Category Archive

Boating season is open. Cell phone pics courtesy of Jay.

Here’s the USS John C Stennis…from my bedroom. Interesting perspective. I was sure they’d come for me (note the contraband on the dog crate). I swear, I gave the mail bin back to the post office!

Someone on my message board was asking about the torrential rains and wind in this corner of the world.

I think the boating is on hold for a while.

“There is nothing–absolutely nothing–half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”
–Ratty to Mole in The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham

Around here, we go boating. A lot. It’s just so scenic. On the Sound, it’s also a way to avoid traffic. When I had jury duty in the summer, I went to the courthouse by boat–a 15-minute ride–thus saving myself a one-hour commute. It’s a way to try restaurants and visit friends on the mainland and to entertain people when they visit.

 Jay used to watch a TV show called “Sea Hunt” with the main character called Mike Nelson, played by Lloyd Bridges. Anyone else remember that show? I’m totally blanking, but I think Jay hears the theme song in his head when he’s out on the water.

All right, grasshoppers, print this out because it’s going to save you all kinds of time and trouble. Oh, and money. How many times have you been asked to send in a photo, “300dpi” or better… Thus leading you on a hunt to a) figure out what 300 dpi is, whether or not your photos possess this elusive quality (probably not; right-click and select Properties and you’ll see) and c) how to get your hands on one without bugging your publisher’s PR rep yet again….

People will tell you that you have to have “Photoshop,” an expensive RAM-hog program, in order to edit your digital photos. You don’t. You just need to go to www.irfanview.com and download their swift little free program. To convert a shot to 300dpi, right-click the photo. Select “Open With” and then select Irfanview. On the menu bar, select Image–>Resize/Resample and in the box that comes up, change the DPI to 300. You might also want to reduce the size in pixels, too. Et voila! Your photo is ready for print.

So there I was, putting the finishing touches on my revisions, when the carrier John Stennis came steaming home.

Welcome home, Navy guys! This closeup gives you a perspective of its size. Note the 200-car Washington  State Ferry in the background:

In fact, seeing how tiny and vulnerable the people on deck look was the inspiration for the mishap in one of my books.

Barkis took it in stride…

But the show wasn’t over. Along came a shiny new yacht, with a helocopter hovering overhead, apparently filming or photographing it.

I put up a slide show of the whole business. And here I thought living on the water was supposed to impart a zen-like calm….

It’s a dangerous business going out your front door.
–JRR Tolkien

You never know what you’re going to wake up to around here:

It’s a submarine in tow, so close to my house I could hear people talking on board. More shots of this can be found here.

Peace,

Susan

I wish I had more time to work in my garden. But–come to think of it–things are coming along quite nicely without me. Here are some scenes from my yard in the springtime.

 Gardening is good for writers because it doesn’t occupy the same channel in the brain as writing does. I should do more of it. There is more power in the plotting done while pruning the box hedge than in staring at a blank page for hours.

I’m not a very technical gardener. In this climate, you don’t need to be. Things tend to grow on their own. However, there are two things I always wear while gardening–my Chooka Rockabilly gumboots–because trust me, there is nothing grosser than stepping barefoot on a slug. I also wear those stretchy gloves that look as though they’ve been dipped in rubber–again, it’s the slug thing.

On the other hand, here is a tidbit of writerly wisdom for the day: If you step on a slug with your bare foot first thing in the morning, then you can be pretty sure nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.

I’m still trying to figure out what the message or metaphor is here. Empress of the North, a luxury cruise ship, passed by my house last year, looking like this:

According to its web site,

“The Empress of the North is the only overnight sternwheeler cruising in Alaska and one of two elegant overnight sternwheelers on the Columbia River. Built in America, she has been designed to achieve a balance of modern refinement and faithful historical charm. The most modern passenger conveniences and spaciousness have been incorporated, blending the elegant and glamorous appearances of the stately night boats of the 1800’s with the behind-the-scenes, state-of-the-art technology….”

This year, it returned, looking like this:

Note the fact that it’s in extreme shallows, with its gangplank/bowsprit aimed straight into the neighbors’ living room.

Maybe the odd maneuvering should have been a clue, but about a week later, the vessel made news when it listed and started to sink near Juneau, Alaska.

Message? Take that cruise now, before the ship sinks. Or maybe, cruising can be hazardous and should be avoided. Or maybe, all the practice in the world won’t prevent a mishap. Or maybe, if there’s a charted rock on your course, you might consider giving it a wide berth.

Metaphor? Hmm. Shit happens.

‘Tis done. We talked, sang, laughed, cried, created, learned, ate and had an incredible day at the Field’s End conference. Thanks to all the amazing speakers and writers who participated. Special thanks to the Bainbridge Island Beach Cottage for providing accommodations. There’s a slide show of the event here. Happy writing to all!

Authors Carol Cassella, Michael Donnelly, Mickey Molnaire at Kiana Lodge.

Jay took this around 5:30 this evening. Someone up there is telling us to go boating: