Ben sanded the dark wood in Maria’s new studio and brought out this great warm red finish that changed the character of the space instantly. Ben can see things other people can’t. He will finish the studio by the time we get back from San Francisco (Maria is joining me there.)

It is time for me to shift from one head to another, from the new farm to the book tour. Monday I’ll be leaving for Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco. Maria will join me in Boston and California, I’ll be on my own through the middle. A full and busy tour, lots of flying, speaking, signing. I need to give it my full attention, starting tonight at Northshire Books in Manchester, Vt. I’m bringing my small Canon and my Ipad but I will do limited blogging – post some announcements as I move around. My schedule is very full and I need to focus on it and work at it.

I take book tours seriously (the tour list is up above on my “Calendar” page. So I will clear my head of the construction, money, the new farm, the sheep, the details of moving and get excited about promoting “Dancing Dogs.” I’ll be blogging through the weekend, then taking off early Monday for Boston. I’ll be speaking and reading at the Brookline Bookstore Monday night.

I’ve decided not to bring my big Canon or my laptop along. Too much stuff to drag about five or six cities. When I get back, Ben will have transformed the barn, the house and Maria’s studio. It’s pretty wild, pretty exciting Turning a head around is like turning an ocean liner around, takes me a few days.