Taking Nuclear Power on the Road to South Alabama

My parent's backyard. 

Below are highlights of my author road trip to South Alabama.  I visited schools in Baldwin County and Escambia County, Alabama.  I grew up across the state line in Escambia County, Florida, on a farm in the Walnut Hill community.  So when I was not visiting schools, I got to visit family and childhood friends I have not seen in years. The thing I love about Walnut Hill is the people who always welcome me back, like it was only yesterday, and not 30 years ago since I moved away.  

My first school was Daphne East Elementary, not to be confused with Daphne Elementary.  Daphne, Alabama is a beautiful town near the Gulf Coast, which meant I skipped the school cafeteria food and opted for Gulf Coast seafood.

 Daphne East Elementary students and media specialist Rhonda Campbell, who set up my visit and made sure it went without a hitch. I spoke to approximately 700 students and their teachers.

The winner of our Chubby door prize was Miss Jennifer Nelson's 4th grade class.  Miss Nelson was out that day and I'm pictured with Ms Linda McCann.



The next day I visited Daphne Elementary.  I'm pictured with their librarian, Mrs. Elizabeth Davis.











I think the entire school turned out. I'll always remember this visit as the reason I finally purchased my own set of speakers for my laptop! I had difficulty using their equipment and could not get the audio to broadcast for my video. Daphne Elementary thought me receiving a science and technology award was hilarious.

More about my visits to Baldwin County Schools can be found here: Daphne Kids Power Up: Author teaches about nuclear power, fear of the unknown. Thank you Jessica Jones for including my story.




I completed my first week of author presentations visiting Escambia Academy in Canoe, Alabama. It is a small private school that still goes K-12th grade.  It is also where my brother John Solomon graduated high school.

The kids were excited to have an author visit and each class asked to have their photo taken with me.  I shared both of my books including Tickles Tabitha's Cancer-tankerous Mommy.  Sadly, it's a topic the children were familiar with.





I owe a debt of gratitude to Tri City Ledger reporter Janet Little Cooper. Despite the hectic schedule of a news reporter, she attended my presentation at Escambia Academy.  You can find her article on my FB page here: EA students learn about nuclear power.

Not all my time was spent doing author school visits, and for the first time in at least 25 years I got to enjoy spending Mother's Day with my mother.

Amelia Solomon Frahm and her mother, Amelia Patricia Solomon.

 The last school I visited was W.J. Carroll Intermediate where I spoke back-to-back to three classes of 150 students.  These were older kids who were looking forward to the end of the year in about six days, yet they were attentive and interested in nuclear power and writing.

Children today learn very little about nuclear power in school which perhaps explains why none of the sixth graders thought my book was too juvenile.

One young man told me he was already working on his own book!

I am back home, alone with my laptop.  It's a beautiful day in North Carolina, but I am missing you Alabama people!