Fall BREAK

The trees outside my window are telling me it's autumn, but the type of falling I've been doing lately has nothing to do with the changing season.  Somehow, I've managed to overextend myself, and the one thing suffering the most is my writing.  I started this blog to keep track of my creative endeavors, but slowly is has evolved into something different.

I have decided to take a break from this site in order to reconnect with my writing.  Next month is November and there is no better way to focus on writing than joining NaNoWriMo.  I'm not sure when I will return to this blog site, but you can still find me on facebook administering over one of my latest project, N Power Art, which as much as I'd love to step away from it, it's still in its infancy and need constant attention if it is to flourish.  I believe in the concept behind N Power Art and wish for its success.  Too often creativity is killed by the bitterness of the dog-eat-dog market.  I hope N Power Art will be a beckon of light, a sanctuary from the negativity where all Nebraskan artists can work together inspiring art and helping each other.

Finally, the Buffalo Jump Mystery.  I am hoping that one of my co-conspirators will over see the project but if not, I may move the postings to a blog of its own.

Until I return, look for photo postings on google+, occasional blogs on the WritersVibe and administrative postings on N Power Art.

The Secret Treasure of Buffalo Jump

Archaeological student at Nebraska's Badlands

Almost twenty years ago, a novice group of archaeological students enrolled for field-school through the University of Nebraska.  The course seemed innocent enough but soon those thirteen students learned that the Badlands of Western Nebraska are no ordinary place.  The following is an account of their summer field-school.  Names have been changed, details are embellished, but most of the facts are accurate because I was one of those students.


Somewhere near Crawford Nebraska 600 bodies mysteriously died.  Many expert archaeologists have theorized about the origin of the Hudson Meng bonebed but in 1996 thirteen students made a discovery which science isn't willing to explain.  I have been sworn under oath of death to remain silent about what was discovered that summer.  I can, however, disclose a grand scheme of clues which will be left with the bodies of, at least but not limited to, three of the students.  If you are interested in solving the mystery, continue to check this blog and my facebook page for further details.  We are still working on our next course of action--unsure of how to continue but we have decided that the treasure should belong to the world.  It is not ours to keep.

Magic of Friendship

I share a special bond with my eight year old niece and so, when she told me how one of the girls in her class had publicly announced, 'My Little Ponies are stupid', I knew she was crushed by the possibly purposeful comment. Together, my niece and I have watched every episode of the Lauren Faust creation, enjoying our favorite pony characters as they discover the Magic of Friendship (a lesson I think most girls her age could benefit from).

I am blessed with a handful of close - true friends and my niece knows how important they are to me.  She longs to find deep meaningful friendships of her own but so often she faces catty negativity.

OK, in all fairness, I am a product of Generation X so I may be filled with sarcasm and have a bad habit of finding everything -- especially inappropriate things humorous but, I have compassion, and so does my niece.  I hope she will remain the kindhearted, spirited, girl I love.  May she empower her passion for life, art and nature and not hide it to gain popularity.  After all, true friends love us for who we are.

Like the brilliantly written series, I think we all can use a little Magic of Friendship.

A Tribute to Cabo

Famous Cabo Arch

Cabo San Lucas has a magic all its own.  A celestial epicenter where the mighty Pacific danced with a mystical desert to birth a paradox environment, a "tropical" desert.  Add to the recipe, the Sea of Cortes and majestic mountains, speak the magic incantation, and BAM - Cabo.

Even the ancient people who inhabited the desert viewed Cabo as a supernatural place.  Cave drawings depict mountain tops graced with dragonflies, the embodiment of resurrection.

Ten years ago I was drawn to its magic and found myself addicted to its beauty from the first moment.  Over the course of a decade, I've watched the city bloom like a desert flower and have fallen in love with its people.  The people are as lovely as the land.  Hardworking and generous, they embrace everyone with welcome and so it was with a heavy heart I received the news about the category three hurricane.

I know both the land and the people of Cabo are resilient and strong.  And like the dragonfly myth, they will rise again but until such time my thoughts and heart are with them.  All I can do is share the beauty of the land I love with my words and my photos:

Cave of the god

Near the arch, there is a cave, it is said that one of the gods of old resides inside and at certain times the shine of his eyes can be seen radiating from its depths.

Lover's Beach is dominated by powerful megaliths.

The Queen and her Court

Dragon's Claw

The wild Pacific embraces the nurturing Sea of Cortes where marine life flourishes.  Whales, dolphins, crabs, seals, fish of every color play below the lulling waves.

Mighty Pacific shapes the land

Blue whale and her Calf leave the nursery

Lazy Lion soaking in the sun

Enchanting sunsets fade into magical nights...

Spellbinding twilight 

Moonlight magic

A land of Enchantment

For a more complete photo album, visit my google plus profile and view my 'Remembering Cabo' album.

Nature's Way

I'm having a bad day.  My problems have forced me to ask myself tough questions.  Love one's have hurt me and betrayed my trust but with deeper examination - the fault is all mine.

Hurt.  I decided to take a friend's advice and put my emotions and thoughts to poetry.

So sitting on a bench at the park, I took out my every-present notebook and wrote:


I have found the magic in the everyday
Seen the glitter in the sun's rays
Heard the whispered stories of the leaves
But all it has brought me is regret

It is time to grow up. 

I've learned this too late
Nature has a way
and I've tarried too long

With my new philosophy on paper I took a deep breath readying myself to become the new me but as I looked at the ground I spied a fairy wing.  I picked it up examining the delicate appendage.  The old me marveled as the sun's brilliance transformed the glass-like wing into iridescence splendor. The new me argued, 'that's not a fairy wing.  You've studied entomology and you know it's a cicada wing - Time to grow up."  But then a deeper voice questioned why the wing was there - upon the ground -at that very moment.

Nature has a way.

Crafting a Story

I love writing.  Particularly, I love hunting for the perfect words and allowing their connotations to cast a tone upon my scene.  The fundamentals of style writing: dictation, sentence structure, imagery, and tone.

Like wise, aperture, ISO, and shutter speed are my fundamentals for telling a photographic story.  Lighting is key.

Feel free to use the following visual prompts to craft a scene.  Try using diction (word choice) to capture the lighting (life force) of the photo.  Use sentence structure to create the rhythm and tone to cast a mood. Sprinkle imagery into the scene and you've sparked your writing style.

Focus on color.

Do you hear it?

Feel the textured ground.

Light is life

What is the connection?

Light and texture

Moonlight imagery.

Power of Light

Steps for Producing a Novel

Rewriting....Yuck.  I love to write but as it turns out I hate editing.  After setting my latest completed novel upon the figurative shelf, I've recently picked it back up again for the second rewrite and boy, it turns out that it's not as 'magical' as I remember it.  I have my work cut out for me.

My journey towards creating this novel seems to be following the most practical steps for producing a novel. So I just need to suck it up and keep editing.

Practical steps for producing a novel?  Yes, that is what I said.  I haven't found any statistical analysis to prove my belief but other writers seem to agree that there is a proper process to producing a novel.

1. Step ONE:  Write  Write everyday - write total crap if you have to but push through and place the story which resides inside you into words.
2. Step TWO:  Research This step might coincide with step one but don't get too carried away researching that you never complete step one.  Research, however, is important.  Even if you are writing fiction - the best fantasies are the ones that seem the most probable.  Plus, living in a world were everyone can Google a topic and become instant experts, writers need to try and keep their work credible. 
3. Step THREE:  Shelf It  Upon completion, set your novel away.  After working so hard to finish your labor of love, you are emotionally attached to it and won't be able to give it the proper corrections.
4. Step FOUR, FIVE, SIX and possibly SEVEN REWRITE....yuck
   

Ok, enough blogging. I need to go fix all the hole in my novel - I hope.

Why I Write

That's my grandpa on the right - quite a story with this photo

I have always had a love for stories.  I remember as a child sitting in my grandparents's living room listening to the adults tell the stories of their childhood adventures.  I honestly can't decided if my family was blessed with amazing lives or simply the gift to tell a good story, but I could  have spent a lifetime listening to their humor and knowledge.  As I work on my skills as a writer, the spirit of those stories are always present with me.  Telling a story is family time - a way in which my history has been passed to me.

Mother Nature

Another great gift my parents gave me was my love and understanding of nature.  Nature is the ultimate teacher. Her grace is great and knowledge is vast.  She has shared her lessons through her laughing trees and her whispering grass, animals of fur and feathers and all the amazing insects.  Some of her lessons she has shared openly while others I have earned with my life.

I write because I love telling a good story.  I write to pass on the prose I have learned and discovered.  I write because it is a piece of me and a way to connect with my past, my future, and all that is present about my being.  I am a writer.

Nature's gifts from my Garden of Knowlege

Welcome Gus

Gus

Spring is a time for new birth and so it is with joy that I announce the newest member of our family: Gus, the very handsome four year old German Shepard we rescued with the help of the awesome people at MOGS (Missouri German Shepard Rescue).  But it is Gus, who has rescued our hearts.

Two years ago we mourned the passing of our two beloved friends.  Loki was our faithful German Shepard and Isis was our sweet Rhodesian Ridgeback.  Our four-legged family members were a constant pillar in my turbulent life, helping me through life’s twists.  Loki was massive, strong and brave, always providing a comforting place for me to cry allowing my fists to grip his thick fur and bury my sorrows against his stoic neck; and Isis, with her gentle reassuring presence knew how to comfort using only the kindness that radiated from her eyes.  She'd rest lightly next to me, a faithful spirit.  They were true friends and completely tuned to my emotions.  Life is fluid and there were many good times too, celebrated with kisses and wagging tails, and victories were reveled with happy dances and lots of wiggles.

Loki and Isis

I raised them both of them from pups.  They were only three months apart in age and bonded so closely that I knew when we lost Loki at the age of eight to cancer – Isis stopped living.  We even tried to help Isis by adding Jaxson to our family but even the overly energetic Ridgback pup couldn’t fill the void Loki had left in her life.  She stopped eating and joined her Loki eight months later.

My world was in transition, mourning the passing of my friends, life continued about me.  Jaxson, the-ever-naughty, Ridgeback pup would let me stay too gloomy and soon I realized that he needed a friend but it had to be just the right friend.  I'd used all my energy raising Jaxson and now at two years old, I didn't want to do the puppy thing again.  I contacted several adoption groups but most were too busy to respond to my application.  At first, I was discouraged but then I found the people at MOGS.  From the start, they were helpful and organized and above all, they understood I had some specific requirements which not only did they understand but were able to match us to the perfect dog.

I still mourn Loki and Isis but my heart is full again thanks to Gus.  He and Jaxson have filled our home with the happy sounds of toenail clicks upon the hardwood floors and our backyard with play and happiness.

Now with everything in balance again, I feel renewed and have begun working on a new book – a story from my childhood.  Spring is hope and I hope to carry the memory of those who've gone before me with the beauty of my words.

Gus and Jaxson