The weather was broiling, the mountain hike was panting and slow, the bugs were enthusiastic, but look at these young writers! It was such an honor to spend a couple of days in the woods with them, and with co-teacher extraordinaire Ian Ramsey (on the left, beside me) and photographer Brian Beard (who took this and other wonderful pictures). This was the third year of the Kauffmann Environmental Writing Seminar, and next summer we plan to open it to students outside of Maine as well. It's free and camping equipment is provided, so if you know high school writers who would thrive in this kind of setting, start planning with them.

And now I'm home again, in my hot little house, and poor Tom is suffering terribly from having to build a house in this heat, and my garden is gasping and thirsty. No rain, no rest, no cool nights. It's a hard stretch.