A great, huge, massive, stupendously giant THANK YOU to those who came from near and far (Baltimore, Harrisburg, NYC!) overflowed the bookstore and house and made an evening unforgettable!
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| The owners of Firefly prepared the store beautifully for the event. |
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| Building Our House coloring pages! |
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| The official map to my parent's home. |
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| Apple tree moons. . . |
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| . . . and luminaries. |
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| Spiced cider warms. |
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| Illustrated food? |
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| My editor, Wesley Adams, gave a moving speech. |
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| Steve Fieser plays one of his Ragtime compositions. |
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| Conversation and dancing! |
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| My father and friends talk house construction. |
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| The cider inspires some unsanctioned villainous laughter. |
I just read "Building Our House" to my two young children, and a few pages in I realized with delight that I knew this story almost by heart - or at least one strikingly similar to it. My own parents built a house in rural Alabama (theirs is underground) in the late 70s/early 80s through most of my young childhood. Almost every incident you described was familiar to me - from helping collect rocks in an adjacent pasture, to playing under a wheelbarrow, to the gathering of friends and grandparents for the biggest jobs. We also lived in a trailer on the property and my mom was even pregnant during some of that time with my brother. Thanks for telling "my" story to my kids in a much better way than I could ever have. You have found a loyal fan.
ReplyDeleteHello Terra, Thank you for your very nice note. I've heard from other house-builders who have reported similar experiences growing up. It's funny how kids seem to have universal ways of turning a construction site into a playground. I'm very happy you can enjoy the story with your children!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Jonathan