Around Alabama

5-6

Maplesville

Outdoor 3D Archery Tournament, hosted by Chilton County Bowhunters. No admission charge for spectators; $15 fee to compete. All ages welcome. 317 Co. Road 214, Maplesville. 334407-1630.

10-11

21 Gulf Shores 6th annual Alabama Seafood CookOff at the Lodge at Gulf State Park. Four chosen chefs will cook up seafood dishes with local product; the winning chef will compete in the Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans. EatAlabamaSeafood.com 24-27 Tuscumbia Hellen Keller Festival. Historical tours, entertainment, arts and crafts, kids’ activities, athletic events, car shows and more. Some events are free; Cullman 20th annual others require $5 admission, but Cullman Touring children 10 and under are free. Farms for Kids, 8 a.m. HelenKellerFestival.com to 3 p.m., ages 7-13. Two days of farm tours in Cullman 25-26 Columbiana Liberty Day FesCounty. Food and tival. Music, food trucks, arts and T-shirts will be crafts vendors, children’s activities, provided. Parents are car show, hot dog eating contest, The Hank Williams Festival in Georgiana is an welcome to attend parade down Main Street and a annual family-friendly event that celebrates the but may need to fireworks show. Free. Event began in spirit of the late country legend. drive separately. $25 1986 as a celebration of the Statue per person. Contact of Liberty and has evolved into the North Alabama a two-day, family-friendly event. JUNE Mobile Wonderful Wednesdays at Bellingrath Gardens and Home. This weekly series will begin June 2 and continue through July 28. The series will help gardeners make the most of our extended growing season. Bellingrath.org or call 251-459-8864. Agriplex at 256-297-1044 or visit agriplex.org 12 Statewide Free Fishing Day. Each year, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources designates a free fishing day for the public to fish recreationally in public waters without a fishing license. Fishing CityofColumbiana.com 26 Chatom 33rd annual Indian Artifact Show, Chatom Community Center, 222 Dixie Youth Drive. 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free. This event is typically in February but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Contact Bimbo Kohen for info: 4-5 Georgiana 42nd annual Hank Williams Festival, 127 Rose St. Gates open at 2 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday. Among the musicians set to perform are T.G. Sheppard on Friday and Mark Wills on Saturday. Food and arts and crafts vendors will be on site. The museum will also be open for tours. Weekend pass is $40; Friday only is $20, and Saturday only is $30. HankWilliamsFestival.com in a private pond requires pond owner’s permission; some piers may also require fees and permits. OutdoorAlabama.com/fishing/ free-fishing-day 18-19 Marion 26th annual Marion Rodeo, Perry County Cattlemen’s Ralph Eagle Memorial Arena. Gates open at 6 p.m.; children’s events begin at 6:30, with the rodeo at 7:30. Event is sanctioned by the Professional CowBimboKohen@outlook.com 26-27 Guntersville Guntersville Lake Hydrofest, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. In addition to competitive boat racing, there will be activities for children and events in surrounding towns. For tickets and more info, visit GuntersvilleLakeHydrofest.com 4-5 Haleyville 9-1-1 Festival, 911 21st St. The first 9-1-1- phone call was made from boys Association and produced by the 3R Rodeo Company of Jemison. 334-410-0748. Haleyville on Feb. 16, 1968. This festival honors all police, fire and emergency personnel and includes a street dance on Friday, and a parade, arts and crafts, car show, food and children’s activities on Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. Free. HaleyvilleChamber.org 19 Brewton 40th annual Alabama Blueberry Festival, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Jennings Park. Free. Arts and crafts, antique car show, children’s area, live entertainment and plenty of blueberry ice cream, cobbler and crunch. Search for the event’s page on Facebook.

JULY

3Anniston Noble Street Festival, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pro bike racing, children’s races, KidZone, live music, local cuisine and more to benefit Calhoun County Relay for Life. Search for the event’s page on Facebook. 3-4 Decatur Spirit of America Festival and Fireworks Show, Point Mallard Park. Annual Fourth of July celebration, featuring live music, family games, sports tournaments, food and craft vendors and fireworks. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 3 and 12 to 9 p.m. July 4. Fireworks begin around 9 p.m. SpiritofAmericaFestival.org

23-Aug. 1

Florence W.C. Handy Music Festival. Details are still being planned; follow the event’s Facebook page for updates.

SUMMER

Statewide “Water/Ways,” a traveling exhibit that explores the role that water plays in human society and culture and the importance of protecting this critical resource. The exhibit is made possible by a partnership between the Alabama Humanities Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution Museum’s Museum on Main Street program, which gives access to the Smithsonian for small-town America. The first stop is June 26 at Oakville Indian Mounds Education Center in Danville; the second is Aug. 20 at Guntersville Museum. Alabamahumanities.org and MuseumOnMainStreet.org

Aug. 20-21

Russellville 40th annual Franklin County Watermelon Festival. Music, contests and entertainment, as well as arts and crafts, 5K run, antique car and truck show, festival foods, tractor show and of course watermelon. Follow the event’s pages on Instagram and Facebook.

Call or verify events before you make plans to attend. Due to the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, some events may change or be canceled after press time.

To place an event, e-mail events@alabamaliving.coop. or visit www.alabamaliving.coop. You can also mail to Events Calendar, P.O. Box 244014, Montgomery, AL 36124; Each submission must include a contact name and phone number. Deadline is two months prior to issue date. We regret that we cannot publish every event due to space limitations.

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7innovations by Alabamians

By Marilyn Jones

It takes a special kind of person to see a need and create something to fulfill that need.

Every object and concept had its beginning. Who came up with the idea and carried it through to completion?

There are many inventive Alabama residents. Think about Saturn V and all the men and women who developed it at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. The Saturn V was a rocket built to send people to the moon. It was the most powerful rocket that had ever flown successfully.

Auto safety

Mary Anderson was no rocket scientist, but she invented something every driver depends on when they get behind the wheel. Born in 1866 in Greene County, this unassuming inventor is responsible for the windshield wiper.

While on a 1903 trip to New York, Anderson saw a need. While riding a streetcar on a snowy day, she watched the agitated driver stick his head out of the window and, at times, stop the vehicle to get out and clean the windshield in order to see where he was going.

When she returned to Alabama, she drew up a design for a window cleaning device to remove snow, ice, or sleet from a streetcar windshield. She was awarded a patent on Nov. 10, 1903.

Unfortunately, at the time, no one understood the value of her vision. When the patent expired in 1920, she had all but given up trying to market the device. By this time, automobiles were common, and the demand for the invention skyrocketed. But Anderson removed herself from the fray, allowing corporations and other business people access to her original conception.

She never made any money from her invention. Once the patent expired, the auto industry started using her basic design.

She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2011.

Seventy years later, George F. Kirchoff, a laid-off rocket engineer, started thinking about using some of the same ideas he learned in his former profession to improve auto safety. Although airbags were not a new concept, early designs lacked a mechanism that could inflate the bag quickly. They also lacked a reliable detection mechanism to indicate when to deploy.

The Birmingham native came up with a system that would inflate an airbag in milliseconds — enough time to cushion someone during an accident — and received numerous patents for the airbag system components.

Because of his success, automakers began to offer airbags in vehicles by the mid1970s. Today they are standard equipment on new cars and trucks.

PHOTO BY MARILYN JONES

Robert Jemison Van de Graaff invented the Van de Graaff Generator in 1930. PHOTO COURTESY MCWANE SCIENCE CENTER

The physicist and the chemist

Robert Jemison Van de Graaff of Tuscaloosa invented the Van de Graaff Generator in 1930. Better known as the device that makes your hair stand on end, the generators are actually used primarily as DC power supplies for linear atomic particle accelerators used for nuclear physics experiments. They are essentially two generators in series and can produce about 15 million volts.

Once an Alabama Power Company engineer, the physicist and inventor found widespread use for the generator, not only in atomic research but also in medicine and industry.

Many medical breakthroughs can be traced back to Alabama including those of Percy Julian. Born in Montgomery in 1899, the grandson of a former slave, Julian is responsible for synthesized physostigmine for the treatment of glaucoma and synthesized cortisone for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Julian fought through Jim Crow restrictions to graduate from DePauw University in Indiana as valedictorian, earn a master’s degree from Harvard University, and achieve a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Vienna.

He also invented a special foam that extinguishes gasoline and oil fires.

He received dozens of honors over the course of his career, and after his death, for his scientific work. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1990.

Waldo Lonsbury Semon invented vinyl used for a myriad of things, including record albums. PHOTO BY MARILYN JONES Turning 20 this year, Wikipedia attracts more than 15 billion views from visitors the world over every month. PHOTO BY MARILYN JONES

Vinyl and Wikipedia

Waldo Lonsbury Semon was working for the B.F. Goodrich Company as a researcher when he invented plasticized polyvinyl chloride, known as vinyl. It is the second most-produced plastic in the world. Today, hundreds of products are made from vinyl, including records, floor tiles, and surface coatings.

The Demopolis native was one of the nation’s most prolific chemists, creating more than 5,000 synthetic rubber compounds over his long career. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame at age 97.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Wikipedia. As a child in Huntsville, Jimmy Wales’ mother bought him a World Book Encyclopedia set and he never forgot the wonder of all that knowledge in one place.

After graduating from Auburn University and the University of Alabama, he and Larry Sanger co-founded Nupedia as a peer-reviewed online encyclopedia. From that sprang the nonprofit Wikipedia, which allows the public to access and edit all of the information.

Today Wikipedia exists in 300 languages with 55 million articles. Each month, it attracts more than 15 billion views from visitors the world over. The site is still being maintained voluntarily, with more than 250,000 contributors.

Alabama has a lot to be proud of. There are many inventors in this state — past, present, and future. As they say: “Necessity is the mother of invention.”

Information from National Inventors Hall of Fame, NASA, Encyclopedia of Alabama, OnlyInYourState.com, and Britannica.com

TV chef brings his superhero concept

to the Shoals

By Allison Law

Northwest Alabama is home to an eclectic mix of good restaurants (and we’ve featured several of them in Alabama Living magazine). The upscale, fine dining at Odette and George’s Steak Pit; the unparalleled views at the 360 Grille; the relaxed vibe under the rock at the Rattlesnake Saloon – each offers a unique culinary experience, either with food or atmosphere (or both).

Add Superhero Chefs to the list.

The Tuscumbia restaurant, a colorful addition to the historic building facades you’d expect in a downtown area, opened in 2019 to great fanfare in the “quad cities” area. Its unique name and concept – urban, eclectic fare with a Southern twist, with decor and entree names that pay tribute to some of America’s most beloved comic book characters – set it apart from just about anything else.

Its atmosphere and concept (built around a breakfast menu) are untraditional, as are some of the offerings: The Sub Zero Pancakes (blueberry hotcakes with lemon mascarpone sauce between) are a top seller; The Juggernaut is a red waffle sandwich with fried chicken, egg over hard, pepperjack cheese, “candy’d” bacon and honey.

About as untraditional as its founder, executive chef Darnell Ferguson, who brought the concept from his home base of Louisville, Kentucky, to Tuscumbia, population 8,400, which some might consider an unlikely spot to grow the franchise.

‘Good guy with a good story’

But for owner and entrepreneur Larry Lewis, Superhero Chefs is a perfect fit for his hometown.

Lewis is the CEO of BizTech, Huntsville’s oldest business incubator. A client wanted Lewis to meet this chef from Louisville who wanted to open a restaurant in Huntsville. Lewis wasn’t interested in restaurants at the time “because restaurants don’t make money.”

But a visit from Ferguson changed Lewis’ mind. Ferguson came to Huntsville and did a tasting, to which Lewis and his wife, Kim, were invited. “My wife fell in love with the food. He’s a good guy, with a good story.”

Originally from Ohio, Ferguson developed a love for cooking as a teenager, and was inspired by celebrity chefs like Emeril Lagasse, who were able to fuse their culinary talents with big personalities to create TV magic. Ferguson went to culinary school in Kentucky and was hand-picked to travel to Beijing, China, to cook for Team USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The “Supercakes” are three pancakes with layered fillings. The Reese’s Cup version features peanut butter between each layer. PHOTO COURTESY SUPERHERO CHEFS

Owner Larry Lewis.

The skills he showcased there earned him the nickname “Superchef” from his fellow student chefs.

But back in the U.S., a series of bad decisions threatened a promising career. He went to jail several times for selling drugs, was evicted and homeless for a time, and was unemployed for a year. Eventually, he resolved to focus on his food, start going to church and get serious about his life path.

He started doing pop-up breakfasts in the kitchens of Louisville restaurants that served lunch and dinner; the success of those breakfasts earned him some attention and led to his first Superhero Chefs restaurant in Louisville. Ferguson’s unique style for combining foods and flavors, his attention to detail in food presentation and his big smile have made for a successful combo and multiple restaurants.

That success earned notice from some of the heavy hitters in the culinary TV world: He’s been featured on “The Rachael Ray Show” (where he met Lagasse), “Guy’s Grocery Games,” “Beat Bobby Flay” and most recently, on two seasons of Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions,” a head-to-head competition show featuring some of the country’s best chefs. He’s produced his own cooking videos and is eager to continue developing the TV side of his career.

Superhero Chefs

104 S. Main St. Tuscumbia Tuscumbia, AL 35674 256-320-7502 Superherochefs.com Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday

Home in the Shoals

Businessman Lewis knew Ferguson’s concept would work in north Alabama. Though Lewis is based in Huntsville, his hometown is Tuscumbia, and he still has a home there. “I said (to Ferguson), hey, you’re going to be one of 20 restaurants opening in Huntsville in 2019,” Lewis says now, referring to the booming growth in the Rocket City. “But if you come down to the Shoals area, you will stand out. So we convinced him to come to the Shoals to look around.”

Ferguson did a tasting at the Rattlesnake Saloon for area leaders and toured the area. The historic building that now houses Superhero Chefs in downtown Tuscumbia had been vacant for a couple of years, but everyone involved saw potential.

“There was a definite vibe. I love the people there, love them to death. It’s a good place with good people,” Ferguson told al.com in 2019. Lewis bought the building in April 2019, and Ferguson brought a team of people down to completely renovate the space and hire and develop the staff. Superhero Chefs was open by the summer. “It was extremely fast! It was crazy!” Lewis says today.

Ferguson actually relocated his family to the Shoals area for the first year the restaurant was open, getting to know the area and the residents. Everything was going well until March 2020, when COVID-19 forced all restaurants to change their way of doing business. Like other places, Superhero Chefs pared back the staff and went to carryout only, but not at nearly the volume they were expecting (and needed) for a busy summer tourist season.

With community support, the restaurant was able to stay open until restrictions on in-person dining were lifted. The restaurant’s booths, each with a different superhero icon, as well as the villain-themed bar (even the drinks are named for the bad guys), are once again filled. There’s a back patio space that can accommodate live music.

But the big draw is the food. Operations manager Jaelin Kinnaird says Ferguson’s approach is fine dining at an affordable price in a family-friendly environment where “the food looks as good as it tastes.”

Besides the extensive breakfast menu, the lunch/dinner menu features a variety of specialties, burgers and sandwiches and salads. Kinnaird says the best seller is the War Eagle Burger, with sweet onion jam, smoked gouda cheese, sweet habanero pickles and “candy’d” bacon. (Not to worry, Bama fans: The Roll Tide Burger is topped with hot crab spread and pulled pork with a sweet and sour glaze.) The go-to appetizers are the Southern Egg Rolls, stuffed with mac and cheese, housemade greens, fried chicken and sweet potato sauce.

Kinnaird says for those who are overwhelmed by the menu, he first asks, “Are you sweet or savory? Because we offer the best of both worlds.”

Lewis and others hope this investment in downtown Tuscumbia will lead to others, and he and other partners have ideas in the works. “The whole idea is to try to generate traffic (here,)” Lewis says. “It’s a beautiful downtown. You’ve got the nice part at the end of Main Street here. … It just needs business and entertainment to draw people in.”

Above, Superhero Chefs is a colorful anchor for downtown Tuscumbia. PHOTO BY ALLISON LAW

Left, the Roll Tide burger and its friendly foe, the War Eagle burger, are favorites from the lunch and dinner menu.

Letters, continued from Page 10

Ken Stewart with his dog, Callie.

Appreciated column on dogs, cont’d

Yes, dogs do have souls, I know for a fact! Last year I lost our eight-year-old Aussie, Callie, to cancer. She was a rescue and she saved us more than we saved her. A few weeks after she had passed, I was sleeping and she came to me in a dream. When I saw her, I hugged her so hard that I woke myself up and that’s when I saw this small orb of light move from just left of my head up and to the right and vanish. To make sure I wasn’t still asleep, I reached over to the nightstand and touched the radio there.

I’ve been reading books by Michael Newton, Ph.D, (Destiny of Souls). He states that in a deep state of sleep, a person’s mind can be receptive to communications with souls. This is what I believed happened to me. Callie came back one last time to say bye to me. So yes, dogs do have souls and perhaps Bo will pay a visit to you, too. Sleep deeply and hope.

As my wife is fond of saying about dogs:

“They are all different and they are all good.”

Ken Stewart, Somerville

I have experienced the same loss. I lost all four Great Danes within a month. They were animals I shared my life with. Companions that never lost their love for me. My oldest male I told secrets to and will never share with anyone or thing in my life again. Those who don’t think they have souls have never looked into their eyes. I love all that you say and express. May God find a way for my true friends to meet me at the gate of heaven.

Charles Mulvey, Gulf Shores

You know dogs go to heaven ‘cause they do not have any original sin. My Daddy used to say, “Give a dog your heart and one day he will break it.” He always had a dog or two. Great story. The best part of Alabama Living is always at the end.

Charlie Runnels, Mentone

Veteran thanks restaurant

The restaurant you featured this month (May 2021) was Pruett’s BBQ in Gadsden. This restaurant is every bit as good as your article says it is. However, there is something they do which should be applauded. Each year on Veterans Day (November 11) they feed any veteran who comes in. All you have to do is come to the restaurant and they will feed you. You can order any item on the menu at no charge. As a veteran myself, I would like to say thank you to the wonderful people at Pruett’s. You will never know how much we veterans appreciate your kindness.

Steve Terrell, Hokes Bluff

And I thought I was poor

I really appreciate receiving Alabama Living; I read the articles cover to cover. I especially like Letters to the Editor and Mr. Jackson’s stories. I believe we so often take for granted the heating and cooling of our homes and do not appreciate the hard work involved in providing this much under-appreciated service.

When I was a child, our house did not have air conditioning. Like many families, we used a window fan to provide a quick refreshing breeze on those hot summer days and nights. In the winter, our house was kept warm from the old gas furnace that was built in the middle of the floor on the first level. Our family slept on the upper level of our two-story house and on most cold winter night’s that old furnace kept us warm. I suppose we all took for granted from where the electric came to run the fan, and the gas that kept the old furnace operating, or the hard work by others to insure the same.

I thought for the longest time we were poor. I remember other families having air conditioning, but not ours. As I grew older and set out on my own, I began to realize we were not poor. Air conditioning was a luxury and my parents had provided us children with everything we needed. I do admit, I sure learned to appreciate the luxury of that window fan in our boy’s room.

My Dad, at the age of 83, wrote the account of his life as a child growing up during the Depression in the hollows of Kentucky. I want to share a few of his words. I believe his life as a child is the true meaning of poor.

Dad was 15. His mother had passed, his father was bedridden from a stroke. Dad became the head of his family. He had to move his father from what he called the “holler house,” to a home closer to town. His words after finding their new home:

“I opened the door and hit was not in bad shape. Hit had a couple of winders knocked out and had a few holes in the floor but I knowed I could fix hit up real good. I found some old boards in the yard to cover the holes in the floor. I put plastic over the winders. The house had wires runnin in hit but did not look safe. We did not have fancy lamps to make light anyways. We used oil lamps for light and an old pot belly stove for heat.”

Dad had many stories that brought tears to my eyes. I believe in his heart he wanted to make certain his children never had to live the life he had, as a child. I have all my Dad’s stories to remind me that I have never been poor. Today we have all the luxuries of life and I feel we take this for granted.

I thank all your employees for the hard work they do to provide us with our air-conditioned and heated homes.

Dean Stevens, Foley

Nature sitting:

Ideas for kid-friendly activities outdoors

I’ve always known that gardens are good for children, but last spring and summer I discovered they are also good for grandmothers.

Limited school and daycare options in 2020 gave me a chance to spend lots of time with my six grandchildren who, at the time, ranged in age from 1 to 9. While I never kept all six at once without adult backup, I often had four of them all to myself at a time and my primary goal, other than keeping them safe, was to keep them engaged with something besides electronic gadgets.

Indoor crafts, games and even yoga (those sessions were particularly hilarious) helped, but the best option proved to be spending time outside. Sometimes sprinklers and wading pools were involved, or I’d pay each a small stipend to help fill bird feeders, pull weeds, plant herbs and flowers and perform other kidsafe gardening chores. Most often, however, we would explore and turn that exploration into a game or project. Here are a few that required little to no equipment or supplies.

Garden Hunt:

Each carrying a repurposed paper gift bag (I knew I was saving them for something), the kids and I wandered around my yard collecting random items such as pinecones, leaves, moss, feathers, rocks, flowers and the like. Once the hunt was over, they’d pour out their finds, count their booty and compare their treasures with one another.

Nature Art: Using empty boxes, craft paper and school glue, garden hunt items and other outdoor treasures became fairy and gnome houses and stunning works of collaged art.

Yard Spy: A walk around the yard, my neighborhood or a local park became an I Spy game for spotting birds, insects, trees, flowers and other natural wonders. We’d research them as we went. (Yes, a cell phone was involved with that project.)

Stick Houses: We collected fallen sticks and branches and stacked or lashed them together with string to make lean-tos and forts. (No, they were not up to code, but they were safe.)

It’s probably obvious that I had no idea what I was doing, and the results weren’t always idyllic — sometimes the forts collapsed, sometimes the heat or bugs were more than any of us could bear and there were often fusses among the grands that required me to totally abandon my unflappable, doting grandma persona. Still, we apparently made good memories because now when the kiddos come to visit, they often ask to be outside. They also accidentally learned about plants, animals, life cycles, and even such basics as math, science, colors and more.

It proved what Susan Forbes, outreach liaison with the multi-faceted gardeningfocused nonprofit O Grows in Opelika, recently said to me: “Everything you need to know about life, you can learn from a garden.” I’m taking Susan’s words to heart as I head out into the garden this summer with the grandkids, though I will also have longer, better researched list of ideas that I’ve gathered from a variety of sources. If you’re a parent, grandparent, caregiver or educator looking for ideas, check out the resources below. And share your own with me at katielamarjackson@gmail.com or on Alabama Living’s Facebook page (@ AlabamaLivingMagazine).

Katie Jackson is a freelance writer and editor based in Opelika, Alabama. Contact her at katielamarjackson@gmail.com.

JUNE TIPS

• Plant seed and transplants for summer vegetables such as beans, corn, southern peas and melons, tomatoes and peppers. • Keep an eye out for insect and disease problems on all plants and treat as needed. • Water lawns only when the grasses show signs of drought stress. See guidelines on the aces.edu website. • Keep an eye on water needs for potted plants, which dry out faster in hot, dry weather. • Mulch newly planted trees and shrubs to reduce water loss and protect roots from heat stress. • Plant seed for heat-loving annual herbs such as basil, dill and parsley and for most perennial herbs such as sage, rosemary and thyme.

RESOURCES

Local botanic, public and community gardens, parks and wildlife centers often have children’s gardening and outdoor programs and resources; local schools may also have summer gardening programs. In addition, try these:

• Kids Gardening, a national nonprofit providing resources for educators and caregivers: KidsGardening.org • Junior Master Gardener programs, available in many Alabama counties through the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Aces.edu/blog/topics/outdoor-ed-

ucation-4-h/junior-master-gardener

• The Garden Club of Alabama has a variety of project ideas for kids on their website, GardenClubofAlabama.org • Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots: Gardening Together with Children is one of several award-winning and idea-filled books by Sharon Lovejoy, all of which are chock full of ideas and inspiration.