Lady Forgotten

“Lady Forgotten” © 2012 Roger Czerneda

 

Several weeks ago, I was honoured to be included in a very special evening at Swanmore Hall in the Stephen Leacock Museum in Orillia which was a wonderful mixture of photography and speculative literature.

It was entitled Look. Magic (A Photography Exhibit by Roger Czerneda) and Here Be Dragons (An evening of fantasy with Julie Czerneda and friends)  The friends were Adrienne Kress, Anne Bishop and me.

One of the things I loved about the evening (apart from the great company, the interesting readings and talks, and getting some unique insights into Roger's photography) was the way Roger had incorporated some of the authors' works into the photography exhibit.

The piece Roger had created inspired by Haunted Hamilton, comes from Chapter Nine covering Burkholder Cemetery, which had been established by Jacob Burkholder and his family shortly after they settled in the Hamilton Mountain area in 1794. 

In that chapter I talk about the spectral lights which had been reported as being seen there, hovering above the Burkholder Church and then moving slowly into the graveyard as a premonition to a villager's death.

And no, Roger didn't capture a "real" ghost in this shot - it was brilliantly staged to give a creepy feel to a local graveyard in the Orillia area. And even if you look really hard, you still might not be able to see which phenomenal top-selling science fiction writer posed as the ghost in this photo.

I have a copy of Roger's beautiful photograph hanging in my den. I love how it beautifully captures the essence of the eeriness of my book.

Here is the quote that was run with the photo for the exhibit.

"Many photographs and videos have been taken at the cemetery, each photographer anxious to try to document evidence of the legendary lights. But the main thing that all who visit this historic site are witness to are the quiet graves, some anonymous stones, and others with eerily prophetic messages for the living— all reminders that one day those looking upon the stones will, too, inevitably pass into death." - Page 81, Haunted Hamilton, Mark Leslie, Dundurn Press, Aug 2012

You can purchase the photo from Roger's website for as little as $35 for the matted version.  Just sayin'.

Barnaby Bones

Yesterday Francine picked up a new skeleton for me. This one is a pose-able skeleton.

I have named him Barnaby.  Barnaby Bones. (Yes, it's a play on Barnaby Jones, the old television detective series staring Buddy Ebson)

Barnaby will be joining me as I do some signings in Sept and Oct for Haunted Hamilton.  He will come along with the bodiless skull, Yorick, who has been joining me at bookstore events for many years now.

My Favourite Haunt on Locke Street

My new non-fiction title Haunted Hamilton is starting to appear in various local stores.  I thought it would be fun to try to spotlight those stores, to encourage people not just to go check out my book, but to check out everything these wonderful stores have to offer.

Today's feature is Epic Books on the always awesome Locke Street in Hamilton.

It's my favourite place to haunt when I'm on Locke Street. (Okay, I usually bounce between Epic Books and Locke Street Bakery which is my second favourite haunt - they have the best bagels!  Then again, there's the wonderful Cheese Shop on Locke -- aw, who am I kidding? Once I head down to Locke Street, I'm there for the afternoon -- so many great places to visit. But no visit to Locke is complete without popping in to Epic Books)

Epic Books at 226 Locke Street South, Hamilton, ON

Epic Books on Locke Street is a fantastic little shop run and staffed by avid readers/book lovers.  It is always a great pleasure to pop in and talk to Jaime, the store's owner, about what she is reading as well as new events and activities in the bookselling and publishing world.

Epic Books owner Jaime

There are, as Jaime blogged about the other day, signed copies of Haunted Hamilton: The Ghosts of Dundurn Castle & Other Steeltown Shivers available on the shelves.  They are right up front in the section facing the front door that features local interest and local author books.


And, speaking of this great bookstore, I'll be joining several other local authors at the Epic Books table (just outside 226 Locke Street South) pretty much all day during the annual Locke Street Festival on Saturday September 8th  (it all starts at 10 AM), signing copies of Haunted Hamilton and some of my other books. 

Hamilton's Most Haunted Bookshop

My new non-fiction title Haunted Hamilton is starting to appear in various local stores.  I thought it would be fun to try to spotlight those stores, to encourage people not just to go check out my book, but to check out everything these wonderful stores have to offer.

Today's feature is Bryan Prince Bookseller in Hamilton's Westdale neighbourhood.

Bryan Prince Bookseller - 1060 King Street West, Hamilton, ON

The other day I popped in to Hamilton's most haunted bookshop -- Bryan Prince Bookseller -- to sign copies of Haunted Hamilton

I jokingly call it Hamilton's most haunted bookshop because it's a long time favourite, a modern classic bookstore that is regularly haunted by some of Hamilton's finest book lovers and also haunted by some very fine booksellers that I have had the privilege of working alongside many years ago.  The shop, which transferred hands in Feb 2011 to new owners Kerry Cranston and Tracey Higgins, still bears the name of the original owner, the well-respected Bryan Prince, whose spirit still lovingly haunts the bookshop.  (Bryan is alive and well and enjoying retirement - you don't need to have died to leave your spirit in a place - for further exploration of that theme, check out my short story "Spirits")

It's always great popping into Bryan Prince and talking with the staff, who are bred-in-the-bone die-hard book lovers.

They had informed me that they had already had to order more stock of the book in, since it keeps flying off the shelves. I love it when that happens, particularly when it happens with one of my books.

Tracey and Frank pretending to read my 2 recent books

Incidentally, they also had copies of Tesseracts Sixteen: Parnassus Unbound (an awesome new sci-fi anthology from Edge that has a Sept release date) - so I signed copies of those as well.  Then I had Tracey and Frank pose for a few fun shots.

Shiny Happy Booksellers!

A great local bookstore to check out (and not just because they have stock of a couple of my books - they're good all the time)

Beautifully Strange Tales

Earlier this year I was asked by Five Rivers Publishing if I would be interested in writing a forward for Susan Forest's new story collection Immunity to Strange Tales.

I was at once honoured and delighted. I had read Forest's writing before and quite admired her style; the chance to read an entire collection of her work and get to introduce it was rather rewarding.


The book, which is a collection of 12 short stories, came out this month and is now available in print and eBook format.

Here is an excerpt from my introduction to the book:

"This collection is entitled Immunity to Strange Tales, however, once you start to read the stories you'll likely realize that there is no immunity to the beautifully strange tales contained here. As a reader you'll be swept away by Susan Forest's poetic prose, fall prey to the charms of the worlds and characters she paints, be held under the spell her tales cast on your imagination and very soul.

If you were to read a standard biographical statement about Susan Forest, you'd likely find some sort of note that she writes science fiction, fantasy and horror. The fact is, she doesn't just write in these genres, she transcends them, weaves elements through them that blend cold hard reality with the fantastic. She takes the reader on unexpected speculative journeys, forces them at times to pause and reflect on a grave matter or surprises them with a bizarre and unexpected humorous turn of events."

I then go on to describe a few of the tales, highlighting a couple of common themes in her fiction -- the very Canadian themes of the struggle of the individual in society and a sense of isolation.

This is an excellent book of speculative stories by a talented writer that is definitely worth checking out.

Haunting The Haunted Shop

My new non-fiction title Haunted Hamilton is starting to appear in various local stores.  I thought it would be fun to try to spotlight those stores, to encourage people not just to go check out my book, but to check out everything these wonderful stores have to offer.

Today's feature is The Haunted Shop in Niagara on the Lake.

Store front of The Haunted Shop - 126 Queen Street, Niagara on the Lake

The Haunted Shop which is a gorgeous little store filled with all kinds of paranormal themed merchandise and goodies, is run by Stephanie Lechniak, co-founder of the group Haunted Hamilton and also co-author of the wonderful forward for my book.

Stephanie Lechniak in the wonderful paranormal shop she haunts

When I popped in last Sunday to sign copies of the book, I snapped a few pictures.  The photo below, of Stephanie and I, was taken by the always awesome Haunted Hamilton Mum Cathy (her official title)

Me, Stephanie and the book

 Stephanie had also posted a few shots of the book in it's setting, so I thought I'd share.

Haunted Hamilton on the shelves of The Haunted Shop

Haunted Hamilton feeling right at home in a creepy setting

If you're near Niagara on the Lake, The Haunted Shop is a must-stop location for all things paranormal.  The beautiful little shop is packed with all kinds of spooky themed products and displays. Hard to imagine just how much great stuff they can pack into this little store. And they do daily ghost walks starting from the store every night at 8:30 PM.

Not only that, but I was able to find this awesome package of ghost poop there.

Authentic Ghost Poop from The Haunted Shop

Although, upon closer inspection, I suspect it's not real ghost poop, but rather tiny marshmellows -- it looks a heck of a lot like the Snowman Poop that I bought last winter -- yes, it's easy to fool this believer.

Incidentally, there's now a Facebook Page for the book Haunted Hamilton.  Feel free to like it; heck, you can even go so far as to love it too. I won't stop you.

The KJA In TO For CA

Imagine if someone wrote the novelization for Pink Floyd's The Wall, The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band or the Rush album 2112 at the same time the music was being produced.

That's exactly what the novel Clockwork Angels by Kevin J. Anderson is.

Anderson and Rush drummer/lyricist Neil Peart collaborated on the project. The Rush album Clockwork Angels is set in a steampunk universe in an orderly and controlled world ruled by The Watchmaker. The entire album explores the theme and story of Owen Hardy, an apple farmer who seeks to explore the wonders of this world and sets out on his adventure.

It is a fantastic science-fiction novel by one of sci-fi's most talented minds. Combine that with the creative spirit and energy that goes into a Rush concept album and you have a fantastic mix of music and prose, certain to delight fans of the band and sci-fi fans alike.

Kevin J. Anderson is appearing tonight at the Chapters on John and Richmond (142 John Street) at 7 PM for the world premiere launch of this book, which is published by Toronto publisher ECW Press.

I'm sure there'll be a huge line up.

I'm hoping to be one of the first in line.

KJA at BEA in NY in June 2012

Escape From Discatraz

A few weeks ago, Francine, Alexander and I spent a marvelous week at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  We stayed right on the resort at the Yacht & Beach Club Resort area -- arguably the finest resort pool setup in the entire Disney area (sand-bottom pool, a fantastic water-slide, a lazy river, a pool volleyball area, hot tubs, waterfalls, the whole nine years).

The most magical place on earth is anywhere I go with Alexander & Francine

The setting was ideal.  Our room at the Yacht Club was at the farthest end of the resort, offering the best view across the lake of the nightly fireworks at Epcot (which was a 5 minute walk away).  The next closest resort was Disney Hollywood Studios, a short ferry-boat ride away, which we went to for 3 of our days there, due to the Star Wars themed attractions there. 

Fran and I took advantage of the path and boardwalk around the lake (about 1.4 KM around) and the various paths that led around the resort, enjoying morning jogs before heading off to the theme parks or relaxing by the pool.

Our room location at the Yacht Club

It was a glorious and wonderful vacation -- and unlike anything we'd ever done.  For the most part, prior to this, our idea of a vacation had been taking 2 days and going overnight somewhere that was typically within driving distance.  Going for 7 days and staying at a fancy resort was a definite first for us.  And it won't be the last.

However, there was one thing that was a but of a challenge for me. I'm a gum-chewer. I always have been. I enjoy chewing gum (subtly) after a snack or meal as a way of freshening my breath - it stems from a lifelong habit begun in childhood of using gum (usually spearmint gum) to settle an uneasy stomach.

I usually have a pack or two of gum on me.  But when I arrived at Disney, I had just a couple of pieces left in a single pack.  So I set about trying to find a piece at the Yacht Club gift shop. Then the Beach Club gift shop.  Then at the various gift shops at the Magic Kingdom. Then again at the shops at Downtown Disney.  No dice.

I thought I would be smart and check out the hotels across the street from Downtown Disney -- after going to three of them, I found out we were still on Disney grounds. One of the ladies working there explained that gum was not to be sold anywhere on Disney property. I asked her how to get off Disney property. In my mind it was a bit of an attempt to Escape from Discatraz -- yes, it's the most magical place on earth, but part of me, even at that early point in our trip, just wanted to step into a non-controlled part of Orlando, a normal, open and regular place - nothing magic, just mundane and real, bugs, scratches and all.

And I really wanted to get some gum.

She pointed out that there was a way out, but it was about a ten minute drive from where we were.  So I set off on my journey, late at night.  When we had finished at Downtown Disney and Francine and Alexander were waiting for the shuttle bus to take them back into the heart of a magical place, I was planning my temporary escape from Discatraz.

Let me pause for a moment to talk about the gum thing at Disney.

I completely understand, and strongly agree, with Disney's policy about gum. In general, people are pigs and will thoughtlessly spit their gum out wherever they are and have other people stepping in it and ruining their shoes. Just like some smokers will careless toss their butts wherever they please (typically out car windows on the highway), believing that the entire world is their ashtray. It's really too bad that thoughtless and selfish people like that ruin it for those who actually take responsibility for their own actions and behaviour. 

Yes, I chew gum practically all the time -- but when I'm finished chewing I either swallow it or spit it into a napkin to be deposited into a garbage can.

In any case, I respect Disney's choice, and I'm glad they have that policy.  But it did make my little venture a challenge.

My "Escape from Discatraz" jog-hike

Fortunately, I had changed from the sandals I had been wearing during the day and into my running shoes.  The walk was about a 1.8 kilometer hike from the shuttle buses at Downtown Disney -- it was out at the end of Hotel Plaza Blvd and out to a gas station/convenience store at S Apopka Vineland Road (on the way to Highway 400 - Interstate 4).  It was a hot night (temperatures near 100), and I was already tired from a long day exploring Magic Kingdom.  But I half-jogged the route, made it to the gas station, purchased a few packages of gum as well as some cereal bars, beer and other goodies to snack on.  By the time I got back to Downtown Disney to take the shuttle back to our resort (the last one of the night, I might add), my shirt was entirely drenched and I was a little exhausted.  I was perhaps even a little smelly -- but not my breath. Because I had my gum.  ;)

Fran, of course, was a little worried about me, since I didn't end up getting back until well after midnight.

But the task was complete - I had escaped from Discatraz, then made it back.

And while I chewed gum for the rest of my time at Disney World, I ensured that not a single piece of it ended up careless spit out onto the grounds, but rather properly disposed of. 

I think Walt would have been proud.

Done Book, Almost-Done Book

Yesterday two fun things happened in the world of Mark's books.


I received the edited version of I, DEATH from my editor/publisher Ian at Atomic Fez in a giant box, complete with a red pencil and popcorn (the kind for packing, not snacking)

The thick, phone-book sized manuscript contains lots of detailed notes, questions, spilled coffee (and potentially other types of beverages on this manuscript), and cat footprints. I wonder how many of those red pencils he went through trying to help mould my words into something useful.

Now it's time to burn the midnight oil working on Ian's brilliant suggestions, making revisions and ultimately ensuring it's a much better novel than the one I handed in.  (There's always a special thrill of getting to work with an excellent editor)

Yesterday, I also learned that Haunted Hamilton: The Ghosts of Dundurn Castle & Other Steeltown Shivers is now in stock at my old haunt, Titles Bookstore at McMaster University.  (Chapter 15 - Haunted McMaster, page 117, covers not just the ghosts of the main campus, the downtown campus and the haunted Keg Mansion in Toronto - home of the founding McMaster family, but also talks about some fun spooky times had at the bookstore when Titles teamed up with the folks from the ghost walk group Haunted Hamilton)

You can order it from McMaster bookstore online, or, heck, just drop in and ask for it there or at your closest local Hamilton area bookstore -- chances are if they don't already have stock, they will very soon.

Warrior Dash Barrie 2012

I completed my second Warrior Dash. This one took place in Barrie, Ontario at the Horseshoe Valley Resort on both the Saturday and Sunday.

My buddies Chad and Pierre, who ran with me last year, joined me again.  All three of us brought the families, and the weekend up at the resort makes for some fun family times, with the kids enjoying the pool and the Adventure Playland at the resort.  This year, Chad's wife Tricia joined us, bringing our team up to four members.

Pierre and I, of course, wore the same costumes as the year before.  I dressed up as a barbarian (my old Conan costume) and Pierre dressed as a Spartan. After all, we don't take the race seriously (ie, looking to beat last year's time), but rather to enjoy the novelty run, the obstacles and the horsing around.

We ran in the 9 AM heat, which was the first one on Saturday July 21, 2012.

I didn't dive head-first into the mud this year, nor did I crawl on hands and knees through the mud (which is what had really messed up my knees last time -- last time there was gravel under the mud that chewed up my knees.  The barbed wire was real this year, so that was impressive (and motivating).

The race is over (just before 10 AM) - let the goofing around begin!

The course was slightly different than last year. The hills (ie, racing up and down the side of a ski-hill), was the worst obstacle, making running the whole time virtually impossible for us amateurs.  There didn't seem to be as many difficult long hills - it seems the big hill in the middle was broken down differently, making it easier than I remember it being last year.  And there were different fun obstacles this time around, which is always fun.

We enjoyed a turkey leg and beer (or two or three or four, ah you get the picture) after we had been washed down by the fire-hoses.

And I had ended up posing for a heck of a lot of pictures with people.  Would love to see some of them.  Below are a few shots taken of some of the other people in the race (though I didn't get a lot because, well, there wasn't a good place for me to store my camera with the costume I was wearing)

Alexander and I checking out the finish area before the race starts

Getting pumped up before the race starts

Us posing at the top of the cargo net obstacle

A close-up of the previous pose on top of the cargo net

A couple of friends we made (also from Hamilton) - a nice couple, wish I could remember their names

This gentleman was raising money for a cancer cure -  Check out: www.wayfarerquest.com

I loved this guy's Silver Surfer costume (which held up even after he got hosed off at the end)

The Warrior team the night before the race

Another pic taken before the race started

Fire jumping 101

  

Posing in the hallway before the race

 

Pierre nodded off while we were waiting in the restaurant for our take-out. We made sure nobody made fun of him.

We were able to wake Pierre up for this pic

One of the fun teams I posed with:  The Dirty Old Birds.

Since I know that I posed for a lot of pictures with many different people, I'd love to see those shots -- so if you posed with a half-naked barbarian on the Saturday and you have a pic, I'd love to see it.  Fire it over to mark (at) markleslie (dot) ca or leave a link to the picture(s) in the comments below.

Kobo Writing Life

So yesterday, after 6 weeks of fantastic feedback and updates based on more than 50 beta users from around the globe, we launched Kobo Writing Life.

It's almost like the birth of a child; but certainly fun to dream up something cool with a fantastic team of people, and then work with some of the most brilliant people I've ever had the pleasure of interacting with, and launching Kobo Writing Life.  After months of soliciting author feedback, scoping, development and testing, it's great to see it finally out in the world.

Here's a video with one of our beta users, David H. Burton, (pictured above) talking about his writing and a bit about Kobo Writing Life.

Yes, my day job is getting to help authors get their work into Kobo's global catalog.

How cool is THAT?

Available Date

The "Available Date" for Haunted Hamilton: The Ghosts of Dundurn Castle & Other Steeltown Shivers has arrived.

The book's official publication date is August 6, 2012 -- available date means when it begins to be stocked and available to ship out to various bookstores that will carry it. So if you live in the Hamilton/Burlington area and are intrigued by this book, head over to your favourite local bookstore and make sure they're going to carry it.

It's funny to think that last year at this time, I was scrambling to gather research (which included going on various Haunted Hamilton Ghost Walks) and write the book.  That was a lot of fun.  A lot of sleep was lost as I wrote late into the night - but it was also a tremendously rewarding experience.

My author copies are being shipped out this week so I'll finally get to hold the book in my hands.

It will be a good feeling.

Impatient America

Here is some interesting info sent to me by a fellow named Tony Shin, who works with a small group of development researchers.  Tony and his group create intriguing informative graphical pieces like the following piece called INSTANT AMERICA.

INSTANT AMERICA focuses on the unprecedented modern limited attention spans and desire for SPEEDY INFO.  (Hmm, and I recall all those times, just a few decades ago when I would "press play on tape 1" and go do something else for 30 minutes while a program would load to my Commodore Pet computer from the audio cassette it was stored on)

In any case, I thought I'd share Tony's intriguing info-graphic here.

If you can take the time to digest all the info, that is . . .

 
Created by: OnlineGraduatePrograms.com


I wonder how many of you continued reading to this point?

Comment if you have made it this far (unless commenting takes too much of your time, because the pop-up window takes half a second to load, then you have to spend time entering text and stuff)

Reinventing The Book World From The Bottom Up

I wrote a chapter for a recently released book ALTERNATIVE FUTURES FOR PUBLISHING entitled "Reinventing the Book World from the Bottom Up."  The book was put together via a very workshop sponsored by the Alberta Book Publisher's Association.  (I blogged about the 2 day workshop I attended back in March)

The book is available in PDF format and downloadable (but be patient, it's 6.3MB) and includes many links to videos, audio and other handy resources related to the articles.

My chapter focuses on experiments within the POD space using an Espresso Book Machine in a bookstore as well as my observations (from a bookseller perspective) regarding eBooks and the digitization of books.

Here's how my article opens....

I honestly can’t remember what bookish tech-style conference I had heard this.
It was either at one of the annual BookNet Canada Tech Forums or perhaps it
was the first BookCampTO event; but somewhere in the tweet-stream, during
a hearty discussion about the state of the book and publishing industry, the
forthcoming digital apocalypse and the advent of the ebook era, an audience
member from one of the sessions pushed out an intriguing tweet.

“The book isn’t dead; it just had babies.”
              —   unattributed Twitter quote

I retweeted it, as did several others. It was a cute sentiment. It was simple, yet
it spoke volumes.

And, when you come to think about it, it’s a pretty accurate assessment for
what the publishing industry has been going through.

Though, unlike a typical labour (quick intense pain, and regardless of medical
or trained professionals or not, regardless of administration of painkilling
medication or not the baby is going to arrive within a limited period of time),
the publishing industry’s birthing experience has been extremely long and
painful. Something in the realm of 10 to 12 years.

Some would even suggest longer.

Ouch.

The article goes on in an extreme continuation of the analogy to illustrate a chaotic birthing room, my attempt to parallel the panicked reactions of various industry players to digitization. Then I discuss the concept of digital delivery and either digital consumption (eReading) or local printing (via POD).

You can read the entire article (and the entire book) for free by downloading it.  (The file is big, so be patient while it downloads)

Then You'll Be A Man, My Son

Yesterday, Alexander and I went to the Hamilton Public Library to register him for the summer reading program,called the TD Summer Reading Club.

To enter the program, a child needs their own library card.

In my mind, this is a significant moment in a child's life; one of the most important memberships a person can ever own.

A library card opens up an endless world of possibilities.

I think about all of the magic, all of the wonders, all of the learning, all of the entertainment, all of the hours of escape and delight that my own library cards have given me.  To be able to introduce my son to all those things is priceless.

Alexander did a great job.  When the librarian was asking questions in order to fill out his registration, he did all the talking, answered all her questions by himself.

I explained to him (in my ode to the mantra that Peter Parker/Spider-Man lives by) that with great power (his library card), comes great responsibility (making sure he returns all borrowed material).

In many ways, to this book nerd, getting a library card is one of the defining moments that turns a child into an adult, a boy into a man.  I know he's still just seven, but the learning of becoming a man -- an adult, begins early.

For some reason, I kept thinking about the wonderful poem "If---" by Rudyard Kipling, which I thought I'd share here as part of that sentiment. After all, learning the classics is all part of the wonder having a library card will endow him with.

If---

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

                    - Rudyard Kipling (1895)

Here's a great link to a typographic animation of the Kipling poem by George Horne (read by Des Lynam - music by Fauré)

Good Start To Vacation Week

It has become customary for me to book the first week of July off to spend with my son during his first week of summer vacation.

Yesterday, officially the first day of my vacation (but also a stat holiday in Canada, since Canada Day, July 1st, fell on Sunday), was a near-perfect day.

• I woke up early and spent a couple of hours writing.  I knocked off 1300 words in a new writing project that has been on the back-burner for a couple of months now.
• Then I spent some relaxing time sitting on the back deck with Francine, having some coffee and chatting while listening to the birds.
• I got the pool vacuumed and back-washed, then completed some backyard maintenance work that was much needed.
• Then I went to the Y, worked out and went for a quick 2.5 K run
• Family fun on the back deck as we had a mid afternoon snack and played Junior Scrabble. Normally either Francine or Alexander win, but this game was a three-way tie. Have never seen that happen before.
• Was able to knock off a couple of work-related tasks that needed to be attended to.
•  Spent a few hours cleaning up a big mess of boxes in the furnace room and also showed Alexander my coveted comic book collection. He was particularly excited to check out The Avengers, Captain America and Spider-Man.
• BBQ'd a wonderful dinner and then relaxed as a family to watch a movie

If the rest of my week is half as productive, fun and relaxing as yesterday (my idea of a good time typically involves all three), then I am going to be able to count this among one of the best weeks off ever.