"As hot as a Florentine cobblestone in July!..." From a review of Erica's book. Check out her website! The book looks like a wonderful read.

Thanks for the welcome, Erica. It's fun to be here. And congratulations on your own writing success. I cruised your website with interest. I love checking out other writers' sites and seeing the wonderful, creative things they've accomplished. The writing life is such an interesting mix of ups and downs, highs and lows, feast and famine, flood and drought, kudos and rejection, and I think that's one of the reasons I love it so much. I'm a marathoner, and I liken being a writer to being a distance runner. Keeping focused, honing your skills, being persistent, dealing with setbacks, training yourself to go a little farther, a little longer, building up your endurance over time -- and then, every once in a while, running a glorious race that fills you with an unspeakably beautiful blend of exhaustion and euphoria. I guess vagabonding is like that, too. Tucked between the highs of travel are the challenges, the hurdles, the days that just don't go as planned.

Hmmm...the more I go on here, the more I see that all of these things -- writing, running, traveling -- are metaphors for life.

For the folks out there who've expressed interest in picking up a copy of "Ribbons of Highway: A Mother-Child Journey Across America," I've been meaning to mention that since early January I've been donating about half of my book proceeds to tsunami relief. I've decided to continue doing so through the end of May, through the end of this forum. At this point, I'm sending all donations to UNICEF, as other organizations have indicated they have sufficient funds to cover efforts for the next few years.

If you order the book from an online bookseller like BN.com or Amazon ( www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1591134536/ ), I'll donate $1 per copy. If you order from the publisher ( www.booklocker.com/books/1451.html ) or from me (signed copy info at www.LoriHein.com ), I'm donating $2 per copy, as I earn slightly more on these copies.

And now a question: What summer travel plans, if any, do you all have? (We know Louisa and her clan are heading to Disney in a few weeks. Have a great time, Louisa. Have you ever checked out the airboat rides that they offer on some of the lakes in Kissimmee? We took one and it was great, wild fun. The kids got to sit up high in the seat next to the driver and steer the thing for a little while!)

Any other trips in the planning stages?