Many years ago, as a young woman, Janet Elaine Smith flew away to Venezuela as a missionary. "You arent even old enough to vote!" her mother protested loudly. But, she was undaunted. And she practically became a national before long. Such habits as carrying her accordion on her head and pointing with her pursed lips were as common place as ordering a coke had been.

Life was perhaps strange, to some people's way of thinking. She lived in the plains, which the Venezuelans called the llanos, and learned to eat iguana and goat meat. She traveled to the desert, where one woman had painted tulips all around the mud house after Janet left a magazine there. She went to the little towns in the mountains and up to the coast on the peninsula, where she actually swam to Aruba (with a boat load of fishermen by her side).

But the ultimate experience came when a missionary pilot asked her to accompany him down the Amazon to view Angel Falls. As the plane wove it way through the air, following the twists and turns of the mighty river, they seemed suspended in space as they watched the steam rising from the mighty falls. The highest water falls in the world. Even above the roar of the engines, the water sounded like thunder booming in the wilderness. The rain forest. Nobody had even heard the term then. It was not in danger. But it was an experience one never forgets.

And now it is Monday Knight's turn. Yes, it is almost as if she has been cloned. We all know she is still on tour with Smash Mouth. But then why, oh why, do people keep saying they have seen her on the Amazon? It is as mystifying as the Elvis sightings. Could it really be? Is Monday Knight somewhere deep in the jungles of Venezuela, following in the steps of her mentor and creator? How did she get there? Will she ever make it out?

For any of you who check the ratings of your favorite author on amazon.com, you will no doubt have done this. Do a search for the author by name. When their books show up on the screen, get them listed by "Bestselling" category. For Monday Knight, this was a fun thing to do. You see, Monday Knight had hardly been born or seen the light of day when Smash Mouth discovered her. If you had checked the listings for Janet Elaine Smith on that fateful Thursday, you would have seen poor Monday dragging along as No. 8 on the list of Janet's 8 books. But, wait! Another day has passed! Do it again the day after she left with Smash Mouth! Hark! Is that? Can it be? Yes, my faithful readers, Monday Knight has suddenly risen to the No. 1 spot on the list on amazon.com. Monday Knight successfully climbed the Amazon and made it all the way to the top!
Gotcha!!!