To the Moon, Alice!

Greetings, all!

Before I start rambling off the tracks like I'm prone to do, I want to remind everyone that I will be doing a book signing at the Barnes & Noble in the Eastern Shore Shopping Center in Spanish Fort, Saturday July 6^th from 11am to 1pm! Another great store with a great staff that I love to visit and they’ve always been very supportive of my writing. Can’t wait! I hope to see you all there. (Directions)

Oh, and one more thing. You never write anymore! :) Of course, that's probably my fault. I never let anyone know how to reach me.

I'd love to hear from you! If you have comments or questions about any of my books or other musings, maybe questions about not only outdoor recreation in Alabama or the Gulf Coast but outdoor recreation in general, or maybe you want to tell me how much you love my podcast series, Joe Cuhaj’s Shorts or my videos, please feel free to drop me a line. 

Simply comment on this Facebook post or directly on this Blog entry, or you can send a message through my website, JOECUHAJ.COM.

Moving on…

As you know, we’ll be celebrating the 50^th anniversary of mankind’s first steps on the moon in July. Yes, I am a space geek at heart. I loved following the space program in the 60s. My folks would let me be late getting to school to watch the Mercury launches, even skip school for special manned spaceflight events.

Of course, I had to build model rockets (long live Estes and Centuri!). Two of my best friends from the gang and I made up the Mahwah (New Jersey) Model Rocket Club where we terrorized the neighborhood with wayward Mars Landers and Big Bertha rockets. Ok, maybe that was ME that couldn’t get them to fly.

Anyway, the point being that I’m still a space geek. My DVR is already locked and loaded (the correct phrasing for that saying, by the way LOL) for all of the anniversary programming on the old TV.

To help celebrate, I have a few things coming up for all of you that I hope you will enjoy. First, I’ll be posting a brand new video in July that I think everyone will enjoy, especially all of you late-Baby Boomers who grew up with the space race.

And do you remember that book I was writing, Everyone’s Gone to the Moon? Sadly, while several publishers REALLY wanted it (or so they said), the book never did pass through their acquisitions process. Needless to say, it won’t be published in time for the anniversary. BUT, for your reading enjoyment, I’ll be releasing select chapters that you can download before it is released as an eBook.

Jonathan King "Everyone's Gone to the Moon" video

It will be a busy July, to say the least – I’ll also be posting some excerpts from the new book, Hidden History of Mobile, that will be released this fall AND, of course, a brand new podcast.

Well, better get to it! Be on the lookout for all of this in July and I’ll see you July 6^th at the Barnes & Noble in Spanish Fort, Alabama.

The Hidden History of Mobile - Uncovered (Mostly)

Good morning, all! I was going to follow that with “been hot enough for you?”, but I can’t stand when someone says that to me. Before the monsoon season hit the other day here on the Alabama Gulf Coast, the heat index was cruising up to 105. “No, it’s not hot enough. Turn it up to broil!”

Anyway, the latest on “Hidden History of Mobile” – the photos for the book head to the editor this Friday! Whoo-hoo! That means it’s nearing the end. Trouble is, the deadline is in 30 days and I keep uncovering more great stories to tell. Yikes! Stop it, Joe!

I need to say a special thank you to all of the members of the Mobile Creole Cultural and Historical Preservation Society. I put out a question or two on their Facebook page the other day and the response was overwhelming! I can’t thank you all enough for your input about the extraordinary Creole history of the Port City.

I really think you’ll love the stories I have picked out from the city’s 300+ year history. A lot of them really surprised me. There are many gems you probably haven’t heard before as well as some stories you know about, but have a twist or two. It’s going to be a fun book and it will be out this fall.

And by the way, it's not all ancient Mobile history. I cover all the way up to at least the 1960s. A little something for everyone.

I was at Mobile’s second oldest cemetery yesterday, Magnolia, to get a few photos for the interior of the book. It’s a fascinating place to just roam and read the tombstones. If you go (it’s located on Virginia Street and Ann), be sure to pick up the self-guided tour map and read the incredible stories of the luminaries buried there.

A couple of notes about upcoming releases and events. First, a brand new episode of the Joe Cuhaj’s Shorts podcasts takes to the air (or over your internet provider's cable or WiFi) this Thursday. It’s titled, “Prom and Circumstance”. Bet you can’t guess what it’s about?

And I have one more book signing coming up on Saturday, July 6^th from 11am to 1pm at the Barnes and Noble in the Eastern Shore Center, Spanish Fort, Alabama. I hope to see you there and we can talk all things hiking and outdoors.

Have a great week everyone. Till next time…Cheers!