Wild Blueberry Summer

""To feel what the Stotts feel, to inhale the fresh air they breath at their summer home, to swim with them in the cold, clear lake, to watch stars spread a canopy above them when darkness pushes the day away is to immerse yourself in Wild Blueberry Summer. The Introduction, the engaging chapters, the stunning photographs, and the Epilogue will draw you into a world far beyond the chaos of politics, racism, and social upheaval. As you turn each page, you'll become acquainted with flora and fauna, with a woodland thick with deciduous and pine trees, and with a way of life at the lake that is inclusive of the goodness residing in the animal and fowl kingdom and in mankind. Readthis book and your spirits will be lifted as you, too, soar above the mundane, the anger, and the ugliness threatening to engulf us. Stott, as did his father, mastered the art of storytelling. He does not flaunt his intelligence, but skillfully weaves it throughout his well-written, descriptive stories that enchant readers, leaving them yearning for more. Wild Blueberry Summer does not disappoint. It invites you to walk with the author as he engages all your senses and makes you feel glad to be alive."" - Sharon M. Kennedy, author of The SideRoad Kids Series ""Within the first chapter, I fell in love with Wild Blueberry Summer and lived in joy throughout. Author Jon C. Stott is a master of the poetic essay, and, often as I read, I simply stopped and marveled at the beauty or comedy or heartfelt emotion of a thought or perfect phrase. Master of the unusual, he describes his closet as the 'Museum of Historical Garments' and that first spring dip in the waters of Crooked Lake being possible because the brave swimmers had ""antifreeze in [their] blood."" Wild Blueberry Summer is a celebration of memories, family, and place, where the fortunate who spend summers at the amazing Little Cabin in the Big Woods mark the passing weeks not by a calendar on a wall, but by the wildflowers currently in bloom and by the songs of the birds who claim territory in the woods or on the lake. To add to his own poetic vision of life in the Northwoods, Jon C. Stott adds the quotes of other poets who also celebrated the beauty of nature with their words: Thoreau, Frost, even Shakespeare. To further enhance the reader's enjoyment, Stott includes the bright and beautiful photographs of plant ecologist Deb Le Blanc."" - Sue Harrison, national bestselling author of The Midwife's Touch ""You will enjoy the gentle, self-effacing humor and the crystal-clear language of this memoir. Its philosophy reminds me of Walden, but the writing is far more to my liking. If you want to learn how to become in tune with nature, Jon Stott is your guide."" - Bob Rich, author of From Depression to Contentment