Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival 2013

 Earth Day is a weekend event in Santa Barbara and thousands come out to see what's new in clean air, high mileage cars, better building materials and ideas to help us all breath easier and drink fresher. Some were out for a sunny stroll in the park and maybe to hear a few tunes from the stage.

 Find something to do with all those water containers brought to our town from outta town, outta state and outta country. Here's a creative wave that uses just 4 seconds worth of our national consumption!

Another display had a bale of crushed personal water tankards for participants to guess the number so encumbered. I hope I win with my highly scientific pinky-weighing method. I tried lifting the bale with my little finger and subsequently concluded there were 34,999 and then added another for good luck! It's not so hot to use oil to transport water (in product and to move it) that's probably safer out of the tap!

I went to help represent Nature Track at the event and got to talk with some wonderful people who think educating kids on nature is a good idea too. Some signed up to learn more about volunteer opportunities and some played with the tracks in the sand. Nature track continues to provide field trips to hundreds of kids in coordination with SB public and private schools with the help of grants, donations and sales of our products. (See NatureTrack.com for more information!)

 All the animal track forms are from current native animals of Santa Barbara Co. Even after that explanation there were guesses of wolves, grizzles and even a wolverine. The grizzly was extirpated about 100 years ago and the other guys probably haven't lived here in recorded history. Course I wasn't around the entire period to give witness to their absence over the past 10,000 years, but I hear you'd be hard pressed to find evidence.

We really do stop for tracks in the trail as well as develop the story of geology, botany and other natural history in the outdoors for school kids.

I have to admit twirling a hula hoop is about as good as ya can do on a sunny afternoon, especially if the plastic is made from some plant-based renewable product like these probably are! Keep on hooping, maybe it will all work out for the best!

Frieda is Launched

In graduate school I was on the "staff" of Zeitgeist, which we called a sporadical. I liked the connotation of a random periodical and it was also a little radical, at least it was politically painful for some folks. We lampooned the faculty, the psych department and the university from time to time. This blog is reminiscent as a sporadical without much radical, and I was feeling nostalgic.

Here's our first reader anywhere!

We had the book launch for Frieda and had a great turnout of people at the Goleta Library. We read before the launch the worst that would happen would be that only two people show up, but all they want is directions to the bathroom. Sure enough, we had one person looking for the way to the women's room. We had a lockout when the library closed and they didn't tell me they were closing the door to our area as well. Fortunately Bob Ehrmann called from behind the door and we got that remedied! It was fun way to start this book off. We raised over $650 with the launch and the first couple weeks of sales. Thanks for your help and thanks to Kaan for such a good price on the book.

Too soon after the Launch we returned Kaan to LAX and he flew home to Ankara to continue his business in entertainment law.

Here's Kaan talking up the book

NatureTrack.org is now selling The Adventures of Frieda and Her Friends on the product page and profits continue to go to support that great organization. The book is also now available at Chaucer's Bookstore in Santa Barbara and the Book Loft in Solvang as well as (this will help so many of you) the Shaw Stationery and Book Store in Klamath Falls, OR. I hope you'll refer friends who are looking for a kids book to these locations, or have them contact me (nord.nord@gmail.com).

Frieda Figurine

Here is the bonus I wasn't expecting at all. Kaan brought a terrific figurine of Frieda in the depths of despair when she first learns she is destined for... finishing school instead of fishing school. I'm glad I'm old and can gush about things like this and not worry about my manly place in life. Isn't this the cutest thing you've seen? I am more than biased. Mesut Gürkan created the illustrations for Frieda and this little figurine that he sent for me.

Thanks for all your support!

The Adventures of Frieda and Her Friends: Book Launch 6/15/2012

Come help me celebrate the launch of The Adventures of Frieda and Her Friends.

Book Launch/Fund Raiser for Nature Track: Friday, June 15, 4-7 PM at the Goleta Library Multipurpose Room at 500 N. Fairview.

I took Frieda to Turkey to give my friend’s daughter. After reading, he asked if he might publish the book as there were few new books available for children in Turkey. He wanted to put this in their hands. After our bi-cultural, bi-lingual effort across two continents, the book is complete with wonderful illustrations (not mine) that are as glowing as the digital copy I saw earlier!

Best of all, my friend Kaan will be here from Ankara! He was an exchange student in Santa Barbara in 1984 who lived with us. AND we will share refreshments together! Come on by!

All profits will go to support Nature Track www.naturetrack.org, a non-profit foundation for introducing children to nature. Carole and I volunteer for Nature track and I am on the board.  There will be information on becoming a volunteer/docent with Nature Track and backpacks to everyone who buys a book! We'll also have info for teachers and home schoolers about outings for your students with Nature Track.

An extra bonus for participants at the book launch, Jeff Jones will be showing a few of his extraordinary landscape photos! Lumnos.com