July 20, 2012

GOOD-BYE, OHIO; HELLO, FLORIDA!

Good-bye fun times, like the live music by Sam and the Funky Nation at the Easton Town Center with my new friend, Kelly, who is the niece of the awesome artist, Janeen Mason.

Kelly, Sam and Donna

Good-bye lovely new friends . . .

Kelly and Donna
Meg
Amy
Pat and her new friend, a butterfly

Good-bye Thurber House . . .

Front of Thurber House

Muggs -- the dog who bit people -- fountain in outdoor Muggs Garden

Thurber House Dining Room

Pathway leading from house

Side yard and site of literary picnics

Good-bye young writers . . .





And young docents, who give fun tours of the Thurber House . . .


 The amazing teen writing group, some of whom drive an hour each way to attend the meetings.


And many dedicated, fun counselors . . .

John and Iris

Good-bye Topiary Park behind the Columbus Library (where I saw a homeless man pee on a bush).


Good-bye cool libraries . . .

Castle in Children's Department at Columbus Metropolitan Library

Good-bye Park of Roses . . .

Park of Roses

Good-bye Okapi (from the Columbus Zoo) . . .


Good-bye cool bridge on which I ate an apple during my 26 mile ride on the Olentangy Trail . . .


Good-bye Loft Bookstore in the German Village with your 32 rooms (that I may or may not have actually gotten lost in).


Good-bye crazy man dancing in a chicken suit at the Doo Dah Parade on the 4th of July . . .

One of the saner things seen at the Doo Dah Parade

Good-bye crazy boot camp class at Columbus Commons . . .

I believe we were hopping like frogs at this point.

Good-bye Jim Fischer, who created this fun, 3-minute video of the Children's Writer-in-Residence at the Thurber House . . .

Me taking a photo of Jim Fischer taking a video of me.

Good-bye funky pig from the North Market . . .


Good-bye authors I met at the literary picnics, like Mark Titus . . .

Mark Titus and me
Good-bye signed author photos all over the walls.  (I'll sign my photo tomorrow.)  Can't believe how many amazing authors have visited the Thurber House, like these guys . . .

Bill Bryson

T.C. Boyle

Good-bye sign I see every evening when I retire to the third floor apartment . . .

"The Attic where Grandfather used to sleep; now home to our Writer-in-Residence."

Good-bye view I've seen from my window every night for a month . . .


Good-bye bed . . .


Good-bye ghost . . .









HELLO, FLORIDA . . .





HELLO, HOME!!!

7 comments:

Lisa Yee said...

What a wonderful time you had. Thanks for sharing.

Hey! I think that Thurber House ought to have a Returning Children's Writers-in-Residence program, don't you?

Wild About Words said...

Absolutely, Lisa!

We were talking about you today and what a great writer-in-residence you were.

Janeen Mason said...

HHHHHHHHuuuhhhhh. (Sound of a satisfied sigh.).

That was a delightful recap, Donna. Thank you. I swear, I could feel the summer breeze through the window you looked out of every night.

Ohio-ans have great libraries, don't they? It's no wonder the kids there are super readers and talented writers.

And the summer corn and tomatoes and cantaloupe are delicious, too.

So glad you and my niece, Kelly, became fast friends. She'll be here in September and wants the three of us to go to lunch. I know a great little Thai place...

Glad you had a great time. Get yourself to the ocean soon and wiggle your toes in the warm salt water. Welcome home.

Julie Hedlund said...

Wow, what an experience! Thank you for sharing your memories with us.

SilberBook-Blog said...

Welcome home! I loved your post as it swirled me in my own visit. The experience may be over but will linger on and on. And what about the ghost?....

Sylvia Andrews said...

Welcome Back! Welcome Back! Welcome Back!
Glad you had such a great time in Ohio. It sounds like a fabulous place with amazing people.

We'll look forward to hearing even more stories when we see you.

Wild About Words said...

Janeen, love what you wrote. And yes, so glad to have become fast friends with Kelly. Thank you for making the connection. We had so much fun together.
Julie, thanks for dropping by the blog. And thanks for your 12x12 in 2012. Totally inspired me!
Alan, what was YOUR experience with the ghost? You can tell me now that I'm not there anymore. :)
Thanks, Sylvia, can't wait to see you and the gang and catch up!