Lucky Breaks (15 page)

For sharing experiences and information about their burros, many thanks to Ginny Freeman and Kathy Edmonston; and to Terri Farley for making the introductions. Thanks to Jim Hays (aka Turtle Jim) for extraordinary true stories of his jenny, Sally, and for responding to my depiction of Chesterfield. Thanks to Fern Henry for candor about the behavior of the herd next door. Wild or feral burros, mostly descended from the Old West miners’ donkeys, are highly intelligent, highly adapted animals. Any errors of fact in the text regarding these wonderful creatures are mine alone.

For information on the burro adoption program of the Bureau of Land Management, see blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/wild_horses_and_burro.html. Or visit the website of the largest donkey rescue center in the United States: donkeyrescue.org.

Grateful appreciation, again, to members of the International Guild of Knot Tyers (igkt.net) for their responsiveness to
my questions, especially Lindsey Philpott and Barry Brown, who helped untangle all the knotty problems this novice knot-tying author encountered. If I have slipped in any knotting descriptions, it is due to my own poor technique—despite their always knowledgeable advice. Please note that the contest Lincoln enters is fictional; in reality, there is no such contest sponsored by the IGKT.

Des Pawson MBE, Museum of Knots and Sailors’ Rope-work, and Peter McGrath of the HMS Beagle Project (the beagleproject.com) kindly verified details of Charles Darwin’s actual hammock and of his cabin aboard the
HMS Beagle
.

Geoffrey Budworth’s books on knot tying are among the most alluring and handsome available. His
Knots: Get to Grips with Knotting Know-How
(Sterling, 2003) is a fine introduction. Mr. Budworth, cofounder of the International Guild of Knot Tyers, graciously consented to my including him as a character in this story.

Grateful appreciation to Andrew Kirk of the Inyo County Department of Environmental Health Services for clarifying the stipulation in the California code that will plague Brigitte in times to come. (Readers, please stay tuned.)

Thank you, once again, Joe and Jody Bruce.

I’m indebted again to the following early readers for their kind and useful suggestions: Eva and Nadia Mitnick, Virginia Walter, Theresa Nelson, Lucy Frank, Georgia and Steven Chun, Erin Miskey, and Eva Cox, who asked about Roy.

For her integrity and thoughtfulness, thanks always to Susan Cohen at Writers House.

Enormous thanks to Matt Phelan for the humanity and generosity of spirit that shows in every stroke of his pens, pencils, and brushes.

I’d still be at the bottom of the abandoned well were it not for the support and guidance of my brilliant editor Ginee Seo. Profound thanks to her and to Jordan Brown for giving me the light to write by when I was in that dark place.

Special appreciation to everyone at Atheneum for their extraordinary support, expertise, and attention to detail. You remind me, always, of how lucky I truly am.

Dick Jackson, you may not know it but you sang to me throughout the writing of this book: spirituals, hymns, anthems, and ballads. Your voice will always be in my ears.

For moral support, heartfelt thanks to my sweet sisters Patricia Leavengood and Georgia Chun; and to my splendid beloved Ernie Nortap.

Brain Surgery for Beginners and Other Operations for Minors,
Miles’s new favorite book, is by Steve Parker, illustrated and designed by David West (Millbrook, 1995).

Bathtub Stew is described in James Austin Wilder’s
Jack-Knife Cookery
(Dutton, 1929), along with many other inventive ways of cooking outdoors.

The Ashley Book of Knots
(Doubleday, 1944) is available in book form and as a searchable CD.