I don’t have to ever surf the literal wave. I am surfing the figurative wave, and I know what it feels like, to surf the literal wave. You just make what you think are the right moves, and the force of the waves continue to push you forward.

This is what’s happening now with the book project. It took some time, but we now have a group of volunteers (and one staff person) who are very much invested in this program.

There have been a lot of volunteers over the past few years, and either their degree of investment or my degree of investment in them was minimal. I remember one in particular – he was a yacker – just wouldn’t stop talking. I would situate myself in a place where I didn’t have to interact with him and remain both silent and focused on my task.

We are now at the Alaska State Fair, in the equestrian area. Today the volunteers were my friends, which made the day go by quite quickly. I first got to spend time with my friend Kim, who I hadn’t seen since last spring. We distributed books together and had a really good time getting caught up on stuff. Alas, she’s going to be leaving soon; will live on the east coast. I was disappointed to hear this.

Next, Colton appeared, not out of the blue – it was planned. He decided to go with me to the Reptile house story time, featuring Ali Gator. We pulled two wagons. One contained the credit union green bags with books, and the other contained reptile books. We met up with Cyndi, who is Ali Gator’s caretaker, on the green lawn in front of the Reptile House. She let Ali move around some, then put her on her lap and read her Alligator Gumbo. On the back of the book is a recipe for this soup.

The children encircled the alligator and seemed to listen as Cyndi read the book to them. I touched Ali – his skin looks hard and firm but is actually soft, like a sponge. Cyndi was good with the kids, letting each and every one touch him.

Colton sprang into action when the reading was over. He gave out dozens of bags to the children and said that Bright Lights Books was sponsoring this event. Actually, Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union was sponsoring this event. Which gives me an idea. Next year, in advance of this event, I will ask them for BLBP sponsorship.

This whole deal went on way longer than I thought it would. I thought we’d wrap it up and head home early. But no, Cyndi, after reading, continued to hold Ali Gator and Colton kept on talking to people about books.

When finally, all was said and done, we were out of books, and the reptile box was near empty. We then headed back to the cabin where I packed up books for tomorrow’s distribution. Pete and I then went distributing with our good friend Micah. And a good time was had by all.

Next: 227. 8/24/26: Problem Solving in a Dispatch