Friday Field Trip: Scavenger Hunt Down Under

Aqua Duck - Gold Coast

Hey, campers! Glad you’re here for the second part our Adventure Down Under Field. One thing I love about traveling is how it can make the ordinary seem new again when viewed in a different environment or context. It’s the same thing I appreciate about my favorite authors. They can make the mundane feel special, the big appear small and keep the spectacular hidden in plain sight. They are experts at the art of illusion and blindsiding.


On today’s field trip, we’re going on an Australian scavenger hunt for little seeds of storytelling inspiration that you might like to plant in your organic idea garden. You'll be harvesting fresh plot twists before you know it.  

Are you ready? Stay sharp and don’t forget to look in the corners. Ready…get set…go!


Perspectivus Zoomous Inus
When fully grown, this tree bears the "A-ha!" fruit which allows main characters to see things from a different angle.

An earless pig or is it a...

And how about this?

Is it a marshmallow with Kim Kardashian's eyelashes or is it....

Dinosaurus Restroomus 
The leaves of this plant must be steeped in boiling water to make tea. Readers must drink this tea from floral cups until they feel so calm that they...

...can hear the waves,

....feel the breeze in their hair,

...and feel the warmth of the sun on their skin.

And then, at the peak of bliss, at the point where they think that they cannot possibly feel more relaxed....

...send a dinosaur to get them in the ladies room.

*Burp* Who's next?

Evilus Koala-us 

Choose the cutest, cuddliest and sweetest characters. Let them chew a mouthful of this herb to turn them from this... 

....into this. 

Dreamus Sequencus 

Grind up the roots of this plant and slip into a main character's drink to induce a deep sleep. 

*Cue psychedelic dream sequence*

Then wake them up with an attack of mutant insects.

I hope you enjoyed our little scavenger hunt, campers! Don't forget to take care of your plants and water them everyday. 

Not-Quite-Friday Field Trip: Adventure Down Under!

G'Day mates! Greetings from Australia! I'm on vacation at the moment, but I was lucky enough to find a substitute guide for our Fill-in-the-day-the-WiFi-decides-to-cooperate-and-finish-uploading-my-photos Field Trip.

She's far more seasoned at this sort of thing than I am. Ah! Here she is now.

And it looks like she even brought her own photographer!

Are you ready? Just follow the girl in the pink backpack!

Hi, campers! This is where we'll be staying on  our trip to the Gold Coast.

Can you give me a second to figure out our first stop?

Hey! It looks like the perfect day for the beach.

Let's go!

And what would a trip to the Gold Coast be without a visit to one of its theme parks?

Dream World, here we come!

Oooh! This ride is just my thing! :)

Um...okay. Maybe not.

I didn't really want to go on it anyway.

Teacups are far more exciting.

They're almost as much fun as wrestling crocodiles.

And riding pink ponies.

But there's nothing better than feeding kangaroos. 

Well, except maybe for...

...white tigers!

Let's go for a walk and see what else we can find.

Hello? Anybody home?

"Welcome to my parlor!" said the spider to the...

...EEEW-guana.

Koalas are so much cuter than lizards. This one looks tired.

And so am I.

Shhh. Looks like out little tour guide needs a nap. Hopefully, she'll be up and about in time for Part 2 of our Field Trip. 

p.s. Don't forget to bring your life jackets. We're taking a duck...

 Happy Easter, guys!!! 

Friday Field Trip: My Deep Dark Secret

“A black-cloaked monk unlocked the library’s door. Ginger steeped with cloves. Shelley caught its scent in the spiciness of the weathered leather-bound pages that surrounded her. The smell reminded her of her father’s evening ritual up until the time he needed to use a feeding tube. Her mother continued to brew it for him just the same. And when he had gone, she still set a cup on his bedside table. Shelley remembered watching and breathing in the fragrant and frail wisps of steam rising from it. That was the only time she allowed herself to miss her dad. Her mother mourned him enough for the two of them. She didn’t think their house could hold any more grief. She was glad to get away. She scanned the library, desperate to remind herself of how far she was from home.” p. 126, Before Ever After

If you promise not to laugh, I’ll let you in on my deepest and darkest secret. Pinky swear? Great!

Okay…here it goes.

*whispers*  In sixth grade,  I…um…was president of….*takes a deep breath* …the Library Club.

There. I said it. Phew.

Source

I certainly did not earn any cool points by joining the club. (You wouldn’t be wrong if you likened it to Glee, but without the impromptu Lady Gaga song and dance numbers in the hallway.)  But I loved it.  I loved being surrounded by the smell of paper and ink. I loved the cool and quiet sanctuary of its little nooks.  I loved the little clicking sound the date stamp made when I pressed it against the book card.  *Looks around furtively for incoming Slushies*

No Slushie grenade? I love you guys. Thank you for not judging me. Now I don’t have to run home and change my shirt before our field trip.

To celebrate my coming clean, today we’re taking our little van to some of the most beautiful libraries in the world. Are you ready, Campers?  Follow the red umbrella and remember to keep your voices down, okay?

Strahov Philosophical Hall, Prague

Abbey Library St. Gallen, Switzerland

Real Gabinete Portugues De Leitura, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

The Library of the University of Delft, The Netherlands

The Central Public Library in Vancouver, Canada

George Peabody Library, Baltimore, Maryland, USA 

Main reading hall of the City Library of Stockholm

Our final stop isn't a actually a library, but I thought it deserved a place on the tour.  Can you guess what it is?

No, it isn't a theater...

....or a museum.

It's the Ateneo Grand Splendid

And it's a BOOK STORE.