On December 7, Lucy Jane Bledsoe, Bill Fox, Kristan Hutchison, and Joe Mastroianni read  (brilliantly) from Antarctica: Life on the Ice at Book Passage, the "Bay Area's Liveliest Bookstore." And it is a wonderful place, with a string of amazing readings and a terrific audience. The reading was filmed by ForaTV and you can watch it here.

The next day I swam outside (heated pool!) then visited with my high school friend Neil Wright (then known as Munch) and we relived the summer of 1979 spent climbing in Eldorado Canyon, Colorado. There were a few epics--Rosy Crucifixion--that we both remembered vividly. From time to time I still have nightmares about that climb... Neil practices acupuncture in Santa Cruz, is married and has two children he clearly adores.

Saturday night I wandered back into Book Passage and one of my heroes, Helen Thayer, was presenting from her most recent book, Walking the Gobi: 1,600 Miles Across a Desert of Hope and Despair.

At age 63, Helen walked across the Gobi desert with her husband and two

camels (Tom and Jerry). I'm a few chapters into the book but it has

Helen's wonderful cheer and energy and determination. Remember, she's

the one who traveled solo to the North Pole with her dog when she was

50. I'm waiting to see what she does when she turns 70.