I am fortunate. A self-publishing author has contracted me to do a book of folk-tales from her native Kerala, a beautiful and fascinating area along the southwest coast of India. The first story in the collection is about the beach friendship that develops between Bananaleaf and Mudpie. In the image shown here Bananaleaf encounters her own mortality on the way to Varanasi when a windstorm blows in. She fears that she will be blown away forever and starts to bid farewell to her friend mudpie, who- though short and stout - comes up with a brilliant solution to the difficult situation. Stay tuned for more details and images.