Tales from the Rushmore Kid

The 9/11 Memorial

I write nonfiction books about monuments, so when I attend the SCBWI winter conference I made plans to see the 9/11 memorial.  The books I've written about focus on long ago presidents who shaped history. The 9/11 Memorial honors by name over three thousand innocent people killed while going to work, flying home or heading up stairwells to save lives.  Being there was a moving experience.

The builders of the memorial used the holes where the twin towers had sat, directing a waterfall into a deep pit. The water first pours out from under ledges engraved with  the names of all the people killed on 9/11 at the World Trade Center in 1993.  The names are etched in such a way that you can make rubbings of them.  I didn't know anyone personally who had perished but I made it a point to run my hands over each and every name, and I said  prayers for the loved one who were left behind.

Reflect today on the strength of our country and the resilience of its people.

The Butterfly House

The Natural History Museum of Santa Barbara is fantastic. This intimate museum offers exhibits on regional natural history, sea life, birds and also has a planetarium. Set in the Mission District with beautiful picnic areas, the crowning exhibition now is the Butterfly House. First, visitors are given instructions on butterflies and cocoons. Then they get directions on identifying and handling the butterflies. Inside this giant greenhouse netted garden are many different varieties of butterflies. In a basket you'll find laminated pages of the different butterflies to look for. The kids will love it. Bring a picnic, no food is sold there. Read on for the museum's mission statement: