My folks go on vacation now with out us. I think it was one of the first signs of being older. At first I was kind of hurt that they  didn't want us along. But as I get older I definitely understand it. They get to spend time alone. And even with out kids, I can  understand two people in love wanting to spend time alone.

My Mom and Dad really enjoy camping, and so , every year they pack up their trailer and head west. They go to Pow wows,  national parks, and one year they caught the tail end of the motorcycle rally in Sturgis. They don't really follow any schedule,  they drive till they want to stop, set up camp and relax. They really love it.

And in the last few years, my brother and sisters have started a tradition of doing thins around the house while they are gone.  One year was recovering the drive way, they've painted the fences in back, planted tress, cleaned the garage, and other things  that just seem to kind of get put off. This year my sisters undertook a major job. Redoing the living room and other touch up  around the house. Including wood tile floor in a 60 foot long hall way. This was sent to me that night.....

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Word to the wise:
laying down wood floor with glue Sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dianne says cutting this wood tile floor with a really old, not very sharp,
saw blade with no guards also Sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dianne has a feeling she would get cleaner cuts if she drove to the ocean and persuaded a great white to chomp the wood. We do strongly recommend that you don't do this unless you are a masochist. Glue sticks to you, cat fur flying around then sticks to you, you stick to yourself, you stick to your tools, the tiles shift, cats walk through the glue and then get angry when you have to cut the glue off of their pads. Cutting the little half inch pieces of wood whilst having the cat fur and sawdust stick to you and your glue and coming upstairs to find out that the bastard piece you've just cut doesn't fit is quite.....
 A pisser!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You need mineral oil to remove glue from you and your tools or the glue will start to peel off layers of your skin. While ALL of this is going on, you are quite out of your gourd from the fumes. I mean, LOOPED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also important, do not sit down on the crobars pointy end. Ouch.... Dianne would have said that sentence as "do not sit on the crybars" because she is insane.

If, for some reason, you do decide to install this type of flooring, please invite us over. Not to help, but to laugh at you while you do it. We will be screaming:

"Doesn't this Suck???????"

All our best,
Saws All and Gluemastress

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I think this sums up the experience pretty well. The job itself is a real chore, add in the factors of not having done it before,  and numerous cats who think it's a game....well..... you get the idea.

But, it looks great. They also striped down 60 year old wallpaper and primed and painted, cleaned carpets, and a lot of other smaller tasks. I changed a few outlets, and Ruth helped with the kitchen floor. The place looks great. I just hope that my Dad doesn't have a stroke when he see it! We are thinking next year we might all pitch in and tackle the basement......can you say "many dumpsters"?????

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Our own vacationing this year will consist of two conventions on consecutive weekends. We are going to Magna cum Murder in Muncie Indiana the weekend after Bouchercon. This will be the first time for us and we are really looking forward to it. It's a smaller convention and is supposed to be more intimate. Next year we are thinking about Left Coast Crime. You know, I bet you could actually spend the whole year going to conventions. There are a lot of them. We hope to try them all eventually.

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Anticipation: an·tic·i·pa·tion
1.The act of anticipating.
2.An expectation.
3.Foreknowledge, intuition, and presentiment.

Well, I'm anticipating new books from Laura Lippman, Karin Slaughter, and Charles Todd. Also Ed McBain, Deborah Morgan and many others. And I'm really looking forward to them.

I'm also anticipating to wonderful author visits this fall. Both here in Milwaukee, and the ones I'll see elsewhere. I still love meeting the authors. Hearing their views on their work, asking questions and finding things out about them. It really adds to the reading experience for me.

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This year at Bouchercon there will be an award for best cover art. I've always loved book covers. I don't know why, but I just love looking at old and new ones. Some of them are just beautiful, like the Nevada Barr hardcovers. And some are really fun, like Sparkle Hayter's, and Kinky Freedman's. The older Paperbacks were really cool, photo covers, and the paintings on the Carter Brown books. It makes me wonder why they release books with such plain covers. Some of the ones that come out with just one color and the title and author's name. Boring and dull. And part of me can't help but think it means the book might be too. On occasion there are covers which really don't have anything to do with the book. It makes me wonder if the book was even read by those working on it. I'd love to see if the sales figures in relationship to the covers. I know for a fact that I've bought some books based solely on the cover. Bone Collector comes to mind. I noticed it was Jeffery Deaver afterwards.

Just some thoughts on the subject. So next time you go to a bookstore, take a minute and look at the covers. Most of them really are works of art.

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The Wire is almost over. I'm going to miss it. This show has been making my week. I've really gotten to love these characters. Maybe we'll see them again??? ( I hope)

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Hollywood/book related news-

Harrison Ford to play Matt Scudder in Lawrence Block's Walk Among The Tombstones. Starts filming in January. Hitman, also by Block, will be out in 2003.

Ed McBain's 87th precinct series will be coming to A&E.

Mystic River is filming with Clint Eastwood directing.

A lot of other authors have had different things optioned, so hopefully some of these great people will be getting big fat movie checks!!

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Happy trails
Jon