Just in case you are new to the Prepared Idiot Podcast and Blog we did a 3 Part series on how to publish your own children’s book. (You can still get those shows on this website). It took a year of dealing with illustrators and figuring out what shape the story should take. BUT IT’S DONE!
Since the 1930’s Yosemite campers have long been confused and amused by shouts from all directions calling the name “Elmer!” Imagine sitting in your campsite, enjoying an evening campfire and the quietness of the evening is suddenly interrupted by all of your neighbors erupting into a shouting match calling for the little boy that got lost decades ago. The inescapable exchange is often heard in the campgrounds in Yosemite Valley. A tale that has survived for years around the campfire is now a children’s book to read around the fire by flashlight. So cuddle up in your sleeping bag and learn The Story of Elmer and a little bit about Yosemite National Park.
If you have follow the blog for a while you will have seen some of the early proofs that I had done trying to find someone to illustrate the Story of Elmer for me. It turns out that my friend Alden Olmsted was the right guy for the job!
Alden is a filmmaker, photographer, and artist, and is the youngest son of California naturalist and parks crusader John Olmsted. Growing up in Sonoma with his older brother and history major mother, he was often out past bedtime, exploring most every creek and canyon within bicycling distance. Distant cousin to famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Alden continues his father’s dream of an across California hiking trail at ACTrail.org.
Because you are listeners you can get your copy now! Before the masses get their grubby little hands on itt! That is why I have created a special discount just for you. For the next 2 weeks only enter the discount code (PapaBob) upon checkout and get 2 dollars off of each book you order! Get your copies before it is on-line and in stores go to Elmerinyosemite.com now and help Elmer find his way into your home!
How to Publish your Own Book Part 1 (Re-broadcast)
How to Publish your Own Book Part 2 (Re-broadcast)
How to Publish your Own Book Part 3 (Re-broadcast)
edia and jobs that require long hours of cubical sitting most modern humans have forgotten the basic skill of walking. Except for in large cities where motor vehicle travel is unpractical the quick trip around the corner to get a gallon of milk is done in our cars. Many children in the Southern California area where I live don’t walk to school anymore and thought of and evening stroll is a terror inducing event for many teenagers. So, we are increasingly spending more and more time sitting on our posteriors plugged into a screen and watching others have adventures and live their lives. While it is not realistic to think that you can escape the modern day working environments entirely you should also be aware of the potential risks of all that sitting. 
llions of gallons of wine every year. In fact, the act of wine drinking has become an art all its own. The history of American wine stretches back to 1629 when the first grapes were planted in what is now present day San Antonio, New Mexico. Today, there are now over 8,000 wineries in North America producing hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of gallons of wine every year. But what led up to this point, and where did wine production begin in the U.S.? 
stories of the California Gold Rush in the mid-19th century. Prospectors from across the United States, and even across the world, headed for the West Coast in hopes of striking it rich. Some of them found their fortunes, others were not so lucky, but the thought of such an endeavor may be exciting enough to make 21st century folks wish it were 1848 all over again.
The Prepared Idiot 