NCTE/ALAN photos… and guacamole recipe, I promise

Thanksgiving was filled with gratitude, turkey, stuffing, and pie. As always, it is/was the best holiday of the year for me.

I’ll post the best Thanksgiving photo later…. maybe tomorrow. In the meantime, I need to clear these photos off my desktop.

The trick is to figure out where to start…… with Beowulf, of course!

HWAET!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic I met a teacher, Priscilla, who also has some Beowolf text on her wrist. That’s mine on the left, hers on the right.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic That is Priscilla in the middle, flanked by her fellow NYC teachers, Kate and Alexandra.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic I was stoked to see a poster for my friend Deb Heiligman’s new book, CHARLES AND EMMA.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Teacher Elizabeth Simison had me sit in on her Round-Table sessions in which she discussed how she uses aspects of the Post Secret Project and SPEAK in her high school classroom.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic The ALAN Award Breakfast was a blast; good food, hundreds of friends, and Joan Kaywell serving coffee.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic I do mean hundreds and hundreds of friends.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic And a table of the loverly Penguins.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic I had to go up to the podium to receive the ALAN Award. I babbled incoherently for a couple of minutes and tried very hard not to break down into sobs because this is a huge honor. It really touched my heart. As I stumbled back to my seat, David Gill, ALAN president, professor and author, came up to me with some visual commentary on my remark about how much I hated The Scarlett Letter when I was on high school.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic I spent nearly five hours signing books that day. The line stretched into absurdity. I should have ordered doughnuts and coffee for the patient teachers who stood for-freaking-ever waiting for me.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic This teacher made her own SPEAK shirt!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic This self-described “book pusher” from Canada wore her passion for books as earrings.

When my signings were over, I wandered the convention floor and saw all kinds of good folk.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Like Neal Shusterman.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic And Madeleine George (on the right) with our editor, Joy Peskin.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic TOMIE DEPAOLA!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Patricia and Frederick McKissack.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic And buddy Gail Giles.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic I wound up eating at Boudros twice, which meant I was able to enjoy the award-winning guacamole of this guy, Dave. His guacamole is a religious experience, I swear.

Boudro’s Famous Guacamole
Ingredients
Juice of 1/4 of an orange
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 avocado seeded and scooped out of skin
2 Tbs roasted and charred Roma tomatoes diced
1 ea Serrano pepper roasted seeded and diced
1 Tbs medium dice red onions
1 tsp chopped cilantro
coarse ground salt to taste (sea salt is better)

Directions
Squeeze juices into bowl. Add avocado and coarsely chop. Add onions, roasted tomato, serrano and cilantro fold into avocado mixture. Add salt (more is better). Result should be crudely chopped not mashed. That’s it.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic The prickly pear marguaritas aren’t bad, either.

In the middle of all the smiling, signing, sipping, schmoozing, and sparkling, I did sneak in a little history.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic A visit to Alamo. I was embarrassed at how little I knew about the place, how little I know about the development of Texas. Must study this!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

I ended my journey with time spent under a tree, this live oak that grows on the grounds of the Alamo. It is a massive creature, very Ent-like.

7 Replies to “NCTE/ALAN photos… and guacamole recipe, I promise”

  1. Great pictures! I wish I could have gone to the breakfast. Congratulations again! And I too, could not resist Boudros–twice! Besides the guac and margaritas, their salsa was to die for too.

  2. My thoughts on entering the Alamo: Were they out of their minds? The building is completely indefensible! Ack! Ack!

    Seriously? The history of Texas is fascinating. The novel I really what to write is the story of Los Colorados, the boy soldiers who deserted the US Army and fought for Mexico. But alas, it would never sell.

  3. hwaet indeed!

    My roommate cannot even believe how cool I am, having a photo of my wrist next to your wrist on the internet!
    It was so awesome to meet you! I hope we see each other net year, as well!

  4. Charles and Emma poster!

    Hey, I didn’t know there was a CHARLES AND EMMA poster!
    How cool!
    Thanks, Laurie.
    I got my author’s copies the other day and you’ll be getting one!

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