DOGS

2022 Snapshots from the Road

65 TALKS in 6 WEEKS!

Indiana, Ohio, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York…

It was such a joy to finally get back to the East coast and visit many of the schools and libraries we had to postpone two years ago due to Covid. Patience pays off! We met so many wonderful people. I loved seeing Noggin and Chloe so happy out in the world again. Happy dogs=happy me. It seemed everyone was craving close connections. Thank you to all of the teachers, librarians, and hosts who made our trip possible!

Next year’s EAST COAST tour will happen March/April 2023. Email us at mymusher at gmail.com for more information and to save your place on our schedule.

And, we continue to book SUMMER and FALL presentations. Email us with any questions, thoughts, or ideas. We’re always up for a new adventure!

2021: The Last Legs

Noggin, Chloe, and I just wrapped up another unusual season. With vaccination certificates in hand/paw, loads of hand sanitizer, and extra masks, we road-tripped across Kansas and Colorado, giving talks in schools and public libraries. Because of Covid, many of our presentations were given outdoors. We had large turn-outs even at night in 30-degree weather. Everyone was bundled up, and hot chocolate was plentiful. What fun we had! Librarians and teachers are a resilient and creative bunch. I have enjoyed working with them over the last 22 years. I look forward to many more library and school visits in the future.

Now, our sights are aimed up the trail towards 2022 SUMMER READING. OCEANS OF POSSIBILITIES is the next summer reading theme and, believe it or not, this makes a talk about dog mushing the perfect match. Did you know that a great portion of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog takes place on frozen bodies of water? Dog teams traverse frozen lakes, rivers (including 250 miles on the mighty Yukon), and the awe-inspiring BERING SEA! Karen provides a unique perspective to OCEANS OF POSSIBILITIES with stories from her travels across sea ice by dog team to the historic gold-rush town of Nome. Climate change is also a topic that is ever-present when learning about the sport of mushing and Alaska. Email Karen at mymusher at gmail.com for more information and to save a spot on our calendar.

Back on the Trail

The LIBRARY TRAIL, that is : )

After almost 14 months away from in-person/in-dog library talks because of the pandemic, Noggin, Chloe, and I (all of us fully-vaccinated) are back at it! We gave a few warm-up talks in Indiana before we packed up our truck to spend several weeks on the road in Kansas for Tails and Tales Summer Reading. We had a such a fun time visiting with folks, seeing the sights, and checking out all of those great public libraries (16 total) across the state. We have missed you all! If you’re interested in an in-person/in-dog presentation for your school or library, email us now (mymusher @ gmail.com) to get on the schedule. And if you’re still Zooming, no worries, we do that, too! Here are a few shots from our road-trip adventures.

Happy 2019! Mush!

2004Racestart

Contact Noggin and Karen at mymusher@yahoo.com (please put “Iditarod” in the subject line) to reserve your space on their 2019 Dog Mushing Talk Tour.

Think you live too far off the trail? It never hurts to ask! Karen, Noggin, and Chloe are ready for a road trip! Mush!

Bundle Up!

IMG_3261

The 1000-mile Yukon Quest is happening RIGHT NOW! Follow the race at www.yukonquest.com. Everyone always asks me if I’ll ever run the Iditarod again—this is the race I’d love to experience at some point in my life. BIG country, great people, and challenging terrain with a “smaller” 14-dog team (Iditarod is a 16-dog team)—I’ve always found the Yukon Quest intriguing. The Quest website has beautiful videos from past races. Click on their Youtube channel to live a little bit of the trail yourself …

The Iditarod starts on March 3, 2018. Follow the race at www.iditarod.com. Teachers click on the EDUCATION page to follow the Teacher on the Trail, watch videos, and access  race resources. Throughout the race, I also frequent the Anchorage Daily News website (www.adn.com) for free daily updates and beautiful photography.

I still have some dates open for Iditarod school or public library talks at your location OR via Skype. Contact me now (mymusher at Yahoo dot com) to set a date!

DSC_7932

DSC_7907

Romano Goes to Chennai…

IMG_2705.jpg

Virtually, that is! Thank you to everyone at the American International School in Chennai, India! Romano and I really enjoyed visiting with the class. The 3rd grade students just finished reading the book, “The Stone Fox” by John Reynolds Gardiner, and sent 3 pages of great questions to us in advance. Because of the 9.5 hours time difference, I was worried Romano might sleep through his unusually late night gig but like always he was a true big screen star. He even stayed awake for the entire 45-minute chat (with the help of hot dog treats). Because of a thunderstorm moving through Indy at that exact time, Noggin was “not available” to join us — she spent the evening wearing a Thundershirt and hiding under the kitchen table! Thankfully, I have a dog for every occasion.

IMG_2640