Catskills and in Cooperstown, and all of them were memorable times we’ll always recall with fondness.

I got some reading and writing done, but not as much as I’d hoped or planned, and now with the semester beginning again there will be less time to do those things, unfortunately. I’ll be posting some reviews of things I read, including David Lindsay’s unique fantasy novel A Voyage to Arcturus, which was odd and engaging in the best ways. Played some great boardgames with my children, too.

I saw a few movies with my children, and also made the decision to cancel every streaming service I have. The only one that survived was PBS, and Amazon Video, which is included with Prime anyway. These things add up so quickly that our streaming bills were as bad as our cable box used to be, once upon a time. With all of the dvds and videos I own, plus all the free content out there, we’ll never lack for something to watch, and anyway I should spend any time I was watching television working on my book.

Speaking of which, there was also a near miss with a couple of publishers, but my new book is still without a home. I’ll keep at it in the querying trenches. One hybrid publisher seemed like a possibility but after my last experience with a small press I got cold feet at some of the contract details, and will just continue looking for representation or a publisher. This is no easy task, as everyone knows, and as authors I know are quick to tell me. But so it goes.

In the meantime, I’ll continue posting chapters of the new book here.

I’ll leave off with two photos of my son, Forest, a thoughtful, curious and all around wonderful lad, who has brought me nothing but pride and happiness. The first photo was ten years ago, and the second was a couple of weeks back. Both are at the same spot on a trail I love to hike as often as possible. It’s one of those magical, gorgeous places in the Catskills where I would live, if it were an option.

Time flies. Forest is a keen observer of nature, and on both hikes, as a one year old and as an eleven year old, he remarked often on all the beauty and natural drama we witnessed, from deer to eagles to bees and flowers. Remarkable boy, and I’m a lucky guy.

“To see a World in a Grain of Sand

And a Heaven in a Wild Flower 

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand 

And Eternity in an hour” –Blake, from Auguries of Innocence, 1803