tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55740601461038392302024-03-05T01:08:12.036-05:00Raining AcornsWE WRITE AS WE PLEASESusan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-70623659839034149962012-09-15T15:17:00.000-04:002012-09-15T15:19:04.446-04:00Where You Can Find Me These Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04PywlJUrBzWyvvraDV2LGe1acmH8wutsdpXSCXHs0FxuvATFTuQlgSqCuq68GaNqHuiM-VpmnxhSNrR65zqdqEClMZjcNMN-NEnapBuUaUytyj7G9qaDxFAgtin7vPUEjhqToX1Uj2yk/s1600/P8110037_edited-1+(1280x1253).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04PywlJUrBzWyvvraDV2LGe1acmH8wutsdpXSCXHs0FxuvATFTuQlgSqCuq68GaNqHuiM-VpmnxhSNrR65zqdqEClMZjcNMN-NEnapBuUaUytyj7G9qaDxFAgtin7vPUEjhqToX1Uj2yk/s320/P8110037_edited-1+(1280x1253).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These days, Susan Scheid is writing at Prufrock's Dilemma, which has moved to WordPress and can be found by clicking <a href="http://prufrocksdilemma.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I look forward to hearing from you!</div>
Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-74987897120067222002011-09-19T21:10:00.000-04:002011-09-19T21:10:59.882-04:00New Post Up at Prufrock's Dilemma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCqgUTFQjWkymfxynA9phNnWi0YFSFcFvMtD0DIlVtacwls5tuVd8Ruz-U65Nb_Zddjp2FIqfAZaEdYgJPDgjFi7VtZJRA5cmSxLVa-gsQpUrMFJrqMyYmTG-_j4elXou00SPTlQCq2ZJ/s1600/Mattingly.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCqgUTFQjWkymfxynA9phNnWi0YFSFcFvMtD0DIlVtacwls5tuVd8Ruz-U65Nb_Zddjp2FIqfAZaEdYgJPDgjFi7VtZJRA5cmSxLVa-gsQpUrMFJrqMyYmTG-_j4elXou00SPTlQCq2ZJ/s320/Mattingly.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>There's a new post up at <a href="http://prufrocksdilemma.blogspot.com/2011/09/dylan-mattinglys-american-vernacular.html">Prufrock's Dilemma</a>. Hope to see you there!<br />
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This will be the last announcement of posts at Prufrock's Dilemma here at Raining Acorns. I hope you'll consider following me directly at PD, if you haven't done so already.Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-18821272736875911262011-09-12T19:22:00.000-04:002011-09-12T19:22:54.626-04:00New Post Up at Prufrock's Dilemma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UTltG8CUcrttbKfriB-s52H0KOU_ddeWaec7KQX1PrQejlAbihp74vM2-B6LPuUMPqThOVEGUBV-IS7EV4VBM7hndoHsuai5sI4uImJpm4EZKQREJ8NXbMQXdkEK1ubSHpz4WUZVqSdx/s1600/Chanson.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UTltG8CUcrttbKfriB-s52H0KOU_ddeWaec7KQX1PrQejlAbihp74vM2-B6LPuUMPqThOVEGUBV-IS7EV4VBM7hndoHsuai5sI4uImJpm4EZKQREJ8NXbMQXdkEK1ubSHpz4WUZVqSdx/s320/Chanson.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>New post up at <a href="http://prufrocksdilemma.blogspot.com/2011/09/verlaine-hes-hidden-in-grass-verlaine.html">Prufrock's Dilemma</a>. Hope to see you there!<br />
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I'll be phasing out notifications of new posts on Raining Acorns this month. I hope you'll consider following me directly on Prufrock's Dilemma if you would like to know about new posts.Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-82915580764201948382011-09-09T16:53:00.000-04:002011-09-09T16:53:53.420-04:00New Post Up at Prufrock's Dilemma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxcA2rF-CfwI_-67bSIz87-Pv4y2OcPdIIaaIh36jQxSBRYLGiqK-1smrqQbhrQm083oCH3sDDHkS06QmyE_KQTkePB39XLzkkQYKy8TUN95PQBA78ZiDavcXkJ2CZ5LkcCo62yn-SqJU/s1600/Greenstein.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxcA2rF-CfwI_-67bSIz87-Pv4y2OcPdIIaaIh36jQxSBRYLGiqK-1smrqQbhrQm083oCH3sDDHkS06QmyE_KQTkePB39XLzkkQYKy8TUN95PQBA78ZiDavcXkJ2CZ5LkcCo62yn-SqJU/s320/Greenstein.PNG" width="302" /></a></div>There's a new post up at <a href="http://prufrocksdilemma.blogspot.com/2011/09/judd-greensteins-le-tombeau-de-ravel.html">Prufrock's Dilemma</a>. Hope to see you there.Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-50623109197865469022011-09-04T22:11:00.000-04:002011-09-04T22:11:28.471-04:00New Post Up at Prufrock's Dilemma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUu3jwWNzaxSzYf7ZbSrYmztUfuY3uJVn2l7SFI2oDvuJWA9hB48zRyd7pK11rp6h7_k5wyHUL_XXFxdduGQmJqS4XVPSNCPD_4tZ4FXhGvQHH6phVB3oWaIriINnADXS0PZn6ELS8wmt/s1600/if+stones.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUu3jwWNzaxSzYf7ZbSrYmztUfuY3uJVn2l7SFI2oDvuJWA9hB48zRyd7pK11rp6h7_k5wyHUL_XXFxdduGQmJqS4XVPSNCPD_4tZ4FXhGvQHH6phVB3oWaIriINnADXS0PZn6ELS8wmt/s320/if+stones.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>There's a new post up at <a href="http://prufrocksdilemma.blogspot.com/2011/09/if-stones-could-speak.html">Prufrock's Dilemma</a>. Hope to see you there!Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-32642770300698699552011-08-30T17:51:00.001-04:002011-08-30T17:51:32.869-04:00New Post Up at Prufrock's Dilemma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7AgjlBxKUgeCs_sPPH2OV-wNfRA-smSRyjqwZhpMNZwaumW0i6zOJ_cUNiPR2wQLNhAoHHMc6H7JzcF1lzlmMfh46mNRl-zwlguNA6ed90lk_hZZ_Mscu9sWTj3G33x2Mo_jTkbuQXoS/s1600/PD.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7AgjlBxKUgeCs_sPPH2OV-wNfRA-smSRyjqwZhpMNZwaumW0i6zOJ_cUNiPR2wQLNhAoHHMc6H7JzcF1lzlmMfh46mNRl-zwlguNA6ed90lk_hZZ_Mscu9sWTj3G33x2Mo_jTkbuQXoS/s320/PD.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
New post up at <a href="http://prufrocksdilemma.blogspot.com/2011/08/maines-great-clepsydra.html">Prufrock's Dilemma</a>. Hope to see you there!Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-5452444722017599222011-08-24T21:04:00.000-04:002011-08-24T21:04:14.147-04:00New Post Up at Prufrock's Dilemma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6GstXrejhXe6SxoQB3WbVCTMOy6mjQol0Q6QB9nEsXS4OHd3y0dSje9Ucb4UNkuXJwmOY-XoGocXxJgylT6qwuLT2ERI2Y8sM3aTHvAbc4NB6o__dSD5hPFVdeq8rQi8GxVvDc2jJm0I/s1600/Heron.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6GstXrejhXe6SxoQB3WbVCTMOy6mjQol0Q6QB9nEsXS4OHd3y0dSje9Ucb4UNkuXJwmOY-XoGocXxJgylT6qwuLT2ERI2Y8sM3aTHvAbc4NB6o__dSD5hPFVdeq8rQi8GxVvDc2jJm0I/s320/Heron.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>There's a new post up at <a href="http://prufrocksdilemma.blogspot.com/2011/08/high-noon-with-great-blue-heron.html">Prufrock's Dilemma</a>. Hope to see you there!<br />
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Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-90510180520812119882011-08-15T21:44:00.000-04:002011-08-15T21:44:34.097-04:00New Post Up at Prufrock's Dilemma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFFDRCqGgwt8L22o3zViIHyNfpRqNXkAe3AUJwdcmOrn3Zv9gTTUjym8XQjDMx1F9rXHZC3WpU94XrwMuT7-De0S4r8stj10nM9XsbDjmVM2nfLO4gOB7irb1dJY5uGK4ffLCtOtgnaKe/s1600/Eurydice.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFFDRCqGgwt8L22o3zViIHyNfpRqNXkAe3AUJwdcmOrn3Zv9gTTUjym8XQjDMx1F9rXHZC3WpU94XrwMuT7-De0S4r8stj10nM9XsbDjmVM2nfLO4gOB7irb1dJY5uGK4ffLCtOtgnaKe/s320/Eurydice.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>There's a new post up at <a href="http://prufrocksdilemma.blogspot.com/2011/08/waltzing-to-eurydice.html">Prufrock's Dilemma</a>. Hope to see you there! Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-61175420471120439182011-08-04T00:07:00.000-04:002011-08-04T00:07:27.694-04:00New Post Up at Prufrock's Dilemma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrzyylUAnDbQmLGSEZY7c8qrtOcvCivetibJvmB117S9ZUZD55e1QdRPvqqmClE6VWeOP3ESfVFnOVETHLz-fzIW5EwE4itxibtldWmORoU-hji4bLkt-mtsrv8_Zf0o9uWoTYKsx3Su_/s1600/Danube+RA+Pic.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrzyylUAnDbQmLGSEZY7c8qrtOcvCivetibJvmB117S9ZUZD55e1QdRPvqqmClE6VWeOP3ESfVFnOVETHLz-fzIW5EwE4itxibtldWmORoU-hji4bLkt-mtsrv8_Zf0o9uWoTYKsx3Su_/s320/Danube+RA+Pic.PNG" width="320" /></a></div> There's a new post up at <a href="http://prufrocksdilemma.blogspot.com/2011/08/but-danube-isnt-blue.html">Prufrock's Dilemma</a>. Hope to see you there!Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-53320529220677349992011-07-28T21:58:00.000-04:002011-07-28T21:58:14.969-04:00New Post Up at Prufrock's Dilemma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZSyk9SdHX96Qv4eFq2ea7a-sA8dXDqlt7ZTOI7yrmKWuEYlcnKqExfROfJwD6xOmwAolwe_NwrTm7LoRTKWIAzFi-dC0btGMSJa5jhSpbqRyk7H4TWnka6Yk2y2RgxKmphGidmrk8oSG/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZSyk9SdHX96Qv4eFq2ea7a-sA8dXDqlt7ZTOI7yrmKWuEYlcnKqExfROfJwD6xOmwAolwe_NwrTm7LoRTKWIAzFi-dC0btGMSJa5jhSpbqRyk7H4TWnka6Yk2y2RgxKmphGidmrk8oSG/s320/Capture.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
A <a href="http://prufrocksdilemma.blogspot.com/2011/07/does-anyone-still-compose-waltz.html">new post</a> is up at Prufrock's Dilemma. Hope you will join me there!Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-65318626336599381602011-07-22T18:44:00.001-04:002011-07-22T18:46:03.722-04:00New Post Up at Prufrock's Dilemma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrzTx0xpUi08CdEHbhUYePikgIOc5zCnc7c0R9KVOBIH1IZyAXgs-QD0Yq97YYPjzJFFKaYWfoUXFzuaxX-hpsleS-h797l28zLAlPqBl_pqiBAxQcC8Szhb7guWX3xWjU-akQAkLgeLI/s1600/Searching+for+Birds+ADK.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrzTx0xpUi08CdEHbhUYePikgIOc5zCnc7c0R9KVOBIH1IZyAXgs-QD0Yq97YYPjzJFFKaYWfoUXFzuaxX-hpsleS-h797l28zLAlPqBl_pqiBAxQcC8Szhb7guWX3xWjU-akQAkLgeLI/s320/Searching+for+Birds+ADK.PNG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's a new post up at <a href="http://prufrocksdilemma.blogspot.com/2011/07/searching-for-birds-in-adirondacks.html">Prufrock's Dilemma</a>. Hope to see you there! </div>Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-62732505065265162872011-07-15T14:39:00.001-04:002011-07-15T14:42:54.965-04:00New Post Up at Prufrock's Dilemma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimh2bYTusNy38g7rxWhDWmmRH4IB6uv8arPtrLwCTKOQ5caAeUSyD3fZfAztShzYted6VZ_3ahWqdELNCH-wcxgAzNnOgq413SZSi_TuUt67tfABCPAreyYgrqxF2pXi4fgcUXqwsg-ka-/s1600/Alice.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimh2bYTusNy38g7rxWhDWmmRH4IB6uv8arPtrLwCTKOQ5caAeUSyD3fZfAztShzYted6VZ_3ahWqdELNCH-wcxgAzNnOgq413SZSi_TuUt67tfABCPAreyYgrqxF2pXi4fgcUXqwsg-ka-/s320/Alice.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's a new post up at <a href="http://prufrocksdilemma.blogspot.com/2011/06/alice-in-ashberyland.html">Prufrock's Dilemma</a>. Hope to see you there! </div>Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-80068202593864727772011-07-01T08:30:00.000-04:002011-07-01T08:30:56.514-04:00New Post Up at Prufrock's Dilemma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzCWhX4_6Aa9LaQIR7XML032zsGGNcORZ11p0SO76Ns2jiIhzDbc2PmY2YVZgdVBDyKHDc_zXK7xcBY6eIkieRMpdrF2BT6ikSk7GyjzTtszht9G_J2UYDzvLEaeYmXoLB6pSqFill6Yr/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzCWhX4_6Aa9LaQIR7XML032zsGGNcORZ11p0SO76Ns2jiIhzDbc2PmY2YVZgdVBDyKHDc_zXK7xcBY6eIkieRMpdrF2BT6ikSk7GyjzTtszht9G_J2UYDzvLEaeYmXoLB6pSqFill6Yr/s320/Capture.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>There's a new post up at <a href="http://prufrocksdilemma.blogspot.com/2011/06/doing-watusi-with-rimbaud.html">Prufrock's Dilemma</a>. Hope to see you there!Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-79745743847994725132011-06-22T21:25:00.001-04:002011-07-01T08:29:17.974-04:00Where We've Flown To<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7qW5Ba94WHFgeVdrTLW9T17DBZ-C3LH6lbxB80dcT3aVK17XOxw613hjZ0c_qT8TZ9vzJECGfSfD-MfJmrvzONgk8qYWw2KupaokR7sTN8vLM9pp-_9_7eCjk8J5uZK6uQZTDI63gtxm/s1600/Prufrock.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7qW5Ba94WHFgeVdrTLW9T17DBZ-C3LH6lbxB80dcT3aVK17XOxw613hjZ0c_qT8TZ9vzJECGfSfD-MfJmrvzONgk8qYWw2KupaokR7sTN8vLM9pp-_9_7eCjk8J5uZK6uQZTDI63gtxm/s400/Prufrock.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>Susan Scheid (a/k/a Raining Acorns) can now be found at her new blog, <i>Prufrock's Dilemma</i>. The first post, about Patti Smith and her book <i>Just Kids,</i> is up today and can be found <a href="http://prufrocksdilemma.blogspot.com/2011/05/still-kids.html">here</a>. Hope to see you there!Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-72032949618147296762011-05-19T16:01:00.001-04:002011-07-15T14:41:13.299-04:00Time to Take a Break<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lPFQrUQoqilGgnR0cuFphCsyOZUJUnttC7XSdVtAupPX2gZX1w57oBtJ1Y04q9HwsRkBDTanAGkQOxRbWAs72g8QvPJbETdhf1c_DFMyQrpDx_F0Q0y6QaaDGFyhdF3mjmyBthgiMPmn/s1600/Swallow+P4152040_edited-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lPFQrUQoqilGgnR0cuFphCsyOZUJUnttC7XSdVtAupPX2gZX1w57oBtJ1Y04q9HwsRkBDTanAGkQOxRbWAs72g8QvPJbETdhf1c_DFMyQrpDx_F0Q0y6QaaDGFyhdF3mjmyBthgiMPmn/s320/Swallow+P4152040_edited-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Raining Acorns writing collaboration with Carol-Ann and Wide Open Spaces has been a wonderful adventure. I can’t imagine any two better writing colleagues than they have been.<br />
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I think of Wide Open Spaces as our Erma Bombeck. I love her easy humor, not to mention her ability to come up with snappy titles that don’t use a semi-colon. Carol-Ann has a knack for taking popular subjects and turning them on their head. Her tales of South Africa have been a particular pleasure for me. Her post “Invictus: My Memory of the Game” (which she attended) remains the most popular of all of our posts.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yet, as all things tend to do, the Raining Acorns writing collaboration has come to an end. For me, at least, that doesn’t necessarily mean an end to blogging. I’m going to be listening and looking, reading and walking, and coming up with what I want to do next. While I won’t be active on the internet during this period, our blog will remain up, and I will check e-mail from time to time, so please feel free to drop a line.<br />
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While I’m out wandering, I’ll miss all of you whose blogs (and tweets) I’ve been following with keen interest, and I’ll certainly miss your visits to us at RA. I’ll post an announcement on the blog when any of us is back in action. I do hope you’ll come by and visit again then.</div>Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-76081402250620904022011-05-17T10:38:00.008-04:002011-05-19T16:06:38.540-04:00Farewell for Now<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSLzdf_KuY2AlO1TvwcdICFAIU_Beu2LuaiBx7FcLIhRuwAovRnjs33MBMu01G3ZSUvayB4u2_YmJagOrS5UomZKHkpkdpOVz_X_qnQgnItnjk44LLJxlidu19iD0p0Q82ki_wo7RMv2d/s1600/IMG_1140.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607696429570507506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSLzdf_KuY2AlO1TvwcdICFAIU_Beu2LuaiBx7FcLIhRuwAovRnjs33MBMu01G3ZSUvayB4u2_YmJagOrS5UomZKHkpkdpOVz_X_qnQgnItnjk44LLJxlidu19iD0p0Q82ki_wo7RMv2d/s320/IMG_1140.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
When my lovely blogging partners Raining Acorns and Carol-Ann asked me to join them in this adventure, I had no trouble coming up with my nom de plume, "Wide Open Spaces." It is the title of a <a href="http://www.dixiechicks.com/historical.asp">Dixie Chicks</a> song that seemed especially appropriate to me as I dipped my virtual toes into the waters of writing for an actual audience. Although the song is written about a young girl just starting out on her own, it also fit my 40-something stage of life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Rl8ULpqEKzk35VySnloML7ybXiqZ5Bf5fkGsEpTbNCZXurvfVDEKOGX3eNUW8o6NrqOvFVz9yWpcKGEeKN8Q7m3cpoceYjEX2aow0_dKXyHsNEGOROoyLMXRsCLbACCnUDx-NmGK4E3u/s1600/IMG_0998.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607698183769074594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Rl8ULpqEKzk35VySnloML7ybXiqZ5Bf5fkGsEpTbNCZXurvfVDEKOGX3eNUW8o6NrqOvFVz9yWpcKGEeKN8Q7m3cpoceYjEX2aow0_dKXyHsNEGOROoyLMXRsCLbACCnUDx-NmGK4E3u/s320/IMG_0998.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 158px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 199px;" /></a><br />
When we began Raining Acorns, we had no idea where we would meander, just that we wanted to continue polishing the writing skills we worked on in the writing class where the three of us met. Over time, I found my voice on topics of substance (<a href="http://rainingacorns.blogspot.com/search/label/Memorial%20Day">Memorial Day</a>, <a href="http://rainingacorns.blogspot.com/2010/05/safe-from-sun.html">melanoma awareness</a>, <a href="http://rainingacorns.blogspot.com/2010/09/moving-in-circles.html">Moving in Circles</a>) and lighter fare - <a href="http://rainingacorns.blogspot.com/search/label/minivan">my minivan</a>, an old <a href="http://rainingacorns.blogspot.com/2010/10/something-old-something-new.html">Bride'</a>s magazine, and of course, <a href="http://rainingacorns.blogspot.com/2010/04/cooking-with-giada.html">Giada DeLaurentiis.</a><br />
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Just as much fun was seeing my partners explore their interests - learning about music, poetry, and Louisiana from Raining Acorns, dining in the dark, chalk paintings, and South Africa from Carol-Ann.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYbZ284frr0lkGqIKa4cUCL1UIOyS8H9AKQnRkMlbnOmoqJU0i25bDwCLhNY2vgrybkYANs2akMn5jVh_4-jzK_YpXSBqXyG9KlW-cbHVyY2dg7oAfwXZvcEbvagNbFGbU-5YaEYF2ggm/s1600/IMG_2594.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607697239780785666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYbZ284frr0lkGqIKa4cUCL1UIOyS8H9AKQnRkMlbnOmoqJU0i25bDwCLhNY2vgrybkYANs2akMn5jVh_4-jzK_YpXSBqXyG9KlW-cbHVyY2dg7oAfwXZvcEbvagNbFGbU-5YaEYF2ggm/s320/IMG_2594.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 209px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 279px;" /></a><br />
So while I may be taking a break from blogging with Raining Acorns, I do hope to continue to write in some fashion. And I am eager to hear what Carol-Ann and Raining Acorns have to say in the future.<br />
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This has been a great learning experience and a whole lot of fun for me. Sincere thanks to all of you who took the time to read what I had to say and comment on it. And my appreciation and thanks to my writing partners for including me on this journey.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dom7VlltBUc?fs=1" width="480"></iframe>Wide Open Spaceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573357176617683341noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-30494409489722692382011-05-15T16:01:00.010-04:002011-05-17T23:01:27.145-04:00In Closing<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yyUwumqn8LW_fAw9u00tajBajT6PxvZbGTJCI_QOxe1ynthWYrkDWEjSBAq52zSVT_HhzifzhQ9akixUF-fTPrND1E9kiLeaArZ5NptfwoRNM3NPDc2B2ra8FH-zsYss69QnATSHqpQ/s1600/Sarasota+Sunset+001.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607038197172886882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yyUwumqn8LW_fAw9u00tajBajT6PxvZbGTJCI_QOxe1ynthWYrkDWEjSBAq52zSVT_HhzifzhQ9akixUF-fTPrND1E9kiLeaArZ5NptfwoRNM3NPDc2B2ra8FH-zsYss69QnATSHqpQ/s400/Sarasota+Sunset+001.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 135px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
The first piece I wrote for Raining Acorns was posted on November 1st, 2009. It was about clearing weeds from my garden on a summer day in Sarasota, Florida. I seem to have come full circle because, although I’m not a frequent gardener, I was in my garden again this morning - this time to plant new growth. Today is also the day that I post my last contribution to this blog. It seemed like a good time to look back at my 31 previous posts.<br />
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<a href="http://rainingacorns.blogspot.com/2009/11/leaping-lizards.html">I went from my steamy garden</a><br />
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to look through my window thankfully as Hurricane Ida passed us by<br />
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to (un) Thanksgiving in South Africa<br />
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<a href="http://rainingacorns.blogspot.com/2009/12/invictus-out-of-night-that-covers-me.html"><br />
to a movie about a pivotal time in South Africa’s triumphal transition from apartheid</a><br />
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to the dreamy 3D world of Avatar<br />
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<a href="http://rainingacorns.blogspot.com/2010/01/yad-vashem.html"><br />
to a deeply affecting visit to Yad Vashem in Jerusalem</a><br />
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to contemplating “virtual suicide” in the online world<br />
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to photographing the magnificent Banyan trees at my neighborhood Ringling Museum<br />
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to memories of my father in recounting our experience with a charging elephant<br />
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to a stirring stage rendition of Fiddler on the Roof<br />
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to describing the efforts made by South Africa to prepare for the first soccer World Cup on African soil<br />
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to being “stranded” in London and Paris by ash from the Icelandic volcano<br />
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to celebrating my Mum on Mother’s Day<br />
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to compiling a list of weird and wonderful May dates<br />
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to enjoying South African restaurants<br />
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to reporting the highly successful outcome of South Africa’s World Cup preparations<br />
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to prowling the Catacombs beneath Paris<br />
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<a href="http://rainingacorns.blogspot.com/2010/07/dining-in-dark.html">to dining in the pitch dark in Amsterdam</a><br />
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to watching whales on a cold and blustery day in Hermanus, South Africa<br />
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to Yonika Shonibare’s marvelous display of beautifully attired child mannequins at the Ringling Museum<br />
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to a movie about Facebook’s billionaires<br />
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to a gorgeous festival of chalk street art in Sarasota<br />
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to baking my husband’s Christmas Cake (again)<br />
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to marvelling at a rags-to-riches story<br />
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to a wonderfully mild and sunny winter in Sarasota<br />
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to listing Oscar’s firsts and lasts<br />
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to attending a presentation of the search for Angola, a run-away slave encampment on the banks of the Manatee River<br />
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to reviewing a fascinating new book about our relationship with water<br />
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to finally end up in front of the television set along with millions of people around the world who watched the Royal Wedding.<br />
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So much in so short a time! Of course, I haven't been alone in this venture - far from it - in the time between writing this mixed bag of posts I’ve learnt much more than I ever thought I would, through reading and experiencing my co-writers' contributions to our blog – among them a lovely series about contemporary music by Raining Acorns and of course the always wise and witty pieces by Wide Open Spaces.<br />
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Now that I am about to close this short but event-filled chapter of my life I realize that I will sorely miss the connection that I felt to my fellow writers and to all the readers out there. I don’t know what I’ll do next but I do know that my life has been enriched through this experience. Until I actually looked back at my posts I didn’t realize how much I had done and how much of this activity was largely due to this blog. Not only did I get out more and do more, I learnt to look at things differently, to be more curious and to listen more intently. My co-writers inspired me through their excellent writing to do my very best to be worthy of appearing with them on Raining Acorns.<br />
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I'd like to say to both of them and to all of you out there who took the time and effort to actually read what I wrote and even to comment:<br />
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Goodbye and Thank You.Carol-Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07390714553925368818noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-25234800005317659912011-05-08T08:31:00.004-04:002011-05-17T22:39:06.110-04:00Photographing Birds in Flight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjg5Y1-glUBlHqgzrUq-BLmJA9GVouXuWbNHqnLtlYy-OjgY2am5QLnRNhZgFXq4ACbrUlZ_VQzQrmepFlfnrzhZsgOB3WvfSH1Q_fFLYHgafiV3tpjISqrCUa5e0Tg9G7mthbpmEZBBLG/s1600/P4292140_edited-2+%2528950x485%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjg5Y1-glUBlHqgzrUq-BLmJA9GVouXuWbNHqnLtlYy-OjgY2am5QLnRNhZgFXq4ACbrUlZ_VQzQrmepFlfnrzhZsgOB3WvfSH1Q_fFLYHgafiV3tpjISqrCUa5e0Tg9G7mthbpmEZBBLG/s320/P4292140_edited-2+%2528950x485%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>A few years back, I received a handsome tripod as a gift. I’ve tried repeatedly to use it, but I always seem to point it in the wrong direction. Bottom line, I don’t want to carry it when I’m out walking. As it is, I look like a newbie journalist, my many-pocketed vest bulging with stuff I can never find and a camera and pair of binoculars criss-crossed like bullet holsters over the top.<br />
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I’ll acknowledge, though, that, one time, I got it sort of right. I’d learned that, if you focus on a bird box where chicks are being fed, you have a chance at getting an interesting shot. I got mine one year with bluebirds. I was too far away (I don’t own a spotting scope for <a href="http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/gear/Digiscoping/">digiscoping</a> or a <a href="http://www.rue.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=10">photo blind</a>), but, even so, I did get this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLbAgNbcVxr4kpM2Z4_FRTz8k_ldFjqZdeVY6v_fvtJ8zdgwdbPTybzDpCtrrHi1-8VreG9S1NIfPsoAVWCUauRZ1vSHvRnfMpnPbUJ60foTgXgeguG1dfCSYaIOWNYkhXM3Q8D5x7zVm/s1600/Bluebird+P7179729_edited-3+%2528587x470%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLbAgNbcVxr4kpM2Z4_FRTz8k_ldFjqZdeVY6v_fvtJ8zdgwdbPTybzDpCtrrHi1-8VreG9S1NIfPsoAVWCUauRZ1vSHvRnfMpnPbUJ60foTgXgeguG1dfCSYaIOWNYkhXM3Q8D5x7zVm/s320/Bluebird+P7179729_edited-3+%2528587x470%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Then something happened I’d never seen before: the parent bluebirds stopped bringing food to the bird box and perched on nearby branches, in sight, but out of reach. A bluebird chick stuck its head and a claw out, peered around, and retreated. After repeating this ritual several times, the chick took off:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKb8pmUTv0j_qDq8oTRRV5NmHxTDUAV0scnEbKbulGEw0mv8B6zpa0nvFGLiCru5sLGqN94n0pCRPe2jkAWhq9jYjSluk_gpIxcx4skq_kPo6st88ahriDUVynhlYQJBfYpG8V_7DNu8oV/s1600/Fledgling+P7179818_edited-2+%25281280x690%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKb8pmUTv0j_qDq8oTRRV5NmHxTDUAV0scnEbKbulGEw0mv8B6zpa0nvFGLiCru5sLGqN94n0pCRPe2jkAWhq9jYjSluk_gpIxcx4skq_kPo6st88ahriDUVynhlYQJBfYpG8V_7DNu8oV/s320/Fledgling+P7179818_edited-2+%25281280x690%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Right after, another chick followed suit.<br />
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Mostly, though, my tripod sits on a shelf. So imagine my delight when I came across a story in <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/Page.aspx?pid=2139"><i>Living Bird</i></a> written by real-deal bird photographer, <a href="http://www.marieread.com/cpg/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=18&pos=4">Marie Read</a>, who wrote:<br />
<blockquote>Until a few years ago, I had always used a tripod to support my equipment . . . . But then I got hooked on shooting birds in flight. I soon discovered that when the action is fast and furious, I get less frustrated and have better luck by switching to a short hand-held lens . . .</blockquote>Even better, she went on to recommend against hand-holding “supertelephoto” lenses. “Instead, take my advice and carry a lightweight lens, such as a 400mm f/5.6, for flight photography.” She told the story of finding herself “in the midst of a territorial battle” between two male Limpkins. <br />
<blockquote>My lightweight gear gave me the mobility to keep focused on the fast action and quickly change my position whenever I needed to. I would have missed a lot of shots if I’d been constrained by a tripod.</blockquote>Emboldened by these statements, I set out once more to capture birds in flight. I remain the impatient photographer I’ve always been, with my too-short lens and penchant for arriving at birding sites high noon, the time of day that's well known to be the worst. <br />
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The nice thing for the amateur is, it doesn’t matter. You can do whatever you want. And every now and then, you get a lucky shot.<br />
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Red-Tailed Hawk:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmEvHS1qgwvkK2AjP88JomxJib9A3wyqCn_vVwCSKBcyLjWz0IB6IyqIUn9HtooCMN9gvrSGQePub2GLdZAdmSv7Bg1SMOOGCUVpSwqAyABgszt_BU9qNCj0BMpFxLIGofQYIYNgl5LN3/s1600/Hawk+in+Flight+P2261575_edited-2+%25281280x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmEvHS1qgwvkK2AjP88JomxJib9A3wyqCn_vVwCSKBcyLjWz0IB6IyqIUn9HtooCMN9gvrSGQePub2GLdZAdmSv7Bg1SMOOGCUVpSwqAyABgszt_BU9qNCj0BMpFxLIGofQYIYNgl5LN3/s320/Hawk+in+Flight+P2261575_edited-2+%25281280x1024%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Great Blue Heron:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OA9lD8JrBT_F03IQENe39LlZvkjaEKi53h1tHO7G1BIbwkGljtiMl5oQUUOmkwCGIZxAK62QnB64h8CoxAnw874yv_OuKgjMKyhC_IKsOdOZ3i98Ot9UkchUTwLZU_wocN_wI4rcnC_I/s1600/P4292184_edited-1+%25281024x1280%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OA9lD8JrBT_F03IQENe39LlZvkjaEKi53h1tHO7G1BIbwkGljtiMl5oQUUOmkwCGIZxAK62QnB64h8CoxAnw874yv_OuKgjMKyhC_IKsOdOZ3i98Ot9UkchUTwLZU_wocN_wI4rcnC_I/s320/P4292184_edited-1+%25281024x1280%2529.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br />
Tree Swallows:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXX5rnfzmkqM1o8eZY-S-4MtVgoejUukID_CGGJsmurBKeA_a-hCD42HneABSZxHN4fsAJ0TNw5aUiZ_-uUd5-bK4ICvNzHoEi91XmDLvJr480nKPVRDFhn_QkNFbC-0jsW5aZs_YcZLjo/s1600/P4152040_edited-1+%2528862x1078%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXX5rnfzmkqM1o8eZY-S-4MtVgoejUukID_CGGJsmurBKeA_a-hCD42HneABSZxHN4fsAJ0TNw5aUiZ_-uUd5-bK4ICvNzHoEi91XmDLvJr480nKPVRDFhn_QkNFbC-0jsW5aZs_YcZLjo/s320/P4152040_edited-1+%2528862x1078%2529.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaA1AFNThhE3C3f1vd9SdmnX6TmFZqzHg_NwHcBNP0jH0ImUNNGLrL6TZ8M4Qe1wqwnVrLYDWPxkrZ4k-yY48Os5GDBLLEbEoVgU2_tNU7QNiHUygOmaWu1yOBDUEygibxTQPkXPyi95ps/s1600/Tree+Swallow+1+P4152012_edited-2+%2528663x829%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaA1AFNThhE3C3f1vd9SdmnX6TmFZqzHg_NwHcBNP0jH0ImUNNGLrL6TZ8M4Qe1wqwnVrLYDWPxkrZ4k-yY48Os5GDBLLEbEoVgU2_tNU7QNiHUygOmaWu1yOBDUEygibxTQPkXPyi95ps/s320/Tree+Swallow+1+P4152012_edited-2+%2528663x829%2529.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<i>Credits: Caught in the Act: Strategies for photographing birds in action, by Marie Read, Living Bird, Winter 2011, pp. 16-23. Photograph of tree swallows at the head of the post and all photographs in the post are mine.</i><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>*** </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Postscript: Speaking of birds in flight, the three writers of Raining Acorns are about to fly off in different directions. In our next posts, we’ll each be writing about that and where we’re off to next.</i></div>Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-38433092352681434392011-05-03T08:07:00.001-04:002011-05-08T08:37:37.987-04:00“A Community of Expressers”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLhV3TEktMkLFiKmdKgkgE5iDH_p_5jI_NzMVgLPiWM87WPOJCKxklHIwiEfnp6CGgspEuRuHcBpShiXYaM4gr0j0FZkQZWCIBuFQfCaYJYu87sQT5btHHyD3qGFgPhSBWXzUOTYsIHAo/s1600/DM+1+IMG_2326_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLhV3TEktMkLFiKmdKgkgE5iDH_p_5jI_NzMVgLPiWM87WPOJCKxklHIwiEfnp6CGgspEuRuHcBpShiXYaM4gr0j0FZkQZWCIBuFQfCaYJYu87sQT5btHHyD3qGFgPhSBWXzUOTYsIHAo/s320/DM+1+IMG_2326_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Excerpt from Hudson Space Sonnet #1</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>© Dylan Mattingly. By kind permission of Dylan Mattingly.</i></span><br />
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</div><a href="http://www.contemporaneous.org/Musicians/DavidBloom">David Bloom</a> walked into Bard Hall, where a recital of student work was to be performed, and did a double-take. The place was packed out, with people standing all around the perimeter. He hadn’t been expecting such a crowd.<br />
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I’d found out about the recital from <a href="http://www.contemporaneous.org/">contemporaneous</a>, the ensemble for which Bloom and <a href="http://www.contemporaneous.org/Musicians/DylanMattingly">Dylan Mattingly</a> are co-artistic directors. They’d sent out an alert that the recital would include works by both of them. I’d heard only a handful of recordings of Mattingly’s music and nothing by Bloom, so I didn’t want this to pass me by.<br />
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From outward aspect, Bloom and Mattingly couldn’t be more different. Bloom is a study in precision; Mattingly fizzes from every pore. But that’s far too reductive a portrait of these two talented young men. No matter what else the recital included, it would have been enough for me to get a chance to hear their compositions live. As it happened, the recital’s pleasures went far beyond that.<br />
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The recital included compositions by twelve students. In introducing the program, composer <a href="http://www.schirmer.com/default.aspx?TabId=2419&State_2872=2&ComposerId_2872=1605">Joan Tower</a>, a professor at Bard’s <a href="http://www.bard.edu/conservatory/">Conservatory of Music</a>, let us know some works were the first or second composition by the student, others the twelfth or fifteenth. She was not about to tell us which were which.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.k-c-p.com/dacapo/">Da Capo Chamber Players</a>, who have an association with Bard of over thirty years, were set the task of learning all twelve pieces for performance over the space of four days—no mean feat. I assumed we should be prepared to expect rough spots and perhaps less polished works, but neither was the case. While certainly the compositions demonstrated varying levels of experience and expertise, each amply earned its place in the concert as a whole.<br />
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Tower had each student provide an introduction, with the admonition to keep it short. When Antonin Fajt looked for words to praise his professor, she waved them away with a laugh. But the bond between Tower and her students was palpable throughout, no more so than when Tower closed her eyes in concentration during the performance of each piece.<br />
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The well-designed program interspersed works for ensemble and solo instruments. The compositions, beautifully played by the Da Capo ensemble and guests that included Bard students, showed enormous creative range. The concert opened with Rron Karahoda’s <i>Dreamcatchers</i>, for flute, clarinet, drum, and piano. In the gorgeous chords of Richard Hagemann’s <i>Vast Spaces</i> for solo piano, I heard echoes of Debussy, though he made it all his own. <br />
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Robin Preiss contributed <i>Two Minutes</i>, a multi-dimensioned exploration for solo clarinet. Barbora Cisarovska contributed <i>Queen of Cups</i> for piano trio and Max Robb <i>Wandering Stream</i> for solo piano. The first half of the concert closed with Max McKee’s <i>Double Helix</i> for string quartet, captivating from the opening breath of violin played at the edge of its sound.<br />
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Bloom’s piece, <i>Two Visions</i>, for clarinet, viola, and piano, opened the second half of the program. The piece would reward several re-hearings: to hear again how he closed a clarinet solo with a single note over which the viola and piano re-emerged, or how he brought the percussive sound of the second vision to a full stop and segued to a lovely melodic line. Kyle Baasch contributed <i>Persistenc</i>e for solo violin and Noah Firtel <i>Mvmt 2</i> for solo flute. Fajt contributed <i>Thyme</i>, for string quartet, a thoroughly engaging piece influenced by Czech folklore, and part of his “herbal series.” Judging by <i>Thyme</i>, I want to hear them all.<br />
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Mattingly’s <i>Hudson Space Sonnet #1</i>, for solo piano, offered up a cornucopia of spilling notes and dense chords that suggested trains passing, birds in flight, bustling sidewalks, and a peaceful riverside walk, all absorbed into a soundscape that is uniquely his. The program closed with Adam Zuckerman’s powerful <i>Quintet</i>.<br />
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Mattingly, in introducing his piece, remarked how proud he was to be part of this “community of expressers.” He’s right to be proud. Bard’s students may benefit by being at a remove from New York City, where the musical air, while enthralling, can get a little close, particularly for those just starting out. There’s something extraordinarily fresh and open about the musical air at Bard, and it was a privilege to have the opportunity to breathe it in.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">*** </div><br />
<i>The Da Capo Chamber Players included Pat Spencer (flute), Meighan Stoops (clarinet), Curt Macomber (violin), and Blair McMillen (piano), joined by Michael Nicolas (cello). Guest players also included Marka Gustavsson, Finnegan Shanahan, Leah Gastler, Scot Moore, Adam Zuckerman, and Ronald Joseph.</i><br />
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<i>May 5, 2011, the Miller Theater will feature Joan Tower in the final of its <a href="http://www.millertheatre.com/Events/EventsList.aspx?seriesid=3">Composer Portraits Series</a>. For a glimpse of how she thinks and talks about music, performance, and composition, view the vimeo <a href="http://www.millertheatre.com/Events/EventDetails.aspx?nid=1410">here</a>. For a video of Tower speaking about teaching at Bard, click on the thumbnail of her image under "watch" and "select a video below" <a href="http://www.bard.edu/conservatory/">here</a>.</i>Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-34268787203296891732011-04-28T16:55:00.010-04:002011-05-03T08:12:17.129-04:00Wedding Fever<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBy1sUYqO7HgwW6T__SzNcOXU3Y8x4Ql5OdJUlq0wH4_YffOdeGahlCNnfols6yJpRpn-4yJWsWfGP2ZqrIts9ONe0b8RkmiR8Vran9XqLRoyKKM8Lph9ZlMjitEbMJhL8OiEmDPP8No/s1600/wedding+002.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600743482215238114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBy1sUYqO7HgwW6T__SzNcOXU3Y8x4Ql5OdJUlq0wH4_YffOdeGahlCNnfols6yJpRpn-4yJWsWfGP2ZqrIts9ONe0b8RkmiR8Vran9XqLRoyKKM8Lph9ZlMjitEbMJhL8OiEmDPP8No/s400/wedding+002.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 381px;" /></a><br />
It’s hard to miss the sights and sounds of the forthcoming royal wedding. Images of palaces and spires, the strains of a wedding processional, and I’m back in front of a television set watching first Prince Charles’s wedding to Lady Diana Spencer and then, not so many years later, her funeral. Now that Prince William is about to wed Kate Middleton, the girl who will walk into Westminster Abbey a commoner and come out the world's first YouTube princess, I will occupy my spot in front of that little box again.<br />
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St. James’s Palace launched an <a href="http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/">official hub </a>for the wedding with additional updates via Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Flickr. By Friday afternoon, Kate Middleton will have become the most photographed woman on the planet.<br />
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Great Britain hasn’t seen a royal bash this big since since Charles married Diana 30 years ago, when there were 750 million viewers. Triple that number are expected to tune in to view their son William’s nuptials on Friday.<br />
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An army of royal planners are working to create the romantic spectacle that the world has come to expect on such an occasion. Westminster Abbey will be decorated with an avenue of growing trees lining the aisle and leading to the altar, in line with the bride’s wish that the decorations be sustainably sourced.<br />
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London is certainly rolling out the red carpet in preparation for this wedding of the century, and footing the hefty bill that goes with it. But it’s not only in England that interest is high – Nielsen reports that online media coverage of the wedding is considerably higher in America than in Britain. In fact, the vows will be uttered as people are rising in the US, giving the opportunity for wall-to-wall coverage throughout the day. Many Americans say that’s no problem – they won’t get up to toast the couple – they’ll stay up. Royal wedding viewing parties are planned across the country. I overheard a woman in my local grocery store saying that she was going to get up early and go to the Ritz Carlton at 4am for a viewing party followed by breakfast.<br />
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The Order of Service for the wedding has been made public, as have details about the decorations, the rings, the cake and the vows. The only remaining mystery, it seems, is the question of the bride’s wedding dress. When the groom’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, married in a time of post-war austerity, many across England sent in their coupons so that she could have a better wedding dress. Kate Middleton’s gown is said to have cost $50,000, but nobody knows what it looks like or who has designed it. The royal family will not release any details until Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey on April 29th - but that has not stopped the endless guessing. A tent has been set up in front of the Goring Hotel (where the bride is staying) to where she will get into the carriage, to ensure that no one sees the dress until she arrives at the abbey.<br />
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William and Kate have chosen music that reflects the mood and setting of the occasion, encompassing works by Elgar, Britten, Vaughan Williams and Hubert Parry, including the stirring hymn "Jerusalem". After the ceremony the bells of Westminster Abbey will ring out in celebration for 3 hours across a crowd of more than a million people.<br />
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Hopefully the sun will shine on the bride and groom and all those who will be thronging the mall in hopes of catching a glimpse of the couple, though forecasters have indicated a strong chance of storms and high winds, possibly even the odd lightning strike. The royal couple risk getting wet as they plan to ride in an open carriage so that the crowds can see them in their wedding outfits. However, officials at St. James's Palace remain positive, saying that people are used to rain in Britain and probably would not be put off coming to line the route or crowding around Buckingham Palace. The newlyweds will appear on the palace balcony at 1:25pm for their much-anticipated kiss – rain or shine. And Tesco will print the kiss on a mug within an hour after that.<br />
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Odds-makers on the streets of London – who will bet on anything - are taking odds on crazy ideas, such as whether Kate will jilt William at the altar, or on safer bets such as Prince Philip falling asleep during the service, which I'll probably do as well. I'm not used to being up at the crack of dawn.Carol-Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07390714553925368818noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-8549037695018434222011-04-23T13:04:00.001-04:002011-04-29T16:22:40.151-04:00The Kitchen Daughter<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit63WyOycHEaPPKyMJ7SjzK3cFxUQoTDAc9C7j4phAgx3vRFHVE6HWA8F3_V5svLjdlCUdmx-RIvwGr6XJEGHDFpUTrW3Lkt-xHxVwgG7kU9JDWhAkutD9iKMIGU7MJXSnjqZOMUOhaMur/s1600/kD+photo.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598155854007598498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit63WyOycHEaPPKyMJ7SjzK3cFxUQoTDAc9C7j4phAgx3vRFHVE6HWA8F3_V5svLjdlCUdmx-RIvwGr6XJEGHDFpUTrW3Lkt-xHxVwgG7kU9JDWhAkutD9iKMIGU7MJXSnjqZOMUOhaMur/s320/kD+photo.png" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 218px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair." --Mary Heaton Vorse</i></div><br />
I have the good fortune to be acquainted with and related to people who are writers. Friends are usually fascinated by the process of writing, particularly fiction writing and have one of two reactions. One, they think it must be kind of easy, because you can make it all up and you get to sit at your computer and keep your own schedule. Or two, it is incredibly hard and they can't imagine even thinking about writing a piece of fiction - it is overwhelmingly intimidating.<br />
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I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle. One writer tells me he can't <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> write. The stories, the voices, populate his head and imagination until he can get them down on paper. But that doesn't mean it is easy.<br />
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To those of us browsing the stacks at our local bookstores, it looks like some authors just enjoy overnight success. All of the sudden a book will appear on the Just Released table at Barnes & Noble. Then you'll see a mention of the same book in a magazine round up. What seems like spontaneous, coincidental sightings of one book are actually the result of months or years of preparation.<br />
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On Tuesday, April 12th, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0043RSJQS/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0HT8CEVVW3TV41Z4XXDW&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">The Kitchen Daughter</span></a>, by <a href="http://www.jaelmchenry.com/">Jael McHenry</a> debuted on the shelves. [Full disclosure: Jael is a friend and colleague of my husband's]. The story of the novel, however, goes back several years. Jael has been writing her whole professional life, for various publications and while earning her MFA in Creative Writing. She began work on <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Simmer</span>, as it was originally titled, in January of 2008. By the end of that year, she had finished that manuscript and submitted it to agents. Once she had obtained an agent, she spent another year revising and submitting to publishers before receiving an offer from Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, in October of 2009. That timeline is actually quite quick, in the fiction publishing world.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtP2gGHvSwycpSD8dmJ2zjlEThAaHqfIvxw8Xy8RWIbg9Thnjaama34eOpOKcOlUPPsoZWrCNBgei6NQTms5RpR-cuuBoRV8XaU5VMNdhc44uQO8kMaH9D7wR7cOcB-SoZ-070UO_ZoUgG/s1600/window+photos.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598156234189160834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtP2gGHvSwycpSD8dmJ2zjlEThAaHqfIvxw8Xy8RWIbg9Thnjaama34eOpOKcOlUPPsoZWrCNBgei6NQTms5RpR-cuuBoRV8XaU5VMNdhc44uQO8kMaH9D7wR7cOcB-SoZ-070UO_ZoUgG/s320/window+photos.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 240px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
From October 2009 until today, the manuscript was edited and revised, cover art was designed, and marketing planned. All so that the appearance of <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">The Kitchen Daughter</span> on shelves looks effortless and ubiquitous.<br />
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Back in January of 2010, my book club had the opportunity to read a draft of <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Simmer</span> and give feedback to Jael on the story. She emailed us a PDF of the book and a list of questions for us to answer. It was interesting to see members' reactions to a book that was not in 'book form.' It was hard to determine if the binding, typeface, cover art, and blurbs add to the reader's impression of how good the novel is.<br />
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We had an enjoyable time discussing the book, pointing out things we felt were inconsistent or awkward, and contemplating different titles for the book. It was a thrill and an honor to be a small part of the process of <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">The Kitchen Daughter</span>.<br />
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The book on shelves today is quite similar to the manuscript of last year. The story follows Ginny Selvaggio in the aftermath of a family tragedy. Ginny loves to cook and quickly discovers she can conjure up the ghost of a deceased person, simply by preparing that person's recipe. Each chapter in the tale is named for a dish and many of the actual recipes are printed in the text. As she grieves, Ginny struggles both with feeling different from her sister and with a bit of a mystery, courtesy of the ghosts and other things she discovers along the way.<br />
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My book club loved the way Ginny thought in terms of food and descriptions of food. A character has an "orange juice" voice, another is "flan colored." We also were eager to see the recipes that Ginny uses in the book, and Jael includes recipes for everything from ribollita to hot chocolate to shortbread.<br />
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I will leave a proper review to unbiased, professional reviewers (see below). One of the quotes on the cover gives a wonderful synopsis of the book: "Add a pinch of magic, a dash of heartache, and a generous portions of lyrical beauty and you have <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">The Kitchen Daughter</span>, an enchanting tale of familial loss and quiet redemption - I loved it." -- Jamie Ford, author of <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet</span>.<br />
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Bon Appetit!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">*************************************</div><br />
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<a href="http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/review/kitchen-daughter"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Kitchen Daughter review</span></a>, in the New York Journal of Books<br />
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Jael talks about <a href="http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Unabashedly-Bookish-The-BN/Cover-Stories-The-Kitchen-Daughter-by-Jael-McHenry/ba-p/946862">the cover art here</a>, in the Barnes & Noble community<br />
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<a href="http://simmerblog.typepad.com/">The SIMMER blog</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.intrepidmedia.com/column.asp?id=3688">The secret</a> to getting publishedWide Open Spaceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573357176617683341noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-70765474050144232682011-04-18T04:01:00.001-04:002011-04-23T12:37:10.096-04:00Just Some Poems: Du Fu in Translation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil4V8cLEb4DybnXXCr5P-af9EnBvRt1TdWVuZcC26mKST3ns9q7ZUq-RAjPK_DxizSapWWIlamQo6LynVTKxlXWudNsWhZBJrT8JWcfjVxD2xnk4OfOc6lr2ej9RnNmOg7TajEgWPb8PS_/s1600/Du+Fu+5+P4152063_edited-1+%25281280x834%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil4V8cLEb4DybnXXCr5P-af9EnBvRt1TdWVuZcC26mKST3ns9q7ZUq-RAjPK_DxizSapWWIlamQo6LynVTKxlXWudNsWhZBJrT8JWcfjVxD2xnk4OfOc6lr2ej9RnNmOg7TajEgWPb8PS_/s320/Du+Fu+5+P4152063_edited-1+%25281280x834%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>In translation, even Du Fu’s name is not a constant. At the time Kenneth Rexroth translated him, the name in English of this <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/tang/hd_tang.htm">Tang Dynasty</a> poet was “Tu Fu.” Or, as poet <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/charles-simic">Charles Simic</a> put it, “Du Fu, eh? I knew him when he was Tu Fu. A swell guy!”<br />
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In another of the alarming gaps in my education, I learned of Du Fu, who is “generally described as the greatest of China’s poets,” as an aside to <a href="http://rainingacorns.blogspot.com/2011/01/sailing-alone-from-song-to-song.html">a poet I was after</a> at the time. As I thought about the instability of Du Fu’s name in English, I couldn’t help but think, and what about the poems?<br />
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I’d gathered up three books that contain some of his poems, each by a different translator, and set about searching for a poem that appeared in every book. That alone was a challenge; even the titles didn’t match up. <br />
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I was reminded by this of Anne Carson’s description of the translator’s dilemma—and the joy: <br />
<blockquote>Prowling the meanings of a word, prowling the history of a person, no use expecting a flood of light. Human words have no main switch. But all those little kidnaps in the dark. And then the luminous, big, shivering, discandied, unrepentant, barking web of them that hangs in your mind when you turn back to the page you were trying to translate. </blockquote>Translator David Hinton provided some clues to the problem of translating from Chinese to English: “The most immediately striking characteristic of classical Chinese is its graphic form” and “its grammatical elements are minimal in the extreme.” <br />
<blockquote>prepositions and conjunctions are rarely used, leaving relationships between lines, phrases, ideas, and images unclear; the distinction between singular and plural is only rarely and indirectly made; there are no verb tenses, so temporal location and sequence are vague; very often the subjects, verbs, and objects of verbal action are absent. </blockquote>So what, pray tell, is a poor translator to do? In translating Du Fu, David Young took this approach: <br />
<blockquote>My being able to situate a poet like Du Fu in the poetic practices of his time is more important, finally, than any fluency in Chinese. Knowing the literal meaning of a group of characters is merely the first step, even for native speakers and readers, toward a successful interpretation of a poetic text. </blockquote>As for Rexroth? Of his work in translating this poet, cherished since adolescence, Rexroth wrote: “I make no claim for the book as a piece of Oriental scholarship. Just some poems.”<br />
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With that, here are Rexroth’s, Hinton’s, and Young’s translations of a poem by Du Fu.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><<< >>></div><br />
WRITTEN ON THE WALL AT CHANG’S HERMITAGE<br />
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It is Spring in the mountains.<br />
I come alone seeking you.<br />
The sound of chopping wood echoes<br />
Between the silent peaks.<br />
The streams are still icy.<br />
There is snow on the trail.<br />
At sunset I reach your grove<br />
In the stony mountain pass.<br />
You want nothing, although at night<br />
You can see the aura of gold<br />
And silver ore all around you.<br />
You have learned to be gentle<br />
As the mountain deer you have tamed.<br />
The way back forgotten, hidden<br />
Away, I come like you,<br />
An empty boat, floating, adrift.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;"><i>-translated by Kenneth Rexroth</i></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">***</div><br />
INSCRIBED ON A WALL AT CHANG’S RECLUSE HOME<br />
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In spring mountains, alone, I set out to find you.<br />
Axe strokes crack—crack and quit. Silence doubles.<br />
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I pass snow and ice lingering along cold streams,<br />
then, at Stone Gate in late light, enter these woods.<br />
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You harm nothing: deer roam here each morning;<br />
want nothing: auras gold and silver grace nights.<br />
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Facing you on a whim in bottomless dark, the way<br />
here lost—I feel it drifting, this whole empty boat.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;"><i>-translated by David Hinton</i></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">***</div><br />
I WRITE TWO POEMS ON THE WALL AT ZHANG’S<br />
<br />
I<br />
I came to find you here this spring<br />
among these greening mountains<br />
<br />
whack whack of a distant axe<br />
otherwise just huge quiet<br />
<br />
I crossed fast mountain brooks<br />
still rimmed with snow and ice<br />
<br />
I climbed past Stone Gate cliffs<br />
to seek you out at sunset<br />
<br />
when you glimpse gold and silver<br />
you can just ignore them<br />
<br />
you hobnob with the deer<br />
and learn their harmless ways<br />
<br />
we walk so far into the woods<br />
that we almost get lost<br />
<br />
as free of care as empty boats<br />
drifting with any current.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>-translated by David Young</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<<< >>></div><i>Credits: </i><br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://rainingacorns.blogspot.com/2010/06/anne-carsons-nox.html">Nox</a>, by Anne Carson</i><br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://us.macmillan.com/classicalchinesepoetry">Classical Chinese Poetry</a>, translated and edited by David Hinton (greatest poet, p. 190; on classical Chinese, Introduction, pp. xx-xxi; poem, p. 192)</i><br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hundred-Poems-Chinese-Directions-Book/dp/0811201805">One Hundred Poems from the Chinese,</a> translated by Kenneth Rexroth (just some poems, Introduction, p. xii; poem, p. 4)</i><br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/book/43476/du-fu-by-fu-du">Du Fu, A Life in Poetry</a>, translated by David Young (Simic quotation, Introduction, p. xvii; Young on translation, Introduction, p. xii; poem, p. 15)</i>Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02827286681242730183noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-89545779330633872892011-04-13T10:41:00.027-04:002011-04-18T04:04:29.073-04:00Water, Water, Everywhere<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXv4o2FwkRHW0QrJaZKaZxIvX6fSg7Q2ujtocFX_D5nkojFT_V227JkpHRluCKl6tkVPwK3RB-WYnyqg_HbnN1Cd95oh82paKxvhagVvkEcHnod_YbxiytVGaCl6el1Wn7lZ7WavxsHVQ/s1600/023.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595080377062995138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXv4o2FwkRHW0QrJaZKaZxIvX6fSg7Q2ujtocFX_D5nkojFT_V227JkpHRluCKl6tkVPwK3RB-WYnyqg_HbnN1Cd95oh82paKxvhagVvkEcHnod_YbxiytVGaCl6el1Wn7lZ7WavxsHVQ/s400/023.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> <br />
<div><i>“…Water, water, every where, </i></div><br />
<div><i>And all the boards did shrink; </i></div><br />
<div><i>Water, water, every where, </i></div><br />
<div><i>Nor any drop to drink…” </i></div><br />
<div><i>Samuel Taylor Coleridge</i> </div><br />
<div>We could find ourselves echoing the words of the Ancient Mariner if we don't pay close attention to our precious water supply. Unlike seabirds, human bodies lack the ability to desalinate sea water, and most of the water on our planet is in the oceans – a whopping 99 percent of it. Only the remaining 1 percent is usable by humans. And that tiny share is in peril.<br />
<a name='more'></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjhJfD96ronHmrpBqIgC-g_45lOMc8GqYfpY1xCxY7Io0ko898IRj53cahovWwUmS-C4-rdyv6h4H5qu0KuWBguxtIc2MbkP_DlrkhrkV9NKEUEySu320IrU_1JWuxW4twJGuahLdPBc/s1600/017.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595080915713837170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjhJfD96ronHmrpBqIgC-g_45lOMc8GqYfpY1xCxY7Io0ko898IRj53cahovWwUmS-C4-rdyv6h4H5qu0KuWBguxtIc2MbkP_DlrkhrkV9NKEUEySu320IrU_1JWuxW4twJGuahLdPBc/s400/017.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 357px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> <br />
<br />
In his new book <a href="http://www.thebigthirst.com/the-book/">"The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water" </a>Charles Fishman says that the outlook is much more positive than that. Fishman maintains that great progress in the world of water is possible, if only we would think about this precious resource differently, instead of taking for granted the luxurious abundance that we in the developed world have so enjoyed. In fact, he says that the U.S. uses less water today than it did in 1980, that our water productivity is up more than 100 percent in just 30 years, and that our water habits can and will improve even more over the next 30 years. <br />
<br />
That’s the good news. The problem, as Fishman sees it, is that we pay too little for such a precious resource; the water bill for the average U.S. household is around $34.00 per month. If something is that cheap we don’t pay attention to it, we don’t think about it, we use it carelessly. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSpWEeo5nOr-XuyZ2TsU9PuUCzDw4R36KTJ-LbavWTtDe1kr8bUCJw3U4ljTKZ2CjPXX9Imx_5xd9e_O-MSBcPiIiSjxCKsJw1gZ5H7yK9IU7Ze4eaaA3DbblobOVxDCLaig1njscIok/s1600/001.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595149710265798370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSpWEeo5nOr-XuyZ2TsU9PuUCzDw4R36KTJ-LbavWTtDe1kr8bUCJw3U4ljTKZ2CjPXX9Imx_5xd9e_O-MSBcPiIiSjxCKsJw1gZ5H7yK9IU7Ze4eaaA3DbblobOVxDCLaig1njscIok/s400/001.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 155px;" /></a><br />
<i>“What we pay doesn't cover the cost of the water — of finding it and acquiring it in the first place, of treating it and delivering it, of disposing of it. And we don't pay the cost of protecting the environment that provides the water in the first place.” Charles Fishman</i> <br />
<br />
The author <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/117/features-message-in-a-bottle.html">wrote an article in 2007 about bottled water </a>which eventually led him to spend almost a month in each of three far-flung thirsty locations – Australia, Las Vegas, and India – in order to research this new book. <br />
<br />
Australia had to leap to the reinvention of its entire water system after almost running out of water in the last five years. Localised water recycling schemes employ treated wastewater, sewer mining and stormwater harvesting. Sydney Water offers schools and households a rebate for installing a rainwater tank and, by 2015, the country has a national goal of meeting 30 percent of its water needs with recycled water. Recycled water is sewage that has gone through stringent purification processes (toilet to tap). Despite public opposition to the concept, some countries have been using recycled water for decades. <a href="http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/04/04/from-wastewater-to-drinking-water/">Namibians have been drinking recycled water since 1969,</a> with no adverse health effects, and Israel reuses more than 70 percent of its effluent. Numerous states such as California, New Mexico and Virginia are drinking recycled water too. <br />
<br />
Las Vegas is similar to Australia in that it is largely desert, but the city seems a mirage, surely a city of sin in this new age of water conservation – after all, even though the region only gets an average of 4 inches of rain per year, a 2-mile stretch here houses 100 sharks and 8 bottlenose dolphins. Yet you can check into any one of the myriad hotel rooms in this city and take a 30 minute shower without feeling too guilty – every drop that runs down the drain is collected, treated, and fed right back to Lake Meade, which supplies the city. Even golf courses here have evolved into places that reflect the environment with desert, ravines and arroyos craftily landscaped between the green holes, where each bush has its own dedicated sprinkler head. What's more, homeowners have been given financial incentives to replace lawns with desert-friendly xeriscaping. In fact, according to Fishman, the size of Las Vegas has increased by 50 percent in the last 10 years but the city uses no more water, due to water conservation measures such as these implemented by local government. <br />
<br />
The water picture is very different in India, where many householders represent the estimated one billion people around the world who do not have the luxury of indoor plumbing – some of them have water delivered to their area by tanker, or they must fetch it from a well. The author went to a village not far from Delhi to spend time with the local women who do the twice daily “water walk” in order to supply their homes and families with water, making it difficult for them to do anything else to improve their circumstances. He says of this experience: <br />
<br />
<i>“The people in the world who live on $1 a day, and get their water "free," often spend 2 or 3 or 4 hours a day walking to get that water, every single day. And they suffer from terrible health problems because the "free" water is of poor quality. So that water isn't "free" in any real sense — it requires a staggering cost in educational opportunity, work opportunity, disease and shortened life expectancy.”</i> <br />
<br />
Fishman believes that the days of an abundant, safe, and free water supply are numbered and that we will be experiencing a water revolution over the next 30 years, much like the telecommunications industry evolved over the last 30 years from the basic telephone to what we have today. As in that case, the charge will be led by private companies like IBM, a company that uses ultra pure water in the manufacture of its computer chips. The water used in this process has to be so pure that it is 12 steps of filtration cleaner than water produced by reverse osmosis. The company has come up with innovative and cost-effective ways to conserve and use the precious resource. It is companies such as this that will be instrumental in coming up with the technology to remove the micro pollutants from cosmetics and pharmaceuticals that pass through our bodies and end up in the water supply. Fishman maintains that we must proceed with caution to ensure that we progress successfully without actually ceding our water rights to private enterprise. <br />
<br />
In short, he says that the solution lies in first supplying the basic amount of water that each person needs, then charging appropriately for usage above that. This would force private and business interests to pay closer attention to water and its role in our lives. He says of course that we all need to be mindful of our water usage and that he has changed his own personal water habits in small ways that by now we probably all practise to a certain extent – from reusable water bottles, to a step-down valve to reduce water pressure to his house, to never pouring the left over water in a glass down the drain but rather into a pot plant or the dog’s dish. <br />
<br />
The thing that fascinated me most in this book of water facts and figures was something that I had never really thought about before - the fact that the water that we have now is the same water that we’ve always had. From the very beginning, the amount of water on this planet has neither increased nor decreased. Water cannot be used up - our water has and will be infinitely recycled. The very water we drink today could have passed through a dinosaur’s body aeons ago. <br />
<br />
From my perspective, the author has achieved his stated goal - his presentation of the facts certainly changes the way I think about water. I would not mind paying a premium if I used water carelessly, and "Toilet to Tap" doesn't sound so bad anymore. Though I didn't think I'd ever say this, I would rather drink purified sewage than have it pumped into our fragile oceans to add to that 99 percent of water that we cannot easily use.Carol-Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07390714553925368818noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-34076178928489839662011-04-08T07:20:00.010-04:002011-04-13T13:55:28.170-04:00Love Thy Neighbor<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldtvl-SvMSQC4Jye46c21ER9jRPd9DWCPIXtJAnMkU4ySanefuQRglWNYjKmJyLYV42sE0MFLbZBaEnY7wUUwUsNqNX2WgzVjCMwIUc8y772DfUemMx_judqBdlujBPhTpM_G7Kbq_ESy/s1600/trey.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593173708854952306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldtvl-SvMSQC4Jye46c21ER9jRPd9DWCPIXtJAnMkU4ySanefuQRglWNYjKmJyLYV42sE0MFLbZBaEnY7wUUwUsNqNX2WgzVjCMwIUc8y772DfUemMx_judqBdlujBPhTpM_G7Kbq_ESy/s320/trey.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 231px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 153px;" /></a>The following is the tale of a remarkable little boy. Yet it is not really about his story, it is the story around his story. Trey Love (yes, that's his real name) is a 4 year old boy who is fighting terminal cancer. He had been in remission for 2 years, but three weeks ago his <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002381/">neuroblastoma</a> came back. Until March 20th, not many people knew who he was. He had been diagnosed with neuroblastoma in 2008 but most recently was living the typical 4 year old life, playing with friends and rooting for the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
On March 20th he was rushed into surgery when doctors determined that his cancer had returned. Doctors estimated he had just weeks to live. That day, three of Trey's mom's friends decided to hold a candlelight vigil later that night at the local park to support the Love family. Through the power of the Internet and Facebook, a large crowd of people gathered to sing songs and sign a get-well card for Trey. Hundreds more sent emails saying they could not attend but would pray for Trey on their own.<br />
<br />
To say the Team Trey movement then snowballed would be an understatement. Within a week, his <a href="http://www.causes.com/causes/124694">Facebook page</a> had 7000 supporters. Within a week a second vigil was planned at the family's church. Within a week many local businesses offered "Trey" nights where a portion of their proceeds would go to the Love family. The family had expressed a wish to let Trey see the castle at Disney World one last time, so the community rallied to provide support for this trip and for Mike and Missy, Trey's parents, who took leaves from their jobs in order to spend every minute with their son at <a href="http://www.chop.edu/">Children's Hospital</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCIASIf9_If-q58RxwUz_RwajY1M-ytLeNIcxpS_fWVnFIsLJKTtZCKC-ELvhgp6LiFQSVlbdAMzCj4ICf8Ar_mxvz0XVwigxynE7A_5QLnrCwjUIfG6Jo_jmxnJAsGM-c8nujtYaSGus/s1600/bake+sale.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593173233971323410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCIASIf9_If-q58RxwUz_RwajY1M-ytLeNIcxpS_fWVnFIsLJKTtZCKC-ELvhgp6LiFQSVlbdAMzCj4ICf8Ar_mxvz0XVwigxynE7A_5QLnrCwjUIfG6Jo_jmxnJAsGM-c8nujtYaSGus/s320/bake+sale.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 180px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<br />
Within a week, the local middle school students had organized a lunchtime bake sale. The local K-Mart allowed a community wide bake sale to take place in its parking lot. Individual middle school students created flyers announcing all the businesses supporting Trey and canvassed neighborhoods to urge people to patronize those generous shops. They came home with hundreds of dollars in unsolicited donations, simply because people felt moved by Trey's story.<br />
<br />
The local high school, upon learning that Trey loved the Phillies, decided to have "Trey Day" where students were invited to wear Phillies shirts and donations were collected. In addition, several students planned a benefit concert to be held within a week, featuring local student musical acts. The admission fee will go to the Love family as well as proceeds from T-shirts that the kids are creating.<br />
<br />
The local elementary school held a "hair-raising" fundraiser for Trey. Kids could color or spike their hair for the day in exchange for a donation. Over $3000 was raised in one day from the effort.<br />
<br />
This week it was announced that more than enough money had been raised to take Trey to Disney World and support his parents while he is hospitalized. Trey's Facebook followers increased exponentially, to over 22,000 in just 3 weeks. (The population of his hometown is only 16,000 people, to put that in perspective.)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj60DtXO2Np2SaS1HFzWVnptnD0ADWrB8yTtGtV_OLHeNsR6PxpS4UKrw7SFjFrkzWVkaIm5K9Oub60FPOIkVpkgN9E2IlY5f-WBhXVW9-JTzH8PwUqyBg0tP__aLZerpM4wbcJ-j_DARx/s1600/stone+soup.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593173018884370562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj60DtXO2Np2SaS1HFzWVnptnD0ADWrB8yTtGtV_OLHeNsR6PxpS4UKrw7SFjFrkzWVkaIm5K9Oub60FPOIkVpkgN9E2IlY5f-WBhXVW9-JTzH8PwUqyBg0tP__aLZerpM4wbcJ-j_DARx/s320/stone+soup.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 202px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 174px;" /></a><br />
Trey's story echoes the old <span style="font-style: italic;">Stone Soup</span> fable. In <span style="font-style: italic;">Stone Soup</span>, visitors invite local villagers to help them with their meal of stone soup - a pot of water over the fire to which they have added a clean stone. "If only we had some herbs to flavor our soup," the visitors sigh. One townsperson runs home to gather some of her leftover herbs. This continues with many different villagers contributing bits and scraps from their homes. Pretty soon the whole town is enjoying a wonderful, flavorful soup.<br />
<br />
Trey's community was able to raise a large amount of money and an even greater amount of awareness of his plight, in an incredibly short time and with no real sacrifice on anyone's part. The whole here is indeed greater than the sum of the parts.<br />
<br />
Trey's s<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHZBidu1WuIPPEsStPRMDLtErU5NEmUb7BRtedz02d0t32ojhL3qsf4y14XbZrY2Q5Stjd6ITRG7kTSCRm7f9oS129AQE3CQUKtuek4M065T6qVwt20gRQ8I1WBcwnp7rV481m1eeGNzW/s1600/trey+fdn.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593173402323934210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHZBidu1WuIPPEsStPRMDLtErU5NEmUb7BRtedz02d0t32ojhL3qsf4y14XbZrY2Q5Stjd6ITRG7kTSCRm7f9oS129AQE3CQUKtuek4M065T6qVwt20gRQ8I1WBcwnp7rV481m1eeGNzW/s320/trey+fdn.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 149px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 147px;" /></a>tory also calls to mind that of Alex Scott, another neuroblastoma patient. Before she died of the disease, she set up a lemonade stand in front of her house to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Today <a href="https://www.alexslemonade.org/">Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation</a> has raised over $40 million for cancer research. One hopes that these stories exist all over, wherever there is a family in need. Fighting back against awful circumstances with one cup of lemonade, one brownie, one T-shirt, one rally, one candle, one ice cream cone. One can only hope that for every unfathomable situation, there is a similar story around the story.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Trey's story as featured on the local news:</span><br />
<a href="http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/video?id=8053227&syndicate=syndicate&section" style="font-style: italic;">ABC Local</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"> Read more about Trey's story:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.helptreylove.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Trey's Foundation</a>Wide Open Spaceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573357176617683341noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574060146103839230.post-46683256840521578322011-04-03T07:22:00.020-04:002011-04-08T10:36:11.176-04:00Searching For Angola in Florida<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAEVX-22sF7TYu6yXjNI2NaOIKD6xXVmREg1nT43-vpf4LJiVYVDVeYfpYyvW48DIYdD1ZfFDEKt3qi_sAm9P38BgEusReK0geuEkwgZxzq269-k_UTfMTiX1eZBlWh0z6NHtNjpIufg/s1600/manateeriver.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591343051572602594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAEVX-22sF7TYu6yXjNI2NaOIKD6xXVmREg1nT43-vpf4LJiVYVDVeYfpYyvW48DIYdD1ZfFDEKt3qi_sAm9P38BgEusReK0geuEkwgZxzq269-k_UTfMTiX1eZBlWh0z6NHtNjpIufg/s400/manateeriver.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
On the banks of the Manatee River near Sarasota, Florida, is a site that was once a refuge for as many as 700 runaway slaves (aka Black Seminoles) and Seminole Indians in the early part of the 19th Century.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The settlement was known as Angola, after the country on the southwest coast of Africa where many slaves’ journeys began. Long before the Civil War, Maroons (runaway slaves) from South Carolina, Georgia and Northern Florida sought refuge further south in Spanish La Florida. Even though most slaves escaped to the north, some found their way to the southern peninsula in their quest for liberty. This site in southwest Florida is one such. The region’s dense Oak forests and mangrove swamps afforded Maroons safe harbor from slave hunters. Considering the conditions that would have prevailed at the time, one can only imagine how brave and tenacious these souls were in their pursuit of freedom. <br />
<br />
Angola is believed to have been occupied between 1812 and 1821. The settlement was ransacked and burned to the ground in a surprise attack by a war party of Coweta Creek Indians reputedly following orders from General Andrew Jackson in April of 1821, the year that Florida became a territory of the United States. Jackson’s goal was to eliminate independent black settlements in the Floridian peninsula. Although most of the inhabitants of Angola were taken prisoner, about 300 of them managed to escape through the virtually impenetrable Everglades to the Florida Keys. Some of the former slaves ultimately made their way to Red Bays in the Bahamas, where their descendants still live today. <br />
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Starting in 2005, a dedicated team of experts now based at Sarasota’s New College has employed the dual disciplines of archaeology and ethnography to research the history of the site and to search for artifacts in an ongoing effort to pinpoint the location of Angola. Project leader and journalist, Vickie Oldham, initiated the search after being commissioned to write an article about the history of Sarasota’s black community. She soon learned that this important piece of history had been left out of the story. Angola was only known from scant references in books about the period and through oral history. <br />
<br />
Oldham was inspired to apply for a research grant and was awarded the first one five years ago. An archaeological dig was organized and the research project <a href="http://lookingforangola.org/home.asp">“Looking for Angola” </a>was launched. So far, each time funding is realized, another step of this journey is completed. Oldham went with anthropologist Rosalyn Howard on one of her many trips to the Bahamas to record interviews with the mainly elderly Angola descendents in Red Bays, before the oral history could leave this earth with them. <br />
<br />
To date, artifacts including pottery shards have been found and are awaiting verification, hopefully resulting in the declaration of the site as a historical monument. <br />
<br />
Florida A&M University historian Canter Brown Jr., University of Central Florida anthropologist Rosalyn Howard, New College of Florida historical archaeologist Uzi Baram, University of South Carolina archaeologist Terrance Weik, independent archaeologist Bill Burger, UCF history professor Vibert White and Sarasota educator Louis Robison complete the multi-disciplinary collaborative team that has been assisted by donors, volunteers, the media and students in the area. <br />
<br />
I attended a panel discussion titled <a href="http://www.ncf.edu/news/2010/12/08/january-15-five-years-of-looking-for-angola-a-retrospective-on-the-journey-and-future-paths-to-explore/">“Five Years of Looking for Angola – a Restrospective on the Journey and Future Paths to Explore.” </a>The presentation commenced appropriately with an opening ceremony in the Kwanzaa tradition featuring the beat of a drum and a verbal invocation to welcome the spirits of the ancestors. <br />
<br />
These particular ancestors lived a tumultuous and courageous life - the intention of this project is to bring their history to light so that their descendants and all the citizens of Florida and the rest of this country can recognise the part they played in our mutual history, starting with the evidence buried right under our feet. Much of the approximately 200 acres the team is in the process of examining is urban; encompassing homes, roads, and underground utility lines, and is privately owned - requiring owners' permission to test the land. <br />
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In essence, this is a painstaking search for evidence of a people who had very little in the way of possessions and whose very existence depended on their ability to hide themselves. The project aims to recognise the existence of these people and their experiences by unearthing and officially acknowledging the home that they made in Florida. <br />
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Of this long term project, Oldham says that the existence of Angola and its inhabitants was little known and almost forgotten and that "(their) story of courage, determination and enterprise deserves preservation and commemoration." <br />
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The story of Angola shows us once again what human beings are capable of when faced with adversity – a reminder of the past that can surely stand us in good stead as we plot our course in the world today. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/d2jZl9W92W4" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe>Carol-Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07390714553925368818noreply@blogger.com5