Ann Arbor

The Professors' Monument

While in Ann Arbor on my book tour, I finally found The Professors' Monument on UofM's campus.

The story of four short lives

 This fractured column represents lives cut short and was originally placed here to honor Douglass Houghton. He died at only 36 years old and had already accomplished more than many of us do in a lifetime!

This plaque mentions that Houghton was a medical doctor, a professor of Chemistry, Mineralogy, and Geology at UofM, and the state of Michigan's first geologist. 

 One of the fascinating books I read to research my new book, A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk, was 

Michigan's Columbus: the Life of Douglass Houghton, 

by Steve Lehto.

A most excellent read!

Literati Bookstore, 124 E. Washington

Last night I had a wonderful reading and signing event at Ann Arbor's newest indie, 

Literati Bookstore.

My son, Lucas, took time out of studying for his exams to attend the event.

Lucas with the map for my reading!

 Literati now has copies of my new book, so stop in to check out this lovely store and the new book.

Literati's spacious downstairs

Handfuls of Lake Superior

Rough sand along Agate Beach in Grand Marais

The geology of Lake Superior fascinates me. This lake was formed by forces beginning long before the ice sheets scraped away at the Great Lakes Basin.  

Mix of colorful stones on Agate Beach

Hundreds of millions of years ago, a continental rift opened where the middle of Lake Superior is today. Lava (lava!) spewed from this rift for eons, and the weight of that lava depressed the crust of the earth into a deep bowl that existed before the last ice age. 

It is due to this ancient lava flow that you will find (if you are observant and lucky) agates along the shoreline of Lake Superior. 

Powder-fine sand along river in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Mix of stones in river in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

I enjoyed researching the geology of the Great Lakes for my upcoming book, A 1000-MILE GREAT LAKES WALK. I learned so much about these vast inland seas and I put the best, most interesting things into the book.

Clay mixed with sand at the Log Slide in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

{*That's the trick about writing: put in the good stuff and leave the boring stuff out.*}

Rust-colored stones near Copper Harbor

The same stones as above after Lake Superior tosses them around for a few decades.

My new book, A 1000-MILE GREAT LAKES WALK, will have an early Pre-Release to select indie bookstores in April. This is my way of thanking them for what they give to their communities and for being so supportive of my first book.

The book will have wide release and will be available wherever books are sold in June.

Keep an eye out for the new book, or "LIKE" my Facebook Fan Page for updates.