I’m not the type to want a big deal on my birthday. Maybe it’s because my parents threw me a surprise party when I was about 5 years old, and when everyone jumped out to yell “Surprise!” it startled me so much that I cried.

So this year for my birthday I chose a nice quiet way to celebrate — a trip to the National Gallery of Art in D.C., and lunch at Ben’s Chili Bowl. It was a pretty great day except for how cold and windy it was. I also enjoyed that it happened to be the day after the Kite Festival so there were kites stuck in trees everywhere near the National Mall which I found hilarious.

And how could I leave D.C. without a quick stop to see my friend and co-author Pamela?

Fun Fact: On March 27, 1976, WMATA Metrorail service began operating. That means me and the Metro share a birthday, (though Metro is 3 years older than me!)

There was just one thing left I wanted to do.

I left a signed copy of DETOUR AHEAD at a bus stop somewhere on Connecticut Ave NW, which Pamela says isn’t the H4 route, but I couldn’t be choosy. I was just trying to find an easy bus stop to pull up to in an area that wasn’t too busy so no one would see me leave the book! I left a bookmark inside that explained they were the lucky new owner so they’d know it wasn’t lost. I’ve had fun ever since leaving the book there wondering who found it.

Happy reading!