Shady Neighbors
Thom Powell is an author, science teacher, expert kayaker, and whitewater river guide.  His previous literary work, the widely acclaimed 'The Locals,' revolutionized bigfoot/sasquatch field research when it was published in 2003. Many of the radical ideas that were first presented in this seminal volume have gained wide acceptance among today's bigfoot researchers.  His new book is another first: a novel that incorporates some of Thom's unique revelations about the bigfoot phenomenon in an original and entertaining story. Thom has also been a lifelong fan of major league and youth baseball, mis-spending much of his own youth at Cleveland Stadium, watching the Cleveland Indians lose game after game.  His love of the game (and the life lessons it offers) figures prominently in the plot of 'Shady Neighbors.'  Back in the mid-1980's Thom was also the first kayaker in the western U.S. to pioneer the use of a new style of stunt kayak know as a 'squirt boat' that is capable of underwater maneuvers. Virtually all whitewater kayaks now incorporate design elements borrowed from these tiny kayaks that were once so radically different. Thom is known for coining the phrase 'mystery move' to describe the squirt boater's most impressive underwater maneuver. Mr. Powell is a dynamic, veteran science teacher of 26 years experience at Robert Gray Middle School in the Hillsdale neighborhood of southwest Portland.  He lives with his family beside the Clackamas River near Oregon City.