Book launch in Victoria

Another whirlwind trip to Victoria: this time for another book launch for Nancy Turner's, Plants of Haida Gwaii, held at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, in conjunction with Munro's Books. We also launched Nature by Design (published by MIT Press) by Eric Higgs, a close friend and colleague of Nancy's. One of the highlights of the trip was seeing our former in-house editor (who now freelances for us), Dawn, and finally meeting her nine-month-old son, Logan. Dawn and Logan came all the way from Sackville, N.B., just for the launch.

My visit to Victoria was far too short, but I needed to return to work in order to put together information on our spring '05 list for our sales reps (Kate Walker & Co); finish another much-needed grant application (BC Arts Council); work on our Spring '05 catalogue to send to the printers a.s.a.p.; and do a mailout of our new nautical catalogue. All this in one week! And on top of it all, ship out all orders for our books as quickly as possible (normally the same day received). Crazy!

I'm looking forward to having a break over the Christmas holidays, and am hoping to do some x-country skiing, take long walks with Jim and Gus, nap, read by the fire, visit with friends, and catch up on a lot of things I just haven't had time for this year.

Victoria views from my hotel room.

A Miracle and an Angel

My sister, who has been suffering with polycystic kidney disease for years, had a kidney transplant on Monday. All went amazing well, and three days later, the donor is on her way home, and my sister is slated to leave the hospital tomorrow.

The donor, Lynn Moorhouse, is the principal of the school my sister works at. When she learned my sister was going on sick leave because of kidney failure, she told my sister she was going to donate one of her kidney's to her. Miracle of miracles, they matched, and the principal/donor said that even if she loses five years off her life, and my sister gains five, it will all be worth it.