49 Comments
founding

That television clip is wonderful! So good to see you "live," giving a blurb version of the book. And, WHAT?!--the People magazine acknowledgement is taking all this to another level.

Hope you get some solid rest very soon, Chris.

Oh, and, PS: great photo of you aboard the ferry.

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💚

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The North Cascades highway has a long and full history for me. As a child in the 50's my family traveled to the Columbia River from North King County each summer and camped at Alta Lake..traveling each day up the Methow River to fly fish. We would visit the small towns along the way and the highway ended at Winthrop. Many years later, as a mother with two children I drove from the west side through the Cascades to the Columbia River at Pateros...a drive I will never forget. The Skagit River is more green and beautiful than any other river in Washington...I would stop and just feast on the beauty. Yes that North Cascades Highway is indeed a treasure to fill the senses of anyone who takes the time to make the drive.

Thank you for pulling me into this memory hole of treasures.

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I love this. Thanks for sharing this story!

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Sep 16Liked by Chris La Tray

Powell's...wow! People magazine...wow! Loved the TV segment. I'm not sure we should be sharing you wonderfulness with the world...lol!

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😂

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Fantastic! I love the photos — and you’re going to Chapel Hill! UNC is where I went to undergrad — I loved it there so much. Will you be coming to southern CA? And the marquee in Portland! Congrats.

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I think I'll make it to southern CA at some point, yes. During the winter or spring, hopefully. I'm a little tied down Jan-thru-May because I've been asked to teach a class at the university but LA and its environs is a relatively easy trip for me to make.

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Sep 16Liked by Chris La Tray

I have a beloved photo of a friend from Bozeman and myself about 10 years ago in front of Powell’s with Jimmy Carter’s name on the marquis. It is hallowed ground. (Actually a former car dealership). Your verklemptness is understandable. But also well earned. Peace be upon your journey. I recommend The Sword through noise cancelling headphones for takeoff and maybe September (Earth Wind and Fire) for landing to put a little groove back in the step after a long flight.

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I'm a fan of the Sword but honestly in all my travels I've never been a headphones-on-the-plane guy. Maybe this will be the trip!

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Sep 17Liked by Chris La Tray

I'm so happy for you! Do you have a date set for your Iowa City reading? I'd love to start getting the word out around town that you'll be here.

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October 26 @ 3pm @ Prairie Lights Bookstore!

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Perfect. I've already been promoting this to my friends and our Diversity and Inclusion group at work.

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I'm so happy to have actually caught up with my emails today because now I know I can come see you *tomorrow* in Chapel Hill! ✨

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Make sure and say hello! If the rain doesn’t wash us all away, that is….

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So glad I was able to make it and thank you again for a lovely talk! The Lumbee musician I mentioned was Charly Lowry. She's great!

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From Canada to LA, I think there might be three stretches of I-5 that I find bearable: they all involve mountains, curves, and relatively sane levels of traffic. The rest? Oof.

It's been a million years since I even saw I-85 or 95 up the East Coast. In the late 70s the only way to get anywhere quickly on either of them was to leave in the middle of the night. Which is why I'm guessing you'll fly from NC to NY? Because almost nobody will willingly try to drive 500 miles in one day back East. It's just not the same: Montana may be practically next door from Seattle, but New York was another country from Atlanta.

It was good to see you at Elliot Bay, despite the Florida-like weather making me too tired to try to stay and converse. What even was that?? Home is downhill from Capitol Hill, and I was drenched in sweat by the time I got back here around 10pm.

But I'd do it again.

Travel safely.

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Was great to see you, Erik!

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founding
Sep 16Liked by Chris La Tray

It was so great to see you! It reall energized my writing again.

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author

Seeing you was a highlight of the trip, Maddy!

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Sep 16Liked by Chris La Tray

Craning your neck while driving to see every body of water you cross (especially the Clark Fork) was in the pages I read this morning of David James Duncan’s latest, Sun House, set in the PNW and MT.

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DJD has been on a river or two himself. 😏

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Sep 16Liked by Chris La Tray

Very much looking forward to seeing you in DC; should you need a respite from the city, the Western Ridge Trail in Rock Creek Park north of the Pierce Mill is often very quiet and peaceful.

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I’m really looking forward to DC!

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BLS just came in at the library!!! Going to pick it up today!

I too would be verklempt if my name was up on the marque at Powell's.

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💚

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Sep 16Liked by Chris La Tray

You have your September 21 reading as Harrisburg, VA--easy typo to make! I'm from that neck of the woods, in the desert now, wish I could see you at the Midtown Scholar, one of the gems of Pennsylvania's capitol city!

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Thanks for the catch, I’ll get that fixed.

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Hope you make it down to Atlanta at some point! Enjoy the tour!

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Thanks! I’m looking at some opportunities in the South come winter/spring.

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Nice! A Capella books in ATL would be a great spot for you.

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Sep 16Liked by Chris La Tray

I'm so excited that you're coming to DC...but of course I'm out of town! 🤦‍♀️ Hope you swing back to the East Coast soon!

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author

You’ll be missed!

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Sep 16Liked by Chris La Tray

Wonderful to see you and hear your voice again. Let me know when the tour comes Minnesota way. Big hugs.

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Minneapolis both October 21 and 25!

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