Cynthia Lord's Blog, page 73

Home from California

In some ways, California is very different than Maine



The mountains and the landscapes are bolder.

People paint their houses warmer colors (you almost never see pinks and oranges here).

They put "the" in front of their highway names: "The 405." 

I saw palm trees, lime trees, orange trees, and trees I've never seen before.  







And lots of flowers.

  

I tried wonderful new foods, and even one restaurant chain that I'd never been to before!

  

At the middle school where I spoke, there were only a few interior hallways. The kids' lockers are outside and the kids walk outside every time they change classes,  I've never been in a place where the weather makes that possible! 

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and . . . .



The bugs are bigger!  Winter kills most of the bugs in Maine each year, so they never grow to epic sizes. This grasshopper was about 6 inches long!  He scared me good when he jumped!

But there were also things that were the same.  The people I met were friendly and very kind.  I felt at home with the ladies in the library immediately!   

 

And the kids were wonderful.

 

Thank you Chaminade School for a great visit and for sharing your beautiful part of the world and yourselves with me. 

California Dreamin'

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On Tuesday, I was picked up at the Burbank airport by Helen, the librarian at Chaminade Middle School in Chatsworth, California.

Helen said she'd be happy to take me right to my hotel, or since it was my first time in Southern California, she would also be glad to drive me "the scenic route" if I would like that.

I had woken up at 3 am Eastern Time and had spent 9 hours sitting on planes that day, but the decision was an absolute "I'd love to see the area!"

Most of my ideas of what Southern California looks like have come from TV. Helen smiled. "What do you expect you'll see?"

"Rollerskaters," I said.

She laughed. "That's just at the beach."
 
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So there were no rollerskaters, but it was great fun to see the names of streets that I've heard about!



Helen took me to a Cuban bakery and I tried fun, delicious treats that you can't buy in Maine.

  

Helen drove me past Universal Studios and . . .

  

Warner Brothers Studios!  Here's the security gate to get onto the lot--it looks just like in the movies!



And the indoor studios where the sets for the TV shows are located.

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It was amazing!  This morning I'm off to my second day of school visits.  The kids have been fabulous and the weather is incredible!   

Hello from California!

This is the view from my hotel room.  It's so pretty and warm and sunny outside! 

Turning the Corner

It was a beautiful day here yesterday. Our foliage is almost gone, but I love the spareness of the end of October and November.  I bought myself a new winter coat. I'm not really ready to think about needing one, but they wouldn't have my size if I waited much longer. So I drove to LL Bean and bought one.

On the way home I took a few photos.



This is the boat landing not far from my house.  There was a huge flock of Canada Geese on the mudflats, resting before embarking on the next leg of their journey south.  There was a symphony of honking, like they were all catching up with each other at the end of the day.

  The farm near us.  They have chicken and sheep, which are always fun to watch. 

I may not want to think about winter, but I did think about Christmas this week.  John got an email from the Portland Public Library asking if they could use one of his photos on their postcard announcing their annual holiday open house.  He said yes, so this will be the front of their card:


Portland Public Library, Portland, Maine. Photo by my husband, John

Off to California!

This week, I have two days of school visits in Chatsworth, California. So on Tuesday I fly to Burbank--which having grown up in the 60s and 70s always seemed exotic, "beautiful downtown Burbank," land of the TV shows.

Barnes and Noble, Newington, NH

  

I had a wonderful signing at Barnes and Noble today! Thank you so much to everyone who came. My cousins brought their little boy and new baby and several author friends came and brought their children. I saw kids whose schools I've visited, librarians and teachers. I even had one virtual visitor!  Susan Colebank's little girl was sick, so Susan brought me a video message from her! 

And I was charmed by Sam, a young friend who wanted to discuss my movie option, because he loves RULES and if no one else is going to make a movie, he would be glad to do it for me. As soon as he gets a video camera--maybe for Christmas.

The above photo was taken after my event, because I was too busy to take any photos while I was reading and talking to the kids.  There's only Hot Rod Hamster left on the table, because I sold out of Happy Birthday, Hamster!

I brought my singing hamster toys for the kids to play with, and I gave everyone some party beads after I finished Happy Birthday, Hamster.

   The beads came 8 for a dollar at the Dollar Store--so I went wild!.  I let the kids pick 3 colors each--that was a big hit! 

Afterward, Sally, the Community Relations Manager at BN, wanted me to have a treat as a thank you. 

Pink cake, blue cake, chocolate through and through cake.
or. . . .

 
Red velvet cheesecake! 

Thank you to the Kittery PTA, Barnes and Noble, and everyone who came!

Touch Blue in Korean!

It will be so fun to show this cover to the kids in Maine. :-) 

Saturday in New Hampshire

New Hampshire

On Saturday from 1:00-2:00 pm, I'll be at Barnes and Noble in Newington, New Hampshire signing Happy Birthday, Hamster. It's open to everyone, and if you bring this voucher with you, a percentage of your total purchases will benefit the schools in Kittery, Maine.

The afternoon includes face painting, music, stories, and more! 

Maybe for fun I'll let one of the kids paint my face, too! 

Wordless Wednesday

South Portland, Maine. Photo by my husband, John

From My Mail

I spent yesterday afternoon answering kids' mail.  Here are a few lines from those letters that touched me or made me smile.

Do you write in your bed or outside?  --Sophie

Thank you for writing a book that is told so well that I had happy tears at the end. --Kate

I like to read and write because they are mostly the same, because when you write you also read what you write.  --Alma

Your books give you the feeling you've stepped into someone else's life for a little while, like a photo .  --Lydia

Oh, and sorry I didn't type this, my basement is flooded. --Thomas



Before I read your book, I knew I wasn't the only 12 year old girl with a brother with Downs Syndrome, although I felt like it at times. --Sophia

I'm glad I am growing up around my cousin, because when he is not having episodes, he is the kindest, sweetest, and most intelligent person. I love him. --Sequoyah

I loved the way you took simple issues that actually happen and somehow managed to give advice and tell a story at the same time. --Kaylin

I nearly cried when I finished Rules--I got so attached to the characters! --Grace

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In Touch Blue, I learned that when it comes to your family, you should feel fortunate to have people who are always there for you. --Hannah

I love manatees and I want to save them someday. --Sophia

My favorite part of the book was when Tess said, "Stay because you want to be here. Stay because we would miss you. And stay because you can belong in more than one place, and one of your places is with us." --Camryn

When I was reading the part when Aaron played Monopoly, I looked at the cover. There were three tokens: a ship for Tess, a dog for Libby, and a race car for Aaron. So I was thinking you would not put three Monopoly tokens on the cover if Aaron was not going to stay. --Alexis

You can always find friends and a family, but sometimes you have to look awhile. --Sandy