AND NOW, A DEEP BREATH

And now, a deep breath. It took about thirty hours to work my way through the galley proofs for the massive Route 66 Encyclopedia, make notes pertaining to needed corrections, and rectify a few misplaced captions. Now, I can count the days with eager anticipation until the book makes its debut at Cuba Fest in Cuba, Missouri in October.
At the risk of sounding just a bit vain, I am rather proud of this book. From its inception I felt quite honored to be entrusted with such an almost sacred task. That was the reason I obsessed over detail and accuracy, and why I am eager to share it with the legion of Route 66 enthusiasts.
A more personal reason for my pride in this book is that it represents a milestone. My dearest friend has always been my partner in each project.
Even though her name never appeared outside of the introduction or acknowledgements, not one of them would would have been possible without her patience, encouragement, prayers, or support. With this book we moved our partnership to a new level as it is the first in which, with the exception of historic images, we provided all of the photographs.
Since the return from Tucumcari on Monday, it has been a very busy and very productive week. As you may have noticed, I have extensively updated the Route 66 Memories Gallery at Jim Hinckley Studio (including a slide show and link at the top of this column) and am closing in the stage one goal of having almost 100 images available. To celebrate this auspicious occasion I am providing a 10% discount on all orders through next Saturday. The promo code is, as you may have guessed, US66.
Now, before commencing the work on the next endeavor, there are a small herd of details, loose ends, and problems to resolve. Not all are unpleasant and in fact, many are being eagerly anticipated.
I am almost a full month behind in book keeping and still need to finalize issues with the attorney as well as the tax accountant to resolve mothers estate. I also need to finish some research before next Monday as my initial discussion about Route 66 and ways resurgent interest in that highway is transforming communities was apparently well enough received to warrant the request for a second appearance with the presentation of more detail (details about this venture are posted below).
Tuesday evening we will be dining with Dries Bessels and his group from Holland at Redneck’s in downtown Kingman. This annual tradition has become a highlight of our summer and this year there is the added bonus of having a full day to introduce Dries to the wonders of the Kingman area.
Also on the horizon we have another highlight, meeting with Dale Butel and his merry band from the land down under and the international Route 66 festival in Victorville. Then, this morning, I received notice that the Mueller’s (Kevin and Nancy), proprietors of the iconic Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, will be making a westward trip in July which means an opportunity for a leisurely visit over dinner and, perhaps, another opportunity to play tour guide.
It would seem this summer will be quite full of adventure, work, and opportunity. What a fitting prelude to this grand adventure, a trip to Cuba and another opportunity to meet with old and new found friends – Connie Echols, Jerry McClanahan, Joe Sonderman, Jane Reed, John and Judy Springs, Joe Loesch, and a few dozen others.
Well, it is time to get back to the grind stone. Before I forget, here are the details about my presentation next Monday evening.