Once in a great while, you come across a book so compelling, interesting, and important that you want to share it with everyone. Such is the case with the latest book from author Amy Chavez, entitled The Widow, The Priest and The Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island, published by one of our favorite publishers, Tuttle.
"...the ground thaws, the rain falls, the grass grows…the seeds root, the flowers bloom, the children play. The stars gleam, the poets dream, the eagles fly…the earth turns, the sun burns…the breeze warms, the girl smiles, the cloud moves…the tides change, the boys run, the oceans crash. The crowds roar, the days soar, the babies cry." - Without You, RENT

The approximate 6,000 ships that have succumbed to raging storms attest to the power of the Great Lakes. As I traveled, writing and compiling information for my three-volume travel series, Exploring Michigan's Sunrise Coasts, Upper Peninsula Coasts, and Sunset Coasts, I heard or read the tales left behind by those ill-fated ships. They add a somber, but compelling backdrop to Michigan’s waterways.
From CARLA, the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition at the University of Minnesota:
Goodspeed, L., Menke, M., Paesani, K., & Ruf, H. (2021, September 28). "Bringing Social Justice into Language Classrooms: Templates to Guide Instructional Planning."
This summer, my husband and I undertook a move. A relocation from Massachusetts to Arizona has been undertaken by others, no doubt. We decided to make things a little more interesting than a direct route. We headed north. Our circuitous route is winding us through Newfoundland, Portugal, and North Carolina. When one would think to take the southerly route from the Carolina’s to Arizona in the winter months, we will make Bugs Bunny’s famous right turn at Albuquerque to get to Bozeman, Montana. Then, we’ll drive to Arizona.
The approximate 6,000 ships that have succumbed to raging storms attest to the power of the Great Lakes. As I traveled, writing and compiling information for my three-volume travel series, Exploring Michigan’s Coasts, I heard or read the tales left behind by those ill-fated ships. They add a somber, but compelling backdrop to Michigan’s waterways.
![]()
This summer, my husband and I undertook a move. A relocation from Massachusetts to Arizona has been undertaken by others, no doubt. We decided to make things a little more interesting than a direct route. We headed north. Our circuitous route is winding us through Newfoundland, Portugal, and North Carolina. When one would think to take the southerly route from the Carolina’s to Arizona in the winter months, we will make Bugs Bunny’s famous right turn at Albuquerque to get to Bozeman, Montana. Then, we’ll drive to Arizona.
Whether you are at the end of summer in the northern hemisphere or the end of winter in the southern part of the globe, at times it seems to have been a very long season. A long season in the midst of ever-changing times.
In such times, it is good to find moments of quiet, times to refresh one's ideas, one's visions of hope and of connection. Then, to take the next step.
Here is music to help with those things.
The approximate 6,000 ships that have succumbed to raging storms attest to the power of the Great Lakes. As I traveled, writing and compiling information for my three-volume travel series, Exploring Michigan's Coasts, I heard or read the tales left behind by those ill-fated ships. They add a somber, but compelling backdrop to Michigan’s waterways.
One of the very best things about reading is starting. Whether it’s with your own kids, your classroom, or kids you know and love, watching them make connections and learn is magical. You might choose to read to them with books you’ve known and loved for years, or embark with new discoveries.
