Summer Bliss

I'm glad to report that we Vancouverites are basking in the beautiful sunshine. It came later than any of us wished, but now that it is here, we are blissful!

Lest you think I'm spending all my days in a lawn chair, sunglasses on, and book in hand, I will let you know that I'm wrapping up a book with one last photo shoot tomorrow, and then — hooray! — off to the printer it goes. It's a book on urban agriculture, and in order to keep my writing in rigourous, truthful shape, I'm tending to a backyard garden. The young children in my family are helping (!) me pick raspberries, peas and strawberries as they come ripe, and we are enjoying gobbling up these bites of summer.

When I do take a moment in my lawn chair (did I mention bliss?), I'm reading a lot of wonderful books. A great one that I just finished is called C'mon Papa: Dispatches from a Dad in the Dark by the talented Ryan Knighton. It's the story of how he copes with the challenges and joys of becoming a first time dad — a handful for anyone — but on top of the usual struggles, are those imposed by his visual impairment. He's legally blind. It's a compelling story, by turns poignant and sad, and then very, very funny. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be very glad you read it. It's a masterful piece of work.

And that's my summer reading recommendation for today.

Cheers!