June Stats

Wild Releases: 17

Year-to-date:

Wild Releases: 115

RABCKs: 39

Catches: 17

Wild Finds: 2

Bookrays: 1

Wild Release #952

The book shelves at Goodwill in Greensburg were calling my name again today, so when I went to spend some time with them, I left an old friend behind. I "shopgifted" "Twenty Grand: Great American Short Stories" onto the shelves in the hopes it would make new friends soon.

Wild Release #951

Today's adventure in BookCrossing took me to the North Shore of Pittsburgh and The Fred Rogers Memorial Statue near Heinz Field. Fred Rogers was the host of the popular long-running public television children's show "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," which debuted in Pittsburgh in 1967. It was picked up by PBS the next year, and became a staple of public TV stations around the United States. He began each show by coming in the front door of his TV home, trading his suit jacket for a cardigan sweater, and his dress shoes for a pair of tennis shoes. Sadly, Mr. Rogers died in 2003 after a short battle with stomach cancer. The nearly 11-foot bronze statue of Mr. Rogers, created by Robert Berks (who did the Albert Einstein statue in Washington, D.C.), is surrounded by a circular walkway and framed by a keyhole opening in the old Manchester Bridge pier. It is officially named the "Tribute to Children." I left my own tribute there—"Going on an Airplane," by Mr. Rogers, himself.

Wild Releases #948 - #950

Mom and I just returned from a road trip to Springfield, N.J., to visit friends and relatives and release a few books on our way there and back. "Abuse of Power," by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg, was left at the Plainfield Travel Plaza on the Pennsylvania Turnpike; "The Lost Legends of New Jersey," by Frederick Reiken, was left on a ledge outside the main doors of the Springfield Holiday Inn, which is mentioned in the book; and "Clifford's Kitten," by Norman Bridwell, was left in a tourism info rack (at a child's eye level) in the Sideling Hill Travel Plaza of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Wild Release #947

When I was growing up in southwestern Pennsylvania, I remember hearing about The Johnstown Flood. I always thought people were talking about the flood of 1977; it wasn't until I was much older that I learned about the Great Flood of 1889. Even though I have lived here for 40 years and Johnstown is only 40 miles away, today was the first day I set foot in it—all because of a book. After reading Kathleen Cambor's "In Sunlight, in a Beautiful Garden," which is a mix of fact and fiction about the Great Flood, I knew the only place I could release it was in Johnstown, Pa. Mom and I headed east to Johnstown, stopping first at the Johnstown Flood National Memorial run by the National Park Service. Well worth the visit if you're ever in the area. Next, we moved on to South Fork, Pa., where the Pittsburgh millionaires had their fishing and hunting club. The main clubhouse is still standing and is open for tours, but it is in a very fragile condition. A group of volunteers has been keeping it alive for years on a shoestring budget. They have also been acquiring some of the "cottages" the club members built along what used to be the lakeshore. After our visit there, we went into downtown Johnstown to visit the Johnstown Flood Museum. We got there just minutes before it closed, but it was enough time to leave this book outside—in sunlight, in a beautiful garden.

Wild Release #946

If you happen to visit the Dairy Queen across from Lynch Field in Greensburg today for a frozen treat, you may find a different kind of treat waiting for you on the window ledge outside the door: "The Secret Passage," by Nina Bawden.

Wild Release #945

I think I have said this before, but I really like leaving books at Cracker Barrel in New Stanton. The porch is always lined with rocking chairs and benches just begging for a good book to join them. I just wish I had catches to show for my releases, the latest of which is "Ghost Riders," by Sharyn McCrumb, which I left this evening on a checkerboard on the sidewalk. Happy trails!

Wild Release #944

I found an empty bench at the Comfort Inn behind Red Lobster in Greensburg; I left it a book so it wouldn't be lonely. I hope the bench and Janet Evanovich's "Lean Mean Thirteen" both make a new sitting, reading friend soon.

Wild Release #943

I felt like I hit the jackpot when I found this rose bush called Strike It Rich at Johnston the Florist in Greensburg. It was the perfect place to leave "The Lottery Rose," by Irene Hunt.

Wild Release #942

I made my first trip to Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Seven Springs, Pa., thanks to a conference I had to attend for work. Most people who live in this area have been to Seven Springs more times than they can count. It is popular during the winter for skiing and tubing, and is popular during the summer for golf and work-related conferences. Once the conference was over this morning, I left Stephen King's "Nightmares & Dreamscapes" on a bench outside the Center Lobby entrance. Sweet dreams for the next guests!

Wild Release #941

If you happen to be walking/biking/running on the Five Star Trail today, keep an eye open when you reach the Trolley Line Avenue trail access near Youngwood. You just may find "Three Shirt Deal," by Stephen J. Cannell, tacked to the bulletin board along the trail.

Wild Releases #937 - #940

Nephew No. 3 won 1st Place in the WQED local competition of the PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest and received his award this afternoon during the Carnegie Library's kickoff party for its Summer Reading Extravaganza : "Make a Splash @ Your Library." I left several kids' books in and around the library in Oakland for the multitudes to read and enjoy. They are "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," by Roald Dahl; "Good Work, Amelia Bedelia," by Peggy Parish; "Arthur's New Puppy," by Marc Brown; and "The Body in the Library," by Agatha Christie.

Wild Release #936

The SummerSounds concerts begin tonight at Saint Clair Park in Greensburg, so I left "The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes" there to enjoy it!