Hanging out with some pretty big names.

Picture: Sign marking the border at a trail entrance to the Ansel Adams Wilderness, near Devils Postpile, Eastern Sierra, California

I don’t normally like to “drop names” but I hope you’ll bear with me for a moment as I indulge.

Last week I received the layout for my upcoming book, Greetings from California; Legends, Landmarks, and Lore of the Golden State. This was my only chance to see the design of the book, make suggestions and corrections before the book goes off to print. After spending several days closely reviewing the book page-by-page, I’m really happy and excited by what a great job the publisher has done with the design.

Regular readers may recall earlier this year when the publisher announced, after turning in my manuscript and all the photos, they were suspending the series. However, the publisher decided to take a gamble by repackaging my book. They dropped its original title, California; Yesterday & Today, and went with a whole new design concept. I thought better to be repackaged than have the whole project left on the cutting room floor, which is what happened with several other authors working on their own “Yesterday & Today” books. Having seen several copies already printed in the series, the publisher’s gamble to repackage is a huge improvement.

But if I’m forced to say so myself, one of the biggest thrills when looking at the book was seeing my work alongside the work and portraits of some very big names. It’s humbling and an honor, albeit by my own hands, since I did all the historical photo research myself save for a very few exceptions. Still, it’s pretty cool. So who’s in the book with me you ask? Photographers include Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, William Henry Jackson, Edward Curtis, and artwork by Albert Bierstadt. The portraits of people include Edwin Hubble, Thomas Edison, George Eastman, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, John Muir, and Neil Armstrong.

I tried to get Bigfoot, but I was informed by his agent that he’s “currently unavailable to collaborate with you on this project.” It seems the fame that comes along with being featured in some Beef Jerky TV Commercials will make one go totally “Hollywood.” Oh well, you win some, you lose some.