Travels in diverse places

Howdy! Quick post. I was going to travel to Texas and New York this fall, but we cut both those trips for the sake of the kids, especially as I'll be traveling again in the new year with Libba Bray. In October, I'll be headed to Nashville, Memphis, a few stops in Mississippi, Milwaukee, and the Chicago area, as well as local events here in Utah. I'm still not sure about trips next Jan/Feb, but I think there will be a Florida, N. California, Seattle, Ohio...I can't remember.

Some interesting debate about the grammar in the Junie B. Jones books, ala The New York Times. When it comes to language, I'm a descriptivist. I believe the mandate of language is to communicate, and so it should evolve to meet our ongoing needs. And I think it's fun to play with language. While initially I thought, early reader books should have correct grammar so it doesn't confuse kids, I found the linguist's comments near the end of the article very compelling.

One editor's take on how to turn kids into lifelong readers, including a reading 10 commandments for parents.

And the lake I went to last week was Lake Powell, the lake formed when they dammed the Colorado River. Environmental controversies aside, it's one of the most gorgeous places on earth, red rock cliffs, 80 degree lake water, blue desert skies. Just breathtaking.