Bucolia: Hijinx in the Hinterlands

Bucolia: Hijinx in the Hinterlands
176 Pages
ISBN 13: 978-1519400222

In a humorous and heartfelt way, Bucolia: Hijinx in the Hinterlands narrates the author’s bewildered attempts to adjust to country living in the Cascade foothills region of western Washington (Whatcom County’s South Fork Valley, aka “Bucolia”). Bucolia is a land where… • Cattle cowspire to wage cowrilla warfare against unwitting humans • Potlucks and fence posts replace CNN • Scotch and Merlot are as essential to good gardening as fertilizer and water • There be witches, wolves, and wild winged wonders • Truncated gerunds dominate the dialect • Mystifying, monstrous machines rule the roads • Cats and dragonflies become spiritual oracles • Frayed and unraveled lives are rewoven And… • You must drag your home over a mountain logging road just to get there Drop by, pick up some farm-fresh flowers, eggs and zucchini—just leave your money in the pickle jar.

Matthew Thuney

About Matthew Thuney (Bellingham, Washington Author)

Matthew Thuney

Matthew Thuney: Mystified Scribe Matthew wrote his first book, The Egg, when he was five years old. That is, if you can call a disjointed ten-page ramble about a mother dinosaur in search of her son (somehow attacking and sacking Chicago in the process) a book. Undeterred, he's been writing ever since. The past 30 years or so have seen Matthew scribbling humor and human interest pieces and crafting political blogs for consumption in the Pacific Northwest. Besides the printed word, he has also shared a long-standing love affair with radio. In fact, he even attended the Columbia School of Broadcasting in San Francisco. While he truly enjoyed writing news copy and coming up with funny on-air segments, Matthew just didn't have the gift of gab back then to keep up the requisite DJ patter. Spiritually, Matthew has always been a student and seeker. Early on, it looked as though his path would lead to the Episcopal ministry. Luckily for the Episcopal Church, that path turned into a 40-year detour. But everything started falling into place when Matthew and his wife moved to the hinterlands of northwest Washington. Lo and behold, he rediscovered his journalistic muse, reporting on his bumbling attempts to adapt to country living; He rediscovered his radio voice when a small band of crazed volunteers fired up a community radio station; and he rediscovered his spiritual roots as new friends and neighbors approached Matthew to give eulogies and even preside over the marriages of loved ones. Who'da thunk it? Certainly not his long-suffering spouse, who thankfully remains at his side. Nor their puzzled families, who long ago gave up trying to figure Matthew out. Nor their two-and-a-half cats, who are always giving him quizzical looks that seem to say, "What the heck are you up to now?" or "Where's the treats?" or "Will you sit down already--I need a lap."

Ellen Clark, Illustrator

About Ellen Clark, Illustrator (Co-Author)

Ellen Clark, Illustrator

Ellen Clark: Ambient Artist In her formative years Ellen studied fine art and business at the University of Utah, attended the Salt Lake Academy of Graphic and Fine Arts and attended Successful Artist School. She has more recently taken courses at Western Washington University , Shoreline College and accomplished Teaching Artist Training through the Washington State Arts Commission. For personal growth she has a CTM through Toastmasters International and is a graduate of Excellence Northwest. Always interested in the evolutionary trail of life, Ellen has been a fashion illustrator for a sporting goods company, cartographer for an engineering firm, product illustrator and copywriter for a nationwide drugstore, manager for several photography labs, and graphic designer for various ad agencies. Recent work includes creating sequential art for stories and books, painting public murals, being lead scenic painter for a 1500 seat theatre, teaching art to children and adults and having an annual commission to festively paint the featured window at Bellingham’s Cruise terminal. She has been influenced by such artists as Peter Max, Maxfield Parrish, Vincent van Gogh, Aguste Rodin, Leonardo de Vinci and Buonarroti Michelangelo. Settling into Bucolia is a new adventure, pack your things and come along!