In a Blur...

That is how my life feels like right now. It is all rushing by so fast I'm having trouble keeping up with everything. 

"Tales of the Road"--the book--is flying off store shelves. I'm amazed. I was bemused to see this shop window. It is pretty big time to share shelf and display window space with Garrison Keillor. People, however, are complaining that they can't find books. Many places are sold out and the book is back ordered for several weeks. Bad timing to be sure, but nice to know that it is popular. 

I'm in the process of 'pulling' soundbites to plug into the script for the documentary. I have 25 pounds of stuff shoved into a 10 pound bag and I'm really going to have to edit the final script closely. At least I'm looking at the final script. It took DAYS to watch ALL 65 tapes. My brains were seeping out my ears near the very end. As I've said in the past...logging tape is my least favorite activity in broadcasting/filmmaking. 

The calendar says Christmas is near yet my head is somewhere else. It doesn't feel much like Christmas at this point for me. Oh, a few of the book signings were very festive. The book talk/tea at the Le Duc Mansion in Hastings was lovely and with the mansion all decked out for the holidays, I felt pretty Christmas-y! Beyond that I'm not in the spirit of the holidays...yet. 

Here is hoping YOU are filled with the joy of the season!!!

Where has the time gone?

I'm not sure when I lost all track of time. Looking out the window, I know for sure that the landscape says it is winter and the calendar certainly bears that out.  In my head, I'm still back in June or July and wondering where all that time has gone!  I can't believe Christmas is close at hand. 

I'm including a photo of yours truly and Cindy Harris Steinhoff. Cindy is such a sweetheart and was a brave soul to be interviewed on camera about her great, great grandfather--John Harris-who is credited with being the first to successfully raise apples in the LaCrescent Minnesota area. LaCrescent is the Apple Capitol of Minnesota and it still lives up to that moniker. In the photo, Cindy is showing me some great family photos and Photographer Joe is doing his usual magic. Now, to be honest, I haven't SEEN the footage we shot that day. I will.  I'm slogging through 65 videotapes in a mad effort to "log" all the tape. Logging is not my favorite thing, but it is fun to see the places we've been and the people we've met.  Cindy and her family are wonderful! 

Today I was holed up in an edit bay and was painstakingly rolling through tape of the Red Wing Minnesota area and a great spot just outside Red Wing where the original alignment of Highway 61 still exists. In fact, there are two bridges that are still along that old road. One is a cement bridge built in 1921 and the other is a steel span bridge built around 1917. (Note the photo!) 

How exciting to find these last vestiges of the old highway still intact!! I hope they will remain for future generations. 

The tour for "Tales of the Road-Highway 61" is quite a whirlwind.  Grand Marais, Winona, Red Wing, Minneapolis, Northfield, St. Cloud, Duluth, Alexandria and St. Paul to name a few sites.  Juggling the demands of the book with the film is a little trickier than I had imagined it to be. Then again, I've never been in this position before. What a trip!!!

P.S: I'm still looking for submissions for a Highway 61 photo contest.  Selected photos get a free copy of "Tales of the Road-Highway 61"

Picture this!

I just got a nifty photo from a person, Richard, who is following our trek up and down Highway 61. This is in Hastings, Minnesota--one of the beautiful towns along the southern stretch of 61 in Minnesota. Thanks for sending it Richard!!

I would LOVE it if you'd send me photos from your travels along Highway 61. Heck, the best ones will get a free book: "Tales of the Road-Highway 61" published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press. To send a photo and message click on "contact us" on our website!

Happy Travels!

Cathy

Sign (ing) of the Times

I've been away for a few weeks. Away from the swirl that is the documentary with the frantic booking of interviewees, the arranging and re-arranging of shoot schedules, making sure the proper video equipment is rented, the picking up of vehicles, and the constant prayers for good weather as well as good soundbites and b-roll. 

I've been in the world of books. I thought it would be a much quieter world. It is. To a degree.

The bookstores I've been in for the publicity push surrounding the publication of "Tales of the Road-Highway 61" are filled with stacks and stacks of wonderful books, interesting people and staffers who are patient, kind and knowledgeable. The book was released October 15th.  It is going into its second printing. I gather that is good. Right now, I'm too tired to think about it.

I'm happy--very happy that the reviews have been good and people are complementary about this first foray into the world of books. What I didn't quite expect was the rush of media interviews and events that accompany the release of a book.  It has been really busy. 

The photos are from my first book event in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area. Common Good Books sponsored the appearance at a local church. Turnout was pretty good...the night before Election Day. People always ask good questions and naturally, I found out some information that I COULD have used for the book and the film, had I known about it sooner. 

I'm adding more book events as Christmas looms in the next few weeks.  Check out our calendar, and if you are around--stop by one of the events!

This weekend is one of the rare "book free" weekends. Instead, I'm shooting up in the Grand Portage area. A very special person has agreed to be interviewed. In my business--we call that a "tease." Stay tuned for more!!!

Who would have thought?

Who would have EVER thought that I'd wind up being a published author. I certainly never had that in mind, yet I find myself in that position. How odd. How fun!

"Tales of the Road-Highway 61"-- The Book is now out in fine bookstores across the Midwest and on Amazon.com. The book is beautiful beyond my wildest dreams. Denny-the-photographer took some lovely photos, and the Minnesota Historical Society archives added some great old pictures to create a very nice package of images and words. 

When the Minnesota Historical Society Press asked me to write a companion book to the public television documentary  I remember thinking at time that they must be crazy. Why would they ask ME to write a book?  I never really thought about writing anything long-form. I'm used to writing news copy. Quickly. Concisely. The process of writing a book has been quite a journey. Thank God I had a wonderful editor!!!

Today, I had the great good fortune of speaking for and signing books on behalf of the Winona County Historical Society. I was surprised at the number of people in attendance. How nice to see many of the people who initially helped me some 6 years ago when this project was just a glimmer of an idea. How humbling that people would pay their hard earned dollars to buy something I created. It is quite odd to be asked for an autograph. You'd want someone like Elizabeth Taylor, or Robert Redford or Garrison Keillor to sign your book. Cathy Wurzer's signature just doesn't stack up. 

Earlier this week, I was signing books in Grand Marais for the Cook County Historical Society's event. (Which is where the photo was taken.)  Both of those groups were incredibly helpful and supportive. There was NO way I could have ever written the book nor produced the documentary without them. Someone at work asked why I was planning on dividing the proceeds among the historical societies and local history groups along the Minnesota stretch of Highway 61. Why not keep all the money for myself? Here is the answer to that question. These groups need the money more than I do right now.  Yes, I'm still raising money to produce the documentary, but these organizations rely (to a large extent) on donor dollars and volunteers. Few have big paid staffs. They do incredible work. They have helped me. I wish to help them. It is that simple.

This weekend, while I'm busy signing books, my crew continues to shoot. The Red Wing Pottery and the Sheldon Theater in Red Wing are the focal points this weekend. We are closing in on the end and the weather is closing in on us!!!!!

A Bug in your Ear...

...and, if my film crew was any indication this past weekend, a bug (actually swarms of bugs) were in and on more than their ears!!

We were shooting some of the last bits of road and driving video with our "Star Car" (the '46 Cadillac) and were on an abandoned stretch of Highway 61 outside of Kellogg, Minnesota when swarms of those Ladybug Look-alikes (ie: Asian beetles) attacked! They were everywhere and those little pests BITE!!! (Plus they leave a noxious yellow stain if you decide to squish them)

I was in the Cadillac, and mostly kept from being bothered, but the guys were pretty annoyed by the flying pests. Despite the bugs and a thick blanket of clouds (that were NOT supposed to be in the weather forecast) we shot some very nice footage. Photographer Denny Behr went to great lengths (and heights) to get excellent shots of the car. I'm very pleased.

We still need to do some more shooting but all the principle photography is done. I'm so relieved. When I have more time, I'll write a bit about our last big road trip of last week. A week's worth of shooting from St. Paul to LaCrescent. Exhausting but worth it.

Right now, I need to get a tire on one of our crew cars. Poor thing. We drove it so much, the right front passenger side tire deflated like a pancake, and was discovered as I was trying to get to work this morning. It has been a fantastic start to the day!

I hope your day is better!

Who's in charge here?

I believe, for the next few days, Mother Nature is in charge of our shoot schedule.

We spent Saturday in Bayport and Red Wing Minnesota. Those of you who know Minnesota geography are now scratching your heads wondering why I selected Bayport for a location shoot because it is nowhere near Highway 61. You are correct. This is where the Executive Producer (re: Me) gets to decide how best to convey the spirit and nuance of a part of the script that deals with what remains of those early days of highway travel. The old, two pump gas stations, for instance, are largely gone EXCEPT for a lovingly restored gas station/garage in Bayport. The Minnesota Historical Society has a nifty black and white photo of the station in the 1930's, and viewers will see that photo, and it will slowly "morph" into how it looks today (virtually the same) as I walk into the frame with the Bayport station behind me. I think it will be a nice effect.

At any rate, I didn't stop to think that the St. Croix Valley and Bayport were in line for some frost Saturday morning and we began shooting at the break of day, (the coldest time of the morning I might add) and on screen, all you see are clouds of steam coming from my mouth as I attempt to spit out my comments between chattering teeth. There purports to be an old Hollywood secret to keep that from happening in cold weather shoots. Producers have actors suck on ice cubes between takes. I tried that. Doesn't work. It just makes you colder than you already are!

We did get some nice takes (as the atmosphere warmed up) and then it was off to Red Wing for more work, including a nice interview about a 1930's era gangster found dead by the side of Highway 61. It has quite a twist to it but you'll have to wait to find out more.

The weather the remainder of Saturday was simply stunning with beautiful light with which to shoot. Unfortunately, today (Sunday) Mother Nature has decided to be a little petulant and it is windy, cloudy and rainy. I'm a bit of a weather geek, so early this morning, I checked the forecast and decided to make a run for Barnum Minnesota, where we had been rained out a couple of weeks ago.
We managed to get there, shoot my on-camera standups and some footage of the town itself, before it completely clouded over and the winds picked up to more than 25 miles an hour. Mother Nature is certainly in charge, and I'm just along for the ride.

Because the forecast looks pretty dismal this coming week (the week I took off work to finish all my standups from St. Paul to LaCrescent) we will work inside Monday and Tuesday doing some key interviews. Wednesday is a travel day and with luck, the rest of the week will be nice enough to really come close to finishing up my on camera work. Keep your fingers crossed. (and put in a good word for me with Mother Nature!)