- Getting the New England Science Fiction Association’s Skylark Award for being an author who plays well with fans, and having Jane Yolen tell me why it’s important to put my award where the sun don’t shine.
- Going to southeastern Alaska with Tim, which included:
– Seeing my first glacier in person, the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau;
– Seeing scores of bald eagles and humongous ravens;
– Visiting the Alaskan Raptor Center in Sitka and being introduced to Volta, the bald eagle;
– Seeing wild whales.
- Having my face snuffled by a month-old baby rhino at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
- Visiting the Badlands, the Black Hills, Custer National Park, and the Needles in South Dakota with my sister Kim, which included:
– Sitting (quietly) in the car while a herd of buffalo split and walked around us;
– Feeding alpine chipmunks at a scenic lookout;
– Getting wild burro slobber on Kim’s car as we fed them carrots;
– Visiting Devil’s Tower in Wyoming with Kim and her husband Randy.
- Going to my first family reunion in 30 years with Tim, Kim, and Randy.
- Meeting Jane Lindskold, one of my favorite fantasy writers, after years of fandom.
- Getting to visit again with Charles de Lint, Holly Black, Debra Doyle, James Macdonald, and the one and only Bruce Coville in my travels.
- Attending the Witching Hour symposium in Salem, Massachusetts, and having a wonderful time with a lot of really smart Harry Potter fans who are into a million other things.
- Shaking the hand of Studs Terkel, who re-made the face of social history and oral history with his book, Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do.
- Discovering rough opals in their native stone: Mexican fire opals, Honduran (or Andesite) opals, black opals, Koroit opals, and Yowah opals, much to Tim’s dismay! And as for what I’ve made of all these discoveries—you’ll just have to read the books, won’t you?!
Misc, Spouse Creature, Tammy Speaks