Letters from clam song began by me as a way of sharing with my two great nephews jack hardy wurth and henry james wurth currently four years old and two years old what their auntie's life was like during 2007-2008. i wanted them to have a picture as it were of how i lived with my miniature dachshund chauncey during that time. i also thought they would come to know what it was like for a single woman to live in a very natural setting. clam song is the name of my home and property (1.19 acres) based on a poem written by my friend, leslie wilson after she visited the untouched land with me. once chauncey and i became full time year long residents in our newly built home i began to use e-mail as a means of sharing our clam bayou and island experiences. eventually my cousin jane hardy and i evolved into daily e-mails. jane and her husband steve live near boston. jane is the director of athletics and physical education department chair at shady hill school so at times my letters reflect our mutual professional careers. the book is really an account of day to day living with the environment as well as the mundane. three of the concepts i hope jack and henry and those who choose to read letters from clam song will learn is the necessity of protecting our natural environment of spending time enjoying it and learning from its inhabitants and the importance of volunteering. throughout the book there are references to my volunteer work especially with the ding darling national wildlife refuge, the sanibel wildlife committee and the international osprey foundation. there are also accounts of beach walking activities with chauncey clam bayou is located next to the gulf of mexico as well as walking and biking hours through island preserves, the refuge and bike paths. since clam bayou provides a habitat for a variety of birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects there are observations and sightings. of course the day to day living events are also included. such events include the changing from septic system to city sewer system, the loss of a washing machine, chauncey's operation or the problems with cable and computer connections! the reader will also learn more about my cousin jane and my immediate family who came from arizona to celebrate my 65th birthday during the time period. most of all kayaking in clam bayou with its many acres of water and inhabitants is a favorite activity and topic. luckily chauncey makes an excellent first mate on shorter trips and thus the picture of us on the back cover of the book. perhaps that says it best as to how we are to live our lives.