"If you're going to have two faces at least make one of them pretty" - Marilyn Monroe
Driving 1,700 miles from Houston to a small upstate New York hamlet (I’d rather not disclose where for fear I may get visitors) with my two dogs gave me an opportunity to see some of the country’s most beautiful landscapes as I passed through states like Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Each had its own character, its own shape, its own voice. The blue mountains of Tennessee are appropriately named but nothing can prepare you for how breathtaking they are. I'm astounded at how much beauty there is in the world.
I arrived in my dilapidated hunter’s cabin to find the place in pretty decent shape. The grass had only grown chest high and required a mere three days of weed whacking to tame. The washer/dryer combo that promised to use next to no energy very little water and certified hunky dory for the environment, stubbornly refused to drain. It held my clothes hostage in lukewarm water for three days. As it happened not having the modern convenience of a washer/dryer was a wonderful introduction to the world of "laundry meditation." A tub, some water, and good old elbow grease and I’m really feeling like Laura Ingalls Wilder. Lastly, a sturdy line that will hold it all in place until the sun bleaches my clothes with warmth.
A noisy 4th of July holiday weekend came and went and the mountainside settled down to its own rhythms. Wild turkey, raccoons, bear, deer, hawks, chipmunks, robins, beavers, and woodpeckers were just a few of the animals I could a identify – there were many more I’d never seen before including a few snakes that angrily slithered around exposed to the sun and predators thanks to the weed whacker. Now what does this all have to do with writing? Everything!
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| Hudson Valley - Copyright David Oliveras 2011 |
Traveling exposes you wonderful new environments rich in detail and color. It hones your powers of observation. It forces you into the unknown (where adventure breeds).
What better entertainment than a classic from one of my favorite authors. John Steinbeck’s, Travels with Charly: In Search of America
” was one of those books I always meant to read but never got around to. I had an old audiobook on cassette (unabridged, of course) and I spent many hours on the road reading about Steinbeck’s perspective on what he saw. He made his trip in the early 1960s. Times were certainly different. What a wonderful piece of social commentary. It was especially wonderful to read Steinbeck's comments on civil rights as an African American sits in the Oval Office. Highly recommended!
” was one of those books I always meant to read but never got around to. I had an old audiobook on cassette (unabridged, of course) and I spent many hours on the road reading about Steinbeck’s perspective on what he saw. He made his trip in the early 1960s. Times were certainly different. What a wonderful piece of social commentary. It was especially wonderful to read Steinbeck's comments on civil rights as an African American sits in the Oval Office. Highly recommended! This week's suggested website: The Purdue Online Writing Lab (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/) (OWL) has over 200 high quality grammar and writing resources.
This week's writing prompt: Give yourself five uninterrupted minutes of quiet time. Draw an imaginary map. It can be a vast landscape of mountains or a ultra modern urban layout. Populate this place with landmarks and vivid detail. When you're ready allow a character you've been working on to wander through this place. What happens?
