Thankful

I have many, many things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving, one of them being that I have finished the interior artwork for Arlo's ARTrageous Adventure, the first picture book where I will be both the author and illustrator. After an intense summer and fall of painting, I packaged all the interior artwork and mailed them to my publisher in New York City on October 26, my 52nd birthday. Relieved, I waited to hear that they had arrived.

That's when Hurricane Sandy struck.

The artwork was scheduled to arrive on Monday, but Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday came and went, and the UPS tracking system could only tell me that my package's last destination was Long Island City, and that emergency conditions were preventing them from delivering it. I didn't allow myself to think about  four months' worth of work being washed out to sea, and trusted that UPS would keep my paintings safe and dry until they could land on my art director's desk. Then, on November 6, over a week past the projected arrival time, I received word that my package had been received in perfect condition. Whew. And for that I am very thankful.