Taking the Plunge: Lakes of Washington

The lake above is where I ended my last book, A Sideways Look at Clouds. I was floating on my back contemplating the watery bodies that are the lake, the clouds, the human body. And this is where I am beginning my next writing project (hardly anything I can call a book at this point).

The Washington landscape is a feast of lakes that are scenic, ecologically significant, life-sustaining, and a source of joy for a wild swimmer. “Wild swimming” the name for swimming in natural lakes, ponds, rivers, sounds, bays, and open ocean. It’s a big deal in England. There’s the Outdoor Swimming Society to prove it.

Ever since I moved to Olympia in 2006, I have been swimming in lakes around the state. Though my pursuit of lakes to swim in has been casual, not purposeful, I’m up to about 30 lakes so far and am only just dipping my proverbial toe into the thousands of lakes our state has to offer. So where to begin my research? The usual places for this natural-history writer. In the library and in the field.

Every writing project begins with a gentle plunder of my public library and mining of resources on my own bookshelves. And a map.

The subject of lakes, lake ecology, limnology, lake swimming, and the pleasure of swimming and being in water is not new territory. The research is potentially endless and the physical territory where lakes are found is vast. The same was true with the clouds—only the clouds were more variable and ephemeral and required several (as in eight) years to capture in my book. A writer has to begin somewhere—to get to know the territory, to cast a wide net, to explore, brainstorm, dream. That’s where I am now.

This winter, I have been reading, taking notes, gathering resources, signing up for newsletters and emails from organizations monitoring lake water quality, watching films about people swimming in really cold water, and marking this summer’s swims on a state map. In 2018, I began swimming in late April and continued into early October. The real “wild swimmers” who swim year round would rightly call me a “mild swimmer,” so I hope to develop the skills to extend the swimming season and increase my tolerance and enjoyment of very cold water. I am not sure how to accomplish this. Probably cold showers are a start. I hear they are invigorating.

Brrrr.

Maybe this should be the working title for my book! Brrrrr: A Wild Swimmer’s Plunge Into the Natural History of Lakes in Washington.

Sideways Wins Silver Nautilus Book Award

A Sideways Look at Clouds has just been named a Nautilus Award Winner--a silver medal in the Science and Cosmology category. The Nautilus Awards represent "Better Books for a Better World." Of course the clouds make the world a better place (actually a livable place as a well as a gorgeous place) but I'm beyond thrilled to think my book on clouds could help make the world a better place, too. 

The core mission of the Nautilus Awards Program is to celebrate and honor books that "support conscious living & green values, high-level wellness, positive social change, and spiritual growth."  How can a book about clouds do this?

My book is a hybrid--natural-history, memoir, humor--and encourages every reader to look up and better appreciate the ubiquitous, life-giving, shape-shifting clouds in all their forms. Even the gray blankets that rain and rain and rain. Appreciating the beauty and function of clouds is just one part of my book. Understanding what a cloud is and does takes some grappling with physics, chemistry, and meteorology. What is a cloud? How does it float? What does it tell ups about atmospheric conditions and the weather ahead? What is the role of clouds in the changing global climate? Understanding what a cloud is also means some grappling with what you, the reader, want the clouds to mean.  

When I started writing my book, I wasn't interested in studying what kind of weather a certain type of cloud indicated. I was more interested in what would happen if I began looking up and wondering about something I had taken for granted all my life.  Why did I know so little about them? Why don't we talk about them? What happened happened over eight years--the forging of a profound, abiding connection to the clouds while also embracing the ephemeral nature of the clouds--of life.  The clouds were (and are) for me a source of joy, wonder, comfort, and even solace. As a global natural phenomenon that requires special equipment or access to observe, the generous clouds are there for everyone to explore. There's no cost, no side-effects, no expiration date. 

What you'll notice when you start looking up is that...things are looking up. 

Sideways Plus #1: +Prologue+

This is the first of my "Plus" posts I'll be sharing over the next few months. Each weekly post will feature a brief excerpt from each chapter of my just-published natural history-memoir, A Sideways Look at Clouds...PLUS...illustrations and links to resources to enhance your reading. 

Why am I doing this? Because my book is not a field guide nor does it have a set glossy photographs of the clouds and places I discuss in my book. And because I have so very many photographs of the the clouds to show you to make you love the clouds even more.

Here is the first Plus post. Hope you enjoy this as an accompaniment (and not a Spark-Notes-like substitute for my book). 

Prologue: A Guide to the Sky

"I did not expect to be swept off my feet by clouds, although I should have seen it coming a few years earlier, on the day I began house hunting in the Pacific Northwest. My family and I had been living in sunny, often scorching Southern California for five years...One glorious September afternoon I flew into Seattle, rented a car, and headed south on Interstate 5 toward Olympia. Rounding a curve, I noticed a massive pile-up of white clouds billowing up from the horizon. I squeezed the steering wheel, leaned into the windshield for a bigger view, and said out loud and loudly, "I've missed you guys!"

from Page 11: "How could I turn my back on these clouds and the invitation to look up?" This is the poster that inspired me to write my book. Want your own Guide to the Sky? Click here to order this brand new edition of the poster from the photographer/author Art Rangno.

"Mackerel Skies" (Altocumulus perlucidus)

"Mare's Tails" (Cirrus uncinus)

"Thunderhead" (Cumulonimbus)

A Sideways Look at Clouds

What a great day in Cloudville! As I pulled into my driveway this morning after grocery shopping, I noticed a suspicious looking package on my front doorstep. Suspicious because it was about the size of a book. I leapt out of my car and toward the package. Yes! An early copy of my new book, A Sideways Look at Clouds. 

If you see something...

As I pulled into my driveway this morning after grocery shopping, I noticed a suspicious looking package on my front doorstep. Suspicious because it was about the size of a book.

Kneeling down in front of it...

I noticed it was from Mountaineers Books in Seattle. I ripped it open and saw those familiar clouds through the bubble wrap. 

Yahoo!

But the front stoop is no place for this newly minted book (even if the doormat is made of eco-friendly recycled flip-flops). 

On Cloud Nine

After a nine-year gestation period...here is the fruit of my labor (and the labor of the talented staff of Mountaineers Books and lots of knowledgeable meteorologists and cloudspotters. 

A Sideways Look at Clouds will be on in stores in mid- September.

You can pre-order copies now at Mountaineers Books, Powell's Books, IndieBound, Amazon Smile (0.5% goes to a charity of your choice), Barnes and Noble, Amazon