here it is, still: the actual copy of the first Dashiell Hammett novel I ever read, and I have been stalking the man since. every winter we stop at his grave after leaving a wreath for George, JP and I drove past the farm where Hammett was born (a month or two before Peter arrived), and just last fall I made a repeat pilgrimage to San Francisco, taking time to leave some of my father’s ashes at the site where the first character dies. some things just stay with you. #theblackbird #ocl #ocl4lyfe #learntostutter (at Ocean County Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnJ-0gHhjHtmtf6mkN3Nt79g71gFUVmHImF3Fs0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=uj5hn7z7udc0