Next to the Last Day of 2012

We took our Japanese guest, at his request, to Park Meadows Mall yesterday. I don't know if it was the frigid temperatures or post-Christmas madness, but the mall was crazy busy. We had a difficult time even getting out of the parking lot. But his shopping was a success and well worth the ordeal. (almost)

Today was our trip to Boulder. We had lunch at The Med with friends then walked up and down Pearl Street. Again, very cold. Still cold. Obnoxiously cold.

I'm making a very usual dinner (for us) at home tonight. Roast chicken, potatoes, beets, and green beans. Afterwards, he wants to go someplace "interesting". God help me, but I don't know anyplace interesting to take him. He likes to go to the clubs and I'm a tired 60 year-old. My daughter is having a New Year's Eve party tomorrow night and he's going. Then he has to be at the airport by 7:15. He says he'll sleep all the way home to Japan.

I'm going to have a nice New Year's Eve, mostly at home. I'm half of a designated driving team, a babysitter, and I have my own ritual of writing as the year comes to a close. I just have to get through tomorrow first.

Having fun at the mall.

Relative by Association

We are lucky to have a houseguest to help us finish off 2012 in a special way. He is a young man from Tokyo who has traveled quite a lot in his 23 years. We know him because he's a relative of a relative and, therefore, a relative of ours by association.

He was a young teenager the last time he visited. He rode horses and went sledding at Berthoud Pass.  Now he's a college graduate and ready to make his way in the world.

We're going to go shopping today, and will visit some of our family while in Denver. I love to be a tour guide but summer is when I like to show off Colorado. Winter feels very restricted. I feel less like hibernating when it's sunny and warm.

I'm One Tired Crow

I've done a lot of granny-nanny stuff this week. I had a good time with my granddaughter, but she's like a wild space alien kinetic whirlwind machine. Okay. That simile sucked, but that just goes to show how tired I am. I'm too tired to backspace, and I'm too tired to think of something better to say, but what I said is basically true.

We have a nice young man arriving tomorrow for a visit. He's coming all the way from Japan to spend three full days in Colorado, then he's flying back to Tokyo. Hopefully this is an exploratory visit to pave the way for future, longer expeditions into the wild west. I hope he isn't a light sleeper since we live a block from the train track in Longmont.

I feel like that little bird on the left looks.

But in a good post-holiday kind of way.

Christmas Day 2012

It's just after 8:00. The house is again quiet except for the sound of a movie about a brave mouse, and the humming of the dishwasher we use only after we have guests, like tonight. It's 12 degrees outside and will probably be in the single digits before dawn. Winter has finally hit Colorado like a frozen hardball.

We went out twice to find a suitable Christmas tree (meaning cheap and not half crispy brown) only to come home empty-handed each time. I was dragging a box out of the room when I got the idea to make a tree or, more accurately, a rough approximation of a tree, out of the cardboard. Better than nothing and it gave us something to hang our colorful lights on.

Merry Christmas and happy holiday hoopla to all. It's my hope that you enjoy the rest of this year so it can fade away with some self-respect. (I live to personify) Our next big moment will be New Year's Eve and, yes, I enjoy spending the evening reflecting on the past year, and all the possibility inherent in the new year. 

Christmas Eve at Boulder Valley Ranch

The world is cold and overcast today, but not in a bad way. The mountains are beautiful and Boulder Valley looks good no matter what time of year it is.

This morning I went out to Boulder Valley Ranch to visit my horse, Cooper. I love going out there. It's very near Boulder yet still feels like, and preserves the illusion, that there is country land still around. The lovely black angus cattle are on the best meadow near the barn. I soon saw why. Two tiny black calves were sleeping in the midst of the many cows. It seems like calving begins earlier every year, with this season beginning before 2012 is even over with. With the front range mountains to my right, the horses to my left, a herd of cattle, and the plains stretching out to the east, I'd have to say I felt lucky to be surrounded by such beauty.

A woman I know works there taking care of the horses, so we talked for a while. I told her I was thinking of moving Cooper to a more convenient boarding facility. It's difficult for me to spend time with him since the barn has no restroom and there are no lights for evening visits. She said no I can't move him. He'd be depressed and he's too old to start over. (He's twenty) I'm glad that issue is settled.
This ranch is one of a kind and I truly do appreciate it.

Strange Grounds

I spent last night in Denver and had the morning free, so I set out to find a good coffee place for some writing, reading, and coffeeing. The place nearest the house was mobbed, probably because the bad weather the previous day discourage people from driving, or lots of people are on vacation for Christmas already.

I remembered a coffee place I'd seen the week before, but it was way down Broadway in the antiques district. I couldn't think of any reason not to give it a try so I headed north.

I parked in the thick, filthy snow-slush in front of Strange Grounds. I followed a strange old man inside. His Subaru had a complicated purple bike rack on the back, and the car was decorated with silver garlands and  Christmas lights. He didn't look like he'd ride a bicycle.

This place was just right. The room opened up into what had once been a neighboring business. That room had more seating and a nice stage. There were books, art, a bulletin board and, of course, good coffee. Funky from the word go. The young, sweetly pierced barista was also a fiddle player.

The old man had on a strange fur hat with a long tail reaching down his back almost to his waist. I wondered what animal would have a grey fluffy tail that long. I still haven't been able to answer that question. On top of his hat, he wore a wide ear-warmer band, (what the hell are those things called?) so I couldn't really get a good look at the fur hat. He was friendly. There was a big O on the headband thing. University of Oregon?

Strange Grounds advertises "Strange Grounds is Open Late Damn Near Every Night of the Week". They encourage musicians and singers to come and perform on their stage, and stay open late for writing and discussion groups. Life can be good in the city.

Snow and Traffic

I'm happy we finally got some snow, but I'm not happy I have to drive to Denver on the slick roads. Personally, I hope the traffic crawls all the way. I just noticed the wind is starting to blow. That makes it even more interesting.

There's a book titled, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry, by Jack Kornfield. It's one of my thrift store purchases that I've only browsed, but it's an interesting book. It reminds me that life is full of things to do, places to go, and people to see, but there's still the simple work of life that must be addressed. So many people think that, because they went to their job, they don't have to do that drudgery. But dishes must be washed, cat boxes cleaned, and on and on. I fully understand how hard it can be to do that extra laundry. Have your ecstasy but also take a shower, take out the garbage. It's all a good use of time and could be very zen if your attitude is right.

My computer faces a window. A white suburban just spun out right in front of me. The good news is that it missed the two parked cars.

I don't have a good focus today so I offer my apologies. I hope everyone has a safe and sane day.

There's No Escape From Reality

I went to Metro State University's graduation ceremony yesterday. It went on for a very, very long time, but I wanted to be there to honor the one person I knew.  He was only one of the 1,287 people about to receive a diploma. I thought about all that education being put to good use in the world.

I had a horrible thought as I sat in my chair, cramped and already fidgeting, as I waited for the event to begin. I thought, If anyone comes in with a gun, I'll throw my daughter to the floor and lay on top of her. Thank god I'm a lot bigger than her, right?

Then the ceremony started. I was listening to the speakers when an older couple was introduced at the podium. They were the parents of a 24 year old woman, Jessica Ghawi, who was killed in the Aurora theatre shooting on July 20th. Jessica would have been one of the graduates if an insane man hadn't murdered her and 11 other people that night.

On June 2nd, Jessica Ghawi was outside a mall in Toronto when a man started shooting in the food court. She had been shopping when she got "an odd feeling" that caused her to go outside just before the firing began. A 23-year old male shot five people, a 24-year old died. Two months earlier, the shooter had been stabbed more than 20 times. I don't know if his act of violence was his idea of retribution, but he certainly sent his hatred and fear out into the wider world.

A month later, Jessica died senselessly in Aurora.

Her parents spoke with composure and strength. They have joined my personal list of heroes now. They were honoring their beloved daughter, and even while mentioning the tragic murders in Newtown, their words were about the good in life and the potential to do uplifting things for society. They did not once strengthen our despair by speaking of the murderers.

We're Not in Kansas Any More

Today was a regular Saturday, but no two days are ever the same around here so maybe every day defies the definition of regular. As people both near and far try to grasp the reality of the murders that occurred last Friday, (in the sanctity of an elementary school, no less), we are all trying to remember what normal is. Our national concept of normal has once again been shattered but, sadly, each individual has to come to that realization on their own. Mankind is supposed to be moving toward the light, but our feet are still mired in darkness.

So I'll tell you what I did yesterday evening and today. I watched a nonsense movie (Rock of Ages) with a friend then, up way past my bedtime, slept for a while. I woke up, read the paper, wrote, went grocery shopping, and gassed up my car. Ordinary stuff. I spent some time getting a few holiday gifts online which was the hardest work I did today, then I made Green Chile Stew and ate it with some nice flour tortillas. Now I'm doing laundry and plan to watch another nonsense movie. (Dark Shadows) That's how I put one foot in front of the other. Going through the motions is all you can humanly do, whether you have been laid off from work, been diagnosed with cancer, or have lost a loved one. Time is the healer, and you don't ever truly get back to normal because normal is only a facade.

When I had cancer for the second time, (Not the same cancer twice. I got to try out a brand new cancer) I got incredibly tired of being told I had to create a new normal for myself. Four years later, the "new normal" expression still drives me crazy. I say fuck that little ditty. Don't talk to someone with cancer by using idiot cliches unless you want me coming at you with my crazy face on.

Tomorrow is another day we can try to shape to our liking while fending off asteroids of unpredictability. Good luck to each and every one of us.

What is Your Reality?

We create and live in our own bubble, particularly in the United States. Most of us want a clean, safe bubble and do what we can to shape our lives in the direction of the ideal bubble. Out there in the wide world, a lot of people barely exist, not being born in a place with clean water and other resources, or live in a war zone. War zones can be as large as a country, or as small as a neighborhood. If these people make it into adulthood, they often watch their children die. Hunger is just as vicious a death as a bullet or a bomb.

After yesterday's tragedy in Connecticut, I'm having a difficult time putting it all into perspective. Any perspective would do right now, but I'm sitting here feeling gut-punched. These murdering sprees are happening often enough that you hear people saying, "Not again!" repeatedly. Yes, it has happened again, and it's going to keep happening as long as these horrible weapons are available. Will a shooting with even more victims have to happen to get the automatic firearms out of our society? What magnitude will the numbers have to reach before our government, with our support, takes on the gun lobby?

Florida: Conclusion

Travel writing should be done while you're having the experience. So much is lost as time passes. I keep observances in a journal and find that words bring back my memories so much better than with a photo, but there is always the belief that you'll remember every feeling, every impression and nuance. Sadly, that just isn't true.

I remember being pleasantly surprised by the beauty of Cedar Key in spite of the community's modest nature. Houses were being built on stilts, in the current hurricane-survival style but, while the results weren't particularly attractive, the houses were  strong and I think the view is probably nice from up there.

I loved sound of the water as the wind drove it against the pilings and the land. I would keep an eye on what color the water was because it was so changeable. The sky, wind, tides and reflections all kept the water's beauty in a constant state of flux.

We signed up to go out with Captain Doug and his Tidewater Tour on Wednesday but it was so freezing cold that nobody else signed up. We decided to go out on Thursday instead, hoping for a bit less wind. From the dock, we went to the Manatee Springs State Park on the Suwannee River. The river is bigger than I imagined. There was a Cypress swamp, hundreds and hundreds of vultures, cardinals, jumping mullets, the the famous Manatee Springs, and manatees! Manatees are big, blobby animals with a lovely tail fin. One moved enough to eat a couple of weeds, but the rest just hung around in the spring water and dozed.

The literature stated that the spring "produces an average of 100 million gallons of clear, cool water daily". The spring creates a clear stream that flows through the hardwood wetlands into the Suwannee River. Something I will never see is a cave that is 90 feet below the ground where divers go to visit a place called the catfish hotel. If you ever go, please let me know what it was like.

One of the surprising highlights of the trip was watching the black vultures who spend winter in the park. It was bath time so we watched them take turns washing in the stream then flying to a perch to preen or stand guard over the other bathing vultures. Alligators live in the park and probably snatch a vulture every now and then.

That night, we ate at the Island Hotel. It's supposedly haunted and well-populated with ghosts from the Civil War time. Not surprisingly, it's been featured on several television shows about ghosts. We ate very well. There was crab bisque, spinach salad with a wonderful homemade dressing, stuffed grouper, and some kind of specially prepared oysters. I was sorry we only had one more day left, but I was also starting to fantasize about being warm someplace besides inside the car.

On the last day, I bought gifts. We took the boat tour despite the wind, but Captain Doug's daughter provided some much-needed heavy wool blankets to wrap up in. Saw loons and an eagle's nest with fledglings inside. Returned to Annie's Cafe for lunch, then went to Robinson's Fish Market for our final purchase of fresh shrimp. The last stop was a produce stand where we bought beets and two wonderful sugar cookies a lady was selling to raise money for her church. I had to go back to the condo to box up the gift so I could mail them home.

I would return to Cedar Key happily anytime. I would wish for warmer weather but not the infamous mosquito season. I'd also like to venture out into the Gulf to have a look around. It's a nature lover's paradise with so much more to see than we had time for. And I think it would be very conducive to writing.

Frick and Fracking

I bought a copy of National Geographic because it contained an article on The World's Largest Trees but the cover indicated there was an article about fracking,  a hot button topic around Colorado.

I was reading in bed about methane gas and fracking, which wasn't a good choice for helping me to fall asleep. No one will argue that it's depressing to read about all the crap we're doing to screw up the planet and, therefore, people's lives. We're a long way from integrating the world so that we can all work together for the common good. I'm wondering if we'll figure it all out in time, but some people are trying to work toward a positive outcome as if we will. There's a reason Sci Fi and dystopian writing is popular. Just like every good lie has enough truth in it to make it credible, every disaster movie or book has enough reality in it to be plausible, or almost plausible.

After reading the methane gas article, I felt discouraged about the state of things even though I thought the photos of the methane bubbles trapped in ice looked beautiful. My thought process led me to thinking about people who live and breathe mankind's problems. Do-gooders who are usually self-righteous and sanctimonious people who love the sound of their own voices. (Do I sound biased? Even worse, do I sound self-righteous and sanctimonious? ....Moving on.....) Why don't we listen to them? Because no one likes to talked down to and that's always how it sounds to me.

My advice to the sincere people, who are passionate about improving life on earth, is to approach people in a more positive manner. Don't try to scare the hell out of us because we'll just pull our heads inside of our shells. Sometimes just trying to pay the bills and take care of the family is challenge enough. Worrying about starvation, nuclear bombs, disappearing aquifers, air pollution, and methane gas can't be everyday topics for most of us or we'd go mad.

Which is what may have happened to some folks in Boulder at the last Boulder County commission meeting. Representatives from Encana Oil & Gas were there to discuss fracking. The anti-fracking crowd intimidated the Encana people from the time they entered the building and heckled Wendy Wiedenbeck when it was her turn to speak. (for her six minutes) They were screamed at, videotaped and called terrible names. Their car was blocked by an SUV when they tried to leave, then the car was pounded on. Police had to be brought in for their protection. I'm embarrassed that the "activists" in Boulder stooped to this barbaric behavior. They have hurt their cause. Who is going to want to enter into a conversation about fracking if they're going to be abused and have their physical well being put at risk? No one.  And no one, not even in Boulder, has the right to behave like a thug.

Freezing in Florida: Part Six

Tuesday

I heard about a shop that also sold lattes but it wasn't open when we arrived. It would have been nice to sit and have a hot coffee. Hungry, we walked down the road to Annie's Cafe. It's a funky little place with a nice outdoor dining area except for one thing...it's freezing cold inside and out. Our waitress said they were unused to such bitter cold and didn't have the equipment to warm the place up. All of the diners, and it was packed, were wearing coats. The food was very good. I hope to return at a warmer time of year.

The shop that was closed earlier was now open. They said they operate on island time. They had an espresso machine but were new at using it so the results were so-so. It was an art gallery/gift shop, so I bought a nice print set in the night-time, of a pelican. It now hangs in my granddaughter's room.

Our next stop was Shell Mound Park in the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge. It's located on the edge of the Gulf and is supposed to be a kayaking paradise. The trails and the boardwalk took us through beautiful areas. It was slightly warmer when we were in the woods. The park was part of an area where the salt marshes dominate before the mangroves begin south of Cedar Key.

You can walk around a shell mound created by the prehistoric inhabitants. The mound is comprised of oyster shells, five-acres worth, and 28 feet tall. The archaeologists believe it took the people 3,500 years to shuck that many oysters. The park was a lovely area where the salt marshes dominate before the mangroves begin south of Cedar Key.

The drive through the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge was lovely. There are usually a lot of alligators there, but not when it is so cold. The swamps were surprisingly beautiful. I finally saw cypress trees there. They are able to tolerate the flooded conditions by growing "knees" that grow out of the base and into the air. 

Pelicans

Cedar Key, Florida Part Five

Monday

Another cold front was coming in even though the previous nasty weather seemed to be hanging around. Seemed like a good day to get out of town. We decided to drive to Crystal River. We found really nice homes with lovely water access but there wasn't much available for public use. 

Weekie Wachee Springs, famous for its mermaid shows, was down the road so we headed that way. Our friend, T, spoke fondly of visiting Weekie Wachee as a child, so we went in his honor. Sadly, it was closed on Mondays. 

After much searching for food and/or coffee, we found Bob's Kitchen, a hole-in-the-wall place. From there, our luck changed a bit and we found Hernando Beach. It was not exciting but more interesting than anything else we'd seen that day. Pete's Landing was on the road to Hernando Beach so we hung out there for awhile. There was another eagle with an eglet in her nest. Lots of wood storks were all over the fishing access area. They were homely, slow-witted looking birds but fun to take pictures of.  A man was nearby, fishing with a casting net, and caught a bunch of fish. The wood stork I was photography burst into life and, quick as a flash, flew to the net and snapped up the largest fish then was gone. A blue heron immediately tried to take the fish away from the wood stork but the savvy woodstork flew into the middle a bunch of his buddies and ate the fish in peace. This was the most excitement we'd experienced in days.

We stopped at some kind of nature park on the way home. Thousands of children running around the place. After standing in line for quite a while, I wanted to bail so we left. It was still cold, cold, cold.

I stopped at Robinson's Fish Market on the way back to Cedar Key. Bought smoked mullet and a large number of fresh clams. I had to cook the clams a few at a time in a little saucepan but they were excellent.

We watched the silly movie, Zombieland, and went to bed. During the night, I went downstairs, didn't see the last step on the stairs and fell. I thought I'd broken my ankle because it looked like it was sideways in an unnatural position. After a while, the pain stopped and all was well. I'm counting no broken ankle as a big plus.

A lovely but stern mermaid

A Wood Stork

Pete's Landing

Part Four: Honoring Big Ed

These are my two photos of Big Ed's grave in the Cedar Key Cemetery. Big Ed was obviously well-loved by his family and still missed. The photo they chose for his headstone fascinated me with its honesty. Big Ed is posing with a wild boar (hog?) and is flipping off the camera.

Cedar Key is an awesome place for the person who loves water and wildlife.

Florida: Part Four

So why did we visit Florida in the middle of winter? First of all, I didn't expect it to be colder than Colorado. I also didn't expect it to last. People who live in Florida kept telling me it gets very cold in Florida in the winter, but it rarely lasts for long. Even they were disgruntled by the length of this record-breaking cold snap. It snowed in some areas but we got rain and more rain. I would have preferred the snow just for some variety.

Cedar Key is very affordable compared to most of the tourist areas.  It's full of things to do, particularly if you're not the Orlando type. (No offense intended to amusement park aficionados. It's just not my style.) There are excellent restaurants, some shops, multiple places to drink, boat rentals, hiking, and bird watching. There's an airstrip and, the next time I visit, I'm going to ride in an airboat. I would have loved to have gone kayaking or on the birding tour up the Suwannee River.

My novel is set in Florida on the Gulf Coast so it seemed reasonable and prudent to visit the area, and the town didn't disappoint. I love being near water and Cedar Key is all about water. However, they have mosquitoes and humidity in cruel abundance when the weather is hot, say... in August. One woman told me they rival Alaska for the number of mosquitoes, and she said it proudly.

Sunday was Valentine's Day. We took side roads to Gainesville to get an idea of what the greater area looks like. Gainesville was okay but the parts we saw weren't very interesting. While in Gainesville, we went to Starbuck's to read the Sunday New York Times, visited Walmart, Target, a grocery store, and McDonald's. The Walmart and Target stores had absolutely no warm clothing left to sell. No jackets, sweaters, coats, or thermal underwear. We would have to continue to shiver.

We were returning to Cedar Key by way of Bronson when we saw a large, strange headstone. There was a bright red, rectangular guitar on the front.We stopped and walked into the cemetery to see it up close. He was a native son of Bronson, and died on June 2nd, 2008. I would love to know who designed his headstone.

Saw a lot of birds on Valentine's Day: A summer tanager, bald eagle, tern, grackles, seagulls, egrets, and a lovely yellow-crested night heron.

Went walking around the town again that afternoon. Someone was giving inexpensive plane rides above the town, but we got back too late to take a spin. It would have been awesome if we'd had any idea something special was about to happen. The town was full of people who hadn't been there when we left that morning. Now we know Valentine's Day is a popular occasion there.

Florida:2010-Part Three

Friday: We went to Tony's for a late lunch that first day. As promised, Tony's had the best clam chowder I've ever tasted. We walked down Dock Street and explored the town a little bit. There is a nice fishing pier built to withstand any future hurricanes, and there were children playing in the park by our condo. We stayed in that evening and cooked chicken thighs and brocolli while watching O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Saturday: Lovely sunrise when it appeared between two sets of clouds. A golden path ran between the sun and us. It seemed to cross the water from Crystal River to arrive at our balcony. The tide was out so the mud flats looked lovely.

I've never been able to get a mental handle on tides. I know about tide tables but there seem to be so many variables. The tides ebb and flow, the birds that eat according to water levels, and the winding channels through the waterways for boats were all fascinating and easily observable from our lodging.

 Started the day with breakfast at the Rusty Rim. Nice view and we were inside and warm. An older man set out in a kayak from the land near the restaurant. He seemed to be trying to get to the large key opposite the town, but the wind was driving him away from it. I don't know if he didn't know how to compensate, or if he just wasn't strong enough but he kept trying.

We walked for hours, finding the cemetery and a boardwalk next to it that led to another side of the key that holds a lot of the town. The bitter cold wind didn't start until around noon.

The Old Curmudgeon Bookstore had a good selection of books and computers you could rent by the half hour. The owner was indeed a curmudgeon and, since I'd already looked at his website, I knew not to talk politics with him. Tony's was just across the street so we had clam chowder and key lime pie for lunch. This small town had a lot of good food in it.

Cedar Key is a leader in shellfish aquaculture, meaning clam farms. After federal regulations  destroyed the traditional fishing industry with a fishing ban, they turned to raising clams. They grow over 175 million freshwater clams a year.

I saw kayakers and wind surfers out in the wind-whipped waters. I wanted to kayak but knew I didn't have the strength or the warm clothing to go out on the water. I kept hoping the weather would calm down. Surely it wouldn't be bad for the entire ten days.

After doing laundry and taking a nap, we went to Robinson's, a restaurant out on Highway 24. Very good place. We had mullet for the first time. Not an easy fish to eat with millions of tiny bones, but very tasty. It turns out that the silver fish we frequently see leaping out of the water, are mullets. And, we were informed by our waitress, nobody knows why they jump.

Forida 2010: Part Two

I wanted to see the sunrise over the Atlantic before we left, so we went to the beachfront Starbuck's an got hot coffee before going to stand near the water's edge. The sky was a solid mass of dark grey with a little break on the horizon. I can't remember if it was raining but an icy wind was blowing. I never drank a coffee so fast.

The sun appeared for maybe 10 or 20 seconds before disappearing in the clouds. Anticlimactic. We climbed back into the car and headed west in the early morning funk of gloominess.

We worked our way northwest.  There were many strange sights as we entered the family entertainment culture of Orlando.

 Some serious rain began as we headed toward Ocala. Once we were in Ocala, it was only 30 minutes to the Marjorie Rawlins Historical Site in Cross Creek. She was a writer in the 1930's who wrote The Yearling, Cross Creek, The Sojourner, and more.

We found the park but a note on the door said the volunteer guide would be back in two hours. A flock of chickens raced through the rain to greet me. I guessed that they hadn't been fed yet that day. We peeked through the window and I was a little jealous of Marjorie's life.

Continuing on, the drive to Gainesville was dangerous with all the standing water on the roads. The drive from Gainesville to Cedar Key takes about an hour as you drive through pine barrens to get to the Gulf of Mexico. The scenery along the road is pretty monotonous, but the Cedar Key more than makes up for the drive.

While in the Gainesville area, we stopped at an IGA market to buy food, having been told there was only one small market in Cedar Key. The IGA sold quails in a 12-pack, rabbit meat, and goat meat, but they didn't carry Kleenex.

The town has about 800 inhabitants. It would be the perfect place to have a writing retreat or to write that novel if it had a good coffee place, and if it wasn't so hard to get to. There are excellent restaurants, a little library, kayaks, boat tours, birds and fish, and I could go on. The walking was great.

We had a reservation at a condo place located on the water. The photos on the website must have been old because the buildings were a little run down, but the location was perfect. Our first condo had no heat and, with the record-breaking cold, we moved to another unit. I was a bit disconcerted when I realized our balcony had a view of the nuclear power plant in Crystal River but I got used to it. Sort of.

Still raining.

Florida 2010

Florida 2010

I have always been interested in Florida. I blame Randy Wayne White, Tim Dorsey, John D. MacDonald and, mostly, Carl Hiaasen. It's the most foreign state we have. I visited Pensacola once. I liked it there but there was a lot of truth about it really being Florabama. So, with much anticipation (my favorite part of travel), I finally got to visit a different part of Florida.

We arrived in Orlando on February 10^th. The airport was crazy busy and no fun at all. After reserving a car in advance, I got ripped off by the rental car agency but, after standing in line for over 45 minutes, I paid the extra charges. Welcome to Florida.

Our destination was Cedar Keys, but the first stop was Melbourne on the east coast, for the purpose of meeting up with an old friend of Steve’s. A nasty blizzard hit the east coast about this time. More than 5,700 flights were cancelled and Steve’s friend was stranded in Philadelphia for the duration.

We found a good restaurant in Melbourne’s old town. (A lot of the buildings were empty. Further evidence of the nation's bad economy) I wanted to try conch but had to settle for shrimp-conch fritters. Delicious. The news later that night showed a large, cold storm descending on Florida from the north.

Previously, we tried to coordinate our vacation so we could see a rocket go into space from the Kennedy Space Center, but hadn’t been able to get there by the launch date. But the streak of bad weather delayed the launch, giving us an opportunity to be present.  

Early in the morning on the 11th, I saw an announcement that read:

Launch Today!

Launch Vehicle: Atlas V

Mission: SDO

Launch Window: 10:23 am-11:23

The United Launch Allliance Atlas 5 rocket will

launch NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. SDO

will be the first mission for the space agency’s

Living With a Star Program. The rocket will fly in

the 401vehicle configuration with a four-meter

fairing, no solid rocket boosters and a single-

engine Centaur upper stage.

I'm not going to pretend I know what most of that means, but it sounds official. So we drove to Jetty Park, a place popular for viewing the launches, but we got there a couple of hours early. With the weather being so cold, we didn't quite know what to do with ourselves. We parked on a jetty with a great view in the direction of the space center. No one else was there so we didn't believe we'd be lucky enough to catch sight of a rocket. The wind was still blowing hard as a massive cold front moved into Florida from the north.

I spent some time on the fishing pier, watching pelicans catch fish. They dive like feathery missiles, hit the water with a lot of force, then emerge victorious with a struggling shiny fish in their beaks. Gulp. Repeat. There were schools of fish leaping out of the water and lots of birds. Then Steve spotted a school of dolphins. I started falling in love with crazy weird Florida about that time. It wasn’t anything like I thought it would be.  Even in Melbourne, outside of the well-off neighborhoods along the water, the homes had a tackiness I hadn’t expected. So why was I warming up to Florida after such a short time? The beach and the ocean seemed endless. Birds everywhere and I love being by the water. (I love being on the water even more)

Still freezing, we walked around the park. The bait shop sold awful coffee that we were very grateful to find. After two and a half hours, the jetty parking area was packed. People had cameras of every sort and telescopes. It felt festive. Then we could hear the loudspeaker preparing for the launch. The countdown was so much fun. The entire crowd counted along. I would have shivered with excitement if I hadn’t already been shaking for hours.

The rocket strained its way through the atmosphere. Faster and faster. Steam. Noise. Birds flying around in a panic. People cheering. It was awesome. Then it was out of sight. 

Two Videos for Writers

I found two videos on Flocabulary website that might be interesting to writers. One is a rap about figurative language, and the other is Will Ferrell giving a commencement speech at Harvard in 2003.
Good stuff and it never hurts to laugh a little bit. Will has chutzpah. Gotta love that in a person.

http://blog.flocabulary.com/extended-metaphor/

Narrative Magazine Accepting Submissions

It's fine to sit, hunched over that keyboard, but the writers getting published are the ones who are sending out their work. I'm making a commitment to send out my writing. It's one of my New Year resolutions that I predictably fail at every year. So I'm starting to send things out right now. Action creates momentum.

Narrative is accepting submissions but the deadline is tomorrow. You'll either send out that electronic submission or you won't. There's no time to procrastinate. Some of the other submission periods are free but, sadly, this one isn't.

Good luck!

http://narrativemagazine.com/node/182044

ENTER TODAY FINAL DAYS TO ENTER. Deadline: Fri., Nov. 30, at midnight, PST. The Fall Contest is open to all writers, and all entries will be considered for publication. • $2,500 First Prize • $1,000 Second Prize • $500 Third Prize • Ten finalists receive $100 each. See the Guidelines. Read prior winners. Since 2003, Narrative has pubished the first works of many writers alongside the works of established authors. We continue to present many works by new and emerging writers. We are committed to paying our authors, to providing excellent editorial support, and to encouraging a wide audience for good writing. Narrative reaches a world-wide audience of more than 140,000 readers. And It’s Free. iSTORIES | iPOEMS | RSS | NARRATIVE BACKSTAGE | A Nonprofit Publication