The Journey

Aftermath: Novel Revision Retreat

2012-01-16T20:18:00.006-06:00

Using the word aftermath in the title of this post is not the best word choice, but it's the best I can come up with after an exhausting weekend of learning revision techniques.

The retreat was phenomenal. The people at the retreat were terrific. The location was beautiful. The facilities were excellent (the chairs in our work room were fabulous - I could actually touch the floor!). The food was delicious - I didn't even eat that much on cruises!

On to the retreat, though. As I said, we were assigned to groups of four. We sat with them and discussed each other's manuscripts all weekend. My group's work was wonderful, promising and encouraging. Each of them had work that was distinctly different from mine and from the other people in our group. I can't wait to read the published versions of their works, and I do believe that all of them have the potential to be published.

Throughout the retreat, I learned ways to add depth and improve my novel. I have lots to do, but I'm ready to get to work.

Thanks, Darcy and Houston SCBWI, for a wonderful retreat!

Novel Revision Retreat

2011-12-31T21:03:00.003-06:00

In a couple of weeks I'll be attending a novel revision retreat led by author Darcy Pattison and sponsored by Houston SCBWI. I don't really know what to expect from the retreat.

We had to read two books ahead of time and submit a completed novel. From those submitted novels, we were assigned to groups of four participants, and we got copies of each others' manuscripts to read.

I've read the assigned texts and the manuscripts – one was a contemporary middle grade and the other two were middle-grade fantasy. Mine was an historical novel for young adults.

I enjoyed the manuscripts. I'm looking forward to meeting the writers.

Hope I learn lots at the retreat. I really want to improve my writing. And then I hit the road for conferences in February and March.

Vacation: Bruges

2011-11-19T19:49:00.007-06:00

For the final part of our trip, we departed England in a ferry and headed across the North Sea to Belgium. Ever since we saw the movie In Bruges, Mom and I have wanted to visit the "fairy tale city," and this was our chance.

We weren't disappointed.

We took a canal ride and the captain gave the tour in English (for Mom and me) and French (for everyone else on the boat). He switched back and forth with ease, making jokes in both languages. His ease with languages was amazing and also made me jealous. I wish I could do that.

In addition to the Belgians having a sickening ease with multiple languages, we even saw Madonna and Child, a Michelangelo sculpture, in the Church of Our Lady.

Breathtaking! Even better than the replica of the Pieta we saw in Sainte Anne de Beaupre, Quebec.

I climbed all 366 steps to top of the Belfort and got to hear the bells pealing. It was glorious.

I got to see a vial of Christ's blood in the Basilica of the Holy Blood.

And, of course, we ate lots and lots of delicious chocolate.

Even when we left, we were ready to go back. Bruges was amazing! Everyone should visit.

We took the train through the Chunnel back to London for our flight home.

Vacation: The Lake District

2011-11-17T20:03:00.003-06:00

On a cold, drizzly, windy day we drove over narrow, twisty, hilly roads to the Lake District. We stopped briefly at Lake Ullswater

before moving on down the road past miles of stone walls. They were built up the sides of hills.

I have no idea how much effort that took, but I can't imagine being the poor soul who had to haul the stones up there and build a fence.

Then we took the world's narrowest two-lane road

to Ambleside where we road a boat across Lake Windermere, caught a water taxi and then a bus to Hill Top Farm.

Hill Top Farm was Beatrix Potter's home. Pictures weren't allowed inside, but we could caught a glimpse of Peter Rabbit in the garden.

It was a cold, dreary day, and we were glad to return to our bed and breakfast.

Hadrian's Wall

2011-11-15T18:40:00.008-06:00

We left Scotland and headed south into England to see Hadrian's Wall. Construction on the wall began in 122. Upon its completion, the wall was almost 80 miles long and stretched across northern England.

It was so cold and so windy.

But seeing the wall and parts of structures that are still standing after almost 2 millennia was worth the poor weather.

Mom loves Roman history, and this part of the trip was a highlight for her. Look at her smile!

Vacation: Traveling South

2011-11-10T19:00:00.007-06:00

As we left Edinburgh, we went to Rosslyn Chapel.

Construction on the chapel was begun in 1456. Both the outside and inside are covered in ornate carvings.

And there were also various gargoyles and faces carved into the stone.

Everywhere we looked there was some other ornate carving to see. Unfortunately, photos aren't allowed inside the chapel.

Some of the carvings depict items that weren't known in Scotland at the time they were carved - such as corn - leading many stories to develop around the chapel. There are also theories that Rosslyn Chapel is connected to the Knights Templar and the Freemasons.

After the chapel we drove and drove to Jedburgh to see Jedburgh Abbey. The ruined abbey sits on a bluff right in the middle of town, looming over the residents like a fallen guardian.

It is beautiful.

Jedburgh Abbey was established in the 1100s. All that remains now is a shadow of what it once was. But what a shadow!

While we were at the abbey, we asked the helpful salesperson in the gift shop if there was a McDonald's in town. We were desperate for a burger. There wasn't one in Jedburgh, but he told us there was one in a nearby town. Off we went for the best McDonald's hamburger I have ever eaten!

The next day we left Scotland

and drove into England.

Vacation: HMY Britannia

2011-11-07T20:11:00.005-06:00

After the Go Ape Adventure, Inchmahome Priory and Doune Castle, we returned to Edinburgh. Our final stop in Edinburgh was Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia.

The Britannia was built in 1953 and retired in 1997.

The boat was luxurious without seeming ostentatious.

In addition to carrying the royal family, it included marines and sailors - some of whom had to store 21 different uniforms (plus band instruments!) in a tiny space.

Even the engine room was pristine!

Since there was a tea room on board, Mom and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to dine onboard a royal yacht. We had Edinburgh tea

and a slice of chocolate cake.

We expected the cake to be dry, but it was phenomenally good. Quite delicious!

Vacation: Go Ape Adventure

2011-11-02T18:20:00.007-05:00

I've been sidetracked from the vacation posts while I was editing my young adult novel. But I need to finish these, so here goes!

As I said in my last post, before we went to Inchmahome Priory and Doune Castle, I spent the morning climbing trees and swinging on zip lines.

In the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, the Go Ape Adventure has five sites set up amongst the trees.

Those sites involve climbing up into the trees - a good 30 feet off the ground and moving from tree to tree through various methods. After a brief training and safety lesson, you're off on your own.

Yes, those are my tiny feet.

Some of the ladders were rope, and some were wood. Both required using the safety equipment to climb. By the time I hit the last site, I didn't think I had the strength to climb any more blasted ladders! My arms felt like they were going to fall off, and my hands had no more grip left. And the rain in the middle of my experience didn't help!

But I struggled through the last site and made it to the final zip line - 426 meters long (which is almost 466 yards).

The safety equipment that was all there was between me and certain death. I clung to this (the blue line, per the safety instructions!) for dear life.

The zip lines were my favorite parts. I had always seen people using them on The Amazing Race, and they looked like such fun. Turns out, they're even more fun than they appear on TV. I would go on another zip line in a heartbeat.

I spent all my time in the park playing in the trees and swinging on zip lines. What I did see of the park was glorious. A beautiful spot for a day out from Edinburgh or a short holiday.

And this was me at the end of the day. Exhausted, but exhilarated. Filthy and fabulous.

Vacation: Stirling and Surrounds

2011-08-21T15:11:00.009-05:00

On we drove from Inverary to Stirling, driving past Loch Lomond. The day began dreary and rainy, so our view of the lake wasn’t that beautiful. Whether we took the low road or the high road, we did get to see Loch Lomond. Although there weren’t that many pull-outs for us to get a good photo.

Then we drove on to Stirling Castle through sunshine, rain and fog. We also had to circle around the town twice before we found the way to the castle parking lot.

Once we finally got to the castle, we saw the largest medival hall in Scotland. Originally built in 1503, the roof was reconstructed in 1997.

From the castle, we could see the Wallace Monument.

Despite some vague directions (‘go to the roundabout and follow the university signs’), we managed to get there.

Mom waited in the parking lot while I climbed the short, steep hill and then all 246 steps in the monument.

The monument, built in the 1860s, to honor William Wallace stands 220 feet tall.

Inside the monument, I saw Wallace’s sword.

It stands 66 inches long from end to end, which means Wallace himself must have stood about 6 feet, 6 inches tall. That’s tall now, let alone in the 1200s.

After making it back down all the steps and the hill, Mom and I drove to the Corrie Glen Bed & Breakfast for the night.

The next day, I spent the morning climbing trees and swinging on zip lines, but I’ll post about that another time.

After the zip lines, we went to Inchmahome Priory. The priory is on an island in the Lake of Menteith, the only lake in Scotland.

Getting to the priory was a bit odd. We parked, walked to the end of the dock and flipped a board from the black side to the white side. This indicated that someone was waiting to picked up and brought to the island.

The boat ride over was so nice, and the pilot was super friendly. She answered all our questions about Scottish wildlife, and we told her about American animals.

The priory itself was so peaceful. I could see the appeal of being a monk at Inchmahome. The quiet and solitude were lovely.

The ruins and setting soothed.

Mom and I walked around the island and saw sweet chestnut trees that were 500 years old.

They looked like the tree the giant toad lives in in Pan’s Labyrinth. They also looked half dead, and we wondered how they could still be alive.

The whole of Inchmahome was a favorite stop for Mom and I on our vacation.

From there we visited Doune Castle.

On the advice of the boat pilot at Inchmahome, we listened to the audio tour. Normally, we don’t do the audio tours, but this one was done by Terry Jones. Why Terry Jones? Well, Doune Castle was used quite a bit in the filming of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Listening to the audio tour, you were given options to hear bits from the movie. I could always tell when someone was listening to Monty Python - they had silly expressions on their faces.

Doune Castle was where the French taunting took place.

It was also Castle Anthrax.

It was Swamp Castle.

And even Camelot.

Mom and I thoroughly enjoyed Doune Castle (and the audio tour). We even took a picture of another group of American tourists using coconuts and ‘riding’ to the castle door.

Awesome!

Vacation: The Road to Stirling

2011-07-23T21:25:00.008-05:00

After leaving the Isle of Skye, we drove to Glenfinnan on the side of Loch Shiel.

The loch has been featured as the Black Lake in some of the Harry Potter movies. Another site in Glenfinnan that can be seen in the movies is the Glenfinnan Viaduct.

The viaduct was built between 1897 and 1901 out of concrete, even though it looks like stone.

I also climbed the Glenfinnan Monument.

The monument was erected in 1815. It was built to honor the raising of Bonnie Prince Charlie's standard on a nearby hill in 1745.

The opening to get onto the ledge was extremely tiny, and more terrifying to climb back down rather than crawl out.

But the views were spectacular!

Traveling on, we drove through Glencoe - a stunning area of Scotland.

The weather went from sunshine to heavy rain in a matter of moments on a fifteen-mile stretch of road.

We spent the night in Inverary and visited the Inverary Jail. The jail consisted of a courthouse, the old jail and the new jail.

The old jail, built in 1820, had no heat or ventilation and eventually became overcrowded and unsanitary.

The new jail, built in 1848, was a model prison upon completion. It included heat, ventilation and room for exercising in foul weather.

One of the cells contained a hard labor machine.

The convict was required to turn the crank 14,400 number of times a day. A dial on the side of the machine kept track. If the warden was feeling particularly cruel, he could tighten the handle and make turning it difficult.

Visitors are allowed to try this machine, so I did. It wasn’t tough work for the two times I turned the handle, but it would become boring and exhausting very quick.

When we left Inverary, we drove past Loch Lomond. The day was dreary, and there weren’t enough pull-outs on the side of the road to take a photo.

We arrived in Stirling that afternoon.

Vacation: On the Isle of Skye

2011-07-14T06:30:00.007-05:00

Our first stop on Skye was a grocery store. Mom was amazed to discover that the use of a shopping cart cost one pound.

Needless to say, we chose to use a handheld basket.

One of the things Mom and I enjoy doing on trips to other countries is to stop in a grocery store or department store and look for differences. We also try to buy some cookies or candy or potato chips that are not available in the United States.

Since we were in Scotland, I bought an Irn-Bru, which is a Scottish soda.

Drinking it was a unique experience - it smelled like Big Red, looked like Sunkist and tasted like orange-flavored Sprite. Not bad, but not what I was expecting.

After our brief visit to the grocery store, which wasn’t all that spacious - about the size of a large house, we drove on to Greenacres, our bed and breakfast in Portree.

For supper that night, we went to Portree and ate at a hotel in town. I had beef stew with neeps and tatties - otherwise known as turnips and potatoes - and discovered I really liked the turnips.

On our first full day on the Isle of Skye, we set out - with Mom driving - to search for Kilmuir Graveyard and Duntulm Castle. These proved a bit difficult to find, especially since the road we were on was narrower than the car, included passing places every 500 feet or so, and was in worse shape than the gravel road I grew up on. But this road was blacktopped!

The road also went up the side of a hill, so Mom and I were convinced we were going to die. It was as scary as Independence Pass, especially when the cars we met coming from the other direction refused to slow down.

We survived but only just.

To take our minds off that awful road, we drove to Dunvegan Castle, the home of the MacLeod clan chiefs since at least the 1500s.

The best part of this castle was that it had a dungeon in it. A real dungeon! The prisoner would be dragged up to the third floor, shoved into a little room and dropped down a hole (or maybe forced down a ladder, but I saw no ladder) into the pit.

Awesome.

On another floor, there were some back stairs from the kitchen. Along the wall was a small slit that allowed the smells of the food to waft into the dungeon so the prisoner could get a whiff of the food he would not be eating and cause further torment.

Wow.

That’s punishment.

We also wandered around the grounds of the castle. Even though it rained off and on while we walked through the grounds, the flowers glowed.

We saw rhododendrons in colors we didn’t even know they could.

Next we drove down another narrow road (but not as narrow as that earlier road!) to find Knock Castle. This castle is a ruin on the side of the road and not set up for tourists. Mom had read something online that said you could walk up to it and explore at your own risk. But we couldn’t figure out how to do this.

The Isle of Skye’s scenery is breathtaking.

It seemed to change as the color of the sky changed - dramatic with gray storm clouds, peaceful with bright blue sky.

We visited another hotel restaurant for hamburgers. Mom and I were hungry for one at this point in time. Unfortunately, they weren’t cooked all the way through. The manager comped our meals, but we were still wanting a hamburger.

The next day we visted Armadale Castle - a ruin with only walls and a staircase remaining.

Perfect. I loved this place. The view of the sea was stunning.

The grounds were amazingly beautiful.

And there were even peacocks!

After that visit we took the ferry from Armadale to Mallaig and back to mainland Scotland -

which sounds odd considering we were going from one island to another.

Vacation: The Road to Skye

2011-07-10T19:26:00.007-05:00

We picked up our rental car and traveled out of Edinburgh toward Birnam to see the Birnam Oak. Once we arrived, parked and paid to go to the bathroom (and to park), we walked through town and down to the River Tay.

We stopped at a little tea shop and discovered Earl Grey Blue Flower tea. Delicious! Even Mom, who does not like hot tea, loved it.

After some fits and starts, we found the trail for the Birnam Oak. The path wound by the river and eventually, after Mom sat down to rest, I found the tree.

Actually I found two trees - the Birnam Oak and the Birnam Sycamore.

The Birnam Oak is a relic of the Birnam Wood, which is referenced in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” It is entirely possible that Shakespeare himself saw the Birnam Oak. It is 24 feet in circumference.

The Birnam Sycamore, at 25 feet around, is actually larger than the Birnam Oak. However, it is estimated to only be about 300 years old.

When we left Birnam, I drove to the Highland Folk Museum. A living history museum that includes a recreated 1700s village.

The houses were so dark inside! Not even a candle to help you see. I had to use the flashlight app on my cell phone, so I wouldn’t trip over any furniture or holes in the earth floors.

There was also a recreated school from the 1930s.

While teachers in England used the cane, teachers in Scotland used the strap. The interpreter popped the strap on the floor for us, and it sounded like the crack of a bullwhip. Very loud and scary.

The school day lasted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and students were required to bring a peat brick every day for the fire.

Then I drove on to our hotel - The Loch Ness Clansman - on the side of Loch Ness. We did not see Nessie.

The next day we visited Urquhart Castle.

The earliest parts of the castle date from the 1300s. The views of the castle, Loch Ness and the surrounding countryside were spectacular. We spent much more time at Urquhart Castle than we really planned, but it was so lovely. Mom and I loved it.

I drove on to Eilean Donan Castle, which is one of the most photographed castles in Scotland.

Eilean Donan was built between 1912 and 1932 by members of the MacRae clan. It includes a memorial to those clan members who have died in the Great War.

Once we left Eilean Donan, walking past a busload of French-speaking tourists at the entrance, we took the bridge over to the Isle of Skye.

Vacation: Edinburgh

2011-06-10T19:58:00.005-05:00

After arriving in Edinburgh, we went to our hotel thinking we wouldn’t be able to get into our room until that afternoon. Lucky for us the room was available, and we could rest there for a bit before taking in the city.

Our first day in Edinburgh took us to the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Parliament re-formed in 1999 after being disbanded in 1707. The new parliament building opened in 2004.

Being in such a new government building (especially considering the age of many buildings throughout Scotland) was interesting. Most of the building is made of concrete and includes architectural references to Scotland and democracy throughout. The architect, however, died before the building was completed.

The day we toured the parliament was also election day, so there were no MSPs around. In fact, they had to move all items from their offices. The election resulted in an overwhelming victory for the Scottish National Party.

After our tour, we walked part of the Royal Mile. The Scottish Parliament, across the street from Holyrood Palace is at one end of the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle is at the other. The walk from the parliament to the castle is, of course, all uphill.

We had scarcely walked two blocks before Mom saw a cafe that had lemonade on the menu. Walking inside the cozy space, we sat down. I ordered the tea and scone special, and Mom ordered her lemonade. When the drinks arrived, I had my tea and scone. Mom had a glass of clear liquid with little bubbles rising up in it. She tasted it and made a sour face. The “lemonade” was actually Sprite – which my mother does not like. So, she ordered a hot chocolate, and I drank the “lemonade.”

After we left the cafe, we visited Canongate Kirk, which was built in 1691. The interior of the church was beautiful and peaceful and welcoming. The cemetery around the church is also the final resting place of Adam Smith.

Our next stop was St. Giles’ Cathedral.

Inside were numerous memorials, including one to Robert Louis Stevenson

and James Young Simpson.

Once we left St. Giles, we found Greyfriars Kirk. Greyfriars is the final resting place of John Gray, an Edinburgh police officer. John Gray owned a terrier named Bobby who stood by Gray’s grave for fourteen years. There is a statue of the little dog near the church,

and Greyfriars Bobby’s story has been told in books and movies.

The next day we got our rental car, a blue Vauxhall Corsa,

and left Edinburgh for our tour around Scotland.

We returned to the city the next week and finished walking the Royal Mile. Then we visited Edinburgh Castle.

Inside the castle walls, we saw St. Margaret’s Chapel which is the oldest building on the castle grounds and dates to the early 1100s.

We also visited the Scottish National War Memorial.

The building was originally built to honor those Scots who died in the Great War but has since been dedicated to those who have died in all subsequent wars. The inside of the building, in which photography was not allowed, listed the various regiments of the military branches and the number of soldiers who died in each regiment. The sheer amount of people who were slaughtered in World War I was staggering. And these numbers referred only to those from Scotland. I had always heard that World War I killed nearly an entire generation of British men, but until I saw the numbers carved in stone on the walls of that memorial I had never been truly understood that fact.

We also saw The Honours of Scotland, which are the Scottish crown jewels. These are the oldest set of crown jewels in the British Isles and include a crown, a sceptre and a sword. The exhibit also included the Stone of Destiny.

After we left Edinburgh Castle, we walked to the Museum of Scotland and looked at some of the exhibits. One of the highlights for me being the Maiden.

a precursor to the guillotine. Since I’ve written a young adult novel set during the French Revolution, seeing this instrument of execution, which so closely resembles the French one, brought the details closer for me.

On our final day in Edinburgh, we toured Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia. But that needs to be its own post because it was amazing.

Vacation: The Trip to Scotland

2011-06-09T19:27:00.005-05:00

We flew direct from Houston to London. During the flight, I watched Season of the Witch with Nicolas Cage, and it was awful - a prime candidate for a bad movie night with a group of friends. I tried sleeping, but it was difficult. The flight was quite rough. Mom said it was the worst flight she had ever been on.

Although one person didn’t find it difficult to sleep. I don't how he could breathe with that blanket wrapped around his head.

Once we arrived in London,

we took the Tube to Euston Station and picked up our train tickets for the trip to Edinburgh. But our train didn’t leave until midnight, and we had almost 12 hours to spend in London.

Since the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton had happened less than a week before our arrival, Mom and I went to Westminster Abbey.

The flowers and trees placed in the church for the wedding were still inside. Pictures aren’t allowed inside the abbey, but I sneaked this one of the trees.

The trees were just as lovely in person as they were on television, but what the TV cameras didn’t really pick up were the flowers. They were subtle and scattered throughout the church in just the right places lending the entire abbey a sense of the outdoors that was not there when we first visited in 2009.

After that visit, we hung around the train station and people-watched for many an hour. Finally the train arrived. We took the Caledonian Sleeper from London to Edinburgh. The hall was tiny.

The room was tiny.

The bathroom was down the hall, and the faucet didn’t work. But after being awake for nearly two days, we slept.

Heading Out

2011-05-01T16:33:00.004-05:00

It's vacation time again. This time our travels will take us to Scotland, Hadrian's Wall and Bruges, Belgium. We're going to take an overnight train from London to Edinburgh and a ferry across the North Sea from England to Belgium.

We're going to Scotland for no reason in particular, except to see castles, abbeys, cathedrals and dramatic scenery.

We're going to Bruges because we saw Martin McDonagh's movie In Bruges several years ago and found the locations beautiful (and the movie is wonderful, too). We've wanted to go there ever since. I fully intend to take advantage of this quote (couldn't embed the clip, sorry!).

Anyway, it promises to be a wonderful trip.

Playing with Picnik

2011-03-17T20:42:00.003-05:00

I took some of my pictures and played with them in Picnik. I love that site!

Here are the results.

The photos are from the old part of the Gulf Prairie Cemetery where Stephen F. Austin was originally buried, before he was disinterred and moved to Austin.

The Funeral

2011-03-03T18:18:00.006-06:00

Nana's funeral was held March 2 at the Second Baptist Church in Angleton.

We had a slideshow of pictures playing during the viewing and asked people in attendance to speak, if they wanted, during the funeral.

Several friends and family members spoke. They talked about Nana's unselfish spirit, her smile, her loving heart, and her spiritual legacy.

I read part of a story I wrote. Several years ago, I wrote a novel based upon incidents Nana told me about her childhood. While the story is fiction, the idea for it – Nana's first visit to a movie theater – is true.

Although there were more than a hundred people in attendance (we ran out of programs!), some were unable to come. I had some requests from people to read the story, so I thought I would post it here.

The set-up is simple. Mama has Alverda (that's Nana!) and Alverda's brother Ellery to go into town to retrieve another brother, Leard, from the movie theater.

Enjoy!

A Powerful Picture

by Sara K Joiner

When Mama pulled up in front of the theater, Alverda gazed in awe at the white building. What went on behind those doors? she wondered.
“Alverda, run inside and get Leard,” Mama told her.
Her mouth dropped open. She was going to find out! She was actually going to learn what went on behind those doors!
“Come right back out,” Mama instructed.
“Yes, ma’am,” Alverda answered and was out the door of the pickup truck quick as a minute.
She strutted up to the doors of the theater her thumbs hooked under the straps of her overalls.
“Excuse me,” the man who sold the tickets said. “Where are you going?”
“My mama told me I have to get my brother,” Alverda explained. “He’s inside at the picture show. He’s got to go home and do his chores.”
“I reckon it’s all right if you go in there, but make sure you come right back out, ya hear?” he said.
“Yessir,” Alverda replied.
When Alverda opened the doors, she walked into the theater’s lobby.
The buttery popcorn smelled delicious. Alverda wished she had some money to buy herself a Coke.
“Hello, little girl,” a woman behind the popcorn and soda booth said.
“I’m not a little girl,” Alverda insisted.
“Of course you’re not,” she said. “Do you want a Coke?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Alverda answered. “Only I don’t have any money.”
“Honey, no one has any money,” she said with a sigh. “Let me get you a Coke anyway.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“You’re welcome, honey,” the woman said as she handed Alverda a Coke. “Enjoy The Kid.”
“What kid?” Alverda asked.
“That’s the name of the picture, honey,” the woman replied. “Enjoy it. It’s a good one. Charlie Chaplin’s in it and that cute little Jackie Coogan.”
“Oh, I’m not going to the picture show. I have to get my brother. He has to do his chores, Mama said,” Alverda explained.
The woman laughed. “You’re the talkingest girl I ever met,” she said. “You better go get your brother or your mama might get angry.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Alverda said. “And thank you again for the Coke.”
She managed to push the heavy, wooden doors to the picture show open without spilling her drink and found herself in a room that was much darker than the lobby.
The only light came from a huge screen at the front of the room with hundreds of seats facing it. People sat in the seats staring at the screen.
A man sat beside the screen playing very sad music on a piano. On the screen, a little boy was sobbing and stretching out his arms toward a man who looked like a tramp. The little boy was crying, and the tramp was too.
“Why doesn’t that little tramp help that boy?” Alverda asked. Her voice sounded very loud in the group of quiet people.
“Shh,” voices around her whispered.
Someone in the audience got up from the seat.
“Alverda, what are you doing here?” Leard whispered as he walked up to her.
“Mama said to come get you. You have to do your chores,” she told him.
“Shh” came from the audience again.
“You have to whisper,” Leard said. “And the picture ain’t over yet.”
Alverda just gazed at the screen. “Why doesn’t that little tramp help that boy?” she asked again, whispering this time just as Leard told her.
“The boy is an orphan and the tramp has been taking care of him,” Leard explained. “Now the police are taking the boy away, and they won’t let the tramp come with them.”
“Oh,” Alverda said. She walked to the nearest seat and sat down. Leard sat beside her.
“How come we can’t hear them talking?” Alverda asked.
“You can’t hear talking in any picture shows,” Leard told her. “I read in a magazine that people are making movies where people’s voices can be heard, but I ain’t never seen one of them.”
“Oh,” Alverda said again. “How come everything’s grey?”
“What do you mean?”
“All the people and the clothes and stuff. It’s all grey.” She could not take her eyes off the screen.
“It’s called black and white, Alverda. Just like in photographs. No movies have color. Don’t you know that?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “I’ve never been to the picture show before.”
Minutes passed, but it seemed like hours. So much was happening on the screen!
Then Alverda felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked around. Ellery was standing behind her.
“I came to get the both of you,” he whispered. “Mama’s madder than a hornet. We’ve been waiting out there for twenty minutes. Let’s go!”
“All right, Ellery,” Leard said. “We’ll go. Maybe I’ll get to see this picture some other time.”
All three of them left the theater while Alverda wondered if the little tramp would be able to get the boy back. Thinking about that little boy made Alverda sad. What would she do if Mama and Daddy weren’t there to take care of her? She didn’t want to think about it.
“Leard, we should pray for that boy to be given back to the little tramp,” she suggested.
Leard and Ellery burst out laughing. “Silly, the picture show’s fake. That boy has a mama and a daddy in real life, and the tramp has nice clothes and lots of money. It’s fake. It’s not real,” Leard said.
“So, we don’t need to pray for them?” she asked, trying hard to understand.
“No,” Ellery said. “It’s not real. They’re doing just fine.”
“I didn’t know! I’ve never been to the picture show before,” she told him.
“Well, if you want to pray for somebody, pray for us,” Leard said. “We’re the ones who need help. No rain, no crops, and no money. All we’ve got is prayer.”
The three of them walked up to the pickup truck and climbed inside.
“What took you so long?” Mama demanded.
“You sent the wrong person in to get me, Mama,” Leard said. “Alverda’s never been to the picture show before. She sat down to watch for a while after she found me. We would’ve left sooner if not for that.”
“Don’t you blame your sister, young man. You should have left when she told you. You know better than to cross me,” Mama said angrily. “I can’t believe I had to send Ellery inside to get both of you. You’re lucky I don’t turn you and Alverda over my knee.”
“Mama, I’m too big for a whuppin’,” Leard said.
“Not yet you aren’t,” she reminded him. Then she eyed her daughter. “Where did you get that Coke?”
“Yeah, where?” Ellery asked.
“Hush,” Mama said. “Well, Alverda?”
“The lady inside gave it to me,” she explained.
“Did you ask for it even though you don’t have any money?” Mama wanted to know.
“No, ma’am,” Alverda answered, shaking her head. “She said I was the talkingest girl she ever met, and she gave me a Coke.”
“Well, you got that right,” Leard said. “You are a talker.”
“I’d rather be a talker than someone who doesn’t do my chores,” she told him.
“Did you hear that, Leard?” Mama asked. “She just told you what’s what.”
Mama started the dusty truck and drove back to the farm. Alverda kept thinking about the little tramp and the boy. She hoped everything turned out all right for them.
I think I’ll say a prayer for them anyway, she thought to herself, no matter what Leard says.
As Mama turned the pickup truck into the drive, Alverda thought, if the picture isn’t real, why am I so worried about the tramp and the boy? Right then, she understood that the picture show was a powerful thing.

The names are true, as well. Nana's middle name is Alverda, which I've always found fascinating because it sounds so old-fashioned and Southern. And she did have two brothers named Leard and Ellery.

27 Days

2011-03-03T17:55:00.004-06:00

My last post described my grandmother's failing health.

Not long after I wrote that post, she passed away. I wish I could say she went to sleep and died peacefully.

She did not.

She went downhill very quickly. Plummeted is a better description.

Tuesday, the day after Presidents' Day, she was placed on hospice for her COPD. They were hoping that they would have her condition and medications stabilized at the end of the 90-day hospice period.

Friday morning she ate a full breakfast. Friday afternoon her pastor stopped by for a brief visit. Friday night, she was bedridden and unable to walk.

Mom and I slept in the study with Nana in a trundle bed on the floor. It was the longest night of my life.

Saturday we got her in a nursing home. The hospice nurse tried arranging 24-hour care for her, but it was a weekend. She had difficulty finding people to work.

On Sunday, a number of friends and family came by the nursing home to see her. She was unconscious and in a coma. The only medications she was receiving were to maintain her comfort.

Sunday night, after Mom and I returned home, her nephew called us and told us she had passed. It was about 11:30 p.m.

Earlier in February, Nana had told Mom that she had only 27 days left. She died on February 27, twenty-eight years and six days after her husband.

When Reality Makes No Sense

2011-02-11T22:16:00.005-06:00

I haven't written here in quite some time, and now I've chosen to write a difficult post.

My grandmother is not doing well.

Short though that sentence is, it is very hard to write. I hate admitting that she's not herself anymore. Or, rather, she's herself as if visiting from an alternate reality. Sometimes.

For those of you who haven't met my grandmother, let me introduce you to her. She is known by many names - Carrie, Verda, Nanny, Meemee. To me she is Nana. But she is more than that. She is the woman I consider my grandmother. She is not related to me by blood, but I am more like her than I am some of my blood relatives.

When I was born, I had only one living biological grandparent - my mother's mother. She died before I turned one.

Nana was a friend of my father's family. Nana and her husband (Papaw) never had any children of their own, but they helped raise nineteen children, including me. When my parents moved to the farm, Nana and Papaw sold their home and moved to the farm with us.

Papaw died when I was six, and Daddy died two years later. For a very long time, it's been me and Mom and Nana. We're a family.

Nana took me to church. Nana taught me how to make hot chocolate and fried toast. Nana taught me how to pay bills.

Three weeks ago, she had an episode. She couldn't find her bedroom and didn't know where she was. I thought, because she has COPD, that she needed oxygen from her tank. We hooked the tube under her nose, and she was back to her normal self in about forty-five minutes.

When I came home from work that day, Mom said Nana got mad at her at lunchtime for not bringing food for the men working on the house. There were no men working on the house. Only Nana saw them and even called one of them by name.

The next day was worse.

The next day she seemed fine, but on the advice of her doctor, we took her to the emergency room at Methodist Hospital.

She was admitted and spent a week in the hospital getting test after expensive test run with no real diagnostic result. One doctor said TIAs, one said dementia, one said seizures.

Mom and I believe TIAs.

Nana is now home. She is not better. The arthritis, sciatica and pinched nerves in her back, hips and leg - which she has had for years and months, respectively - is worse. The itch she has over her entire body - which she has had for more than a year - is worse than ever causing her to scratch and bleed almost constantly.

And the hallucinations and delirium and confusion continue. She still sometimes cannot find her room. She still sometimes sees people in the house. She tells me stories about riding on the railroad and helping to make beds on the train cars. She thinks this happened. And she thinks this happened recently.

I treat her comments as if they're true, unless I need to make a correction.

Her sense of humor is still there. Her mischievous smile. A bit of the sparkle has left her eyes though, and she knows something is wrong.

She cannot be left alone.

I wish I could help her. I wish there was something I could do. She's my Nana. I love her.

Vacation: St. Louis, MO

2010-06-06T18:40:00.005-05:00

We moved on from Indiana, through Illinois, to Missouri. After a beautiful drive by the Mississippi River, we arrived in St. Louis.

What little we saw of downtown St. Louis was quite nice. There were even pull-in parking spaces downtown! They had meters, but you didn’t have to parallel park.

We didn’t stay at the Marriott, but we did walk through the lobby. The hotel is in the renovated Union Station, and the lobby is absolutely breathtaking. That train station is where the famous Dewey Defeats Truman photo was taken.

Then we went to the Arch.

We climbed in a car on the tram. It’s really more of a pod.

The ride up is short and the tram makes lots of clicking noises as it rises. Once we arrived at the top, we could look out over St. Louis

and the Mississippi River, which was over the docks and sidewalk.

The top of the Arch is 630 feet above the ground.

The windows are small, and the floor is, of course, arched.

Then we drove through the Ozarks to Arkansas to look for the graves of relatives, which we found.

And then we came home.

Vacation: Ohio & Indiana

2010-06-06T18:24:00.003-05:00

We drove from Pennsylvania to Ohio and saw more Amish in Ohio than in Pennsylvania.

We also saw dead groundhogs on the side of the road. They must be the armadillos of Ohio. Although I did manage to see a live one on the side of the road, as well. Can’t often say that about armadillos!

Our only real stop in Ohio was Hopewell Mounds. We toured Mound City

and learned about the various artifacts that had been found in the mounds. These included items made of materials from the Gulf Coast, Lake Superior and Wyoming. The trade network the Hopewell people established was extensive.

Then we drove on to Indiana for one reason only – James Dean’s gravesite.

I love James Dean, and this site has been on my list of things to see for quite some time. It was a highlight. Now I need to see the site where he died.

Vacation: Western Pennsylvania

2010-06-03T19:11:00.005-05:00

The next day we went to the temporary Flight 93 Memorial. Construction on the permanent memorial has just begun. The mementos and tokens left behind by people, most of whom probably did not know anyone on that flight, were moving.

You can see the crash site in the distance from the temporary memorial.

From there we drove to Fallingwater and toured the famous house.

Designed in 1934 by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Kaufman family, the home sits right on top of a waterfall. Most of the furniture was designed by Wright as well. Photos were not allowed inside.

It was a beautiful home, and I would love to live there. But it also screamed COLD in the winter with all the windows and stone floors and only radiators to heat the place. It’s also not a home built with the elderly or small children in mind.

Although, since I adore rocks and water, I could see myself being quite happy in the house.

Then we moved on to Kentuck Knob, the other Frank Lloyd Wright house down the road from Fallingwater.

This home was built about twenty years after Fallingwater during Wright’s Usonian period.

Pictures weren’t allowed inside the house, but the kitchen was fabulous. Especially the range which featured four burners that could be folded up against the wall to save counter space. Mom and I want one of those!

The Hagan family, the original owners, were friends with the Kaufmans. They sold the home in the eighties to an English lord. He still owns the home and has sculptures scattered inside and out.

We stayed the night in Chalk Hill and ate at the Stone House Inn which was delicious. I had the prime rib, and it was practically half a cow!

Fort Necessity was our priority the next morning. This fort, a reproduction stands today, was hastily thrown up by George Washington in 1754. He returned to the location many times over the years, eventually buying the land where the fort had been built.

In this field, which he called “a charming field for an encounter,” Washington and other British troops battle French soldiers in what would become the French and Indian War. Rain, exhaustion and a terrible location on the field led Washington to surrender to the French.

We even had rain. Although it wasn’t as hard as the rain that fell on Washington.

Vacation: Gettysburg, PA

2010-05-31T16:11:00.008-05:00

We spent seven hours at the Gettysburg Battlefield. Touring the museum, which included a film and a cyclorama, took four hours.

The cyclorama was a painting from 1883 by Paul Philippoteaux. It measured 367 feet long and 42 feet high and featured the third day of the battle. Until we were told about the cyclorama, we had no idea we were looking at a painting that was more than a hundred years old.

The museum was very informative – there was a reason we spent so much time there. We learned lots of history and interesting tidbits about the town itself, the people involved and, of course, the battle.

Once we started driving around the battlefield, we saw the places we have only ever read about. Places like Little Round Top

and the Devil’s Den

and Pickett’s Charge.

We learned that one in four Confederate soldiers who died at Gettysburg were from North Carolina. And I saw a token someone had left for those soldiers.

Monuments rest all over the battlefield. My favorites were the ones honoring the soldiers from Virginia

and the one honoring Longstreet.

We drove past the Texas monument but didn’t get a chance to read it. It resembled the marker at Antietam – both made of pink Texas granite. I looked it up on the web and found what was written on the marker.

Vacation: Hershey, PA

2010-05-29T20:08:00.003-05:00

Our next stop was Hershey, otherwise known as “Chocolate Town.”

We took the chocolate tour and the trolley tour.

The trolley tour was great. We learned a lot about Milton Hershey, but we also learned a lot about the Milton Hershey School. The school was established for socially and financially underprivileged boys and girls. They stay in homes, beautiful homes, with house parents – a married couple who are paid by the trust that runs the school – to provide the children with a loving home. That would be a pretty sweet job.

I think it would also be fantastic to be the librarian at the school. Since the school is private and funded by a trust worth billions of dollars, you could almost have anything you wanted.

We also happened to see the creator of Reese’s Pieces while we were on the tour. That was pretty cool.

The street lights in downtown Hershey are kisses, both wrapped

and unwrapped.

We visited the Hotel Hershey, too.

Well … the lobby anyway. Quite nice. I would recommend staying if you can afford it. You apparently get your choice of a milk or dark chocolate upon your arrival.

From there, we drove to Gettysburg where we made a quick stop at Boyd’s Bear Country. I had to visit there because a friend of mine collects the bears.

The next day we went to the battlefield.

Vacation: Valley Forge

2010-05-20T19:50:00.003-05:00

A dreary, rainy, cold day greeted us for our drive into Pennsylvania. When we arrived at Valley Forge it had gotten even colder and was raining even harder.

Valley Forge has been transformed into a lovely park since it became an historic site.

The first thing Mom and I learned was that Valley Forge was not the worst winter the army spent during the war – that was in Morristown – but it is the most well-known.

The second thing we learned was the the “winter” in Valley Forge was actually from December of 1777 to June of 1778. We both always thought it was November to March.

The final thing we learned was that almost 2,000 wooden huts were built by the soldiers for use by the army during that winter. When George Washington was there during the American Revolution, the site would have been much more barren and less green. The trees in the area in 1777-78 would have been cut down for firewood and the huts.

The weather turned truly sour on us at Washington’s Headquarters. He leased the home from Isaac Potts and used it as the “Pentagon of its time.”

Most of the furniture is replicas, but the bannister is original. Imagine how much history that wood has seen? George Washington’s hand used that bannister … and Martha … and Alexander Hamilton.

And then I used it on my own way upstairs. Wow.

We left his headquarters and walked over to the “lifeguard huts.”

These were the cabins of the men whose job it was to protect George Washington – his life guard. The tradition of this unit continues as the soldiers who serve at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

By the time we returned to the car, Mom and I were soaked clean through and completely frozen. Imagining the soldiers in little wooden huts with one fireplace during the long winter of 1777-78 gave me a renewed appreciation for the men and women who fought in the American Revolution.

Vacation: Baltimore

2010-05-20T19:39:00.003-05:00

We went to the National Aquarium the next day. This was a lot of fun. We saw a 4-D movie – 3-D glasses along with snow, bubbles and spritzes of water – and the dolphin show.

The exhibits were interesting. They even had month-old baby seahorses! They were so tiny. I have no idea how they survive in the wild.

The rainforest exhibit had a two-toed sloth who actually started moving while we were there. It was beautiful!

They also had a special exhibit about jellyfish which was fascinating. The purpose of the exhibit was to demonstrate how jellies have taken over locations where they are not native and how destructive that is to the environment. They even had some jellies there. They look so beautiful.

And the Australia exhibit was great, too. How some of those animals survive the weather extremes in Australia, I will never fully understand. They had a fish that spit water to knock bugs off low-hanging leaves! And even though we didn’t get to hear the kookaburra laugh, we did get to see one.

Our next stop of the day was Fort McHenry. Mom and I had been there before, but we didn’t really remember much of it.

When we got there, the Pride of Baltimore II was sailing in the harbor. Except for the cargo ships, other vessels and the bridge in the background, this could be a scene straight from the 1800s.

We also managed to be there to see the flag-changing ceremony.

The weirdest thing is the statue of Orpheus with the Awkward Foot on the grounds outside the fort. The statue was the winning submission in a contest to mark the centennial of the writing of “The Star-spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key.

What in the world does that have to do with the flag? Or the poem? So strange.

We spent the next day lazing around the hotel and going to the movies.

Vacation: The Preakness Stakes

2010-05-20T19:28:00.004-05:00

Through pure luck, we found out we would be in Baltimore when the Preakness Stakes horse race was held. We called the box office and bought tickets before we left on vacation.

Thank goodness we took public transportation to the event because parking at the track cost $75! And the traffic afterward was a nightmare!

We arrived at Pimlico

in time to see the fifth race of the day. Mom bought a program, and we learned that the Preakness would be the twelfth race out of thirteen.

We wandered around a bit before finding our seats in the Grandstand. The weather was gorgeous – sunny but not hot – but we were still pleased our seats were under cover.

We bought a Black-eyed Susan, the traditional drink of the Preakness Stakes. I’m not much of a drinker, but it wasn’t a very strong drink. And it came in an honest-to-goodness glass (not hard plastic) that we got to keep.

We placed our bets – first time we had ever bet on a Triple Crown race – and waited. I even placed a bet for my grandmother and a friend of mine.

When the Preakness Stakes began

the crowd stood and screamed. I really wanted to yell like Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, but I restrained myself.

I have to admit, I was unhappy that Lookin At Lucky won because I do not like the trainer of that horse. However, I had placed a bet on First Dude,

the horse that came in second. Since he had long odds, I won $23. That’s the most I have ever won at a race track!

Being at the Preakness Stakes was a neat experience. I’ve always wanted to go to Churchill Downs to the Kentucky Derby – still do – but the Preakness is a fairly easy Triple Crown race to attend. And the atmosphere was great.

Vacation: Washington, DC

2010-05-18T20:15:00.011-05:00

We hit Washington, DC late in the afternoon during rush hour traffic. Ugh! I am so glad I don't have to drive in that mess every day.

Our first stop was Arlington National Cemetery where we saw the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

We also saw John F. Kennedy's grave with the eternal flame.

Along with two of the most famous sites in Arlington, we saw some lesser-known ones. Those included the Canadian Cross honoring Americans who served in the Canadian armed services,

the Columbia Memorial honoring those who died aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia,

and the USS Maine Memorial honoring those who died aboard the USS Maine.

The next day we visited the National Zoo. We saw lions,

tigers,

and gorillas.

Then we went to the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). I was really looking forward to this. When I was in graduate school, I worked on a federally-funded grant project called Four Directions. The purpose of the grant was to provide curriculum development through the use of technology on Indian reservations around the country. As part of the grant, I worked on the reading incentive project If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything. Another aspect of the grant was a virtual reality project with NMAI in New York City. I was able to travel there with a group of students from Marty Indian School in South Dakota. They took pictures of items in the collection and wrote brief reports about the objects. All of this was for an online exhibit at NMAI. That project is still online (note: you'll need Quicktime to view the collection).

When I worked with NMAI in 2000, the construction of the museum on the Mall in Washington had just begun. Finally, I was able to see the museum in all its glory! First, we ate at the Mitsitam Cafe. I had fry bread, of course. I also ate a fiddlehead fern salad with fiddlehead ferns, cucumbers, parsnips and golden beets. Quite tasty! I also had the broccoli with pumpkin seeds in lavender butter. Also good. In fact the fry bread was the worst part of the meal because it was too thick. But the drink I had! It was amazing! It was a Saskatoon berry maple agua fresca. So yummy! I had two of them. I still wish I had bought a third. It was just so good.

Then we took a brief stroll on the Mall past the Capitol

before going to see the Korean War Memorial.

My daddy was a Marine and fought in Korea. Part of the memorial is a wall etched with the faces of men and women who served in the conflict. One of those faces looked an awful lot like Daddy.

And then we visited the Wall.

Even though I don't really know anyone who served in Vietnam and was born after the war ended, the Wall always makes me cry. The mementoes,

the people remembering fallen comrades,

and all those names.

It's just devastating.

It rained on us while we were at the Wall. It even hailed for about ten seconds – mothball-sized hail! A loud crack of thunder hurried Mom and I back to the bus stop and on to our hotel.

Vacation: Antietam Battlefield

2010-05-16T21:39:00.006-05:00

Our second major stop was Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland. Antietam is the bloodiest day in American history. One hundred thousand soldiers fought in a 12-hour battle at Antietam; 23,000 were killed, wounded or missing after the battle ended.

It's hard to imagine that much carnage.

The battlefield stretches over a large area. Some of the bloodiest fighting took place at Burnside's Bridge where 500 Confederate soldiers battled 5,200 Union troops. This part of the battle lasted about 3½ hours. At the end of the day, 120 Rebels and 500 Yankees were killed, wounded or missing.

During the battle on September 17, 1862, one tree survived the mayhem at Burnside's Bridge. It is called the witness tree, and it still stands today.

An even bloodier part of the battle took place along the Sunken Road, which is now called Bloody Lane. The fighting here lasted 3 ½ hours as well. Three thousand Confederate troops were positioned in the road. Ten thousand Union soldiers came over the rise and found the sunken farm lane and the Southerners posted there. At the end of the day, 2,900 Yankee troops and 2,500 Rebel soldiers were killed, wounded or missing.

This is the road today, still below the countryside around it.

The view a Southern soldier would have had looking over the rise. The Yankee troops would have come over that rise and straight into an ambush.

But the bloodiest place on the battlefield is simply called The Cornfield, because that is precisely what it was on that September day. In that field, 15,000 Union troops and 12,000 Confederate troops battled for 4 hours. When the fighting ended, 4,200 Yankees and 4,000 Rebels were killed, wounded or missing.

Some regiments and brigades were almost decimated in this field. One of those was the Texas Brigade. The monument, erected by the state in the 1960s, reads

Here in the cornfield early on the morning of September 17 the Texas Brigade helped blunt the attack of elements of Mansfield's Union Corps. Almost alone during this powerful federal onslaught the Texas Brigade sealed a threatening gap in the Confederate line. In so doing the 1st Texas Infantry Regiment suffered a casualty rate of 82.3 per cent, the greatest loss suffered by any infantry regiment, North or South, during the War. Of approximately 850 men engaged the Texas Brigade counted over 550 casualties.

According to the book I'll Pass for Your Comrade: Women Soldiers in the Civil War by Anita Silvey, one of the Confederate soldiers who died in The Cornfield was an unknown woman. She was discovered after the battle ended and was buried in a separate part of the field.

For more of my photos from Antietam National Battlefied, visit my Flickr page.

Vacation: Shenandoah National Park

2010-05-16T16:37:00.011-05:00

We spent the first three days of our vacation driving to our first major touristy stop. Along the way, we spent a great evening with a friend of mine in Tennessee visiting with her and her children. Mom really wanted to take my friend's son home with her!

Our first destination stop on our vacation was Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Mom and I had never been to this park before. It was established as an "Eastern park in the Western tradition" and features the Skyline Drive. The park's creation forced the people who lived in the area to be relocated, so the park is "still recovering" from human habitation.

The views of gaps and hollows along the drive are lovely … when the weather is nice.

The first full day we spent in the park began slightly overcast with a bit of a drizzle. And the day only got worse. Thick fog, freezing cold and rain. It even sleeted briefly!

But before the weather went downhill, we saw some beautiful sites.

Mountain laurel, which was planted in the park by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, was just beginning to bloom in the mountains.

But then the fog started rolling in,

and we had to be careful about deer on the side of the road.

Our second day in the park was gorgeous! The sun shone, and the skies were bright blue.

I hiked down to see the Dark Hollow Falls which was described as having "steep sections." The trip down was great, until I ran into another hiker who told me that the bear he saw at the "metal part" might still be there. "Great, thanks," I said with some trepidation. He reminded me that people were more dangerous than the bears. I agreed and walked on keeping my eyes and ears open for the bear. All the while I was thinking people may be more dangerous, but I can maybe outrun a person – or at least outfox one.

Fortunately, I didn't see a bear. Also unfortunately, I didn't see a bear. Even though I would have probably fainted if I came across a bear on the hiking trail, it would have been neat to see!

Nevertheless I continued on the hike until I got to Dark Hollow Falls.

And then I had to hike back up the trail to the parking lot. Straight up! Those steep sections? The entire trail!

And along the way I got a phone call from a friend. That was so odd. Right after I hung up the phone, I had no service.

But Mom and I continued on our way, and we did see a bear! It was calmly walking through the woods on the side of the road. I couldn't get a great picture of it, but here's what I got. Can you spot the bear?

Mom and I both hiked along the Limberlost Trail which was described as a gentle stroll. I'm pleased to report that it was a gentle stroll.

Although Mom still needed a break.

The wildlife we saw on this trail were squirrels, an Eastern Towhee

and a chipmunk.

More gorgeous views could be seen on the drive.

Our final hike was the Fox Hollow Trail which was named after a family that had lived there before the park's establishment. Evidence of the family's life in the hollow could still be seen in the rockpiles

and the cemetery.

While we were hiking this trail, a thunderstorm developed. We got caught in the rain and were drenched. Fortunately, we weren't struck by the lightning we saw.

More pictures of Shenandoah National Park are on my Flickr page.

Our next stop was Antietam National Battlefield.

It's Vacation Time

2010-05-08T20:36:00.003-05:00

We're on a road trip this year. We're seeing some historic sites and parks and other fun things. Among the highlights I'm looking forward to:

seeing a friend of mine in Knoxville, TN

going to the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC

attending the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, MD

seeing Antietam Battlefield

touring Hershey, PA

seeing James Dean's grave in Fairmount, IN

It's going to be a great trip. This year will be different as I can update the blog as I travel (as long as I have free wifi).

The first leg of our trip was today. We drove through Louisiana and most of Mississippi. We haven't really stopped to do anything yet, so it's not too exciting.

The fun begins tomorrow!

Finished the Class

2010-04-24T21:13:00.003-05:00

I completed the Anastasia Suen writing class I took. I enjoyed it. Each week I had to read three books - which wasn't difficult - and then do the homework assignment. We analyzed first chapters, themes (which I was never good at in high school but have somehow figured out) and voice.

My favorite lesson covered story beats. When I do my own writing, I don't outline. I find outlines restrictive, and I never end up following them anyway. I was always the person on school who wrote the paper and then wrote the outline when one was required. That just worked better for me.

But the story beats were different. They function as an outline but can work equally well for forming the structure of the book. I'm going to go over some of my writing and apply a "beat sheet" to it. Just another way of polishing.

I plan to take the second half of the class beginning in June. I'm already looking forward to it.

Writing Class

2010-03-02T17:53:00.003-06:00

I signed up for an online class from author Anastasia Suen. The class is the first half of her children's chapter book workshop.

I'm looking forward to it. I've never taken anything remotely resembling a creative writing class. The only real writing class I took was a newspaper reporting and writing class in college.

I think that news writing class is why I tend to write short. Newspaper articles are generally short. I think I internally edit before I even get the words on page.

When I finish writing a book, it's never long enough. At least not in terms of word count - which is nebulous and not a hard-and-fast rule but try pitching a "short" book to an agent or editor. As I revise, I find myself adding words - details, character development, dialog, subplots.

Everyone else in my critique group has to delete words in their works. I felt like some kind of weird writing freak.

Until I went to the SCBWI conference in Austin in January.

The author Sara Lewis Holmes was speaking with her editor, and one of the things Ms. Holmes said was that she was a writer who had to add words. I wanted to leap out of my seat and cry, "Me, too!" I was so thrilled to find out I wasn't alone.

I even emailed her to thank her for the hope she had given me. She wrote back to me and told me she had a similar reaction when she heard another author say the same thing.

Learning about other author's work and methods and habits make me realize that my own haphazard, strange approach to writing could actually work.

Here's hoping!

Walk Across Texas

2010-01-26T19:06:00.003-06:00

Some co-workers and I are participating in a little exercise competition. It's called Walk Across Texas, and the goal is for the team to walk (or exercise in any way) across Texas.

My employer has given us all a chance to form teams of eight, and the teams will compete against each other. Our team – the SuperSonic Jets – is determined to win! Each team member has to walk about 13 miles each week to make it the 830 miles to El Paso.

The competition began last week. I "walked" by riding our stationary bicycle the equivalent of 3.5 miles almost every day. Last week I made it 22.75 miles. This week I will far surpass that.

Typically, I exercise four days a week by doing either Wii Fit or Wii boxing for about half an hour and then swimming and doing water aerobics for another half hour.

But in order to Walk Across Texas, I have been riding the stationary bike and then swimming for 30 minutes each. That gets me more mileage.

I'm not the only one who's working out. A friend of mine is chronicling her own journey to get in shape. Good luck to her!

Also – go SuperSonic Jets!

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T21:20:00.002-06:00

I hope all of you have a wonderful, safe, prosperous and, of course, happy new year. Make the most of the promise that 2010 offers.

At my critique group Monday night, one of the other writers said, "2010 is going to be the year."

I don't if it will the year for her or me or any of the other writers in our group, but I am determined to keep trying!

I just have to keep plugging away and not waste time.

Christmas Message

2009-12-23T18:53:00.001-06:00

Good News

2009-12-13T19:20:00.004-06:00

Back in early June, I sent a young adult novel I wrote to an editor I met at the Houston SCBWI Editor Day Conference.

Friday afternoon I got an email response from the editor's assistant. While the overall answer was a "no" on publication, the answer was so inspiring that I have to share.

Here are some of the comments the assistant sent.

"Your story has all the elements of drama, mystery, intrigue and danger to make for a very exciting thriller. From the start, I wanted to know what was happening to Anna and what she would do to get out of this horrible situation. Your short chapters add to the paciness of the story, and it’s a very smart choice. Your novel reminded me a bit of Gabriel Lord’s new series, CONSPIRACY 365, which I highly recommend you take a look at."

I need to look up this series since I'm not familiar with it.

She also wrote about the ending of the novel. She liked the ending but thought certain aspects of it take "away the power of the contrast you’ve created with the tension earlier in the novel. I would consider rethinking and reworking this as you revise."

It's good advice, and something I'm mulling over in my head. I've got to let the idea cook a while before I really start to attack the writing.

But I am thrilled that someone enjoyed the book! It made my weekend.

A Successful Experiment

2009-12-03T06:52:00.003-06:00

I made it through the entire month of November without drinking any soda or eating any candy or desserts.

I set myself this challenge just to see if I could do it. Mom kept making cookies and eating chocolate pie and chocolate cake in front of me. Since I never told her about my challenge, she would ask if I wanted some. I just said, "No, thank you."

My grandmother always tells me I can do anything I set my mind to, so I thought I'd try this. And it was a success! I'm applying this knowledge to my writing now. I can get an agent, and I can get published. But I know that will take longer than a month.

I lost three pounds, too, so that's an added bonus!

As for December 1, I had a soda, some chocolate candy and chocolate cake. It was delicious!

Another Experiment

2009-11-03T06:49:00.005-06:00

Back in February, I set myself the challenge of avoiding fast food for one month. Since I succeeded, I've been thinking about trying the same thing again.

However, I decided to give myself an even more difficult task. I'm going to try to avoid candy, desserts and sodas during November. To prepare for this, I ate several bags of M&M's on Halloween.

I'm trying to avoid the "unnecessary" stuff. To that end, I am pleased to report that Mom, who does not know about my plan, made brownies Sunday night, and I have not eaten even a crumb.

Wish me luck! It's probably going to be a long November.

Conferences, Conferences, Conferences

2009-10-21T19:39:00.003-05:00

I've registered for four area conferences recently, and the first one is this Saturday.

The North Central North East Texas SCBWI Conference is up in Arlington. I'll be getting a written critique and hearing presentations from David Diaz, Melanie Hope Greenberg, Lisa Yoskowitz and Lisa Grubka. I haven't been to this conference before, so I'm looking forward to it. I also used to live in Irving, so it's a chance to see what has changed in the area. Maybe I'll get to see the new, obscenely expensive Cowboys stadium.

In November I'm going to the Brazos Valley SCBWI Conference. This is a conference I went to last year, and I really enjoyed it. This year I'll have a critique with Carla McClafferty. We'll see how that goes.

Wish me luck!

The Dude Abides

2009-10-13T20:20:00.005-05:00

I had a dream come true this past weekend when I was able to attend Lebowski Fest 2009 at Stubb's BBQ in Austin - the Speed of Sound Tour.

Lebowski Fest revolves around celebrating all things related to The Big Lebowski, the Coen brothers cult classic. I love this movie. And one of my best friends loves this movie, too, so we both went to the Fest.

The Fest includes a screening of the movie and bowling. We just went to the movie screening, and we had a blast! Because it was outside and seating was on the ground (we had no idea), we had to find an alternative. My friend is unable to sit on the ground, so we got to go to the VIP section and sit in folding chairs.

We saw people dressed as characters from the film – The Dude, Walter, Jesus, Maude, The Stranger. We even saw someone dressed as the rug, the rug that "really ties the room together" and sets off the entire plot of the film.

The head Achievers, who created Lebowski Fest, came out to welcome us to the event and to introduce the band.

A performance from the White Ghost Shivers followed.

The crowd, about 300 or so, enjoyed the band and then got ready for the main event.

But first! a video message from The Dude himself, Jeff Bridges, welcomed us to the event. We all screamed in excitement.

Then the movie started. People quoted along with all the best lines (including lots and lots of cursing) and danced along with characters on screen.

Despite the cold, despite the folding chairs, despite the late hour, everyone in the crowd wouldn't have changed a thing about the night. We had so much fun. I cannot wait to go to another Lebowski Fest, maybe even the big one in Louisville.

Of Parks and Memories

2009-10-01T18:38:00.005-05:00

I've been watching the Ken Burns documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea on PBS this week. I find myself amazed at the vigor and vitality of those early users of the parks.

Having been to seventeen of the national parks in this country (and four in Canada!) and hiked some of the trails, I cannot imagine climbing mountains or hanging over cliff edges or rafting down rapid-filled rivers without the helpful guidance of the National Park Service.

I remember going to a campfire talk at Yellowstone back in 1987 and learning that, before the handy boardwalks were built around the hot springs, geysers, mud pots and fumaroles, tourists were told to follow buffalo chips. If the buffalo could walk there, then people could walk there. I think the theory was that if the earth's crust, which is thin at Yellowstone, could support a buffalo, then it could certainly handle a human. Can you imagine that?

I have so many fond memories of the parks. I've gotten lost in Rocky Mountain National Park, nearly been run over by a buffalo in Yellowstone, walked on a glacier on the tallest mountain on the continent in Denali, rode in a boat with a drunken captain in Kenai Fjords, and floated down the Snake River in Grand Tetons.

I haven't been to every national park. I probably never will get to them all, but I have loved every one of them. This documentary has gotten me thinking about my childhood, which has made me nostalgic for those lazy, adventurous summer days with long vacations in a van filled with books and toys and music down some of the most scenic roads in the country.

I had so much to be grateful for about those trips - the parks, the scenery and wildlife, the country and my mom. Without realizing it, I had other things to be grateful for, too. Thanks to Ken Burns, I now know how much gratitude I owe John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, Stephen Mather and John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

I don't really know what this post is about, but I just felt like writing this down. Thanks for reading!

My Award-Winning Writing

2009-09-20T18:48:00.003-05:00

When I was in fourth grade, I was in the University Interscholastic League Ready Writing competition. UIL is a statewide academic competition for public schools throughout Texas.

I don't really know how I got chosen to compete in the Ready Writing competition. Two other classmates competed with me, and another friend from another school.

The specific writing prompt is lost in my memory, but it was about finding a treasure chest in your back yard.

And I won first place!

Here is the winning entry from my nine-year-old self, copied word for word including any grammatical errors.

Treasure Chest

One day I was digging in the back yard, when suddenly I found a treasure chest. There was a not on the chest, and it said: The key to this chest is fifteen feet deeper than the chest.

So I started digging, but what I didn't know is that the key was one yard away from where I was digging. I didn't find the key.

So I went into the house to get a fingernail file. I got the fingernail file, then I went back to the chest.

I got the chest open. I had to dig through six inches of mud. I thought whatever was in there was going to be muddy. But when I got finished digging through the mud I to dig through three inches of loose sand.

I got through the loose sand. Finally I got down to see what was in it. They sparkled in the bright sunlight, and they were reds, blues, and greens.

They were Rubies, Garnets, Saphhires, Peridots, and Emralds. I went to see if they were real or not, if there were I was going to make jewlry out of them. If they weren't I would just keep them as gifts from the treasure chest.

I finally found out that the Emralds were fake. But the Rubies, Garnets, Saphhires, and Peridots were real.

The man said I would have to give 1/8 of it to the goverment. I didn't want to do it, but I had to.

Then I found out that I didn't have to give them the fake Emralds. But I wish I had to. I did not want to keep those Emralds.

Then I finally found out that I had more of it than the goverment did.

And that won first place! Even with all those spelling errors. Yeesh, those errors are embarrassing, but at least I can justify it by saying I was only nine.

What do you think of the story?

Buckling Down

2009-09-16T18:05:00.003-05:00

I really need to establish a writing routine. I've tried various things at different times, but none of them have stuck.

I read somewhere that Kate DiCamillo writes two pages a day. That seemed attainable, and I made a valiant effort. I worked on it during lunch at work. But then I just petered out.

Sometimes, I write or edit during my lunch break. That works, but I find that by the time I get into a groove, I've got to go back to my real job.

What works best is for me to sit in front of the television and write on my laptop. Commercials are particularly wonderful when a good show is airing. I know it seems like I'm not concentrating enough on the writing, then, but that is how I did my homework throughout my entire academic career. And I was an A student.

I already get up at 5 a.m. on weekdays to exercise, and I just cannot get up any earlier than that unless it's an emergency or I have to catch a plane. So, getting up early to write is out of the question.

When I get home from work, I have good intentions and plan to sit down and write until I go to bed. But then I get on my computer, check my email, Twitter and Facebook, and before I know it, two hours have passed, and I've lost all motivation.

I'm open to any and all suggestions.

And now, I really am off to write!

Another Agent, Another Partial

2009-09-08T18:48:00.004-05:00

I sent a partial of my YA novel to an agent today. She also requested a synopsis. I really hate writing those. They seem so much like a book report that I can't stand it.

When I was in elementary school, we participated in the Pizza Hut Book It program. There were a few problems with this program as far as I was concerned.

1. We were reading for free pizza coupons, and I didn't eat pizza at that time.

2. We were supposed to read a certain number of books (I don't remember how many) and write a book report about each one.

3. When you read your book and wrote a report, you got a gold star on a board.

I always read the books - often more than the requirement. I rarely wrote the book reports. I just never saw the point. Plus, I wasn't interested in the pizza.

Oh, well.

Wish me (and my book report synopsis) luck!

For All Aspiring Writers (and Their Friends)

2009-08-26T21:08:00.004-05:00

Two things to make you smile.

This is a trailer for a movie I think I need to see.

And this is one of the extras from the DVD of Black Books that I mentioned a while back. I love this! Sorry, this clip can't be embedded for some reason.

Another Round of Queries

2009-08-13T20:23:00.004-05:00

I've sent the young adult historical fiction query to more agents. Since I returned from vacation, I've been remiss in querying.

I have remedied that today!

Between writing and work at the library, I feel like I'm barely treading water. Fortunately, summer will soon be over, so I think I'll be able pull myself up. Ah, the life of a public librarian – busy in the summer, but getting some rest during the school year.

Milestone

2009-08-01T20:39:00.002-05:00

I can't believe I've had this blog for over a year, and I didn't even realize it. Where has the time gone?

Vacation: London, England Day 5

2009-07-31T19:28:00.004-05:00

The last vacation entry. Finally!

Our last day we went to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Neither Mom nor I were really sure what, exactly, we were seeing. And I certainly don't know why the band (the band?) was playing Elton John, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean music!

The ceremony was impressive because traffic was halted about five times. But the biggest shock was that everything took place behind the fence! I thought they stood out in front of the gates. They do in all the movies ... which lie to me.

Once that ended, we went to the National Gallery. We also went to the National Portrait Gallery.

Then we checked out of our hotel and took a taxi to Harmondsworth Village near Heathrow. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book and now is threatened by the planned expansion of Heathrow Airport.

We stayed at Harmondsworth Hall Guest House. Our room was a good size, and we ate at a nearby pub. The pub wasn't that great, so we bought some snacks at a little shop.

And the next day, we flew home.

Whew! I finally got it all typed up. Thanks for reading along with me.

Vacation: London, England Day 4

2009-07-06T19:29:00.004-05:00

We started the day thinking we would buy tickets to see "Dirty Dancing" in the West End. But we decided leaving the theater late at night with several blocks to walk to a Tube station might be iffy.

So, we went to King's Cross Station. Mom waited while I looked for Platform 9¾.

Then, we went to the British Museum. The building is huge, but somehow we had trouble finding it. I think we asked three people - who each gave us different directions - before we found the place. Mom's knees were screaming at her to sit down, so we ate lunch before perusing the exhibits.

Once in the exhibit halls, we saw the Elgin Marbles, the Rosetta Stone and Assyrian Winged Bulls. Mom was enthralled. She loves ancient Egypt and Greece and Rome, so this was a highlight for her. She took lots of pictures.

You can, apparently, take photos in the museum. I only took one. A forlorn-looking statue in the Greek and Roman statue room.

Naturally, I also had to see the exhibit about the Americas.

We also took the world's slowest and smallest elevator up to the top floor to see the Samurai exhibit. I'm not normally claustrophobic but that elevator was about the size of a typical American shower (with bathtub). At one point there were about six or seven of us in there when it stopped at a floor. And then this very loud Englishwoman and her THREE friends climbed onboard the already-crowded elevator! I couldn't believe it.

After we left the museum, Mom and I went back to St. Paul's Cathedral and went to the Evensong service. We waited in seats in the nave and then a group of visitors were led up to sit in the choir seats. The service, which was mostly sung by a boy's choir, was interesting. We had a book and a piece of paper to guide us through the service.

Not being Anglican, I'm not really sure what all was going on, but it was quite nice.

At first, the choir stood behind the high altar and couldn't be seen. Then they sang, and their voices sounded eerie and beautiful floating down the nave of the cathedral in that disembodied manner.

We returned to our hotel after Evensong.

Vacation: London, England Day 3

2009-07-05T11:40:00.005-05:00

We took a bit more of the bus tour around London before taking off at Piccadilly Circus. From there we rode the Tube and the train to Hampton Court Palace.

We arrived at the palace on Henry VIII's wedding day to Catherine Parr. We saw them wandering around the halls and grounds throughout the day, and I even managed to attend his "bachelor party."

Inside the palace we toured Henry VIII's apartments and saw his Abraham tapestries.

The tapestries were commissioned in the 1500s and have, of course, faded considerably over time. In one room they had a "Lighting of the Tapestry" display where, using a computer projection, one tapestry is lit to show the bright, vibrant, original colors of the work. With those bright colors, you could really see how tapestries on the wall could help light a room.

We also went through an exhibit about the women in Henry's life. We also saw another exhibit about his younger days when he was married to Katherine of Aragon and friends with Cardinal Wolsey (the original owner of Hampton Court).

Part of Hampton Court Palace was remodeled by Christopher Wren, so the building is almost like two palaces pushed together. Wren planned to tear down the entire Tudor structure and rebuild but, thankfully, was unable to do so. Mom and I preferred the Tudor side. I was fascinated with the chimney designs. Each stack was different.

In the gardens at the palace, we saw two swans swimming in the fountain. People were walking and standing awfully close to those birds. They were eating, and since swans can be quite aggressive, I kept waiting for one of them to attack a visitor. But neither one did.

Then we went to the Maze. I made it all the way to the center without ever getting lost on the way in and on the way out. Yay, me! Mom did not go in the Maze.

We ate lunch in the Tiltyard Cafe at the palace. I had Georgian Spring Soup (kind of like vegetable) and bread. Mom had King's Pie, which she didn't particularly care for.

Our final stop was the Tudor kitchens. Unfortunately, no one was cooking in them that day, but they had fake foods sitting out, so we could see how meals were prepared.

Then we returned to London on the train.

Vacation: London, England Day 2

2009-06-28T14:37:00.005-05:00

Day 2 of our time in London began on a bit of a sour note when we discovered that part of the Tube was shut down for weekend maintenance. So, instead of heading directly to the Tower of London, we made our way to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Pictures weren't allowed inside St. Paul's (and the staff made sure people put their cameras in bags), but the cathedral was magnificent. The dome, the memorials on the walls, the statues - all quite stunning. Inside the crypt there were even more graves, including Florence Nightingale. I wish I could have taken a picture of that tomb. She's one of my favorite people.

There was some sort of christening or other ceremony happening in the chapel in the crypt. Because of that, we were unable to see Christopher Wren's tomb.

From St. Paul's, we managed to find a hop-on hop-off tour bus which took us to the Tower of London. This was a highlight for me. I've always wanted to see the Tower. I never really had any interest in seeing the Crown jewels; I was interested in the prison aspect of the Tower's history.

After we walked into the Tower grounds, one of the first things we saw was Traitor's Gate. Amazing!

How many people have come through that gate over the centuries? Can you imagine how terrifying it must have been to see that? To know that you may never walk as a free person again?

The carved graffiti on the walls in some of the prison towers were a powerful reminder of all the people who have been held there over the years. Some prisoners were even able to hire professionals to carve in the plaster for those prisoners - which, admittedly, doesn't seem as though the prisoners were really being punished.

One of the carvings is reputedly that of Lady Jane Grey.

We did go see the Crown jewels, too. They were impressive, but not as impressive as the Romanov jewels I saw several years ago in an exhibit in Houston.

We also saw the famous ravens of the Tower.

And we never had to wait in long lines. We were surprised and thrilled by that.

From the Tower, we went to the dock and rode a tour boat down the Thames to Westminster (included in the bus ticket).

We managed to make it to Westminster just in time to hear Big Ben chime. We called my grandmother, so she could hear the bells, too. Then we went inside Westminster Abbey.

Once again, no photos were allowed inside. And they were having a flower show inside the church - really weird flower displays. Not terribly attractive displays, either.

But Poet's Corner more than made up for the ugly flowers.

After a busy day, we returned to our hotel.

Vacation: London, England Day 1

2009-06-17T18:54:00.006-05:00

We arrived by train at Paddington Station. I did not see Paddington Bear, but I forgot to look for him. We grabbed a taxi and headed to our hotel, the Millennium Bailey's.

The room was quite spacious, which was a nice surprise because we thought the room would be tiny. And the hotel was right across the street from a tube station! Really an excellent location and a nice hotel.

Once we dumped our luggage in our room, we hit the tube station to figure out how that was going to work. We put money on an oyster card and climbed on the train to Westminster station.

After arriving at Westminster and walking out of the station, we found ourselves across the street from the Houses of Parliament

and Big Ben.

We also found ourselves in a teeming mass of humanity. I have never heard so many languages spoken in one place in my life, and that includes the United Nations! So many people were there, and it wasn't even the high tourist season yet. I cannot imagine London in July.

We walked across the bridge to the London Eye.

Prepared to wait in a long line, we were amazed that we managed to miss the line. We climbed on and were rewarded with stunning views of London, especially St. Paul's

and Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

After our flight in the Eye, we walked past some protesters in front of Parliament. They wanted to the government to do something about the treatment of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

We walked down the street past No. 10 Downing Street

toward Trafalgar Square and Lord Nelson's Column.

After that we went to the hotel and ate at Kentucky Fried Chicken. I don't understand why KFC doesn't have mashed potatoes outside the United States. I learned this on a vacation in Canada a few years ago. It just doesn't make any sense. I'd understand it in Asia where the potato is not a staple food, but Canada? England? Ridiculous! So, I ate the French fries.

Vacation: Cardiff & Caerphilly, Wales

2009-06-13T18:36:00.006-05:00

We took the train from Bath to Wales. Our hotel, the Sleeperz, was right next to the train station. It was a nice place, especially because of its location, but it was very modern. The room was tiny – I think even smaller than the cruise ship's stateroom – but comfortable. The beds, which were bunk beds, were quite soft, and the pillows were decent. Not super thin like most hotels. Most interesting thing about this hotel? You had to put your key card into a slot for the lights to work!

Once we got settled into our hotel room, we walked to Cardiff Castle. The castle was built over an old Roman fort in the eleventh century.

While Mom waited, I climbed the stairs up and inside the keep where I was rewarded with a lovely view.

On the way to the top of the keep, I saw a medieval toilet.

Then we went to the National Museum of Wales to see their exhibition about Charles Darwin. This year is his 200th birthday.

For supper we went to Cardiff Bay and found an "American diner." Then we walked by the "Hub." Actually, it was the Wales Millennium Centre, but it's often seen in the BBC series Torchwood.

The next day we traveled to Caerphilly and went to see Caerphilly Castle. Although the sun was shining, the wind was blowing about forty or fifty miles an hour, so Mom and I were freezing! Nevertheless we braved the extreme wind to see the second largest castle in Great Britain.

The ruins of Caerphilly Castle include the famous leaning tower.

Outside of the castle we found a gaggle of geese and some goslings.

We returned to Cardiff, went to a small shop (where I managed to find Dr. Pepper!) and caught the train to London.

Vacation: Bath, England

2009-06-11T18:21:00.009-05:00

When we arrived in Bath, we promptly got lost. We found ourselves in the wrong lane or heading in the wrong direction. Finally we found a place to pull over (not easy to do on such narrow roads) and called the bed & breakfast.

Wolfgang, one of the owners of Athole Guest House, came and found us. We followed him to the house, and he even parked our car in a snug little parking spot for us. He was wonderful. Very hospitable. He drove us into town and showed us some places to eat and even drove us to the rental car place when we dropped off the car.

Breakfast at Athole was fabulous. After the sketchy eggs in Salisbury, I was a little nervous about food. But the pancakes were heavenly. He also made fresh bread every morning, and it was divine, too.

And the resident cat, Moth, was just a sweetheart. He climbed in my lap and let me pet him. It made me miss my cat even though Moth was much friendlier.

Our first stop in Bath was the Roman Baths. Mom loves Ancient Rome, so this was wonderful for her.

They had a costumed interpreter beside the Great Bath. At one point, he began a prayer to the gods. The manner in which he recited this prayer reminded Mom and me of a Southern Baptist preacher. We decided he was from "south Rome."

We also went inside Bath Abbey.

This abbey (or, more accurately, this site's previous abbey building) was where the first King of England was crowned in 973.

The ceiling inside Bath Abbey was breathtaking.

Even an American Senator is buried there.

We stopped at Sally Lunn's to eat one of her famous buns. Sally Lunn's is a teashop that is located in the oldest house in Bath. She came to England from France more than 300 years ago. The house was 200 years old when Sally moved into it.

The bun was scrumptious! It looks like a hamburger bun, but it's softer and sweeter and bigger. Mom got half a toasted bun with chocolate sauce on top and hot chocolate. I got half a toasted bun with butter and strawberry jam and tea. The tea was excellent, as well. We bought a box in the gift shop.

There is a gift shop and museum downstairs. The museum shows off the original foundations of the house and the faggot oven used by Sally Lunn.

The food was so good we tried returning for supper, but they were full.

After our refreshing lunch, we hit the Assembly Rooms. Part of the Assembly Rooms are now a fashion museum, which we toured. I even got to try on a crinoline! The corset, sadly, would not fit.

It was easy to imagine genteel ladies and gentlemen dancing in the Assembly Rooms.

We also walked over to see the Circus. I would love to have been able to look inside one of these homes, but we weren't able.

Finally, we went to the current Bath spa. It's expensive, but you get to spend two hours inside. We went to the roof and enjoyed the view from that pool. Then we hit the saunas. The perfumed air inside the different rooms was overpowering. The perfume made it harder to breathe than the heat did. Our last stop was the indoor pool. The water temperature was about that of a warm bath. I enjoyed it (except for the price), but Mom wasn't that impressed.

Nevertheless, we can now say we've enjoyed the waters at Bath. And Mom's legs didn't hurt the next day, so I guess there's some truth to the water's restorative powers!

When we left, Wolfgang drove us to the train station where we caught our train to Cardiff.

Vacation: Lacock, Cherhill & Avebury

2009-06-07T17:29:00.010-05:00

After leaving Salisbury, we traveled to Bath. Once in Bath, we had the rental for one more day before returning it. So, we drove through the surrounding countryside.

Our first stop was Lacock Village. This is a little town that does not allow cars in it except for the people who live there. We parked in a lot that was a short walk from the village center.

The town is used in lots of films – from Jane Austen adaptations to Harry Potter.

They have an old abbey in the town. The abbey itself was closed that day, but the cloister was open.

We returned to the village to have a cup of tea (me) and hot chocolate (Mom) at The George Inn, the oldest pub in Lacock. It was established in 1361.

From Lacock we drove through the town of Cherhill. The whole economy of the town seems to based on the fact that a giant horse was carved into the hillside in 1780.

Avebury is where another stone circle was built in ancient times. This circle, unlike Stonehenge, is right in the middle of the town. We parked and walked around some of the stones.

We not only saw white sheep, but there were also black sheep wandering among the giant rocks with the tourists.

Vacation: Old Sarum & Stonehenge

2009-06-03T18:07:00.008-05:00

From Salisbury we traveled to Bath. On the way there, we stopped at Old Sarum and Stonehenge.

All that is left of Old Sarum are ruins of the former castle and cathedral. The drive up to the (small) parking lot was a one-way street with a blind turn. Naturally, another car was headed down the drive as we were moving up. Talk about scary!

While the unnecessarily narrow drive irritated us, we were flabbergasted to see families at an English Heritage site playing soccer and croquet. We'd never seen something like that in the U.S. It struck Mom and me as odd.

After Old Sarum, we drove to Stonehenge. It's one of those sites you hear about and read about and see on television and movies, so I couldn't wait to see it. Seeing it from the road, it looked so small!

Once we parked and walked up to the structure – at least as close as you can get – the size seemed more substantial.

But Stonehenge never looked as big as I thought it would!

We now interrupt the vacation updates

2009-06-02T19:17:00.002-05:00

I sent a YA novel to a publisher today. This was a publisher from the Editor Day event I went to in Houston back in February.

Fingers crossed!

Vacation: Salisbury, England

2009-06-02T18:07:00.010-05:00

After the cruise ship docked in Southampton, we rented a car and drove to Salisbury. I looked forward to this destination as I had just finished reading Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd. That novel is about the history of the Salisbury area from the geological creation of isle of Britain to the 1980s.

Before we went to our hotel, we went to Wilton and toured Wilton House. Belonging to the Earl of Pembroke, Wilton House is filled with works of art by famous painters, including Rembrandt and Reynolds. The house is famous for its Single Cube and Double Cube rooms.

The grounds of Wilton House were lovely with beautiful trees and the River Nadder flowing nearby. There was even a swan floating in the river!

The town of Wilton itself has a gorgeous Italian-style church that we also visited.

Our hotel, the Legacy Rose and Crown, was on the road between Salisbury and Wilton. After two trips between the towns and one very expensive cell phone call, we finally managed to find the place. Our room was quite nice, and the hotel was in a perfect location. Breakfast was a little strange, however.

They had a buffet with cereal and fruit and yogurt, which wasn't too bad. You could also order a hot breakfast. Mom and I both got scrambled eggs. They arrived on a large plate in a tower, like they'd been placed in a Jell-O mold. It was the weirdest thing, and I should have taken a picture! When mashed onto the plate, they covered the entire thing. There must have been about six eggs per person! And the taste. Oh, the taste. I could not eat two bites. They smelled awful and were very pale and sickly looking. I didn't even know eggs could look sickly, but these did.

I remained wary of scrambled eggs for the rest of the trip.

We walked to the cathedral, built in 1265. The spire of the cathedral towers over the surrounding countryside, and we enjoyed walking through the nave and cloister.

In the cloister, we saw Wolfie, the cathedral cat. He looked a lot like my own cat but, of course, was much nicer. I enjoyed petting him for a while.

As there was a confirmation or something happening that day, we were unable to go in the chapter house. The chapter house is where an original version of the Magna Carta resides, so we would have to return.

The next day we returned to the cathedral, and I took the Tower Tour while Mom waited below. The tour was fascinating, and I highly recommend it. We even managed to be by the bells when the hour struck noon. Wow, was that loud!

The views from the tower were breathtaking and well worth the climb.

Mom, meanwhile, had an eventful time waiting for me. She ran into some of our table mates from the cruise ship!

Then we went to the chapter house to see the Magna Carta. Amazing to see a document written in 1215 that is the basis for so many governments and legal rights around the world!

Vacation: France Port of Call

2009-06-01T19:27:00.006-05:00

Our final port of call was Cherbourg, France. This was the only stop where Mom and I took a tour offered by the cruise line. We traveled by bus through the Normandy countryside from Cherbourg to Bayeux to see the Bayeux Tapestry.

Nearly 1,000 years old, the tapestry, which is actually an embroidery, looks like it was made only weeks ago. It sits in a glass display case that is U-shaped and carefully lit to show off the entire tapestry. Or what's left of it, anyway.

We walked in front of the tapestry and listened to the audio guide that was included. Normally, I am not a fan of audio guides, but this one was excellent. A British narrator - pictured in my head as someone wearing tweed - with a very dry, witty manner provided a terrific explanation of all the panels in the tapestry.

About two or three blocks from the tapestry stands the Bayeux Cathedral. Originally built in the eleventh century, the church is massive and dominates the town.

We didn't get to spend very much time in Bayeux. Mom and I would love to go back there to explore more and go inside the cathedral.

While we were having a wonderful time seeing the tapestry, some of the people on our tour were angry. They thought the tour was also going to stop at the beaches of Normandy where the liberation of France began in 1944. To appease these angry tourists (as there was not time to go to the beaches), we stopped at Sainte-Mèré-Église. In this village, American paratroopers were dropped on D-Day. One unfortunate soldier's parachute got caught on the steeple of the church. In remembrance of that event, that soldier and the Allied troops, a mannequin of a U.S. paratrooper still hangs from the church steeple.

Vacation: Ireland Port of Call

2009-05-29T18:39:00.009-05:00

We arrived at Cobh Harbor in the fog and mist and cold. Fortunately, the day did not stay that way.

The train from Cobh to Cork left from right where the boat docked. Once we got to Cork, we took a bus tour around the city. Some of those streets were disturbingly narrow, twisty and on the side of hill. Several times I thought I would die. I could just envision the bus plummeting down the hill side and impaling me on a tree.

Once we finished the bus tour, we walked to St. Fin Barre's Cathedral. This was quite a lovely cathedral. We were unable to take photographs inside because a service was occurring at the time.

After we returned to Cobh, we went through the Heritage Center. Then we climbed up about a thousand steps and went to a little museum that had lists of passengers on ships bound for the United States and Canada. We have ancestors who emigrated from Ireland in the 1800s, and we think we found some of them in the museum.

As we left Cobh Harbor, the sun was shining and all was right with the world!

Vacation: The Azores Port of Call

2009-05-28T17:49:00.003-05:00

The second stop on our cruise was Ponta Delgada, the Azores, Portugal. We arrived later than scheduled due to some issue with the currents or the wind or something on the Atlantic.

Mom and I didn't have any real plans for our stop in the Azores. We debarked and walked around the town.

We walked around part of the city, saw the City Gates and went inside two churches - São Pedro and São Sebastiao.

I tried to find a place with wifi because I wanted to send an email to a friend of mine (it was her birthday), but alas, I needed a password for the only wifi I found.

Vacation: Bermuda Port of Call

2009-05-27T18:21:00.007-05:00

After about five days at sea, in which we saw about three ships, we arrived in King's Wharf, Bermuda. Once we got off the boat (which was a very confusing process), Mom and I took the ferry to Hamilton.

We walked around the city and managed to find the Bermuda National Library. Mom had read somewhere on the Internets that the library housed John Smith's diary or memoir, and people should ask to see it.

Well, we tried. Unfortunately, the staff had no idea what we were talking about.

So, we moved on to other sites. We went inside the cathedral and the Assembly House.

Then we headed back toward the docks on the bus. We stopped at Horseshoe Bay, which was stunning. I don't really like the beach, but this one was just beautiful. The water must have been every shade of blue and the rocks were black and rugged. I adore rocks and water together, so this was wonderful.

Our next stop was Gibb's Hill Lighthouse.

I climbed to the top and was rewarded with breathtaking views of Bermuda everywhere I looked.

We headed back to the ship on the bus. This was the most painful bus ride of my life. It was full, so we had to stand and hold onto the straps. And I'm short! So I had to stretch to reach the straps. The bus driver would speed around tight curves and then slam on the brakes when someone requested a stop. The ride was about thirty minutes of pure torture.

After the bus ride and bit of shopping, it was a relief to climb back onboard the ship and lay down!

Vacation: The Cruise

2009-05-26T18:42:00.006-05:00

We sailed on the Voyager of the Seas out of Galveston for a two-week trans-Atlantic cruise. When the Voyager was first built in 1999, she was the largest ship ever built.

After dinner on our first night, our waiter, Lotfi from Tunisia, told us the next night would be a formal night. Mom and I told him we wouldn't be there then. We had brought clothes, but they weren't terribly dressy.

But Lotfi assured us we should come, telling us people would not all be dressed formally. He told us escargot would be served. When he said that, I leaned over to Mom and said, "Slippery little suckers."

And Lotfi said, "No, they are not in the shell."

Lotfi totally got my Pretty Woman reference! I loved Lotfi after that. He was great. (The escargot wasn't bad, either.)

Our assistant waiter was Nikiel from South Africa. When the ship docked in Southampton, he was heading home. He looked very much like one of Mom's students from my hometown, although it took us almost ten days to figure that out.

Nikiel was great, too. He kept our iced tea glasses full throughout supper and brought me ketchup for my steak.

Polat, our head waiter from Turkey, made sure we were completely satisfied with the food every night.

Mom also loved our stateroom attendant, José from Costa Rica. He kept the ice bucket full, and that made her more happy than anything.

Aside from escargot, I had always had the chilled soups. My favorite was the Golden Pear with Cranberries. It was just delicious!

We went to some of the shows. I think my favorite shows were Maria Neglia, a violin virtuosa, the crew talent show and the guest talent show. I even got some ideas for next year's variety show at work!

Mom and I played trivia on occasion. I played Wii bowling. We walked around the walking track.

I climbed the rock wall. All right, I'll be honest. I only made it two-thirds of the way up. I was doing good until the guy on the rope told me to start going sideways. I was thinking, "No, I must head up. My destination is up, not sideways." And then my hands and feet slipped. If I'd been on a real rock wall, I would have died.

I went ice skating, too. I'd never been skating before, and I made it all the way around the rink without falling down. And then I turned in the skates.

Most afternoons Mom and I napped. I high recommend a trans-Atlantic cruise as a method of travel. It's very relaxing. If you can only cruise one direction, then I would suggest taking the cruise on your way home.

Even some birds preferred to make the crossing by ship rather than air!

Home Again

2009-05-14T18:02:00.003-05:00

Back from vacation and back to work. I managed to get through all my emails, practice for a summer reading program and go to a meeting. All without falling asleep!

I've still got to go through all the pictures (I took nearly 800). I'll post those later.

It's Vacation Time

2009-04-18T19:18:00.003-05:00

I am leaving on vacation tomorrow. We're going on a trans-Atlantic cruise. We'll be stopping in Bermuda; Ponta Delgada, the Azores; Cork, Ireland and Cherbourg, France. Our final stop is Southampton, England. From there, we're going to spend about ten days in England.

I'll tell you all about it when we get back.

Bon voyage!

Digging Through the "Archives"

2009-03-26T18:11:00.003-05:00

I was going through this memory book that my mother made for me years ago, and I came across one of the first stories I ever wrote. I thought I'd share it.

The Talking Seal

Once upon a time, there was a talking seal. He always talked to Sara and Jason. Ginger was the name of the seal. Mandy and Ashley were Ginger's sisters. Dwayne was the zoo-keeper. Children come to the zoo to see Mandy, Ashley and Ginger. Sara and Jason like to talk to Ginger. Ginger likes to say, "Will you come and visit me every day you can?" Sara and Jason say, at the same time, "Yes, we will try." Mandy and Ashley stare at Ginger because they are astonished. They don't know what those noises coming from Ginger mean. Wouldn't you like to see this talking seal, too? She might talk to you someday.

I wrote that in 1984 when I was in third grade. The names are those of my classmates and friends.

It's not a great story, but I've always liked it. And my mother must have liked it, too, because she typed it up on our computer (that would have been the Apple IIc) and printed it out on our dot matrix printer.

Remembering Linda

2009-03-25T19:07:00.003-05:00

My first job in a library was in college. I worked in the back of the library preparing books for the shelves - laminating paperbacks, applying spine labels and stripping books. Stripping the books was the most fun. It means applying the thin strip of metal that causes the books to trip the alarm if they're not checked out. One of my co-workers said the process was like giving the books a lobotomy.

My supervisor at the library was Linda Clark. She was lots of fun. When I was accepted into the library school at the University of Texas, she was thrilled for me. She had gone there herself years earlier. I asked her if she knew the professor who had signed my acceptance letter, and her response was, "Is he still there?"

I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad one, but he was "still there."

Linda also clued me in to the fact that librarians don't really get a chance to read that much.

And she watched King of the Hill. My roommate, who worked in a different part of the library, and I always wanted to call Linda and leave a message on her office voice mail spoofing one of our favorite bits from the first season of that show. "You don't know who I am, but I know where you work." But we never did.

I learned yesterday that Linda Clark was killed in a car wreck on Monday. I hadn't really seen her since I graduated from college, but I still thought about her. I considered her a friend, and I will miss her.

The End of the Experiment

2009-03-04T18:37:00.003-06:00

Well, I made it through February without eating any fast food. I didn't even eat all my TV dinners, so I've still got them to eat, too.

I have not weighed myself, so I don't know if I lost any weight. Probably not. I can't get that lucky.

Promptly on March 1, a friend and I went to Wendy's. It tasted delicious!

Editor Day

2009-02-22T15:57:00.003-06:00

The Houston chapter of SCBWI held its Editor Day event yesterday. It was an opportunity for aspiring children's writers to meet with editors from different publishing houses and imprints. It's also an opportunity to submit to them as the houses they work for are closed to unagented authors.

And while I'm still trying to get an agent, I don't have one yet. So, this was a great opportunity for me.

I got some wonderful ideas, met some new people and know exactly what I'm going to submit to these editors. I've just got to polish my manuscripts until they're shiny and bright and unable to resist!

Author: Siobhan Dowd

2009-02-04T18:33:00.005-06:00

I discovered this author in 2007 while I was on vacation in Ireland. Before the trip I scoured exhibits at the Texas Library Association Annual Conference to find an advanced reader copy of a book set in Ireland.

I really wanted to read an Irish-set story when I was in Ireland. I managed to find two books. One was a mystery for adults. The other was the young adult novel A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd. I held off reading the book until I was well and truly on the Emerald Isle.

And I fell in love.

The book was stunning. Beautifully written and devastatingly heartbreaking. It's part mystery and part family drama, among other themes. I cannot say enough about this book.

And then, about four months after I finished the book, I learned that Siobhan Dowd had died of cancer. I actually cried. All I could think was that the world was robbed of so many exquisite stories.

Fortunately for the readers of the world, she finished other books before she passed. She has another YA novel, Bog Child, which is set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and a children's novel, The London Eye Mystery, which is a terrific mystery.

She has another YA book, Solace of the Road, coming out in October. I can't wait to read it.

An Experiment

2009-02-03T19:01:00.002-06:00

I'm trying something for the month of February. I am avoiding fast food. No Taco Bell, no Wendy's, no McDonald's, nada.

I'm not doing this for any real reason other to see if I can. Any health benefits will be nice, and any financial gains will also be appreciated.

Generally I have a can of Slim Fast at lunch and supper at home. So, I go to a fast food place about twice a week. In order to avoid the siren call of the cheap food, I bought some frozen dinners to keep at work and at home - for those days when Slim Fast just isn't going to satisfy.

Please note that I chose the shortest month of the year to try this little experiment. Wish me luck!

My Beautiful Girl

2009-01-24T16:27:00.007-06:00

Normally, when I take pictures of my cat, they end up looking awful – and not always because I've taken a "bad picture." My cat is solid black, so she blends into backgrounds or the lighting prevents her face from being seen. Or, more often, she looks like this.

It's radioactive cat! Her insides are glowing through her eyeballs!

But today, I finally got a lovely photo of my beautiful girl. She was sitting in the sunshine at the front door staring at something fascinating – an invisible bug, no doubt. Isn't she lovely?

I had to share. She just looked so sweet. Appearances can be deceiving.

One Funny Comedy

2009-01-03T20:14:00.005-06:00

I spent New Year's Eve and New Year's Day watching a British sitcom I had never even heard of before this week. A friend showed it to us at one of our movie nights we have occasionally.

Usually we watch bad movies, either Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes or a fully awful complete movie that we make fun of on our own.

But this time we watched something fantastic - Black Books. It stars Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig and is set in a book shop in London. A terribly filthy and unkempt book shop run by a drunken Irishman and a man-child assistant. A friend of theirs hangs out in the shop between trying to find a job for herself.

One of the episodes featured a banner for "International Children's Book Week." Bernard, the shop owner, and Manny, the assistant decide they can write their own children's book. As they're brainstorming ideas, they have this brilliant exchange.

Bernard: Let's just, you know, get some ideas bouncing around. Sort of go crazy, you know, no rules ...

Manny: Yeah, yeah, sort of anything goes —

Bernard: No, not anything goes! I said no rules!

Just a little something to keep you going. It's not anything goes; it's simply NO RULES.

Editing Complete

2008-12-16T21:09:00.002-06:00

After nearly a month, I finally finished editing and correcting the YA novel. I think it's in the best possible condition that I can get it in. Now, I just need a professional to offer any helpful suggestions. Any agents or editors out there? I'm more than willing to send it to you!

The Work Goes On

2008-12-11T20:44:00.003-06:00

I'm in the process of editing my YA novel. It's historical fiction set during the French Revolution. While the editing is taking a while, I'm not hating it as much as I thought I would. Perhaps that's because it's my own revisions and not an actual editor's. But I really think it has more to do with the fact that I finished it in June and haven't really looked at it since. That's helped clear my mind and allowed me to edit with a fresh eye.

I only hope the red ink in my pen lasts!

Meanwhile, the critique group I belong to is giving me advice about another YA novel I finished. This one is set in the present day, almost.

More Fun

2008-12-03T20:38:00.004-06:00

I saw this on someone's blog and thought I would do it myself. The things I've done are in bold.

1. Started your own blog - and you're reading it!
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band - the Moulton All-Girl Polka Band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain - does being in a car count?
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo - and it was terrible
11. Bungee jumped - I wish!
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - took three hours
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - although not at my present job!
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing - if you count the rock wall on the cruise ship
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt - several times
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies - and that's when I quit the Brownies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London - hope to on vacation next year
77. Broken a bone - four times to be precise
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book - trying!
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury - oh, I wish
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee - moistened tobacco works to remove the sting
100. Read an entire book in one day - too many to count

Fingers Crossed

2008-12-02T18:28:00.003-06:00

I sent out queries to agents again about my YA novel. I received a request for a partial (I think, the email was actually kind of vague, but I don't want to overwhelm the kind agent with more than she intended) and will send that to her tomorrow.

Here's wishing myself luck!

Just for Fun

2008-12-02T18:16:00.003-06:00

I was reading Janet Reid's blog today, and she posted the results from a couple quizzes she took online. I thought they looked like fun (I love online quizzes), so I took them, too. Here are the results.

58%
I also found this site today. So, it was a zombie day for me. My favorite poem is the one "by" Edgar Allan Poe.

Another quiz result.

44 seconds

Created by Bunk Beds.net

This last quiz is just completely wrong on so many levels. But I like the idea of having something that says I'm a genius, even if it is just a goofy Internet quiz.

TV Reviews

Try them for yourself.

Brazos Valley Conference

2008-11-15T22:37:00.002-06:00

I went to the Connections & Craft conference sponsored by the Brazos Valley SCBWI today, and I had a great time. Two other members of the critique group I belong to attended as well.

The conference also functioned as a workshop, so we had a few writing exercises to do during the day. These helped us work on openings and character development.

I mentioned earlier that I had a critique scheduled with Cynthia Leitich Smith. That went great. She loved my manuscript! Or at least the first 10 pages. She gave me the names of some agents for submissions. I'm currently in the process of editing the piece (again), so I'll finish that before I try submitting again.

Here's hoping!

My Dewey Number

2008-11-13T12:57:00.004-06:00

I'm a librarian, so I'm interested in knowing where all things belong according that bizarre little man known as Melvil Dewey. So, I took a (very brief) quiz to learn my own personal Dewey Decimal Number, and here are the results.

S K Joiner's Dewey Decimal Section:

680 Manufacture for specific uses

S K Joiner = 91811059458 = 918+110+594+58 = 1680

Class:
600 Technology

Contains:
Health, agriculture, management, public relations, buildings.

What it says about you:
You are creative and inspired to make the world a better place. You can work hard on something when it catches your interest. Your friends have unique interests in common with you.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

Fairly accurate. Neat!

At the Faire

2008-11-07T17:26:00.012-06:00

I went to the Texas Renaissance Festival last weekend with a friend of mine and her two children. The group of us have gone for the last three years. And I've been many times before that.

The weather was beautiful, so we were really able to see people in crazy outfits. That's always my favorite part of the Ren Fest - the people-watching.

So, my friend's children (for some reason, my grandmother calls them Hank and Hannah*) dressed up this year. Hank was a pirate, and Hannah dressed as a princess. As the day progressed, and they got tired, the costumes started to fall apart.

Here they are in the open-air church on the Festival grounds.

They also played King of the Log and tried to knock each other off.

Hank managed to knock Hannah off the log first.

But then, Hannah got her revenge.

And then, Hank and I tried the brachiating, where you're strapped into a harness and attached to giant rubber bands and bounced high in the air with the help of a trampoline. I've done this before, but I was unable to flip.

This year, however, I had success!

Of course, I was in pain for about three days afterward. That was quite the ab workout.

The children went through the maze, too. Hank got a little lost and had a hard time finding the exit. But he managed to find his way out.

And Hannah wanted a turkey leg. She originally called it a chicken leg (that would be quite a chicken!), but we corrected her.

I could not believe she ate that thing. I think they're disgusting before people start chewing on them, and I wouldn't even touch it. But she ate it! Note Hank's expression, not unlike my own.

We had a great time. And we're already planning for next year's visit.

*Obviously, not their real names.

Another Conference

2008-10-25T21:16:00.003-05:00

The good news about the conference I'm attending next month is the person who's critiquing my YA submission. It's Cynthia Leitich Smith, one of my favorite authors! I don't know whether she'll like my work or not, but I'm thrilled to have someone I so like and respect read it. That will be exciting.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Congratulations, Linda!

2008-10-15T10:00:00.002-05:00

My friend and former professor, Linda Calvert Jacobson, has a one-woman show of her original paintings at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. Congratulations!

I am so happy I got an original work from her when I graduated from college. I still have it sitting happily in the living room. It's in a place of honor - on the entertainment center that I face every day!

She teaches art classes, too. But I never got art instruction from her. She taught me how to write a newspaper article in Associated Press style. Amazingly, despite becoming a librarian, I still use that skill in writing press releases. Thanks, Linda!

If you're looking for Christmas ideas, she also has an online shop you can peruse.

And Now, the Aftermath

2008-09-14T10:59:00.003-05:00

Well, we managed to make it through Hurricane Ike. We lost power at our hotel at about 1:30 a.m., but amazingly, it came back on around 6:30 a.m. We've been amazingly lucky with that. The IHOP in front of the hotel was actually open yesterday afternoon, so we went and ate the only food being served - pancakes, sausage and eggs.

Mom's dog, Tipper, hates thunderstorms. Fortunately, there wasn't much thunder associated with Ike. However, the winds howled loudly, and the rain poured. I thought the dog might have a nervous breakdown or a heart attack. She kept scraping the door to her pen and breathing heavily. But she made it.

We're all fine. We talked to a friend of ours who stayed in Angleton, and she said our house looked all right. Just some limbs down and no power.

We're hoping to go home tomorrow.

Waiting on Ike

2008-09-12T08:51:00.003-05:00

My mother, my grandmother, two dogs and one cat are currently sitting in a hotel room in Sugar Land. We're waiting on Hurricane Ike to make landfall.

We evacuated three years ago for Hurricane Rita. Here we go again. Although we'll actually have wind and rain from Ike. Rita left us alone.

Needless to say, I don't like Ike. But we're all right. We've got food and water and shelter. Now all we can do is pray.

Queries: Update

2008-08-21T21:29:00.003-05:00

The queries I sent out about my YA novel went better than for the middle grade. I got one partial request that became a no, but that's better than all no's.

So, I've sent some more queries. Fingers crossed!