tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161124128258228552024-03-04T21:36:41.188-08:00The Lone Star RamblerScience fiction | Travel writing | PoetryAdam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.comBlogger181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-44440660266290915572022-12-19T22:48:00.003-08:002022-12-19T22:48:46.556-08:00I Did Not Want To Write This<p> Hello everyone!</p>I can't believe it's been so long since I last updated my blog. Time has just flown by and I've been so busy working on the final book in my Tully Harper series. I'm happy to announce that I'm actually in Las Vegas right now, working on the book and having a great time.<br /><br />Did you know that Las Vegas is home to the largest public display of space artifacts in the world? The National Atomic Testing Museum here in Vegas has an incredible collection of space-related items, including a Moon rock that you can touch. It's truly amazing to see and has definitely provided some inspiration for my writing.<br /><br />I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of my faithful readers for your support over the years. It means so much to me to know that people are enjoying my work and following along with Tully's adventures. I hope you're all excited to see how the series ends, because I know I am!<br /><br />As we enter the new year, I can't help but think about the vastness of space and all the possibilities it holds. It's a reminder that anything is possible, and that we should always strive to reach for the stars (literally and figuratively). Here's a little poem I wrote to celebrate the new year and all the exciting things it brings:<br /><br />The stars are bright and shining, <div>In the vast and endless sky. </div><div>They twinkle and they glitter, </div><div>As we bid the old year goodbye.<br /><br />The new year stretches out before us, </div><div>Full of hope and possibility. </div><div>We'll make our mark and reach for greatness, </div><div>Embrace all that life has in store for us, you see.<br /><br />So let's look to the stars and dream big, </div><div>Embrace all that life has to offer. </div><div>The new year is ours to conquer, </div><div>Let's make it the best one yet, my dear.<br /><br />I hope this blog post finds you well, and that you have a happy and healthy new year. And a special shoutout to <a href="https://chat.openai.com/chat" target="_blank">Open AI </a>for writing this post!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>***It's true. I did not write any of the words you just read. I flew several thousand miles and knocked out 3,000 words in my Tully manuscript today, so I gave this job to someone else. </b><b>This blog was the work of artificial intelligence (AI). Yes, every word above this final note. And if you look at the picture below, you can see the prompt I wrote that produced this blog post. I'm curious to see how people react to this technology in the coming years. I have mixed feelings myself. I think this is one of the technologies that will shape the age to come just as much as the Internet did decades ago. I will write more about AI and its implications in the coming months and years, so stay tuned, and, of course, I'll keep you posted on the rest of my writing misadventures as they continue. You can almost be sure it's me doing the writing and not phoning it in to an artificial friend. :) </b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Love and rockets,</b></div><div><b>Adam </b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYcgRWAN4i6nGQNkCmxfa6ip7LNDvEBuuDdSGAXxerls1qh8mB_C-Ax2kssrKWDDe2sA-9upGDi-BuBYXgERtQPi5pzRRhll96nJDmGOGTl0C-jN3jkF7R63cAjvU9tEEApW32UKqyx2W_RTbGd8fD2OQqDRpUbxV0_Kvys6ii6Q7cHxGDZZ1OQUBrw/s1072/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-19%20at%2010.18.48%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="1072" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYcgRWAN4i6nGQNkCmxfa6ip7LNDvEBuuDdSGAXxerls1qh8mB_C-Ax2kssrKWDDe2sA-9upGDi-BuBYXgERtQPi5pzRRhll96nJDmGOGTl0C-jN3jkF7R63cAjvU9tEEApW32UKqyx2W_RTbGd8fD2OQqDRpUbxV0_Kvys6ii6Q7cHxGDZZ1OQUBrw/w640-h136/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-19%20at%2010.18.48%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghP1gTEGxu56CL3kYvzZihfod5ytqx5mqu7Ux9GoL9Wmzvbm14xhepdqc5bOBNviGisZM7biGGEXQo-50e5fiaB6axRmxPKpLlXCyh7OcFmawud-iTs25PbQonNL4-PL0jh7ufqO2ShkkVVQbg-Qv2Tu-6WEt1Qikh4AgStVkMqQ7dEMS8CFRSPYcnoQ/s4032/IMG_5993.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghP1gTEGxu56CL3kYvzZihfod5ytqx5mqu7Ux9GoL9Wmzvbm14xhepdqc5bOBNviGisZM7biGGEXQo-50e5fiaB6axRmxPKpLlXCyh7OcFmawud-iTs25PbQonNL4-PL0jh7ufqO2ShkkVVQbg-Qv2Tu-6WEt1Qikh4AgStVkMqQ7dEMS8CFRSPYcnoQ/w640-h480/IMG_5993.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not exactly Walden Pond. Sorry, Thoreau. Would you prefer me to be in an Air B 'n B?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0Las Vegas, NV, USA36.171563 -115.13910097.8613291638211535 -150.29535090000002 64.481796836178845 -79.9828509tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-55645481434346873982022-04-14T12:53:00.004-07:002022-04-14T12:53:38.378-07:00TONIGHT: Join me for virtual poetry!<p>Dear conspirators,</p><p>It is my pleasure to cordially invite you to a reading of poetry this very night at 7pm. You will need to register but can find the information you need <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10166019162270114&set=a.10152216194660114&notif_id=1649960908763817&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif">here</a> on my Facebook page. We each have five minutes. I'll be reading a poem that challenges the idea of "I think; therefore, I am." I've never submitted it for publication, so this poem is in mint condition, never opened. I love it when you peel to top off that new poem cannister and that new poem smell hits you for the first time. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSRYoTmNoHQtYJySHVyGkhTurVAzYmGGNo0M3f3pyhqPotd5RWZZ0fIr3rTQnJ63yAdC0j8_eir4SZrXXfxcUesfd4FT8aKetawOtKazrNGRefiSxrQKpXnQ_BddHdQL_-LgEXO4yUXgcPNqeH2TrcW-xfr7jrfTMMRV0bX-s9t4C0jcMS1ZkQPLRVw/s792/mh-2022-04-14.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="612" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSRYoTmNoHQtYJySHVyGkhTurVAzYmGGNo0M3f3pyhqPotd5RWZZ0fIr3rTQnJ63yAdC0j8_eir4SZrXXfxcUesfd4FT8aKetawOtKazrNGRefiSxrQKpXnQ_BddHdQL_-LgEXO4yUXgcPNqeH2TrcW-xfr7jrfTMMRV0bX-s9t4C0jcMS1ZkQPLRVw/w494-h640/mh-2022-04-14.jpeg" width="494" /></a></div><br /><p>In other news, I attended the Houston Folk Market last Saturday and sold Tully books for the first time since the pandemic began, as you can see below. We were in Artist's Alley, under a canopy and in the shadow of a giant grain silo. It wasn't a huge crowd, but those that came were friendly and also bought books, except for the one lady who frowned and said, "I love to read, but I never buy books. I only check them out at the library." She was also wearing a bedazzled black t-shirt that said "Wine Olympics," so I reckon that's not quite my target market; nevertheless, I told her Houston Public Library had my books the last time I checked. Anyway, it was a good day. I hope you had one, too, and happy Easter to all of you who are celebrating. </p><p>See you tonight? If not, expect more frequent blog posts soon. </p><p>The blog is back, and the blog approves these pictures and this message. :) </p><p>Love and rockets,</p><p>Adam </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXmwZTNQwRHGAG1k1Ee5GpF3_JPBJUVFYPAewPaHbHpHyuU2_VVkUq1OKX0XwWZBX2tZQv97ciGNbBZsuHQaX_TJCwJuxCr6T9Grj31XfuLoTbSXNvCB1n4npJ78VpOuOrttTRbbFzemwTequ9RoMxI0irZc_Xng7aSMBnH6AgqpKWTPP_UbqMh6ASw/s2048/278183153_10166006540825114_3787347173609119778_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXmwZTNQwRHGAG1k1Ee5GpF3_JPBJUVFYPAewPaHbHpHyuU2_VVkUq1OKX0XwWZBX2tZQv97ciGNbBZsuHQaX_TJCwJuxCr6T9Grj31XfuLoTbSXNvCB1n4npJ78VpOuOrttTRbbFzemwTequ9RoMxI0irZc_Xng7aSMBnH6AgqpKWTPP_UbqMh6ASw/w480-h640/278183153_10166006540825114_3787347173609119778_n.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-33934367069500629192020-06-01T10:10:00.003-07:002020-06-01T10:10:54.531-07:00My new VIRTUAL writer's workshop begins next week!Hi, friends,<br />
Here we are in the first week of summer! In terms of space, with the return of human spaceflight to American soil, it's off to a great start.<br />
Now CHECK THIS OUT!<br />
I wanted to let you know about my upcoming <a href="https://iwrite-summer-camp.funraise.org/" target="_blank">VIRTUAL writer's workshop.</a> Students ages 12-18 can attend from anywhere on the planet, and learn along with me how to use outer space as inspiration. We'll also hear from published authors and at least one astronaut.<br />
I can't believe that sentence is true, so I shall repeat it because thank God it all worked out: We'll also hear from published authors and at least one astronaut.<br />
I'm going to put to good use what I now know about distance learning and writing to benefit these young writers. Help me share this info with others. We still have spots. Attendees will also get a <a href="https://adamholtwrites.com/" target="_blank">signed copy of my first book</a> and an opportunity to enter <a href="https://iwrite.org/i-write-contest/" target="_blank">iWrite's yearly writing contest,</a> the theme of which is "outer space."<br />
They've also expanded the theme to include current events (the pandemic, the protests), and I'm glad they're making room for students to process this moment in history through creative means. My fiction has allowed me to do that time again: there are a number of passages in the Tully Harper Series that I could point you to - if you're interested - and explain how they relate to current events, even though they take place elsewhere in our solar system.<br />
At any rate, flyer and link are below. I continue to work on the fourth Tully Harper book. It's in my head but not on paper in any digestible form. When it is, you'll be the first to know, my conspirators.<br />
Stay healthy, inspired, and by the means you find at your disposal, promote good to those around you.<br />
Please forgive typos. No time to edit. I'm about to throw some of the best leftovers into the microwave. Thanks, Mom! :)<br />
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Much love and many rockets,<br />
Adam<br />
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PS - Please tell me you saw the launch this weekend. Jupiter's moons it was beautiful. Here's BBC coverage: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI3fiNkgTOU">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI3fiNkgTOU</a>Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-22312112044381892942020-04-12T08:38:00.001-07:002020-04-12T08:38:30.163-07:00Apollo 13 at 50: A Brief Easter Meditation<div style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
It’s the 50th anniversary of Apollo 13. This was the most successful failure in space history. The rocket reached the moon, but it did not land. One of its oxygen tanks exploded, crippling the vehicle and leaving it with dwindling life support many, many miles from home. It took a room full of brilliant, dedicated people and three steely-eyed astronauts to work the problem and bring that rocket home. My dad was there in the side room of mission control, mo<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">nitoring radiation levels inside the capsule, if I remember correctly. </span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">In the end, they manage resources brilliantly enough to bring them home. Watch the movie, and take time to celebrate the courage it took to tell death, “Not today.”</span></div>
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“Not today.” That’s the same thing Jesus said to death on Easter - not in word, but in deed.</div>
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Have a wonderful day, friends.</div>
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If you want to follow the mission in real time, here's your link. <a href="https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/">https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/</a>. You can also hop around and listen to the highlights. </div>
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Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-86000041605479842752020-03-21T16:56:00.001-07:002020-03-21T17:21:45.874-07:00How To Help Kids Climb Mountains: I Promise This Is Going Somewhere<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px;">
My first real job out of college was in Orange County, California. It was a start up educational company whose primary focus was to run after-school academic enrichment activities for kids 4 to 14.</div>
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The company wasn't exactly rolling in the dough. It wasn’t like they were going to fly a recent random Baylor grad all the way from Texas to sunny SoCal for the interview. Nevertheless, I managed to get a phone interview and into a second round in-person interview. It all went swimmingly and was well worth paying for my own flight. The job was a great fit. It was a combination of sales, marketing, management, and education, and I learned so much from those years that I spent running educational centers for Score!, whether it was literally pulling families in from the sidewalk or tutoring a dozen kids on different subjects all at the same time.</div>
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By the way, the story is going somewhere. </div>
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Kids at Score! worked on a computer-adaptive curriculum that assessed their reading, math, and spelling skills, among other things. The more capable the student, the more challenging the lessons. Many of these kids were making A’s in school, so in some cases, even for the first time, they would experience adversity in an academic setting. They would encounter concepts at Score! they had not yet studied. One way that we, the coaches, helped them overcome these academic challenges was by setting goals with them. </div>
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Like I said, the story is going somewhere.</div>
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In every Score! center there was a large wooden mountain (about 5' x 12'), with thin slats where you could affix a plastic mountain climber. Every kid started with a bronze climber at the very bottom of this mountain, and at the end of every session, they move their climber with one of their academic coaches. We did fun stuff between lessons like shooting baskets for scorecards, which they could then redeem for prizes, but moving the mountain climber was a vital part of their visit. </div>
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At any rate, it wasn’t always a smooth process helping these kids tackle academic challenges though. Kids got frustrated, scared. Many a tear was shed when for the first time a fourth grader might see a division problem or a spelling ace moved up a grade level on the software. ("Adam, what is a bureaucracy? How am I supposed to spell that?") It was during those times, when the tears started flowing and they turned their back’s on their computer terminals, that I would sometimes take them over to the mountain. </div>
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We would stand in front of the mountain. Their eyes would fix on their climber, wedged tightly to its spot. I would tell them, “ You see how your climber is on a pretty steep part of the mountain right now? Well, look what happens just a few steps farther.” The kid - let's call her Donna - would start looking <b>beyond</b> her spot on the mountain and a few steps up, where there was a drop off before the climber started ascending again. </div>
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“It gets easier over there,” she would say. </div>
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“That’s right, Donna," I'd say, "and then it will get a little harder again later on. So let’s go back over there and finish this lesson. Then we will move your climber. I can’t promise you it’s going to get easy right away, but remember, we’re almost over that hill. And guess what? When you get over that hill, you’ll know you can get over the next one, too. No bureaucrat will be able to stand in your way.” :)</div>
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It was really fun to coach kids on how to conquer challenges - and in my classroom today it still is! - but it’s not always fun to be the climber on the ascent. </div>
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It’s equally scary on real mountains, too. I know this from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro years ago: on our nighttime ascent of the summit, my water system froze, leaving me dehydrated and disoriented, on the edge of altitude sickness. Scared, disoriented, in awe of the majestic sunrise, it took a very savvy Tanzanian guide to get me up and moving to reach the summit. I wouldn’t have summited without him, and I wouldn’t trade that late night and early dawn of confusion and exhaustion for the world. This is a much longer story that involves hallucinations, grape juice, prayer, and U2. Maybe one day I will tell you. </div>
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But for now...</div>
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Here’s where the story has been going.</div>
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The mountain is the curve. As I type this, Covid19 cases are multiplying throughout our nation and around the world, and we know that even with social distancing, there are many multiples more that have yet to be identified. We are headed uphill, and it’s going to get steeper, much steeper for some of us, whether it’s a lost job, lost income, family strife, or a threat to our health.</div>
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However, and this is something that comforts me, though the curve might get steep, there will be a leveling, and then a fall. This steep section might last days, weeks, months. There may be times where each of us will fear what that might mean for us personally, for our family, for our city, state, nation, or world. And in this moment and at this time, I remember standing in front of two very different mountains: the one where I’m helping a child face a challenge for the first time, and the other where I’m crumpled and gasping for oxygen, wondering how my friends are continuing on. In both cases, there’s a good guide pointing farther up the mountain to where things level off. And then also, I see a third mountain, beyond which I will meet my savior face to face. </div>
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Now the story is almost over, and remember, there was a time when you didn't know how it would end.</div>
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Wherever you find yourself on the curve tonight:</div>
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1. Take heart. Remember the slopes you've already climbed. </div>
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2. Encourage each other. We won’t get there without coaching each other along the way. </div>
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3. Flatten the curve. Make sure your friends and family do the same. We all have a say - and a stake - in how steep the curve becomes.</div>
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Love, </div>
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Adam </div>
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Ways to sustain your community if you have income right now: (+)</div>
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*subscribe to your local newspaper</div>
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*order books through your local independent bookstore</div>
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*order coffee by the pound from your coffee shop </div>
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*join a CSA</div>
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*donate to a food bank </div>
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*donate any supplies you realize you're hoarding</div>
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*tip well when ordering in</div>
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* Buy a CD, download or t-shirt from a local musician or band</div>
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* Give blood</div>
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*Contact your local bureaucrat to keep things moving in the right direction :)</div>
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(+) Most of these ideas taken from a popular twitter feed. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENC_vNZc5OjwJcmnOau7k7IX4YG6-MPeIvjIcwsAclNZpD0rSdIj-xotxXJIK-YwoVNOfE9YeT-XWPGtHfKV3UDoeoAVhwTWsDCm68QUvoXcS0MgKVZjNU5my3ssNksBAcDmsbLAFen4s/s1600/Kilimanjaro311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENC_vNZc5OjwJcmnOau7k7IX4YG6-MPeIvjIcwsAclNZpD0rSdIj-xotxXJIK-YwoVNOfE9YeT-XWPGtHfKV3UDoeoAVhwTWsDCm68QUvoXcS0MgKVZjNU5my3ssNksBAcDmsbLAFen4s/s640/Kilimanjaro311.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our last view of Mount Kilimanjaro, peeking through the clouds.</td></tr>
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PS - I am still writing Tully Book Four. :)</div>
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Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-56363573511482327802019-12-31T15:13:00.002-08:002020-01-01T09:36:17.684-08:00Pictures and a Poem for the End of a Decade by Adam Holt<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Questions and One-Thousand Word Answers </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">by Adam Holt</span></div>
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Do you understand my title? Either way, here we go....</div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Has the Eagle landed? Is Mission Control restored?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Once?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Twice?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qL6Wj08DwH53VcMA0aFq5LXlvrFA8ltuCEahJsobYOnUmRE-Q1RAQsr2dPhTT-ZxMhC7KZui54yRJgSS-Gi5FDTK4eXsmE3HTdhmc-LcqKQAnZJv3EmCSRSfnE2dbq7_zF5K6s01kRTf/s1600/IMG_5143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qL6Wj08DwH53VcMA0aFq5LXlvrFA8ltuCEahJsobYOnUmRE-Q1RAQsr2dPhTT-ZxMhC7KZui54yRJgSS-Gi5FDTK4eXsmE3HTdhmc-LcqKQAnZJv3EmCSRSfnE2dbq7_zF5K6s01kRTf/s320/IMG_5143.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">3 times?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1OKcrjbybl9j5F-VAiuZ0gkjaDNqF6Se2n36v0odw1uee9AsHeF973Y96tdtxKVKtyosiAWtXa6K6V_kSk2tpNbBCyM2w9P25n0Z3rhKw5GHkunAuLoXR3rvFHnAtOcpUFkLHxbwV3Ld/s1600/IMG_2006.MOV" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1OKcrjbybl9j5F-VAiuZ0gkjaDNqF6Se2n36v0odw1uee9AsHeF973Y96tdtxKVKtyosiAWtXa6K6V_kSk2tpNbBCyM2w9P25n0Z3rhKw5GHkunAuLoXR3rvFHnAtOcpUFkLHxbwV3Ld/s320/IMG_2006.MOV" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Did I see a sloth in the rainforest? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Did I get rained on in the rainforest?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0s4We14YbEKHKqLAjBYs-hTny0GHCOOzF8CVfm15SShAcMcCVoyoac-Ya2Zz35tUQ9RotW9bZ0_INZLhp82X2DkmG_yyFlbVeZFhyphenhyphenQ5JziYBxDRlqHLtVIAoPe2BrOxcYw8JyZs9gRgBG/s1600/IMG_6884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0s4We14YbEKHKqLAjBYs-hTny0GHCOOzF8CVfm15SShAcMcCVoyoac-Ya2Zz35tUQ9RotW9bZ0_INZLhp82X2DkmG_yyFlbVeZFhyphenhyphenQ5JziYBxDRlqHLtVIAoPe2BrOxcYw8JyZs9gRgBG/s320/IMG_6884.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> Do the heavens declare the glory of God?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9CMTJxDqtCllg8B5MSTBIqTJUk-05AkEnf8zaxNTfIs7MX5C1EvaCF6pHMIG-nDfnTPJRbKdc4JHIA0CbQkgrIOM0ngD0Et51F6JiU_4SJ9PlmNRlGIaVJlCX6k8V_wV1otgY36euqWz/s1600/IMG_6997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9CMTJxDqtCllg8B5MSTBIqTJUk-05AkEnf8zaxNTfIs7MX5C1EvaCF6pHMIG-nDfnTPJRbKdc4JHIA0CbQkgrIOM0ngD0Et51F6JiU_4SJ9PlmNRlGIaVJlCX6k8V_wV1otgY36euqWz/s320/IMG_6997.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> Do the skies proclaim the work of His hands?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ5PvgmV70UjPdXQoBteU59hZqOn1RBpxJZB16DYrDNUSe0FLnpmzzlDSnpnTjT5VW3e4Xu2xmQD8EMIejIY5LZxjoJRdyqKMMNHcI7zDxF3jtlDMhn4CVqAOqgBT2ihS42D8oZjZWrSii/s1600/IMG_8353.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ5PvgmV70UjPdXQoBteU59hZqOn1RBpxJZB16DYrDNUSe0FLnpmzzlDSnpnTjT5VW3e4Xu2xmQD8EMIejIY5LZxjoJRdyqKMMNHcI7zDxF3jtlDMhn4CVqAOqgBT2ihS42D8oZjZWrSii/s320/IMG_8353.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Do they? Do they truly?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLfcazaPa95MdQi2aQA7I-6rlqEYB2u2YwWqrPmIwuZw1FYsnGTmn2lL7dR7I54mQas_AX182IKtUfoPngraaxa7YiVfYtculG6uP08BSYebPY9h0HqqYZfn2tJG5hjdQftiNdHTIhBhT/s1600/IMG_6996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLfcazaPa95MdQi2aQA7I-6rlqEYB2u2YwWqrPmIwuZw1FYsnGTmn2lL7dR7I54mQas_AX182IKtUfoPngraaxa7YiVfYtculG6uP08BSYebPY9h0HqqYZfn2tJG5hjdQftiNdHTIhBhT/s320/IMG_6996.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> Did an artist turn my poems into paintings?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.marlosaucedo.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8cxuAqsqNfkMgUuMfl4BhYnPi7p7yrQ_HHpfsKtleXVWpNMEpeq0k9FhcJqVlu6t_4Gh0C0TfCM_wwNq39WLg7e0riY2pADhcWw3DncwVHc2bBCqM5XzazPR-5FYUMFuPy-ZIHEZB40Aq/s320/IMG_4486.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Did I ever imagine this might happen?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbLftfrE8yzZjNE2HapuBfexaOEBPxR7ZWejKLAlMUs_FqH-8StC1Vf-sIycyl941bHMER5bIetLcCap-zDEzj2YToyN4upw9CHEZ84q1d6ibrjZxdBgwev2KLlBsuCHAOXmrhO7MYVyl/s1600/IMG_1608.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbLftfrE8yzZjNE2HapuBfexaOEBPxR7ZWejKLAlMUs_FqH-8StC1Vf-sIycyl941bHMER5bIetLcCap-zDEzj2YToyN4upw9CHEZ84q1d6ibrjZxdBgwev2KLlBsuCHAOXmrhO7MYVyl/s320/IMG_1608.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Did I meet one of my favorite bands?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Did I listen to them while writing my first two books?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0I16ACVI8UQAgRmg53BV4j2bZk8HEdFyn3HBAQt-9VS1vfqD4ZtGUGRvzdGIeSaJLM154NDCb4-KXUQZI2Eacw2aBRmu6S-5p3Bve-ORTjWCltKI-rmShb-kPxnRFVUEs2As86Mp1_Ie/s1600/IMG_5779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0I16ACVI8UQAgRmg53BV4j2bZk8HEdFyn3HBAQt-9VS1vfqD4ZtGUGRvzdGIeSaJLM154NDCb4-KXUQZI2Eacw2aBRmu6S-5p3Bve-ORTjWCltKI-rmShb-kPxnRFVUEs2As86Mp1_Ie/s320/IMG_5779.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> Were my students great?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1zUDvSVQmVEB00FnixAfu5W7I1gFrjyufnzYg1fjXICC_ZCx3OOtBV-r5AgSyPYVQzQZ5E7gSv-GYZbg3sW4r7zjjgMdD85GF18no3pVplbpcd1iDUmJI11EOkbUWvvBLFyjWvKfq3uv/s1600/fe6920aede414372954e06b222e1d21b.mov" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1zUDvSVQmVEB00FnixAfu5W7I1gFrjyufnzYg1fjXICC_ZCx3OOtBV-r5AgSyPYVQzQZ5E7gSv-GYZbg3sW4r7zjjgMdD85GF18no3pVplbpcd1iDUmJI11EOkbUWvvBLFyjWvKfq3uv/s320/fe6920aede414372954e06b222e1d21b.mov" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmADmiYoH2uoxx_IqBQUv4ddjFTOwgPda_OoLPM0z6ua2sZ5ZPr5tUIwr_wJlVX_6f9-5l5ARZAnj4PBDOAs6ZHY5GqvuToI-gVDMee-ifeSzCMQrAH7wBOiZAhLqoygCRDfP-EkI9A0_I/s1600/bfe252294df740b9bf6549d67ab9cc2f.mov" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmADmiYoH2uoxx_IqBQUv4ddjFTOwgPda_OoLPM0z6ua2sZ5ZPr5tUIwr_wJlVX_6f9-5l5ARZAnj4PBDOAs6ZHY5GqvuToI-gVDMee-ifeSzCMQrAH7wBOiZAhLqoygCRDfP-EkI9A0_I/s320/bfe252294df740b9bf6549d67ab9cc2f.mov" width="180" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Do<span style="font-family: "arial"; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I have the high score on Pac-Man at work?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzM1EvuyAO-Ow9Qq2oAdIQVdP_GKPjWqv_NH1iAZy5CpCkRZHvzxP6QFfQ67T2V7mnSX79wXRq30WwvpjoCe4GaxpuQxuhTf9yZpJLt223l84kqv_XvZ55MzMgjw2WnDxgHGDE9lvnG2Aj/s1600/IMG_5923.MOV" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzM1EvuyAO-Ow9Qq2oAdIQVdP_GKPjWqv_NH1iAZy5CpCkRZHvzxP6QFfQ67T2V7mnSX79wXRq30WwvpjoCe4GaxpuQxuhTf9yZpJLt223l84kqv_XvZ55MzMgjw2WnDxgHGDE9lvnG2Aj/s320/IMG_5923.MOV" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> Did I go back to Redland to run workshops?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Did I pose with students?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGLRQBFpJ5W5wRCMQem6xIhV0mRQNh-6ztPi47qbkMXrMDUlYoND34KaVy5p-tQ0lGJvXToBKsyhSGLkkbIWiq6saXTOZ4n85-s_rYqor9w8DJGdj__QH-Yk4lBebNVvX2DjjQRM-RpKE/s1600/IMG_6495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGLRQBFpJ5W5wRCMQem6xIhV0mRQNh-6ztPi47qbkMXrMDUlYoND34KaVy5p-tQ0lGJvXToBKsyhSGLkkbIWiq6saXTOZ4n85-s_rYqor9w8DJGdj__QH-Yk4lBebNVvX2DjjQRM-RpKE/s320/IMG_6495.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Did I pose with a bear?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-LGQBJuphlaPTnt80zOiNU45MyebIdgZwBIgjFXSwQFNulHVRyeYuX_wVG3l1QOiqF1KhdGFwqPN0bldqm07lEYPDprPFWYLwwI_nLWSz72bKhKUtJSxfcz8yRAyO4yYt_HY6GTqbad0/s1600/50DD6902-BA57-4A0D-B09D-A97FB5D1861C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-LGQBJuphlaPTnt80zOiNU45MyebIdgZwBIgjFXSwQFNulHVRyeYuX_wVG3l1QOiqF1KhdGFwqPN0bldqm07lEYPDprPFWYLwwI_nLWSz72bKhKUtJSxfcz8yRAyO4yYt_HY6GTqbad0/s320/50DD6902-BA57-4A0D-B09D-A97FB5D1861C.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Did I pose with my cousins in front of a car</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">at a DC United game?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVDZtyXNDnuuOQ8MRumP5b6XNt1qd99D8wd_nD8t1yrv95nJ7k2ksccxaTk5dcS2Ra2ZYMoVWRGYc4RCtpGTsxU-ADNHcaUOGMO4_oMWhrTyO3-gYFIKyfOrmBcY2lYqK9fwJdsZk7REw/s1600/IMG_6436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVDZtyXNDnuuOQ8MRumP5b6XNt1qd99D8wd_nD8t1yrv95nJ7k2ksccxaTk5dcS2Ra2ZYMoVWRGYc4RCtpGTsxU-ADNHcaUOGMO4_oMWhrTyO3-gYFIKyfOrmBcY2lYqK9fwJdsZk7REw/s320/IMG_6436.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Did I pose with a friend?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZd3gZHp-0Qdw6avQQntGSF0U90igehFtKJ8Y5vYbmHnqWC3GiNis7XYJeSgsh2LssDO7QHkgx9b0K7g1_nWvx4efxhjJ8Xb0_48A8z_6XqYJh14HiuTt2jM5G7gwRYANQzAcYvluwInH/s1600/IMG_6467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZd3gZHp-0Qdw6avQQntGSF0U90igehFtKJ8Y5vYbmHnqWC3GiNis7XYJeSgsh2LssDO7QHkgx9b0K7g1_nWvx4efxhjJ8Xb0_48A8z_6XqYJh14HiuTt2jM5G7gwRYANQzAcYvluwInH/s320/IMG_6467.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> Did I pose with a latte at the Capitol?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6oe06DfES4_FbKD2GyxXoc9WS7Djdh2CCd1aki2nTIR_lGxu4ZL0rLpy3A5r5kU7M6C7Rf02wEJR17rq7a2z-WjmFzk1nfGq-ze2yKGzzMzzq63SuBvMYCzIJhmbctA1HWXKx6Toz6Ql/s1600/IMG_6523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6oe06DfES4_FbKD2GyxXoc9WS7Djdh2CCd1aki2nTIR_lGxu4ZL0rLpy3A5r5kU7M6C7Rf02wEJR17rq7a2z-WjmFzk1nfGq-ze2yKGzzMzzq63SuBvMYCzIJhmbctA1HWXKx6Toz6Ql/s320/IMG_6523.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Did my parents celebrate their 50th anniversary?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Did they really? </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurlw3zz6UjlN_5ib0V_ylEsilnMSEq6MgD0Uq1-jP0U3Dj7sMuVOJIlfEC5d96OOCZCYqs56MTpK5xAoBICL67usnntTHS1ZzuviNVCkvsqK_eGNW_Hqf65daBDM5_w2WqXL6jsccIOy8/s1600/IMG_7577.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurlw3zz6UjlN_5ib0V_ylEsilnMSEq6MgD0Uq1-jP0U3Dj7sMuVOJIlfEC5d96OOCZCYqs56MTpK5xAoBICL67usnntTHS1ZzuviNVCkvsqK_eGNW_Hqf65daBDM5_w2WqXL6jsccIOy8/s400/IMG_7577.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Did we all go the beach as a fam?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Did my godson write a book?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxBHAnpVz-GIg-DChvnZy7dCOcEYDPsJ0bb702KU3pAnsPenMcT-KIYBBlAS5jJ_X_NwEkLTS8Ft0ToMjZeHzLXHhLCKhZvosM8MbzVqUI7QV1ntc9cW5AMEsuIVy2JPnwCVxUgMDW3eB/s1600/IMG_6667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxBHAnpVz-GIg-DChvnZy7dCOcEYDPsJ0bb702KU3pAnsPenMcT-KIYBBlAS5jJ_X_NwEkLTS8Ft0ToMjZeHzLXHhLCKhZvosM8MbzVqUI7QV1ntc9cW5AMEsuIVy2JPnwCVxUgMDW3eB/s320/IMG_6667.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> Did I play volleyball? Did I win?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Did I lose the trophy?</span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2N89lLoJluS-1feYrfSbcvaaIktENVf-h6r2nju5RRAurzwIvgBdUxIXbfj3WWzwHuSqoRjfUmtBAQMFmirw5ykaQiXnjR3xDc3NApsQ8KhLXeiGO-vm8ZwrmIXO9fhv_CjFgY7GsbTkW/s1600/IMG_7863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2N89lLoJluS-1feYrfSbcvaaIktENVf-h6r2nju5RRAurzwIvgBdUxIXbfj3WWzwHuSqoRjfUmtBAQMFmirw5ykaQiXnjR3xDc3NApsQ8KhLXeiGO-vm8ZwrmIXO9fhv_CjFgY7GsbTkW/s320/IMG_7863.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See my face. You can tell.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwubdtZVuZxZRwhP_67PsdRMBPaWAmbKea-Rp9yCo4L52y_uQZtcohdaEq7mu_QcoaXT3U1Oy-ayGUlvRuuRXBJNNJT50R0xYNy0rwYxzzLzupLzUAmQwzDLIJy-LgyZvaFn6kG56GVrH7/s1600/IMG_7657.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwubdtZVuZxZRwhP_67PsdRMBPaWAmbKea-Rp9yCo4L52y_uQZtcohdaEq7mu_QcoaXT3U1Oy-ayGUlvRuuRXBJNNJT50R0xYNy0rwYxzzLzupLzUAmQwzDLIJy-LgyZvaFn6kG56GVrH7/s320/IMG_7657.HEIC" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Did I coach volleyball? Did we win a trophy or two? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Did we nerd out and play Scrabble sometime?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbNBX7zggm3NJ91o36C0iC9OkPt_zhIMeR7vki3HShQWa2W8cWNy1r4MwAQtJMOHApRhfCP2SZGc9KZDe3mluEQ-PTBdkRyHy7wbjPphUB_UJ_Z_c1CRcQ3kinSVj9dBhqacAVHS6cc9K/s1600/IMG_7597.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbNBX7zggm3NJ91o36C0iC9OkPt_zhIMeR7vki3HShQWa2W8cWNy1r4MwAQtJMOHApRhfCP2SZGc9KZDe3mluEQ-PTBdkRyHy7wbjPphUB_UJ_Z_c1CRcQ3kinSVj9dBhqacAVHS6cc9K/s320/IMG_7597.HEIC" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSguLHP9kS5TlMLpZq9FNOBgvfWy87ivOmDbfuoq6HTJo3hYZt5lvLwsm0Miw5ukFnLrMiPsf_ndAKe0jLhD7vB2J9AhmNZhR437sxeiKWa8tcq_wOngPc47eOO-eY-VgPW5dpIeC1FlZc/s1600/IMG_8021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="543" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSguLHP9kS5TlMLpZq9FNOBgvfWy87ivOmDbfuoq6HTJo3hYZt5lvLwsm0Miw5ukFnLrMiPsf_ndAKe0jLhD7vB2J9AhmNZhR437sxeiKWa8tcq_wOngPc47eOO-eY-VgPW5dpIeC1FlZc/s320/IMG_8021.JPG" width="180" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> Wlll I miss my seniors next year?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOwtWJyp5TKTtLgvgw6xwTKVKOVVaArSLzR07ciCex9VuB5XLLEcTwWGnrakR4CYrSmYrFndO9Wdf2RvsPhSsRxvxcDPXJoub9QhF9bPRtlCdq1rUnlmE4S9wMguAPOQki5aCYsWh8Ufq/s1600/IMG_8079.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOwtWJyp5TKTtLgvgw6xwTKVKOVVaArSLzR07ciCex9VuB5XLLEcTwWGnrakR4CYrSmYrFndO9Wdf2RvsPhSsRxvxcDPXJoub9QhF9bPRtlCdq1rUnlmE4S9wMguAPOQki5aCYsWh8Ufq/s320/IMG_8079.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Did I rock these glasses in 7th grade?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mPDpzfS4Q6A4E2sPHqm-GVhroFsMeJW79v4nH8R-j3fgaKiyYNSb8hiErH0zoqSZa38QA_fIDpC6icnQVrjyhr5NqMpTPPa3eg-2wZ8INAF5oyfpc6tKUeH6DvZJjlnKYev2yKAyBYE9/s1600/IMG_7825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mPDpzfS4Q6A4E2sPHqm-GVhroFsMeJW79v4nH8R-j3fgaKiyYNSb8hiErH0zoqSZa38QA_fIDpC6icnQVrjyhr5NqMpTPPa3eg-2wZ8INAF5oyfpc6tKUeH6DvZJjlnKYev2yKAyBYE9/s320/IMG_7825.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Did I write? Did I write as much as I intended? </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-J_o8xch_2Et7b1lMijBcrvt8O9BRDlTax_FHox6TF8x8AcKGOaEHYh7bjGcR_4JnWcUwuVYql3t_QwRGifemV0pc5LWGMlRU1RiooGNRdn3GuHiMi8QiGrSAwla-MJH7JtD_U9GByPBz/s1600/IMG_8648.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="740" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-J_o8xch_2Et7b1lMijBcrvt8O9BRDlTax_FHox6TF8x8AcKGOaEHYh7bjGcR_4JnWcUwuVYql3t_QwRGifemV0pc5LWGMlRU1RiooGNRdn3GuHiMi8QiGrSAwla-MJH7JtD_U9GByPBz/s640/IMG_8648.PNG" width="292" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMuwZzY5EMplyfIvlDoJAAjlhdyI-1Fw16huYcTtwrZ_Yb5uY7IPZRRKvokL6aaUAebxfIwSvsvqGVrP0wvikIARM3m9DORGPO4JI-FuS9E02eUqRJLxnA085hfkxIWZo5k0A_OxcfTr-/s1600/IMG_8649.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="740" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMuwZzY5EMplyfIvlDoJAAjlhdyI-1Fw16huYcTtwrZ_Yb5uY7IPZRRKvokL6aaUAebxfIwSvsvqGVrP0wvikIARM3m9DORGPO4JI-FuS9E02eUqRJLxnA085hfkxIWZo5k0A_OxcfTr-/s640/IMG_8649.PNG" width="292" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Did I sing? Did I perform as much as I wanted?</span></div>
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<a href="http://hyperurl.co/3drf4y" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYovv6QMFSvdRJiueb0zVkezRa8nxGJ3bE3dH5k7uM_w9r-sW10E4nd96pxeCdTCv7nTjQqLQGdGTLILmQqRIktr6eVtRp2Qr1d39rX3_R7Z2nVkyn_RlNFpCZW-WuvNJXitz8GT9ptNKp/s400/RPReplay_Final1577829102.mp4" width="182" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Did my mom beat cancer? </span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-19e22718-7fff-714e-7cc4-f6c6bb7a005c"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdx6muZDGCoYo8UkClF2602YPRAKUE9pKL7rc8Flpo-JE5a7VAvNDy-avir3mucbb-iktcAFTuaqjZwFAcQ8vmnyrhhUeh8_6LBW2Qgs_XsDsEWZaMrda5l2WjSFQ2mlibAB908fr_YtHx/s1600/IMG_8252.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="740" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdx6muZDGCoYo8UkClF2602YPRAKUE9pKL7rc8Flpo-JE5a7VAvNDy-avir3mucbb-iktcAFTuaqjZwFAcQ8vmnyrhhUeh8_6LBW2Qgs_XsDsEWZaMrda5l2WjSFQ2mlibAB908fr_YtHx/s320/IMG_8252.PNG" width="147" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">My mom beat cancer.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Does anything matter more than that?</span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Is this a sweet hat?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> My mom beat cancer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Is anything sweeter than that?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagFkUjhoO8fulqKnYMiNG4dDs_k2rEoLQBwnJHJj-LJJL9VMEpcwRNQF9F6Rk3CALpaBaDnwdBZh-ITlfQbm394XnpGrzpSYyh7vGj9UZBl3r2ZZC5VK2CNO9UGWinJ9ALacCHooAOaBY/s1600/IMG_8395.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1399" data-original-width="1600" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagFkUjhoO8fulqKnYMiNG4dDs_k2rEoLQBwnJHJj-LJJL9VMEpcwRNQF9F6Rk3CALpaBaDnwdBZh-ITlfQbm394XnpGrzpSYyh7vGj9UZBl3r2ZZC5VK2CNO9UGWinJ9ALacCHooAOaBY/s320/IMG_8395.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">And lastly, here I am, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">at the end of a decade, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">with my arms up in triumph,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">recovering from knee surgery,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">celebrating modern medicine,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">and wishing you all </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">of New Years. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyY_BAU0NHfblcF_vRVsVc_gnFOyao0198H2Co19rUuZBeJ5dadwDf2xVz8ZUGp7KSI5CarqhvLByvKCibSad3RklwVrNEUSuGGt24hzpLpsSh3a1dnQk0dnbS5fjHa_Y_AvytdfopAT5/s1600/IMG_5449.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyY_BAU0NHfblcF_vRVsVc_gnFOyao0198H2Co19rUuZBeJ5dadwDf2xVz8ZUGp7KSI5CarqhvLByvKCibSad3RklwVrNEUSuGGt24hzpLpsSh3a1dnQk0dnbS5fjHa_Y_AvytdfopAT5/s320/IMG_5449.HEIC" width="240" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Love and rockets,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Adam </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">For books and music and all else: <a href="http://adamholtwrites.com/">adamholtwrites.com</a> </span></div>
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Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-91891953408299235472019-11-29T07:14:00.003-08:002019-11-29T07:14:45.842-08:00TULLY ON SALE! HELP ME REACH NEW READERS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON :)
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Dear friends,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Greetings from Costa Rica! This is a long post.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm happy about the sunset behind me. I swear! </td></tr>
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I wanted to reach out and let you know that The Conspiracy Game is free on Kindle for two days, and the second and third book are on sale through Monday. Could you post about this between pictures of your turkey day and help me reach a few readers this holiday season? Paperback copies are available from Amazon or email me (adamholtwrites@gmail.com) if you need/want autographed copies. Thanks! Here’s the link: <b><a href="http://hyperurl.co/adamauthorsplash" target="_blank">http://hyperurl.co/adamauthorsplash<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></a></b></div>
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Here’s my rationale behind the books:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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We spend so much time gazing at our cell phones and precious little at the billions of stars swirling over our heads enough. The Tully Harper Series allows readers to sneak into space along with the main characters, and hopefully it helps us all focus are minds on the endless possibilities of space exploration. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Kjelll Lindgren, astronaut. He bought these books for his kiddos.<br /> I have no idea if they like them or not, but it was a pleasure to sell him some books.<br />As an astronaut and commander of the International Space Station, he's someone<br />that has made a difference in advancing the human race. <br />These are the kind of people<br />I want kids to admire.</td></tr>
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So about the books, if you need a refresher. <b><a href="http://hyperurl.co/adamauthorsplash" target="_blank">http://hyperurl.co/adamauthorsplash<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></a></b></div>
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The Conspiracy Game is about a boy who sneaks into space with his two best friends on his dad's spacesuit, bound for an undisclosed location. Once there, they find something that changes the fate of the solar system. Each book in the series takes the reader, and the main character, farther into our solar system, visiting real moons like Enceladus and Europa.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> It was fun to research these moons and invent a civilization that might dwell there.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtMIIuLrM0Ec8_ZSySCpyy0jOtcBclxKifKEe9nthcXte7hdmrnSQKr6t1aRlqYn27q3srcRef50ideljJuMfcjnZeVW1DMrm61So7HrsJn4Da0QH_qRmviIHCfqNpU3ChZtmmAov0AGQZ/s1600/IMG_5733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="1079" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtMIIuLrM0Ec8_ZSySCpyy0jOtcBclxKifKEe9nthcXte7hdmrnSQKr6t1aRlqYn27q3srcRef50ideljJuMfcjnZeVW1DMrm61So7HrsJn4Da0QH_qRmviIHCfqNpU3ChZtmmAov0AGQZ/s320/IMG_5733.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BrazCon 2018: Here's a picture of two girls that bought all three books in the series so far. <br />We talked about writing and space travel for a good fifteen minutes. Time well spent!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://hyperurl.co/adamauthorsplash" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1482" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50YV3c-fkEs00P76Acyu8Fl0sxDngfzCVEDgunSHgsNmEvVzUz77Ov6BA_ToMXo8G3rDVTcTSaDcVUYfaUnYZqy81kyA8Qs2L49iV12Bs8bTAiFUe2XfUwl-c6B86HwoXU6cRzjTw9JDx/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-08+at+12.29.35+PM+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://hyperurl.co/adamauthorsplash" target="_blank">Unadulterated review from Amazon. I always appreciate the reviews because they attract new readers.</a></td></tr>
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In the Rathmore Chaos, Tully becomes a fugitive on Earth, not that he wants to be there. He’s lost one of his dear friends in space, and is looking for a way to find her. He finds that way, and it takes him on a path further into the solar system and deeper into the mysteries of the alien race who hold his friend hostage.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> They're a lot like us, and this book is quite frankly about exploration, persistence, inclusiveness, and love. The Icarus storyline is close to my heart. I patterned this alien rebel after Diedrich Bonhoeffer, a German Christian pastor who resisted Hitler and lost his life in the process. </span></div>
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A Cord of Three Strands is told from multiple points of view. It allows the reader to follow Tully’s adventure to a moon on the brink of destruction. It also follows his friends on Earth, recently captured by the Ascendant. How will Sunjay the rebel fighter use his photographic memory to battle the Ascendant? And how will Tabitha the spy help him…if she can first choose a side in the war?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-converted-space">“A book is a gift you can open again and again.” - Garrison Keillor</span></div>
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We don’t do a ton of advertising for these books. It’s mainly word of mouth or through writing events. Since I'm going all in on Black friday this year (FREE BOOKS! DISCOUNTED RATES! BUY NOW!), it's a great to share this with the young adults or old adults in your life. Thanks for supporting the creative endeavors of artists like me. We do appreciate you and hope to keep you entertained.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> As they say in Costa Rica, "Pura vida!" </span><b><a href="http://hyperurl.co/adamauthorsplash" target="_blank">http://hyperurl.co/adamauthorsplash<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></a></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-converted-space">Love and rockets,</span></div>
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- Adam </div>
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Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-62240095402947041582019-07-16T04:18:00.000-07:002019-07-16T04:18:52.913-07:00Apollo 11: The 50th Anniversary Is Finally Here!I'm headed to Space Center Houston today to hear my dad talk about the launch. 50 years ago today, 9:32 ET, Apollo 11 blasted off from Launch Pad 39-A in Cape Canaveral, Florida.<br />
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I encourage you to relive space history this week in your own way, whether it's attending an event or finding something online.<br />
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As a matter of fact, this is one of the most fascinating websites I've found to do so. You can see and hear history unfold in real time: <a href="https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/">https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/</a><br />
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50 years. I set my first novel fifty years from today, so we are now at the halfway point between space history and my own space fiction. It has me wondering what life will be like in fifty years. May God grant us the great to make this place happier and healthier than it is today. I'm reminded of JFK's words spoken at Rice University in 1962: "We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."<br />
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Where will we choose to go next? How can we best use our energies and skills? What are we unwilling to postpone any longer? Tully Harper heard the words, "Go, and do not delay," whispered to him in a dream. This (and a vision) encourages him to sneak into space, and I hope you'll find encouragement to be bold and do something daring in your own life this week, too. After all, sneaking into space isn't nearly as hard as he makes it look. See below.... :)<br />
Love and rockets,<br />
Adam<br />
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Other links:<br />
<a href="https://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/ricetalk.htm">https://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/ricetalk.htm</a> JFK's speech<br />
<a href="https://spacecenter.org/">https://spacecenter.org/</a> Space Center Houston website for events<br />
<a href="https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/">https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/</a> Kennedy Space Center website for events, resources<br />
<a href="https://spacecenter.org/apollo-50/apollo-anniversary-celebration/">https://spacecenter.org/apollo-50/apollo-anniversary-celebration/</a>Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-4693153981112014722019-06-03T08:41:00.002-07:002019-06-03T08:50:39.535-07:00It's Snowing in Houston in June<div class="p1">
<i>{As always, find my books <a href="http://hyperurl.co/adamauthorsplash" target="_blank">here</a> and my music <a href="http://hyperurl.co/3drf4y" target="_blank">here</a>.}</i><br />
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This is true. </div>
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I had the strangest dream last night. In the dream, I woke up and found that it was snowing in Houston in June. Clods of white snow covered the streets knee-deep. I was staying at my parent's house although I was a grown-up in the dream, and waking up to all to fresh snowfall made no meteorological sense. My mom didn’t seem phased. She was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee, and my dad was outside clearing the roads for cars. </div>
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Of course, even in the dream world, it was still Houston. The snow was already melting. Mini-icebergs floated on a river of slush and came to rest in front of the storm drains. Above all, the sun smouldered, waited for just the right time to smite my nocturnal wonderland. </div>
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"It should be all gone in a day or two," said my dad, still shoveling, smiling, with the sun beaming down. </div>
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End of dream.</div>
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Hmmmm....</div>
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SWAMPS, SUMMER, AND LIMINALITY</div>
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I don't know quite what to make of this one, but let me give it a shot. </div>
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I’m on summer break.</div>
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Summer is - or has become - a liminal space for teachers and students. I mean "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liminality"><span class="s1">liminal</span></a>" in the anthropological sense. You can read the Wikipedia link, if you like, but I'll define a liminal space as a space between regularly ordered parts of life that allows a person the freedom to do or be things outside their normal purveyance. Usually, to reach a liminal space someone has to cross a threshold. Think of Luke Skywalker going to the swampy planet of Degobah, where he met Yoda and received his training. He returned, not a complete Jedi, but an accomplished one. Summer break - really June 1st - is that threshold for me.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OcfbCtdmYicY39ymokSAYhFyNASvmetv9IDcnGYqcoxaOwY_NFJ9tKfm53_6TgOLrhY_y05Ips9WGDczHnGbdBCNEjRjhe4KNzfxYJGt1kkMi4tdpVldi68JKljdQAiaNhcze_E0FiYG/s1600/IMG_9709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OcfbCtdmYicY39ymokSAYhFyNASvmetv9IDcnGYqcoxaOwY_NFJ9tKfm53_6TgOLrhY_y05Ips9WGDczHnGbdBCNEjRjhe4KNzfxYJGt1kkMi4tdpVldi68JKljdQAiaNhcze_E0FiYG/s640/IMG_9709.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing a threshold last June at King's Cross. This is Platform 9 3/4, which is a threshold in Harry Potter. Young students leaving for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had to push their luggage carts through this wall to reach the train to Hogwarts. You're getting the whole liminal thing now, right? It's all over the place if you start looking for it, like I did last year on my Juneventure in Europe. </td></tr>
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Every summer I've had for the last decade I've tried to treat like a liminal space, and that has changed me. I wouldn't have written a screenplay, three books, an album, or quit my job to pursue writing for a time if I had not treated summer break as such. It was - and is - a stepping off point for me, where I can explore - creatively, personally, geographically. And I am thankful to God to have those opportunities to pursue these many things. I almost feel guilty having all this time to myself, like I should be doing the sort of work everyone else does all summer long. Almost. Then I remember that I am doing work, even if sometimes it feels more like play.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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THE LIMINAL LANDSCAPE (AKA SUMMER PLANS) </div>
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MARYLAND WRITING WORKSHOP</div>
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Last June I began the summer with a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>trip to Redland Middle School. My friend Chrissy works in the English Department there, and I’ve run two days of writer’s workshops at Redland for the last four years. After having my students for a full year, it’s rewarding and energizing to dive into a school for an intensive two days - more like being a grandparent wanting to make the most of every moment rather than the parent who has to manage expectations more carefully. I can say things like, “Today is all for you. It’s your chance to find out what it’s like to be an author, so go have fun with that. Your only job is to keep your pen moving: that’s the writer’s job. It’s just that easy and just that hard.” Anyway, that usually goes over pretty well, which is why they’ve asked me back again. This year’s trip is in thanks to a contribution from my current school, Kinkaid. Thanks to them for supporting my work.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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THE TWO BIG FIFTIES!</div>
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Later this month I’m headed to Galveston for my parent’s fiftieth wedding anniversary! Good grief, time flies.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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In July, another milestone: it has been fifty years since The Eagle landed on the moon.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> Plenty of events to attend in Houston because of that!</span></div>
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TULLY<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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I’m working on book four. It’s a lot. I should have it out next year. Ending this series will be bittersweet, but I look forward to wrapping up this tale and beginning another.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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I might write more about the landing, the anniversary, and Tully on the blog in the coming months.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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FINALLY<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Now, if you don't mind, there’s a boarding gate about to open. I'll step over this threshold and take a first step into June. I think I have it all planned out, don’t I? Let’s see how long that lasts.</div>
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After all, it was snowing in Houston when I woke up this morning. Although I hear it’s 95 today.</div>
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Love and rockets,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Adam</div>
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PS - If you want updates and I forget to post here, contact me at adamholtwrites [@] <a href="http://gmail.com/"><span class="s2">gmail.com</span></a> or via social media available on <a href="http://adamholtwrites.com/"><span class="s2">adamholtwrites.com</span></a>.</div>
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<br />Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-47900106264654624592019-01-09T15:01:00.001-08:002019-01-09T15:01:36.343-08:00SNEAK PEEK OF MY POEMS AS PAINTINGS!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dear Conspirators,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> In this post...RESOLUTIONS and a SNEAK PEEK at my POEMS AS PAINTINGS!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">RESOLUTIONS</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> How's the New Year treating you? Other than some haywire allergies, I'm feeling good about life and trying to tackle my resolutions. I had my students write resolutions as well, and before doing so, I presented them with the fact that 80% of people fail at their resolution. My question to them was this: "Just how resolute do you think most people are about their resolutions?" To me, that seems to be the key. We did a word study on resolute and then used a powerful verb to start the writing prompt:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In 2019 I resolve to....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">...to be kinder to my brother.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">...to keep getting A's.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">...to snowboard eight times this year and land new tricks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">...to go outside and jump on the trampoline. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">...learn to play at least one of my songs on the guitar well enough to where I can sing along.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">...finish my third book and then some.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">...maintain a healthy work/life/sports/faith balance. Or should I say faith/life/work/sports. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So the first three are students' and the last three are mine, it goes without saying (but gets said anyway). What about you? What do you resolve to do? I challenge you to write a rez like we did and share it with someone. Committing them to this blog reifies my resolutions. To achieve them, I need to reconnect with my creative motivations, which include my faith, optimism, and my goal of pointing readers upward toward grandeur beyond themselves.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reify" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="1578" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCd9lAreufRgi5deWqtlgDQ6pM7HjIZFhgLsZmWDfbZuIifGMyeOxtaGDuuixFPzpoRIAx5CVjr3_gUChpbs_yL75BZpIWNlkYiZymDP1VyojqzQpKmOk6AEotvoAXdbDKeptJ8u8XScF/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-01-09+at+4.37.15+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">SNEAK PEEK! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/208782256721817/" target="_blank">Color: Story Exhibition</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Reify. I love this word. I'm looking forward to seeing poems become paintings at the Color: Story exhibit. Here's a sneak peek screenshot of Marlo Saucedo's treatment of several of my poems. The Eiffel Tower mixed in with a Houston skyline comprised of my poems? I'm blown away. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/208782256721817/" target="_blank">Come to the event</a> and hear several poets share the work that inspired the Color:Story paintings. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/208782256721817/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2T_AcrHVMVg2ntqJHPQ7NPg6dpfTK1VjqpC6MbABbmgWjlKyKHNcOLkUKl7EDTjFYwhct64RV9xKcQDryWw220Hk6B_ZwmONxXiOEGfaJkZ3p83_yh4hjT1JIJ1i0YHlSkrbjN1Av7yu/s640/IMG_5464.PNG" width="358" /></a></div>
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Love and rockets,<br />
Adam<br />
<br />Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-19471488549259494042018-12-15T06:38:00.000-08:002018-12-15T13:40:04.021-08:00Q&A with Writer and Pro Volleyball Athlete Billy Ketch Allen<div>
This week, the Lone Star Rambler introduces you to two people. </div>
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This is writer Billy Allen.</div>
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This is pro volleyball player Billy Allen.</div>
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Okay, well, one person, and I'm glad he agreed to an interview. </div>
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A brief bio...</div>
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<a href="https://billyketchallen.com/about-me/" target="_blank">Billy Allen</a> is a pro beach volleyball player and writer, among other things. He played volleyball and studied Creative Writing at Cal State Northridge. He hasn't stopped doing either of those things, and he's done them both quite well. As a beach volleyball player, he has racked up impressive wins on the AVP and some solid finishes in international play, with an eye on qualifying for Tokyo in 2020. As a writer, he's recently published his debut novel, <i>Good Blood</i>. Watch him win a tournament <a href="https://youtu.be/svThNMVzr1g?t=4333" target="_blank">here</a>. Skip my interview and read his new book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0988636565/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_-pYdCbZFC82XH" target="_blank">here</a>!</div>
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Still reading? Okay, cool. :)<br />
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I've been thinking about the interplay between my own writing and volleyball lives. How do they influence and improve each other? With his Olympic ambitions and recent publication, Billy seemed like the perfect person to ask. </div>
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I was not wrong.</div>
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<b>Q&A | ADAM ASKS BILLY...</b></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-70598763-7fff-e7e3-0c53-eff3ab5c5cef"><i><span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First of all, give us a great elevator pitch for your new book, </span><a href="http://a.co/d/apMEKds" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good Blood</span></a><span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It’s a fantasy novel set in a medieval world where blood is the most important commodity. The ruling class has enslaved a race of people to harvest their healing blood for themselves. When a mysterious boy shows up with off the charts blood, everyone fights to get their hands on him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>In your book, the characters’ bloodlines determines their fates. Where did this idea originate? </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">It started with the idea of the different blood types. How some, like a universal donor, could be more valuable. Then it became, what if people were born with a special blood type that had healing properties that could be transmuted to others? What would your responsibility be to others if your blood saved lives? What would the government do to control that blood? Is it ethical to force a small group of people to save countless lives?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At first, it was going to be a sci-fi book, but then I read a fantasy book I really liked (</span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Name of the Wind</span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) and I thought it would be fun to write a story in that vein. So I shifted the premise to a medieval fantasy setting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Will you also give us a great pitch for yourself as a volleyball player?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ha, not as exciting. I’d say I’m an everyman who worked hard and stuck with it longer than most, basically outlasting the competition. I’m not the best in a single category, but I have a good all-around game and I’m steady. I get a little better every year and that has paid off for me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>You’ve trained as a volleyball player since your earliest years and now play the beach game at the highest level. What about that has shaped your creative process?</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://i2.wp.com/billyketchallen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hermosa-Pass-Shoot-2.jpeg?zoom=2&resize=1446%2C461&ssl=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="800" height="102" src="https://i2.wp.com/billyketchallen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hermosa-Pass-Shoot-2.jpeg?zoom=2&resize=1446%2C461&ssl=1" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think the work ethic of an athlete translates to writing. Putting in the effort and working hard even when I don’t feel my best, or am lacking motivation. Sitting in a chair and making stuff up can feel hard sometimes, but it’s easier than going to the gym.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, in my volleyball career I’ve seen how much improvement comes from learning new things and working on my game little by little. I didn’t expect to be a pro right out of the gate. I look at writing the same way. My focus is on improving more than being perfect today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Do you look at literature as an escape from your daily life? If not, what about your art imitates your life?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think creative projects balance me out. They give me a different outlet than competition and physical training does. Literature, reading the books of others or thinking about my own stories, is something I can do even when I’m tired. We also travel a lot. Lots of long flights and downtime in hotel rooms, so there is plenty of time to give my mind a break from the stress of volleyball and how I’m doing in a tournament.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Training for sand, like revising and editing, can be grueling processes. What keeps you motivated during that process? How do you overcome barriers, whether it’s writer’s block or a setback at a tournament?</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://i2.wp.com/billyketchallen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/hermosa-theo-hit-shoot.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="588" height="320" src="https://i2.wp.com/billyketchallen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/hermosa-theo-hit-shoot.jpeg" width="235" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taking the long-term view has helped. It’s easy to get frustrated with one bad game or one bad tournament, but if I’m learning from it and improving, if I’m moving in the right direction, then it’s paying off. Every rep I get is making me better and putting another brick in the foundation. It’s the same with writing. The story might not come out as good as the idea sounded in my head, but I did the work, it’s on down on paper. I can learn from it and the next one will be better. Those words, even the bad ones, are necessary steps in getting to the better ones. As far as editing, it’s easier to be objective and get feedback when I separate my value from the book and look at it as a piece of work I’m trying to make better.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, you should enjoy it. Sometimes it will suck, but it helps me to step back and reflect on how lucky I am to be where I am or to look at what I’ve created. I lost in an AVP final this year after having match point, and it crushed me for a couple of days. Then I realized how much the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">me </span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">from a couple years ago would be dying to get the chance to play in a final. It’s all about progress and how you bounce back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>What’s one tip for improving as a writer? And what’s one you can give me - I mean, us - about playing great volleyball?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Done is better than perfect. That idea has helped me. I’ve always written, but I never finished projects, things just stopped and existed as abandoned stories on my hard-drive. If you fiddle with stuff forever, afraid to put it out there and show others because it’s not as good as To Kill A Mockingbird, you’ll never finish anything.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For volleyball, I’d say have a specific focus in practice. It’s easy to resort to old habits and what’s comfortable when you’re competing and there is a score involved. Use training games to push yourself out of your comfort zone and focus on improving one specific focus, rather than juggling too many things or just trying to win.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Who are your mentors in volleyball and writing? What do they have in common?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In both I mostly modeled from afar, watching videos of Todd Rogers play or reading writers like Kurt Vonnegut. What those two have in common are precision and efficiency. No wasted movements or words with those two.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">John Mayer is a more recent mentor for me in volleyball, and I’m lucky to have him coaching me now. His work ethic and how he values learning is inspiring. Similarly, the prolific writers of today who publish multiple books every year are extremely inspiring.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>As an athlete, you’re shooting to qualify for Tokyo 2020. How does that affect your everyday life? What would you consider “medaling” as a writer?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Volleyball is my priority right now. Some days are too full with training and lifting and watching video that I know I won’t get writing in or as much as I’d like to. I’m learning to be okay with that. My volleyball window is much shorter, but hopefully I’ll be writing for the rest of my life. Anything I do now is a head start on the post-volleyball writing career.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I guess medaling as a writer would be growing a readership of people who love my books and be to able to make a living writing full-time, not just in the cracks of my life or when I get home from a real job. But I can’t control the money part as much as the work I produce, so, job or hobby, I’d like to keep putting books out that I’m proud of.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>You said, “I am not my book just as I am not my hitting percentage. If I look at it objectively I will welcome feedback and watch those mistakes over and over so I can make changes. Mistakes are only changeable if they’re acknowledged.” I love this idea of creative distance. I try to apply that, too, and I tell my students “You are not your results. You’re not your grades. You’re more important than that.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yeah, who you are as a person is more important than your performance. That separation is important and something I have to remind myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>So now that book reviews are coming in, how are you doing with keeping that creative distance from your work?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ha, I think all those times I’ve been heckled on the volleyball court has been preparing me for bad reviews. I tell myself this book just isn’t for them. There are books I didn’t like or didn’t connect with for whatever reason, and it has nothing to do with thinking the writer is a bad person. The negative reviewers don’t know me or hate me, my book just wasn’t their thing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Does this idea of “I am not my book,” of identity beyond accomplishment, bleed in to your fiction? If so, how?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think I set my expectations pretty low for myself. I like <i>Good Blood</i> a lot, and I’m really proud of it, but I told myself throughout the writing process that it is my first book and that the next one I write will be better.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As far as bleeding into my stories, I might be more understanding of a character’s mistakes. They’re going to try and fail and lose fights, but losing doesn’t define them. How they respond does. I love a hero who gets up and keeps fighting, no matter the outcome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>You’re writing fantasy. How did you develop your world? What influenced it, and what overlaps do you see with our real world? </i></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Man, I love a good map in a book, too, Billie...(Pictured: The Lonely Mountain in <i>The Hobbit</i>.)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Creating a new world is fun, coming up with the differences in currency, religion, and names. I want it to be mostly familiar—not too out there so the world is unrecognizable--but to definitely have some tweaks. But you can get lost world building and planning out every detail. I keep the setting descriptions pretty light and get on with the story because that’s what I like as a reader. Two pages describing a tree can be pretty self-indulgent. Though, creating a map was fun.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are lots of overlaps to the real world, human nature stays the same. People in power take advantage of those without power. My characters have struggles and temptations and dilemmas like everyone faces. They just fight it out with swords :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Which AVP pros willingly nerd out with you about fantasy? Which ones are immune to fiction? I know some of my volleyball friends are non-readers, but I’m making some progress.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lauren Fendrick is a big fantasy reader and one of the first people I approached to read an early draft. I’ve talked to Todd Rogers about fantasy books and authors, I sent him an early copy, but I never heard back. He must not have liked it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve chatted with <a href="https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/my-beach-volleyball-book-we-were-kings-is-out/" target="_blank">Travis Mewhirter</a> about writing and publishing. He writes non-fiction, but we both can share how good it feels to get the cover art back or to get that first copy of your book in the mail.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bree serif"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>So we’re wrapping up 2018. I know this because Facebook reminded me with an acoustic-guitar driven photo montage. So I’m wondering what 2019 holds for you as a writer and athlete? And as a father (if you like)?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m playing with a new/old partner this year, Stafford Slick. We’re trying to qualify for the Olympics so we’re going to as many tournaments as we can. So, it’ll be a busy year of traveling. More than I ever have in the past. My goal is to commit fully and go for it.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a writer, I have two projects I’m working on and would like to finish in 2018. They’re different genres. One is a thriller set in present-day Jaurez/El Paso. The other is a coaching book, based on lessons learned from </span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Coach Your Brains Out</span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a volleyball coaching podcast I’ve done for a few years. That one is a collaboration with John Mayer, so it has been fun writing with someone else. After that, it’s back to the fantasy world of Terene with the <i>Good Blood</i> sequel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks for chatting. It’s easy to get caught up focusing on the next tournament or the next book, it’s nice to stop and reflect for a change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ready to start<i> Good Blood</i> or hear more from Billy? You'll find all your needs fulfilled <a href="https://billyketchallen.com/about-me/" target="_blank">right here.</a></span><br />
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<b>BONUS CONTENT!</b> Billy had some good questions for me, too. I'll post some of those as bonus content at some point, but here are two.<br />
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<b>Q&A | BILLY ASKS ADAM...</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>How are you getting better at volleyball? What are you working on, what’s your approach?</b></i></span></div>
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Telling this to a pro makes me feel like I’m confessing my sins. “Forgive me, it has been five days since my last decent cut shot.” So I play a few times a week and it’s often king of the beach. I like the KOB format, to play with different people and try to figure out what it will take for us to win. It’s helped me become a better indoor coach, too. But I think in particular, I’ve worked on aggressive consistent jump serving and better defensive reading. Playing well in open tournament has always been my long-term motivation, and trying to win our KOB tournaments is the short-term. I don’t get fixated on winning since this is a hobby for me, but I do want to play my best every time I hit the court. <br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>What does being a successful writer mean to you?</i></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyF6aYa4zrVDPUAxyH3Z4wGiojea1iN3w6MwmSHpmPchAJ7As-e7Hj4c8iOg4vm-DuYr-Z1nHiFh2MrogBq2-C4KgYJPu2IzOQUcQ9YBDTVbQ7VtPV-EKDXsDPDKSLnp7IvsNM18PmkDwk/s1600/IMG_4205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyF6aYa4zrVDPUAxyH3Z4wGiojea1iN3w6MwmSHpmPchAJ7As-e7Hj4c8iOg4vm-DuYr-Z1nHiFh2MrogBq2-C4KgYJPu2IzOQUcQ9YBDTVbQ7VtPV-EKDXsDPDKSLnp7IvsNM18PmkDwk/s320/IMG_4205.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I get questions about the book from young readers, that feels like success to me. I’ve made them think, and that’s one of my big goals. But more broadly, thinking about poetry and music, too, I want to write and perform in such a way that is inspiring and uplifting to readers and listeners. I don’t know how many people will end up reading my books, or when they will get read. Maybe I’ll be long gone or maybe not, so I can only define success by picturing those small impact adding up over time, kind of like the number of words in my current draft. Success is one more word than yesterday. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Love and rockets, </span></div>
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Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-22558032702427527272018-12-03T18:15:00.000-08:002018-12-03T18:15:00.099-08:00Travel Pics and a Poetry Exhibition!<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Lone Star Rambler is alive and kicking, and I hope it finds you well! </span></b><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">What a summer and fall...</span><br />
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I could tell you, dear blog, about my return from Europe, how I only spent three weeks in Houston this entire summer, but that happened in July.<br />
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Or chaperoning my volleyball team to a camp in California, but that happened in July, too.<br />
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Or about our volleyball season, how the team had great wins against our biggest rivals, how the guys really rose to the occasion and won their final match of the year, but that happened in November.<br />
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Or about Thanksgiving! My parents' house is now completely renovated, so we celebrated extra hard last week. But, alas, that was last week.<br />
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So, instead of all those things, dear blog, let me simply share a few pics and tell you two things.<br />
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<b>1. POETRY</b><br />
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When I finally made it back to my apartment after the Euroventure - a 24-hour trek<br />
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Iceland ---> Austin -----> Houston<br />
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all the while thinking about all of the cafes I visited...<br />
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<br />
all the places I wrote poems while watching World Cup games...<br />
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<br />
all of the additional cafes I visited...<br />
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<br />
all of the books I read while wandering around Paris...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7KlFbJRtdXYAYs51bcTLUM4eSElYphyphenhyphenFtgVBryZGFOBnW3pMI0MdEQsn3y97ZYzgDCHJJZfGAkXuWCi3Mna51a6k0iThBdKRIF89dBGCUJsnT6XJgew5RHLH5cMC8vo8Mr5sDRXA0pAq/s1600/IMG_9449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7KlFbJRtdXYAYs51bcTLUM4eSElYphyphenhyphenFtgVBryZGFOBnW3pMI0MdEQsn3y97ZYzgDCHJJZfGAkXuWCi3Mna51a6k0iThBdKRIF89dBGCUJsnT6XJgew5RHLH5cMC8vo8Mr5sDRXA0pAq/s640/IMG_9449.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
....of the lovely Prague cityscape...<br />
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<br />
all of the rainbow-tinged waterfalls...<br />
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<br />
all of the standing in front of waterfalls admiring the view...<br />
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<br />
all of the memorable people I met...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QOnB6tbL1WBx0PeMKYc0GChcIbU01BWhF9SpR2lPU22OBdG7nlXrSvLJ7wCuoZtVkFJw_okg_4t7dVpU1ZqlaPHepHr2JQUA_OZhITTnAW3ghzKU4_SyDUezOsZDMM-ZzMTZB9KTa_TX/s1600/IMG_8280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QOnB6tbL1WBx0PeMKYc0GChcIbU01BWhF9SpR2lPU22OBdG7nlXrSvLJ7wCuoZtVkFJw_okg_4t7dVpU1ZqlaPHepHr2JQUA_OZhITTnAW3ghzKU4_SyDUezOsZDMM-ZzMTZB9KTa_TX/s640/IMG_8280.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
all of the hikes I took in Southern France...<br />
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<br />
all of the poetry-inspiring art: Chagall, Matisse, Picasso...<br />
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<br />
<br />
...yes, when I finally made it home, and just before midnight I should add, I had one thing on my mind.<br />
<br />
"Cerulean": a shade of blue ranging between dark azure and darker sky blue.<br />
<br />
It was also one of the poems I wrote over the summer, inspired by Picasso and the color of the Mediterranean and maybe just someone's eyes. It starts like this:<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When the poet grows older</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He can no longer tell the girl that her eyes</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">are the color of old world cerulean.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He must instead drink cerulean</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And lay in the noonday sun</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until it glistens on his skin.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Or he must run steam through the color</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And drink the rich beverage</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until his heart nearly explodes.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But if he were to try, he would say:</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Your eyes were a color but I will not say its name.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Your eyes were the weight of fog.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Your eyes were the Mediterranean the morning you left</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-2f8e748b-7fff-ad03-fd68-a5439e043359"></span></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And did not want to.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
Anyway, I had read about an exhibition that seemed to fit it perfectly. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/208782256721817/" target="_blank">Color: Story</a>, an art and literature exhibition, a proposed collaboration between two fantastic Houston artists looking for poems to incorporate into or inspire their work.<br />
<br />
In all, I submitted three poems to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/208782256721817/" target="_blank">Color:Story</a>,<br />
<br />
And so...<br />
A few months later,<br />
I'm pleased to say "Cerulean" and a few other poems<br />
inspired by art and nature<br />
will<br />
in turn<br />
inspire art.<br />
<br />
I'm looking forward to meeting with <a href="https://www.marlosaucedo.com/" target="_blank">Marlo Saucedo</a> this weekend to discuss her work, my work, and how they will fit together for the project. Here's a sample of her visual narrative style. Yes, those "lines" on the paper are actually lines of prose and poetry. I'm not sure what she will do with "Cerulean" or "Through a Window Through a Poem," but we shall see... :)<br />
<br />
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<br />
Okay, enough about the color I will not mention again.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>2. TULLY HARPER</b></h3>
<br />
Even though I was recovering from a weekend volleyball tournament and a bout of food poisoning (you don't want to know), I enjoyed the Kinkaid book fair and introduced a bunch of new folks to the <a href="http://hyperurl.co/adamauthorsplash" target="_blank">Tullyverse</a>. I sold oodles of books to folks, many of whom I know, so that's always a delight.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabeZbo91DBJPJ9MKBfamaRZPu2VXrAXzrMHKSojWd_lPchXvYpPGzhVVFg8xdpUwimm2rv2dOL9ysW-prnZcBpNxtTwe3KeuCNTwfii_8tPt1IjDln4nuRLkWoLw37EDncl9Aon5t-9W2/s1600/IMG_4944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabeZbo91DBJPJ9MKBfamaRZPu2VXrAXzrMHKSojWd_lPchXvYpPGzhVVFg8xdpUwimm2rv2dOL9ysW-prnZcBpNxtTwe3KeuCNTwfii_8tPt1IjDln4nuRLkWoLw37EDncl9Aon5t-9W2/s640/IMG_4944.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Here I am posing for a photo opp with Gurple, the purple and gold, literal bookworm mascot created for our book fair. Like Ron Burgundy, it's kind of a big deal. We shut down an entire gym for several days to run the book fair. For me personally, it's a great transition, from being Coach Holt in this gym one week and an author the next.<br />
<br />
And I'm making progress on book four.<br />
<br />
Okay, viva le Lone Star Rambler. The blog returneth, and there's your poetry and prose update. Next up will be pictures from the exhibit or possibly a travel post. We shall see!<br />
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<br />Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-32926548018441116942018-07-25T23:43:00.000-07:002018-07-25T23:43:17.448-07:00Summer reads - Neil Gaiman and Saint-Exupéry<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've knocked out a few novels this summer while traveling, and I've got room for another novel or two before summer ends. Any recommendations? Here are mine. - A </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fiction: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman - "the recollections of a man who thought he was lost but is now, perhaps, remembering a time when he was saved." - This is the Neil Gaiman book I've been hoping to read - semi-autobiographic, with the kind of mythic, lyrical power you'd expect from Gaiman. An almost sweet, pastoral mood exists alongside this dark edged world that keeps it light enough for a summer read. It's one I began beside the pool and finished late at night in a frenzy.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Non-fiction: Wind, Sand, and Stars by Antoine St. Exupery - before he was the author of The Little Prince, St. Exupery pioneered longhaul mail flights through many wild and remote places. From the Sahara Desert to the Andes Mountains, Exupery takes you into the cockpit to meet the men he looked upon as godlike. He lands - and crash lands - you into strange worlds that no longer exist, and in the end, has some meaningful things to say about his own place in the universe. I read this book on flights across Europe, and it made the horizons seem wider. Flight is a miracle! Napping is no longer an option. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Signing off with a few pictures, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Adam</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">British Airways treating me well. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Read, write, tea, repeat.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A page of Wind, Sand, and Stars.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWMHb-6SVb4DJhRPzAzGwKEriOJIPKr1EJkMi9R0x3UCgGoqE_od4U5spSEb46W43UAcDRyP7etORYU0IGaGL9bM9WwbtTyKWqxvFXvrLHEy0sXAhGmucDIypIIiRWlJIunnbR16dO6k3/s1600/IMG_9776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWMHb-6SVb4DJhRPzAzGwKEriOJIPKr1EJkMi9R0x3UCgGoqE_od4U5spSEb46W43UAcDRyP7etORYU0IGaGL9bM9WwbtTyKWqxvFXvrLHEy0sXAhGmucDIypIIiRWlJIunnbR16dO6k3/s320/IMG_9776.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The curve of the Earth, the blue-black of a high sky. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-Oc66hF7C1yRp1MPAQV-W1fuWy4NJOtA_70NElpoh6YBtrAFIBg3eSX0TUntHlSk1wpgV22hlAm9Zzh16l1UItO8vX5Yi_Q7tgjJVrD1f_rjBe7gxSsyTDj2AtDC4pLf4xGZ56TrlYkE/s1600/IMG_9731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-Oc66hF7C1yRp1MPAQV-W1fuWy4NJOtA_70NElpoh6YBtrAFIBg3eSX0TUntHlSk1wpgV22hlAm9Zzh16l1UItO8vX5Yi_Q7tgjJVrD1f_rjBe7gxSsyTDj2AtDC4pLf4xGZ56TrlYkE/s320/IMG_9731.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">JK Rowling's most recent play, now in production in London. It's a good read. I wish I'd had time to see it! </td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-9641922990980708162018-07-21T06:29:00.000-07:002018-07-21T06:48:10.985-07:00The Grand Tour, Week Three: ICELAND, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!PRE-RAMBLE<br />
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I am officially renaming Iceland. This should have been done long ago, in the same way we should rename killer whales. They're really the largest species of dolphins, and we all know that dolphins are both smart and friendly, much like the inhabitants of Iceland.<br />
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But I digress.<br />
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Iceland is heretofore known as Cold Hawaii. Or Hawaii North. Or North Sparkleland. Take your pick, but more people would have visited by now if someone in the anti-PR department hadn't taken to naming the place.<br />
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There, go visit, or at least read about it below.<br />
- A<br />
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MAIN RAMBLE<br />
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A few weeks ago, Iceland "beat" Argentina in the World Cup. It was a 1-1 tie, really, but when you live in a country of 350,000, and your country's goalie is a filmmaker, and the other team's star player makes $40,000,000 a year, a tie is a win.<br />
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I didn't see the game. <span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was on a plane to Iceland as the game got underway. Halfway through my flight to KEF, the pilot announced the tie with Argentina was final. I wish I’d seen it, don’t know how they did it, but you should have heard the eruption of applause on the plane. It was a fortuitous beginning to this leg of the trip, and also a show of the unity this tiny country possesses. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Iceland also possesses natural wonder. Everyone has asked me since my return, "How cold was it?" My answer is, "Not cold enough to matter." It was summer solstice when I was there. The sun rose at 2:30am and set at midnight - that's a lot of daylight to keep you warm. So at the coldest? 40 degrees and rainy. At the warmest? 70 and sunny. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not in the ice cave though. One attraction in Reykjavik is The Pearl, which sat on a hilltop above the hostel where I was staying. They've built an ice cave under the building, which stays a chilly 20 degrees all year long. It's packed with slightly warmer, cutting edge exhibits like a 3D puffin exhibit. You walk up to a fifty foot cliff wall full of fake puffins and fake puffin poop, but voila, when you peer at the wall through virtual reality glasses, suddenly puffins are whirling around overhead. That, along with some striking interactive maps of climate change in Iceland were the highlights for me. OH! And the coffee shop on top! With a 360 degree panorama of Reykjavik and the ocean, is not to be missed. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">HOSTELS</span><br />
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Look. Let's get this straight. It's your choice. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">OPTION 1: You can CHOOSE to spend all of your money on your own hotel room in Reykjavik. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">OPTION 2: You can sleep in a futuristic pod for a third of the price and blow your money on travel and food.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdKqAPhYb7Yc2j7u6EIvDzWijzJRHFLEVLiEwRsFAqRU6qrgunpf46W1sGbGq1yUom77ZfqOX1nrpQ-sYD3n6-hHkSaH9u3SwRzt6Ozv68Hsh7K3NTh-KHUhFSfFPgIU4njWfGHU63JOx/s1600/IMG_9050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdKqAPhYb7Yc2j7u6EIvDzWijzJRHFLEVLiEwRsFAqRU6qrgunpf46W1sGbGq1yUom77ZfqOX1nrpQ-sYD3n6-hHkSaH9u3SwRzt6Ozv68Hsh7K3NTh-KHUhFSfFPgIU4njWfGHU63JOx/s320/IMG_9050.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I went out of my way to book a pod at the Pod Hostel in Reykjavik, in all honesty. </span><span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">You took the pod, right? How could you not? There's too much to gain in staying there. I'm fond of hostels, in general. If you're traveling solo, they make great sense. You meet people from around the world - Brazilian lawyers, wandering college students from Rice University, professors. And if you're staying at a hostel in Iceland, it's not like you wandered in there on a whim. No. You planned an epic adventure. You're good folks, and you're going to be up for hanging out with the likeminded. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCT665t41Tajw6un2QR9yzcT-S6FhR0dACIu3dtb1-GgCV2h4LbzEKYP_R530LEUSZARVOo_0r6kyyXNLfq29tRninvCyn4tUBOZYAyuLAl6hy3BA6yRE-YtE80X0Isaup_Af2o1dT3pgX/s1600/IMG_8731.MOV" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCT665t41Tajw6un2QR9yzcT-S6FhR0dACIu3dtb1-GgCV2h4LbzEKYP_R530LEUSZARVOo_0r6kyyXNLfq29tRninvCyn4tUBOZYAyuLAl6hy3BA6yRE-YtE80X0Isaup_Af2o1dT3pgX/s320/IMG_8731.MOV" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">At any rate, in a nutshell, and not to ramble any longer about it, the pod hostel lived up to expectations. Upon check-in, your issued an access card. You walk down black chalkboard walls full of colorful graffiti - but mostly former occupant's Instagram usernames - and then swipe the card to enter your podroom. And...it's full of pods. 12-16, I would say, stacked in neat rows like bunk beds at summer camps. Only these bunks are mechanically sealed living quarters. You swipe your card and enter. There, you find a tidy, sizable bed, environmental controls, smart tv, and blazing fast wi-fi. It's the perfect escape from the midnight sun. You crash, and in crashing, feel like you may just Rip Van Winkle your way into the future. Hopefully, to quote Lord Byron, "God's in His kingdom; all's right with the world." </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KxooNvztNtqhqHiq3mnczhj9ZTG2oLnc7PfP3J0WCKvaoP-aqMdFxwe1dU-Vbi52Q_45YwiQt4Xsqiz3Rup3i3Z4YgJlY2FjA0iIGumuIHayAjA0894bcNUuou1BzPIBs4SzOdNgOKyO/s1600/IMG_9053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="1600" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KxooNvztNtqhqHiq3mnczhj9ZTG2oLnc7PfP3J0WCKvaoP-aqMdFxwe1dU-Vbi52Q_45YwiQt4Xsqiz3Rup3i3Z4YgJlY2FjA0iIGumuIHayAjA0894bcNUuou1BzPIBs4SzOdNgOKyO/s640/IMG_9053.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I should have done a live video from here and called it the Podcast. Next time. </td></tr>
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<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">WATERFALLS AND RAINBOWS: A TALE OF TWO BUS TRIPS </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the first trip, you're crammed in to a Mercedes mini-bus and given an audioguide. The windows are dirty. At one point, the tour guide actually says something. "There are lots of volcanoes around this lake." You take off the headphones and ask the tour guide, "Which one of those hills are volcanoes?" He simply says, "Oh, they're around here." The few minutes you're allowed at each tour stop, you run as far from the bus as possible and wonder at the waterfalls and geysers, like this one that you capture in slow-mo on your nearly dead phone. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VzOmvvfilT0kdvSdZOJTHuAc5sMNsYPNDN2A8nMkSDWdZAR0YriVqssC2kVNl8Qr6mAtePlWgyr2YcUuHOQE0HiEuglbv21IYCop6IZMcqe4QRGNG54ywuq1DRDx_Z92v7xtQLLwMyAe/s1600/IMG_8584.mp4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VzOmvvfilT0kdvSdZOJTHuAc5sMNsYPNDN2A8nMkSDWdZAR0YriVqssC2kVNl8Qr6mAtePlWgyr2YcUuHOQE0HiEuglbv21IYCop6IZMcqe4QRGNG54ywuq1DRDx_Z92v7xtQLLwMyAe/s320/IMG_8584.mp4" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strokkur - notice the size of the people for comparison. Can you smell the sulphur and feel the heat? Strokkur is right beside Geysir, which is where we get the word "geyser." Geysir is now largely dormant. She blows her top occasionally, </td></tr>
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<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Undaunted, you take a second trip. :) </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the second trip, you've got an entire row to yourself. And you've got Arnie, who used to work in banking but seems ordained by God as a bus tour guide. He gets to know everyone on the bus, will hike your right up to the edge of a glacier, and sings Icelandic lullabies on the way home. Look no further than this company if you want a good bus tour of the Golden Circle, and that includes some of the greatest wonder of North Sparkleland packed into a tidy 7-8 hour trip: </span><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://bustravel.is/">https://bustravel.is/</a>. The waterfalls are glorious. I won't even start. I'll just paraphrase what Byron said about them: "Today at the waterfall, a rainbow came down from Heaven to visit us."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Okay, maybe I'll say this about <a href="http://tenrandomfacts.com/seljalandsfoss/" target="_blank">Seljalandsfoss</a>, my favorite waterfall in Iceland. There's a great trail that loops behind and all the way around the waterfall. You'll want a rain jacket and swimsuit (picture below) to properly experience it. And if you catch Seljalandsfoss in the afternoon, you'll probably see a lovely rainbow in front, pictured below. Whenever I see something this magnificent, I never want one view. I watched people pile off buses, take a picture from one angle, and then head back to the bus. You can't capture a magnificent thing from only one angle. If given the chance, you encircle it because each angle makes it seem like a different thing, too majestic to view from one spot. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don't you know this is true of so many things? Books, movies, cities, people. If we limit ourselves to one view, we've never really seen these things for what they are. In fact, it's this limited perspective that is most likely responsible for Iceland's name. Vikings, sailing along one coast, used it to navigate the route to Greenland, which had been named as a marketing ploy to get people to settle there. Makes sense. You'd sail right by Iceland to get to Greenland, too. However, if those sailors had seen the rest of it, they would have dropped anchor in my magical North Sparkleland long before they reached the rugged coast of Greenland. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ah, yes, Seljalandsfoss. It literally means "selling the land of waterfalls." Now that's a well-named thing. Nice job, Iceland. I knew you'd come to your senses.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Signing off from Reykjavik, which means "Smoky Bay"(another story), from the comfort of my pod,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adam</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45ykqzyFlZhB7dLWJIczC3jEJgueDWzuNnIrVMMfBAYE77bZLUB_leyHgBdq3nq_w5_xmf60zv-nMeN51F74HPCvwsRebTDdhFhzkYq0VUCmBmw8p_Ku58qKQ7maKwN1_mh7jxAGjEqbL/s1600/IMG_8939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45ykqzyFlZhB7dLWJIczC3jEJgueDWzuNnIrVMMfBAYE77bZLUB_leyHgBdq3nq_w5_xmf60zv-nMeN51F74HPCvwsRebTDdhFhzkYq0VUCmBmw8p_Ku58qKQ7maKwN1_mh7jxAGjEqbL/s320/IMG_8939.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seljalandsfoss - my favorite rainbow-infused waterfall. I wore my Mr. Swim swim trunks and waterproof jacket, so I got right behind the waterfall and enjoyed the heck out of the power of the water and the heavenly views.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3HEQMvNzfFrUmXZWAhSb_CRkYxqzttT_p5QcEJy8n5_7hWkSid3Cwii6ASsnu0StgNPdCRP4yLi1-ZwRMbQVSvG4nOe1AuUQ5HXmqOKB30rf1bb_I3dzmZYNyVQjifvA5GXWTHqY87sS/s1600/IMG_8911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3HEQMvNzfFrUmXZWAhSb_CRkYxqzttT_p5QcEJy8n5_7hWkSid3Cwii6ASsnu0StgNPdCRP4yLi1-ZwRMbQVSvG4nOe1AuUQ5HXmqOKB30rf1bb_I3dzmZYNyVQjifvA5GXWTHqY87sS/s320/IMG_8911.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skógafoss - you can't walk behind the waterfall, but the rainbow will walk right up to you when the mist rolls your way. Having a rainbow on the end of my nose redefined the word dazzled for me - your eyes just don't know what to do with it. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhixGJy8AuqerRGsU7qXYU_VaQ0BqYvvVnjdQVwmCH8QcY2_EzAsyI9R_cA8X1zsbzzI4roGMK4rca80zN9TjZXFtdWdBFexRmDgDVBoBF6hwUET_PuAuNcTkORvRqFCmUNEl2R7H3E23/s1600/IMG_8796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhixGJy8AuqerRGsU7qXYU_VaQ0BqYvvVnjdQVwmCH8QcY2_EzAsyI9R_cA8X1zsbzzI4roGMK4rca80zN9TjZXFtdWdBFexRmDgDVBoBF6hwUET_PuAuNcTkORvRqFCmUNEl2R7H3E23/s320/IMG_8796.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cliffs and coffee and black sand beaches.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoNC5Q6rWFu0U-9upT-ZPkL3F4Uowv4yUb_DjzK_aWH0GaRc4g66hxyoNh_-0tWmCfTAE9rIyUsRhnkhfSZUo3UB8mVB85XElpvrnX_QCZvWW9pZEaYflVybBUBTFUUu5YgMs_VvbXSAp/s1600/IMG_8787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoNC5Q6rWFu0U-9upT-ZPkL3F4Uowv4yUb_DjzK_aWH0GaRc4g66hxyoNh_-0tWmCfTAE9rIyUsRhnkhfSZUo3UB8mVB85XElpvrnX_QCZvWW9pZEaYflVybBUBTFUUu5YgMs_VvbXSAp/s320/IMG_8787.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just cliffs. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEP9mdwLMAT1LGbsAoDFNxpqL8IogEsnkZDt8L0NWYHlqo2IsYfG7o1a1eUrTfBwKd1SpkoufGb4mdmKRo0tFYoq8ZjqibU7VnJmzGcuqZaujGDfl04tMwZufQW3bMZNBrZEji49NUlFBy/s1600/IMG_9042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEP9mdwLMAT1LGbsAoDFNxpqL8IogEsnkZDt8L0NWYHlqo2IsYfG7o1a1eUrTfBwKd1SpkoufGb4mdmKRo0tFYoq8ZjqibU7VnJmzGcuqZaujGDfl04tMwZufQW3bMZNBrZEji49NUlFBy/s320/IMG_9042.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iceland loves hot dogs.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOink_YaX4GwreoWkhzyojmMXT_ZNkb-V4KM6zR88Nc7osFPsuXRACc_SdTs672GjnrCZM_mCzkwVZBknjd8bLXXKZ3eTQvWZpd0fMDwaFDhWmT10SGAK3-kbGmU9d_7kzfoEeWA9QlNYU/s1600/IMG_8723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOink_YaX4GwreoWkhzyojmMXT_ZNkb-V4KM6zR88Nc7osFPsuXRACc_SdTs672GjnrCZM_mCzkwVZBknjd8bLXXKZ3eTQvWZpd0fMDwaFDhWmT10SGAK3-kbGmU9d_7kzfoEeWA9QlNYU/s320/IMG_8723.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But I did not try this Krap. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCph2W8Mt7IrKilFgTxSjfjjMkg7_aWvFg8h1389bZxRfe2v9o-SABC5ufVRW0T0iR4hwo6_Yr-yOnHLXPdvSSiEB22G8vBQCzjPP3eMUyA42bPvVPsolJDZ4Xr4rT_953jcG-DBEoXP1S/s1600/IMG_8881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCph2W8Mt7IrKilFgTxSjfjjMkg7_aWvFg8h1389bZxRfe2v9o-SABC5ufVRW0T0iR4hwo6_Yr-yOnHLXPdvSSiEB22G8vBQCzjPP3eMUyA42bPvVPsolJDZ4Xr4rT_953jcG-DBEoXP1S/s320/IMG_8881.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That is a glacier covered in black sand.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYWHhDBufC2wRd2u-557zblTClFIragv20D8Cgog0KMkxdbH2sGOGpBpXqUmG6po52otNiTTADcLI0GFG_llQIAu7iPGFMoHFVUcNkpNcZ1U2Rx9y3bDeJZMMEcsK8XMLQfYuzu-GzmYF/s1600/IMG_8966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYWHhDBufC2wRd2u-557zblTClFIragv20D8Cgog0KMkxdbH2sGOGpBpXqUmG6po52otNiTTADcLI0GFG_llQIAu7iPGFMoHFVUcNkpNcZ1U2Rx9y3bDeJZMMEcsK8XMLQfYuzu-GzmYF/s320/IMG_8966.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TLC was wrong. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZzM0j_jahZBW41TdcP63YdIUdFf49O9pBVCoU110wg50uMUveHyHPjXPQORgAcUTFvZJWh4u985aE52Oh3RR84he6PNqv6e7iO_ZVmA-sQKg2rw9BaKAMxZaLTyWPFDj-qm15inGtiAn/s1600/IMG_9031.MOV" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZzM0j_jahZBW41TdcP63YdIUdFf49O9pBVCoU110wg50uMUveHyHPjXPQORgAcUTFvZJWh4u985aE52Oh3RR84he6PNqv6e7iO_ZVmA-sQKg2rw9BaKAMxZaLTyWPFDj-qm15inGtiAn/s320/IMG_9031.MOV" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bus Travel Iceland - Arnie the tour guide serenades us. </td></tr>
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<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">POST RAMBLE</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">TLC will tell you "Don't go chasing waterfalls / please stick to the rivers and the streams that you're used to," but as I recall, and then I checked on Youtube, they are indeed dancing in front of a waterfall <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WEtxJ4-sh4" target="_blank">in the music video</a>. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #14171a; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-88737897189037706592018-06-28T03:23:00.000-07:002018-07-07T07:19:30.332-07:00A Brief Story That Is Not About Paris<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Written in a cafe in the 9th Arrondisement near <a href="http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/english/visit-and-audio-guide/article/panoramic-virtual-tour-of" target="_blank">Sacre Coeur.</a> They sold their last chocolate croissants right before my eyes, so I'm trying to keep a brave face. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Here is a brief story that is not about Paris. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I missed my British Airways connection to Paris by seconds. Seconds! Just one more sprint down a corridor might have landed me on the plane, but as it sat there just a few feet away, I knew it was a lost cause. I cursed my bad luck, but threw on a smile and marched over to the British Airways help desk in hopes of a meal voucher, which, after some discussion, appeared. Still, mere seconds, just a few quicker steps, if that man hadn't unloaded the entire contents of his bag to reach his liquids at security, if only I'd split the massive horde of tourists in two, I would've been on that plane and not stuck at the airport for another four hours.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvu213fOgwehA_QqeAOiYO6IUaZb42fVkJZjuc53SYOP1Hixanz4D8-Y72nUWb3O49Qr0wt-Cx_V8gVGhYJ3PuqGBenrapaYvWvS3yjWB9NHUkUhYTKtqB-bn0VpbV1DiP0ZlpHueTRSnW/s1600/IMG_9438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvu213fOgwehA_QqeAOiYO6IUaZb42fVkJZjuc53SYOP1Hixanz4D8-Y72nUWb3O49Qr0wt-Cx_V8gVGhYJ3PuqGBenrapaYvWvS3yjWB9NHUkUhYTKtqB-bn0VpbV1DiP0ZlpHueTRSnW/s320/IMG_9438.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I thought that surely my love for Paris would sway the odds in my favor or stay the pilot's hand: maybe a door would jam, or there would be an insignificant problem that would slow the plane's roll just enough to let the plucky Yank on board. Like, they'd forgotten to top off the tanks or misplaced their store of Earl Grey tea. Alas, it wasn't to be. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">But this is not about Paris. I swear. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I have a hunch. Now that I think about it, Paris probably knew what I tell you now.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I fell in love with Prague. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhcfZKkkTP4h29J-jY03E1LLiamoGMAKVTlBZvyTtktsKD3HOWletToCUlsQ1PxfhbV05QJRRkcsB0sF3W-K0V_yyuYGLL3VXW-uufcaEjXgJ_Jn7T_3YhIaVjc6kNKTxjMb7_Da1RmiIL/s1600/IMG_9387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="1600" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhcfZKkkTP4h29J-jY03E1LLiamoGMAKVTlBZvyTtktsKD3HOWletToCUlsQ1PxfhbV05QJRRkcsB0sF3W-K0V_yyuYGLL3VXW-uufcaEjXgJ_Jn7T_3YhIaVjc6kNKTxjMb7_Da1RmiIL/s640/IMG_9387.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Panorama Cafe, a peaceful rooftop patio. The first drink is free if you're staying at any Czech Inn hotel.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I never set foot in a bus, tram, or train once I arrived. Prague is completely walkable, and I walked it: Old Town, with its bars and cafes; New Town, home of Prague Castle, up to the park beside the castle; down to the lovely riverfront. Oh! I didn't walk on water. I boarded a tour boat and had a drink with two English travelers, and as we made our way down the Vltava River, admiring the unparalleled variety of architectures present - Medieval, Cubist, Brutalist - Sue shared with me her experience here when Prague was under Communist rule.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAEAnxRoyik-TPbN70jKMdo1VkoFyPdhSLzD9i_wVvxhNcISj5uFnxz8G8V_GjvhUsrh41Jw5Pw4emRGWmpYo9sAoT0TnmqAq2CQLE8kilMUhJKF1-Oy9QH2XDCbQBgNRLjsyE5LShN7Kq/s1600/IMG_9342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAEAnxRoyik-TPbN70jKMdo1VkoFyPdhSLzD9i_wVvxhNcISj5uFnxz8G8V_GjvhUsrh41Jw5Pw4emRGWmpYo9sAoT0TnmqAq2CQLE8kilMUhJKF1-Oy9QH2XDCbQBgNRLjsyE5LShN7Kq/s320/IMG_9342.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast at the <a href="https://www.narodni-divadlo.cz/en" target="_blank">Cafe Louvre:</a> Kafka and Einstein regularly met at "circles" here to talk about literature and physics, respectively. I made a Mimosa. :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUBgz8SWNKsGaj_fw5n3eJPz4sHWkR9EmEM6L8BJpnO42tBbggbLMtdhBrDG9vbf185hOlY15ofA-7K7260Sgfm7jHvGkcAmhA7vo9y-UxVtOMmyGWXYtBMzH4T8UgmAZ0fQo7duwtuKy/s1600/IMG_9316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUBgz8SWNKsGaj_fw5n3eJPz4sHWkR9EmEM6L8BJpnO42tBbggbLMtdhBrDG9vbf185hOlY15ofA-7K7260Sgfm7jHvGkcAmhA7vo9y-UxVtOMmyGWXYtBMzH4T8UgmAZ0fQo7duwtuKy/s320/IMG_9316.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.narodni-divadlo.cz/en" target="_blank">The National Opera</a> (Narodni Divaldo): the best seats are only $35 US. I saw a ballet entitled "Tremble."</td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I walked through Wencelas Square, full of shops and streets vendors where a generation ago people endured beatings for shouting the word "Freedom!" Communism now dead, liberty abounds in this riverside city. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpGXBtc3LyljoVQMj0kWBrJN6ju0dtf9PulogPsfQxJoKJr3GHIjQX8biMeCMTI2JxsECY2CexsgZGNcRCnOJ82YoZ8HQVJk9XCOTtP6KfuwsmD9vVjczmuJnpH42sfFlWh_3c7n4KFUj/s1600/IMG_9371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpGXBtc3LyljoVQMj0kWBrJN6ju0dtf9PulogPsfQxJoKJr3GHIjQX8biMeCMTI2JxsECY2CexsgZGNcRCnOJ82YoZ8HQVJk9XCOTtP6KfuwsmD9vVjczmuJnpH42sfFlWh_3c7n4KFUj/s320/IMG_9371.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvlMOAZzYsG697gqDYy7dKPgGN2mP0bEy6wYEBfTs2VsV4r5Q7jxW8mLYjxlA7zIAkzUC1sBf3a4PU7yzioLEczpspolUbjHV9RasHExa9m5mm6acOLx4Z-1703hTkIKmSD67T4TJ5kyj/s1600/IMG_9372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvlMOAZzYsG697gqDYy7dKPgGN2mP0bEy6wYEBfTs2VsV4r5Q7jxW8mLYjxlA7zIAkzUC1sBf3a4PU7yzioLEczpspolUbjHV9RasHExa9m5mm6acOLx4Z-1703hTkIKmSD67T4TJ5kyj/s320/IMG_9372.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiq0bGOeQecqRmyPWFmsVB-oG12KTgb5FmdmfZkSdK5a7mBDq0wxfyvq7KFDuPPtNqmTqhwIPD066JsGNfwAblcYQa0g0WsgGb01G3jXVh_Sa8vh2wq39Q5nxQzcAw_zxmddkCs0BCnvvM/s1600/IMG_9373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiq0bGOeQecqRmyPWFmsVB-oG12KTgb5FmdmfZkSdK5a7mBDq0wxfyvq7KFDuPPtNqmTqhwIPD066JsGNfwAblcYQa0g0WsgGb01G3jXVh_Sa8vh2wq39Q5nxQzcAw_zxmddkCs0BCnvvM/s320/IMG_9373.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street vendors.</td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Prague is inexpensive and friendly, even though some people have tried to contradict me on this. (Please believe me. I never spent more than $25 on a meal, and I tried.) It's easy to navigate. The older Czechs learned Russian because their country accepted communism. The younger Czechs learned English because their countrymen returned to Western ideals after a short darkness under an iron curtain of their own making. To see a city where in the midst of relighting the flame of freedom is inspiring - I won't apologize for my melodramatics. I walked their streets for days, admiring the return to splendor that is today's Prague. </span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Culture? Czech. Great food? Czech. Public transport? Czech. Hotels, castles, cafes, riverboat rides, <a href="http://muzeumkomunismu.cz/en/" target="_blank">the Museum of Communism</a>, which inspired this post? Czech, Czech, Czech. #puns #sorrynotsorry</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdiy9hVegJKRaT9WBF7opNR7S6_vRwPSE_Y11PQ0dO9w8YoLAsquTDBa8WD8SJL0ooPplxorkHA-Uqd-i-yUV7-TAExAmN3q4m7wrZqGAmUJRJ_bqWVZljl7UQ6hn8w3BZthyBY8ROsYc/s1600/IMG_9335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdiy9hVegJKRaT9WBF7opNR7S6_vRwPSE_Y11PQ0dO9w8YoLAsquTDBa8WD8SJL0ooPplxorkHA-Uqd-i-yUV7-TAExAmN3q4m7wrZqGAmUJRJ_bqWVZljl7UQ6hn8w3BZthyBY8ROsYc/s320/IMG_9335.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I prefer castles from a distance, but I hear the inside of this one will bring your childhood fairytales to life.</td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I have one story to relate to you. One day, during the communist era, the premier became upset that the locksmith had not more quickly fixed his door. He told the locksmith, "Surely I could do this faster." To which the locksmith replied, "You're right, sir. Because you are a locksmith by trade, and I was a university professor." I've never wanted to use my freedom more than after hearing that story. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the Museum of Communism.</td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Communism has no need of a person's individual genius. The rule is more important than the individual being ruled. My job - teacher, writer, consultant, whatever else I can manage - would never have existed, and I can only think of those millions of other people, like the professor, who were relegated to roles never meant for them, where they struggled to mold themselves into misshapen forms that this odd machine would accept.</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I am proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. </span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">If you've got questions about Prague, let me know. Up next, Iceland, but enough for today. I've got to go find that final, elusive chocolate croissant.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu4gt9WeqgHxgPq5PXLGse3qpJ0ob6-iT10eN5PphgI8M3dqGrrPP0wrUOo8_AMXXCfllnbgCv1cGvoArUMfj2inOEVIEaYnEHVzhw6Z0bVKM2mEns7sAMF0jJUt2zNMXo1ElQ-7tSc3DO/s1600/IMG_9365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu4gt9WeqgHxgPq5PXLGse3qpJ0ob6-iT10eN5PphgI8M3dqGrrPP0wrUOo8_AMXXCfllnbgCv1cGvoArUMfj2inOEVIEaYnEHVzhw6Z0bVKM2mEns7sAMF0jJUt2zNMXo1ElQ-7tSc3DO/s320/IMG_9365.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Communist beer. (Museum has a sense of humor)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Nel3rnivKeXw3S0XDQpL3eN1gcybZVp7kRE24paQg-m7thTt3nGUXNIrvwPM3m-2GP_ki6k0DM_Np1hgMMVDX2J0ojfPfWBojRYb-m-_GTYruhyqXVYHNTWWtlF_G9K9T6_gka668ILu/s1600/IMG_9378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="1600" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Nel3rnivKeXw3S0XDQpL3eN1gcybZVp7kRE24paQg-m7thTt3nGUXNIrvwPM3m-2GP_ki6k0DM_Np1hgMMVDX2J0ojfPfWBojRYb-m-_GTYruhyqXVYHNTWWtlF_G9K9T6_gka668ILu/s640/IMG_9378.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bit better: a bar, also an art deco wonderland.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiklQVbNW1EtEhs8Alg4ezPop0JD50Z8iokkyX9ZhP-k4lIBPsif5IYRDZ0DnZYepHL8nxt48cphWrHqxj0qmvA4RQx1Jh90wRAABXekeACDtFERryZbXnhzMmzwsMov1iQ6NwKcCRgF50u/s1600/IMG_9312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiklQVbNW1EtEhs8Alg4ezPop0JD50Z8iokkyX9ZhP-k4lIBPsif5IYRDZ0DnZYepHL8nxt48cphWrHqxj0qmvA4RQx1Jh90wRAABXekeACDtFERryZbXnhzMmzwsMov1iQ6NwKcCRgF50u/s320/IMG_9312.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Highly recommend the Hotel Adler. Standout breakfast, snacks in the afternoon, free coffee, and beer for one euro. Check google for rates, but booking.com had best rates when I went.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2e5Y07rec0QjmpwxxC5c7cYnxZsazqeWjBIyjKcaNuscp0v1SkgbNfT8BZHqFNg822V9RIYUzuyZfZQjqXxRb7SyEB8vSi6KO-wK1h7tY-ZEaBobyfOtwx5Rt-uIBGBHRplqdJ28kRehW/s1600/IMG_9368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2e5Y07rec0QjmpwxxC5c7cYnxZsazqeWjBIyjKcaNuscp0v1SkgbNfT8BZHqFNg822V9RIYUzuyZfZQjqXxRb7SyEB8vSi6KO-wK1h7tY-ZEaBobyfOtwx5Rt-uIBGBHRplqdJ28kRehW/s320/IMG_9368.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wonderful quote.</td></tr>
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<br />Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-73474531787716473302018-06-19T02:44:00.000-07:002018-06-20T15:33:14.515-07:00The Grand Tour, Week Two: Switzerland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<i>Half of my blog posts go unpublished. Half of the words in the published posts get cut. At best, they reappear in my poems, short stories, or as places and things that Tully Harper experiences. At any rate, I’ve written a number of posts about France - and a number of poems and short stories - but here’s my first published post. </i><br />
<br />
<h2>
A Rainy Day in the Life. </h2>
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Most times I find it more compelling to talk about what I see rather than how I travel, but the method of transport receives the spotlight in this post, simply because I’m using the Swiss Pass to navigate this beautiful country. There was a “5 day for 4 days’ price” sale on the pass, and I took the opportunity to purchase the first-class pass, which gives access to nearly every type of Swiss mobilization imaginable: cable car, funicular, bus, train, cow, rolling wheel of cheese, giant chocolate bar. Yep, it's the Swiss army knife of transportation. You name it and you can ride it with a Swiss Pass.* <br />
<br />
It allowed one particularly good moment of serendipity a few days ago. It happened near Gimmelwald in the Yungfrau Region of Switzerland. God took more liberties in designing Switzerland than I care to elaborate just now. It’s a beautiful valley nestled between famous peaks. I could describe it to you, but why don’t you just read Tolkien’s description of Rivendell, the famous elven city in the Lord of the Rings? The valley of Lauterbrunnen (translated as "lots of waterfalls") was his blueprint for the otherwordly city. It’s all waterfalls, flowery meadows, cows, and snowcapped peaks. You get the idea. <br />
<br />
So leaving from the nearby Mountain Hostel - accessible by a cable car with my handy Swiss Pass - I hiked all morning through an Alpine forest, which swung behind a waterfall at one point. It seems the Swiss took as many liberties as God when designing their trails. They’re well-marked and peppered with grand waterfalls and vistas as well as rustic restaurants and inns. <br />
<br />
Then it began to rain. Visions of summiting Bryndli, a nearby peak, quickly vanished with a clap of thunder. I’ve got a lot of things on my bucket list, but taking a bolt of lightning in the bucket certainly isn’t one of them. <br />
<br />
I took refuge at the nearest cable car station on the mountain. That may sound like roughing it, but it’s not. The Murren cable car stop has a full restaurant with a great coffee and beer bar, a Swiss Army knife and knickknack store, and live webcam views of the summit of the Schilthorn, the Piz Gloria. Rising 2677M above sea level, the summit offers a stunning 360 view of Europe’s most famous peaks, such as the Eiger and Mont Blanc. It was also a free trip courtesy of the Swiss Pass, so after grabbing a beer, a “fit salad,” and a not-so-fit ham and cheese sandwich, I swallowed my pride and hopped on the cable car to the top. I like the idea of earning a summit view as a hiker rather than a tourist. And what’s more, panoramic views don’t mean much when you’re standing in the middle of a cloud. <br />
<br />
I flashed my pass, wedged myself into the selfie stick wielding masses, and headed to Birg, the only stop between Murren and the summit. Our cable car lurched about in the rain and clouds on its way up the mountain. It was packed with tourists, mainly Chinese and Indian, and I stood a head taller than most of the other passengers, which gave me a great view of the verdant valley below. Looking down, I could see the path I took many years ago on my only ascent of this peak. I remembered seeing the cable cars full of people swinging above my head on that sunny day and thinking, “Why would you want to dangle your way from a string up the mountain instead of climb it?” Today, watching the swollen gray rivers barrel down the mountain, seeing the snow banks rendering the climb impassible, dangling seemed like the next best option. My heart was heavy. I’d come all this way to climb the Schilthorn, but it wouldn’t happen today or even this month. Moments like this beg the question: “Why do all of this rambling around the world anyway?” Moments like this, you don’t look for an answer. You just keep moving and see what happens next. You ignore that feeling in your gut that says, “Wasted time, my friend. Wasted time,” though it does rumble in the back of the mind. <br />
<br />
So we reached Birg, the door opened, and out spilled the selfie stick warlords. Most of them made a bee-line for that final cable car to Schilthorn, a few stopped for souvenirs or snacks, and I popped into the bathroom to use the air dryer on my not-so-waterproof jacket and ailing iPhone. On the way out of the bathroom, I noticed raindrops still studded the webcam at the summit. Chances of a view were slim. <br />
<br />
Chances of a thrill were high at Birg though. Surprisingly, this halfway point up the mountain had its own attraction. If I had wanted to get soaked and scared, I could’ve ventured on to a metal grated walkway the Swiss had built under the cable car on the side of the cliff wall. There, you could walk not only on grated metal - thrilling enough - but there was also a slick glass section, a metal tubing portion, and even a mesh tube to crawl through, all with a grand view of the surrounding peaks as well as the base of the cliff wall several hundred feet below. Alas, the rain came down, so I didn’t have to disprove my bravery. <br />
<br />
I waited for the next cable car to the top with a family from Florida. We chatted about our trips to far as well as the weather here and last year’s weather back home. Floridians understand hurricanes as well as Texans, and I was touched that their teenage daughter contributed some of her own money to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. After a while, the cable car appeared out of the mist. We boarded and headed to the summit. <br />
<br />
The summit. I’d climbed the Schilthorn, as I mentioned, many moons ago. It took 5 hours to climb but only 30 minutes by cable car. I watched the altimeter inside the car count down the meters up the mountain, felt my water bottle expand, and smirked as the stick bandits oohed and ahhed each time the cable car bounded over a ridge. <br />
<br />
I checked the <a href="http://schilthornbahn.ch/">schilthornbahn.ch</a> to see the summit view. As expected, practically gray out conditions. We reached the top and my eyes confirmed suspicions. 36 degrees, windy, and raining. <br />
<br />
Did I mention I was wearing shorts? No, not until now. <br />
<br />
Fortunately the top had its other charms. In 1968, Hollywood came to the Schilthorn. For a rather terrible James Bond film, Hollywood used the brand-new Schilthorn restaurant as a Bond villain’s base. The Swiss have immortalized this movie with a James Bond Museum on top of the summit, complete with a cinema and all sort of Bond-related activities! It feels ridiculous, out of place, but somehow charming. I mean, which would you emphasize? The fact that this area inspired the Lord of the Rings or the one 1960’s Bond movie starring someone NOT named Sean Connery? It took my mind off the miserable weather outside for a while, as did the chocolate bar I purchased in the summit store. <br />
<br />
I waited around for an hour or so, updating my Instagram story and Facebook posting, things I could do on a rainy day on my couch in Houston. Finally, realizing the clouds wouldn’t break, I braved the elements, snapped a few blurry pics on the viewing platform and headed back down. You don’t come to Switzerland for Bond museums. You come for views. INSERT PICS. <br />
<br />
Expectations can cloud the experience at hand, can’t they? As a Christian, I should know this. The disciples expected Jesus to ride in to Jerusalem and overthrow the Roman rule. He showed up on a donkey. My savior wouldn’t call down thunder and lightning on sinners when his disciples begged him to do so. Instead, he shrugged them off and nicknamed them, “The sons of thunder.” <br />
<br />
He sometimes gives us clouds when we expect sunshine, and when clouds, the sun appears. <br />
<br />
So I descended to Murren with a heavy heart, I suppose, about as heavy as I could muster here in the high mountain air. I only had two days in Rivendell. Frodo and company hung out there for a bit longer and wanted to linger as well, but the road goes forever on. Would I ever see that mountain view that marveled me so many years ago? <br />
<br />
And yet, upon descending from Murren, I noticed the sky grew lighter. And lighter. <br />
<br />
I checked the cams on my phone again, and they showed clouds, but sure enough, I saw patches of blue sky above Birg. The summit looked the same. Hmmmm. Existential questions. Wasted time if I went back up and it clouded over. Wasted time if I hiked back to Gimmewald and the sun came out. Time redeemed if I recovered my tracks and the sun appeared. <br />
<br />
I went with option three. <br />
<br />
And option became a real joy. (See below.) It’s a treat when the road - or the Universe - rises up to meet you. <br />
<br />
:) <br />
<br />
The sky doesn’t always clear. Clouds appear out of nowhere no matter how well we laid our plans. Being able to deal constructively with reality is not always my strong suit, but I’m trying to make it so, especially as I meet so many people who do. My parents in recovering from Hurricane Harvey. My mom in her battle with cancer. My friends that fight through low points in their marriages. Travelers who shrug at foul weather and curl up with a book or a guitar. <br />
<br />
Seamus Heaney wrote in his poem “North” to “expect not revelation but auroral borealis.” I’m paraphrasing but hopefully capturing something from the poem for myself. We can only hope for the best and accept the outcomes of our best laid plans and efforts. <br />
<br />
It’s raining again. I left the Mountain Hostel early and, thanks to the Swiss pass, am now coasting happily across the countryside, watching the rain drench the crops and knocking out a new post for the blog (or maybe just for myself). My head aches a little - not enough coffee. My stomach rumbles - maybe a bad egg I ate yesterday. But those things won’t color the lovely green and gray palate God has laid before me today. A blue sky is always hanging above it all, and whether it appears or not is not for me to say. Regardless of the weather, I’m riding the Golden Rail today. I know that sounds poetic, but it’s just the name of the train to Montreux. It’s packed with more selfie sticks than an Amazon warehouse, but I found a seat beside their baggage with a bay window view of the valleys in the rain. <br />
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<br />
How are the skies in your neighborhood today? <br />
<br />
<br />
Next stop: to see a good friend from my last trip to Switzerland. Then, on to Iceland.<br />
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<br />
Love and rockets, <br />
<br />
- A <br />
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*Swiss Rail Pass Exception: the trip to the “Top of Europe” in the Yungfrau Region costs an added $200 or so, but that’s only worthwhile in perfect weather. <br />
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<br />
Yungfrau Region Recommendations:<br />
<div>
Visit the Yungfrau region of Switzerland. You'll only need 3-4 days to do it and do it well. It's like Yosemite National Park, but with a softer edge and more waterfalls. Did I mention it inspired JRR Tolkien as he was creating Rivendell, where the elves live?<br />
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EAT: Oberland Hotel Restaurant (Lauterbrunnen) - eat the brosti. <br />
<br />
SEE: Trammelbachfall - a monstrous inside the mountain waterfall, coming straight off a glacier. <br />
<br />
STAY: Mountain Hostel or Esther’s Guesthouse (Gimmewald) - two options for lodging in Gimmewald, a carless agricultural paradise that makes a great base for hiking. Hostel if you’re up for a younger crowd and a good time. Esther’s if you want a mellower environment. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
DO: Any hike you want. </div>
Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-60446790527854046852018-06-17T10:41:00.002-07:002018-06-19T02:28:45.588-07:00POEM: I'm traveling alone, except...I'm traveling alone,<br />
<br />
except for the two Swedes who got lost with me in the woods on our way to a secluded beach tucked between two cliffs in the South of France, whom I drove down the side of a cliff in the middle of the night to get them to their hostel nearly four hours away,<br />
<br />
except for my good friend who showed me Sion, her favorite town in Switzerland, where we hiked to the ruins of a castle and talked about life over pizza and wine,<br />
<br />
except for the mountains and sunshine breaking through the clouds,<br />
<br />
except for the older Russian woman at the bus stop who smiled and said, "See, I travel, you travel. We help each other in space. We are not so different."<br />
<br />
except for the two girls, Spain and Italy, who danced until 3am,<br />
<br />
except for the older man from North Carolina who never traveled abroad in his life and was now eating fish soup with me at the counter on Iceland Independence Day, whose wife and grandson were along for the ride, and the parade was outside, the rock band in the back of the truck, the woman on stilts, the protesters, the jugglers, the children in red capes posing for photos,<br />
<br />
except for Hallgrímskirkja, the towering church in Reykjavik, where I thought of my parents and bought them a gift and heard the church bells ringing across the harbor, back toward where my bag is locked away with too much room for many gifts so I'll hand out pics and words and stories when it's the right time to give of this trip that I've taken all by myself,<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
except, except, except,</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've never traveled alone. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
God.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
He traveled alone </div>
<div>
for a time </div>
<div>
so I wouldn't have to, </div>
<div>
and neither do you.</div>
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Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-74380334917693880762018-06-16T05:39:00.000-07:002018-06-16T05:39:12.846-07:00The Grand Tour, Week One: The South of FranceIt doesn't matter who you are. It matters who you are where you are. - a wise old Italian man.<br />
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I brought three journals with me on the adventure - two for reflection, one for writing. I found this quote while thumbing through the earliest of those journals while drinking coffee after lunch in Antibes, a mid-sized town on La Cote d'Azur. There's nothing to do between 1-2pm. The Picasso Museum is closed noon-2pm (my primary interest), and the morning market shuts down for the afternoon. Only the many cafes surrounding the market buzz with conversation and activity. A group of Brazilian acrobats throws down some amazing tricks, all the more impressive on ancient cobblestone, to muted interest from a lazy lunch crowd drinking their coffee. And I'm reading my journal.<br />
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I've traveled a great deal in my life, starting as a lover of roadtrips to Tennessee in the backseat of a Chevy Caprice Classic, where teen Adam enjoyed the company of a jambox and a Bon Jovi tape to keep him company because his parents simply weren't cutting it. Later I graduated to a trip through New Mexico with my mom, where we endured the spiciest food on Earth and saw marvels of the Southwest. Then on to Japan as a missionary, saying howdy y'all to the students I met at Chiba University, then as a backpacker up Mount Kilimanjaro, a backpacker in Europe, and on and on until now, as a writer on the road in the south of France.<br />
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It doesn't matter who you are. It matters who you are where you are.<br />
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People view vacations as breaks from their regular routine, and maybe even their regular selves. I agree with the former, and have seen people do the latter many times. But what the wise old Italian man said to me many years ago has never fully left me, though I'd forgotten the quote until it came crashing back here today. He was, my note says, a self-proclaimed "tailor to the stars," who split his time between dressing celebrities in Hollywood and sitting peacefully on his town square sipping coffees, which is what I happened to be doing as I revisited his words in my journal. Either way, he was himself in both places, regardless of circumstance. That is a skill, I think, not one that all people value. As a solo traveler, I consider it important because being yourself, whether alone or in company, is a testament to who you are, and, in my case, a testament to the kingdom of the God Whose world this is.<br />
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Alone. I suppose as a Christian I never feel truly alone in the world, even when I am longing for companionship. Regardless, my sense of self isn't contingent on my circumstances. This is a pretty rough draft of all these ideas, but I think there's a connection between this idea and Paul's secret, which he shared in Philippians: <span class="text Phil-4-12" id="en-NIV-29455" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">12 </span>I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29455B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29455B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> whether living in plenty or in want.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29455C" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29455C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Phil-4-13" id="en-NIV-29456" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">13 </span>I can do all this through him who gives me strength.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Anyway, a few thoughts for the morning. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihu9OEKLIzARVXJujvHTmw30BANZudYEuCKiEKv_j1X_czKbTk01bbRpmvTLaoCMn9MVdZZXkUiAzrttKz24TBb7C5UxLXXTKQGwXVm_3uc_IOAZN844NPhyphenhyphenGZaTLT7qPMtjwxVdC3d3F1/s1600/IMG_7423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihu9OEKLIzARVXJujvHTmw30BANZudYEuCKiEKv_j1X_czKbTk01bbRpmvTLaoCMn9MVdZZXkUiAzrttKz24TBb7C5UxLXXTKQGwXVm_3uc_IOAZN844NPhyphenhyphenGZaTLT7qPMtjwxVdC3d3F1/s640/IMG_7423.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sante (to your health) from Monte Carlo! :)</td></tr>
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<br />Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-64607721626757577002018-06-07T13:31:00.002-07:002018-06-07T13:31:53.170-07:00The Grand Tour 2018, Episode One: Points, Pics, and InspirationWhat would happen if I tried to use all of my British Airways points on one trip?<br />
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I asked myself that question around February of this past year while I was on a school snow day in Texas. School cancellation due to snow, in Houston of all places!, tends to beg such questions. After Hurricane Harvey and that bout of cold, my mind returned to a place I'd last seen at the tail end of winter and wanted to see in summer. But first, about the points...</div>
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I'd acquired lo these many miles on my trip to 2013 Europe when I opened a British Airways card. 50,000 miles for opening and 25,000 for spending a certain amount in a month. As I was headed to Switzerland at that time, spending "that certain amount" was not among my problems. I acquired the miles and busied myself with other things, like writing books, selling windows (another story altogether), and coaching.<br />
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And so the British Airways miles sat dormant in my account for a few years until this past February when the question arose. Snow in Houston tends to beg extravagant questions. I began to research and found that my miles would go farther in Europe than they would in the States. Hmmm....</div>
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The answer is, of course, finally here. I've flown halfway around the world to where I now sit - in a serviceable hotel in the south of France. Nice, to be exact, and after Nice, I'll be headed to the Chagall Museum, then a hilltop city, on through Monte Carlo, and finally rent a car for a drive up the coast to see what happens.<br />
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So, expect updates and pictures. Here's a few so far:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmm9sfDtvdLgNStIFGBVLNe391320Zp5Q1zHJ0tGOUoLEsPDxYNKyBzpEbqhtPF2MUgrnu9_Ei3scN2kOT0PG8Kse1v1P5cjOoSEVE-itAM0O6gjthS6zgteQBOn6MzC1suChIF4Wg_0h/s1600/IMG_7546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmm9sfDtvdLgNStIFGBVLNe391320Zp5Q1zHJ0tGOUoLEsPDxYNKyBzpEbqhtPF2MUgrnu9_Ei3scN2kOT0PG8Kse1v1P5cjOoSEVE-itAM0O6gjthS6zgteQBOn6MzC1suChIF4Wg_0h/s320/IMG_7546.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Color is inspiration.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqOX5PPqBa0a3ZjJroc5MoizYVCAJXLv3q1CEQ1xfJRWCqHYrhAkUnNpA2WlXjzt5vgM9uqIvPuJyPTJeQmijiyzMq1z_y5m0NQq3rDnAW-LsD_rLDrnZE4XU0VpEmM7yef5KEsiiDR_X/s1600/IMG_7067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqOX5PPqBa0a3ZjJroc5MoizYVCAJXLv3q1CEQ1xfJRWCqHYrhAkUnNpA2WlXjzt5vgM9uqIvPuJyPTJeQmijiyzMq1z_y5m0NQq3rDnAW-LsD_rLDrnZE4XU0VpEmM7yef5KEsiiDR_X/s320/IMG_7067.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All people's lives, when well lived, end up creating a chapel to the living God. That's what I get from seeing Matisse's Chapel in Vence and Chagall's Biblical paintings and stained glass, here reflecting on a piano.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRl6QZbAXcSo4gV9cNfykajMqRkVTBxJKyIOMrKWWwiiHK2HRlHbRSj1LAtou2PJ5uhN2SybLaSVwNkxSF631EbgCl6SgGAEkL9t0gxHD9BYfJOdztYyY-hWeZgoeuzZTYdmFEKgAfUKVb/s1600/IMG_7277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRl6QZbAXcSo4gV9cNfykajMqRkVTBxJKyIOMrKWWwiiHK2HRlHbRSj1LAtou2PJ5uhN2SybLaSVwNkxSF631EbgCl6SgGAEkL9t0gxHD9BYfJOdztYyY-hWeZgoeuzZTYdmFEKgAfUKVb/s320/IMG_7277.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graffiti and me. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMseDwRDBIDtYrNhyeJF3sZfmHVL1K7cpIKgN6AMaA6m_YYJtGb4Qy9J0p0Wbg51ALqqPw096FzPgUf9trFM2IOxIPIEMo0Jpl2Va9xcWVt1aL1LmbLphlIFvfm0jOwfS9YBi7V8O58PP/s1600/IMG_7152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMseDwRDBIDtYrNhyeJF3sZfmHVL1K7cpIKgN6AMaA6m_YYJtGb4Qy9J0p0Wbg51ALqqPw096FzPgUf9trFM2IOxIPIEMo0Jpl2Va9xcWVt1aL1LmbLphlIFvfm0jOwfS9YBi7V8O58PP/s320/IMG_7152.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who says the French aren't friendly? This is the South of France, and southern hospitality is as real here as in the States. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkAUsrjLhg4NcjlzEKM8W35GQpXuLKrAsvZZSIVEaim0rbZqhSCPzL2_a40nxe6wiQOfw5AcDqAVAJnar1ht0ajPmf7O7bmbMmMc1Jmqpz1BI5G34KaOFt143WJKAbqiboDunUTDYcDT8X/s1600/IMG_7036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkAUsrjLhg4NcjlzEKM8W35GQpXuLKrAsvZZSIVEaim0rbZqhSCPzL2_a40nxe6wiQOfw5AcDqAVAJnar1ht0ajPmf7O7bmbMmMc1Jmqpz1BI5G34KaOFt143WJKAbqiboDunUTDYcDT8X/s320/IMG_7036.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still life with merengue puffs.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTumAvnzLSJGdKHTni1HacuiU7bN74aAs2uzfUDayp0E1SBtvWDzwJaLO4K9OGpNhykIAvWJFOytUCvNHVMnEGhaRr1bjE5RuTdUsdlZ3MRXzeUpAyva1DYlGYzl9j_-Seh4qhlGHto-8/s1600/IMG_7133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTumAvnzLSJGdKHTni1HacuiU7bN74aAs2uzfUDayp0E1SBtvWDzwJaLO4K9OGpNhykIAvWJFOytUCvNHVMnEGhaRr1bjE5RuTdUsdlZ3MRXzeUpAyva1DYlGYzl9j_-Seh4qhlGHto-8/s320/IMG_7133.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cloudy afternoons so far. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ah7gJ-y7gnmHOXJOwVdEdpm5USja09d3O27gZyzsvNqiGLRowzUhd9n93erapW59aN4xlHZzEYsLQWvapcUR5UnFDZlYR5KOoq28KrDlJXYlk0gFvjK51MBOBzcwsHW5F9Pv0ChGtMNV/s1600/IMG_7140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ah7gJ-y7gnmHOXJOwVdEdpm5USja09d3O27gZyzsvNqiGLRowzUhd9n93erapW59aN4xlHZzEYsLQWvapcUR5UnFDZlYR5KOoq28KrDlJXYlk0gFvjK51MBOBzcwsHW5F9Pv0ChGtMNV/s320/IMG_7140.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teenagers don't care. Here, making a splash at the end of the Promenade Anglais.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDj85v89WLyDpkeHgcI_ue4_MqxWzWkEfiVDQJRrLzBu3pLz5pUNoXOGtHd4c9YpttE-sP9SmfMrvZqUn7jN_1YthkMjgp4szMZiwegYKWKmWmiqk8NFliH82IuyKfmBQ5qw-jCa8Kl4z0/s1600/IMG_7149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDj85v89WLyDpkeHgcI_ue4_MqxWzWkEfiVDQJRrLzBu3pLz5pUNoXOGtHd4c9YpttE-sP9SmfMrvZqUn7jN_1YthkMjgp4szMZiwegYKWKmWmiqk8NFliH82IuyKfmBQ5qw-jCa8Kl4z0/s320/IMG_7149.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The right light for a light bite. And a drink. </td></tr>
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Why did you decide to go to the beach halfway around the world? Why not head somewhere nearer to home? </div>
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I've asked myself that question many times, and the answer, in four parts, and in no particular order:</div>
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1. I write fiction while traveling. I mean, in an airplane things come to me. I've already: </div>
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- Planned a novel entitled "Tales from the Disappearing Locker."</div>
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- Written a poem called "Coin Laundry and The Fifth Wonder."</div>
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- Plotted the beginnings of the fourth Tully Harper book. </div>
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2. La Cote d'Azur has long been a haven for writers and artists. The poet Petrarch, impressionists like Picasso and Chagall, and the prodigal expat F. Scott Fitzgerald, writers have mined these blue waters, winding streets, and late-night bars and come away with gold. I enjoy panning in well-established places and returning to see what I find. </div>
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3. It's not as hot as Texas.</div>
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4. Chocolate croissants. </div>
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Why do you travel? What is on your list? What inspired your last adventure? </div>
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I haven't quite managed to use all the points on this trip, but France, Switzerland, and Iceland seemed like enough for one Juneventure.<br />
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Expect more thoughts and pics, and let me know if you want to hear about anything else. I'm open to recommendations and more than willing to give them as well. </div>
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Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-60164182407332083942018-06-01T18:37:00.003-07:002018-06-01T18:37:32.450-07:00Before I leave for my Grand Tour of Europe...You know, the Big One to Europe.<br />
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The DC Writer's Workshops (at Redland Middle School) went really well. There was always this one moment - however long it might or might not last - when all the students, those that loved writing and those that struggled, were writing their own work. And as seems to happen every year, a few of them truly surprise us and surprise themselves. We even had one student, known more for his behavior issues than his passion for academics, who returned for a second round of writing on the second day. Moments like that make it worth the work, and the Redlands staff does that work every day. Props to all of them, especially my friend Chrissy, who brought the entire unit together, and to my cousins Lennie and Paco, two of the best hosts that I know. :)<br />
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Now I'm off to the South of France. I'll blog when I can.<br />
- A<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagzRSl2jU4sgCvi7rAKJvIgldFK_KKJgScacv0YFKk0HSv7y4NG_dJvI-ywT1AZGPxhCKHk8ezWtKiYh22RtU0ZkS4hpbUE9eKIgrra4hndVfZwFZCDiANbLmUGkOg_6kNXJ8VYnAcAdX/s1600/IMG_6876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagzRSl2jU4sgCvi7rAKJvIgldFK_KKJgScacv0YFKk0HSv7y4NG_dJvI-ywT1AZGPxhCKHk8ezWtKiYh22RtU0ZkS4hpbUE9eKIgrra4hndVfZwFZCDiANbLmUGkOg_6kNXJ8VYnAcAdX/s320/IMG_6876.JPG" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memorial Day parade in DC.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRKIYUYcYiDkTErhTA9Nry5fVyMrBxRlvTm7WCM3t3z3NY9m5BjLaVRsW8smQP0aUKrQ80zyPHe6HcD0A-SAb5_QfcFDyLievsquS0KeBkyqLBeluc_ZTL8kWUJj4G0e5BQMMv3GJwhLh/s1600/IMG_6955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="750" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRKIYUYcYiDkTErhTA9Nry5fVyMrBxRlvTm7WCM3t3z3NY9m5BjLaVRsW8smQP0aUKrQ80zyPHe6HcD0A-SAb5_QfcFDyLievsquS0KeBkyqLBeluc_ZTL8kWUJj4G0e5BQMMv3GJwhLh/s320/IMG_6955.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great questions over lunch at Redland!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vsEWaignMCuAazlc2BhEbT9uXBqN__nAakKFm2ikHPL9EkH2wCxjTsQHGJEYxQnLyFCXfk48NhyphenhyphenCJOQj6Q3Qi9MFZP-vx16y6U3p1kzJOrGksgofMKPr_v24ciHwYAdDRxfNfILze0Jt/s1600/IMG_6991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vsEWaignMCuAazlc2BhEbT9uXBqN__nAakKFm2ikHPL9EkH2wCxjTsQHGJEYxQnLyFCXfk48NhyphenhyphenCJOQj6Q3Qi9MFZP-vx16y6U3p1kzJOrGksgofMKPr_v24ciHwYAdDRxfNfILze0Jt/s320/IMG_6991.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now Ive seen 3 of the 4 shuttles in their final resting places. This one, and the following pics, are at the Outstanding flight museum next to Dulles Airport. It's free and more than worth a visit!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB84dkB5bOcxGV4ZdFc24IWh5mTRRvM-tK1v7lKkv_1ecNZG_IuAOraIufDaE9Z4lTkDDC8seXWAwp14khuzhiNPcwSv05hskrNHNmXWr3xEQMe6sOSO8QbYLzWUq_isgy9YS6hbNEx9WV/s1600/IMG_9937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB84dkB5bOcxGV4ZdFc24IWh5mTRRvM-tK1v7lKkv_1ecNZG_IuAOraIufDaE9Z4lTkDDC8seXWAwp14khuzhiNPcwSv05hskrNHNmXWr3xEQMe6sOSO8QbYLzWUq_isgy9YS6hbNEx9WV/s320/IMG_9937.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Capitol from the Museum. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FWps0Jj1P4pqXncAEjMUGUNP_r_no3XC2ovIAYTrnZfSL9Ytzp_IV5c__jLfEQi7Hv2nDNlFpG3SSkrNsnzbkLf4fx1437fEbZj8cy5l6dI4Ib2Gn9g6Bm5EmdnR8I68QUZAZE8X-T6m/s1600/IMG_6908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FWps0Jj1P4pqXncAEjMUGUNP_r_no3XC2ovIAYTrnZfSL9Ytzp_IV5c__jLfEQi7Hv2nDNlFpG3SSkrNsnzbkLf4fx1437fEbZj8cy5l6dI4Ib2Gn9g6Bm5EmdnR8I68QUZAZE8X-T6m/s320/IMG_6908.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wonderful cousin and museum aficionado Lennie.</td></tr>
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<span id="goog_1742462876"></span><span id="goog_1742462877"></span><br />Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-27154907657883545582018-05-25T06:50:00.000-07:002018-05-26T08:45:23.834-07:00JTP (Just the Pics) - Book Launch Edition<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAnyokNvaNCYCybKmqQyWNhw9yw4XFE0nkJcYZQcAWQ9IaU6KRpt72LageB7KLZL6IjeI0SaAmf_iuOAA-arBQuPvyOt3XctzRi3wRPs2JZucijiqyXPXcPKx4p6EJAuJLGT-LJuIfhkx/s1600/IMG_4106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAnyokNvaNCYCybKmqQyWNhw9yw4XFE0nkJcYZQcAWQ9IaU6KRpt72LageB7KLZL6IjeI0SaAmf_iuOAA-arBQuPvyOt3XctzRi3wRPs2JZucijiqyXPXcPKx4p6EJAuJLGT-LJuIfhkx/s640/IMG_4106.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the book launch, with one of the members of Fifth Grade Writing Club. </td></tr>
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You know it's never just the pics, right?</div>
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<a href="http://hyperurl.co/adamauthorsplash" target="_blank">A Cord of Three Strands</a> - we have liftoff! </div>
<br />
There's a blank blog in front of me begging for a few keystrokes, and I need to stay in good practice if I'm going to write this fourth Tully Harper book. I have to "land the plane" on the Tully Harper Series with this fourth book, and that's going to require some momentum, and momentum is the muddled mashing of black MacBook keys. That has become blatantly obvious to me the last few days, as I've tried to wrap up school, schedule an author visit to another school, and...<br />
<br />
...plan my trip to Europe.<br />
<br />
Whoa.<br />
<br />
June sounds like four blog posts and half a book's worth of key mashing right there. Maybe that's what June will be, or maaayyybeee it will be me wandering the streets of Antibes - looking at Picasso and looking for gelato. We shall see.<br />
<br />
At any rate, like I said, just the pics, and a great big thank you to everyone who came to my book launch at Space Center Houston. As only children, Tully and I appreciate your friendship, familyship, or whatever ship you're on with us. :)<br />
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Love and rockets, and finally pics like I promised,<br />
- A<br />
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:)</div>
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Up next...</div>
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Washington DC.</div>
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Then France...</div>
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and beyond!</div>
<br />Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-26399269630896399332018-04-20T12:06:00.002-07:002018-04-25T11:04:41.175-07:00BOOK LAUNCH - YOU'RE INVITED!<span style="font-size: large;">Friends, family, and Tully Harper fans,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Ready for <a href="http://hyperurl.co/adamauthorsplash" target="_blank">A Cord of Three Strands</a> book launch? I hope so! We'll hold it at the Club at <a href="https://spacecenter.org/attractions/mission-mars/" target="_blank">Space Center Houston</a> on Saturday, May 5 (Cinco de Mayo). You'll need to get yourself (and/or friends) on <a href="https://www.paperlesspost.com/flyer/go/w38PL4kSzeAzJZfpzB3w?utm_campaign=flyer_share_dialog&utm_source=clipboard&utm_content=toolbar" target="_blank">the list</a> in order to attend... </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.paperlesspost.com/flyer/go/w38PL4kSzeAzJZfpzB3w?utm_campaign=flyer_share_dialog&utm_source=clipboard&utm_content=toolbar" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="1600" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtneSgPfu6VPgR3LaMqUzg-1dKgm83_SxEKJSpuQP-nIh4rocbQAL9vBQmRkrCPrp1LTSR0571Ft43F_Ev9bnWGOqdVjdvtsAPcAQ6XhlSHAra0DHClvBpQiFjY7LzwSCz8S6Vkxf1p0f/s640/Screen+Shot+2018-04-20+at+1.15.45+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Question: what am I looking forward to?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A. reading a few passages from the book, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">B. explaining why it took me three years to write, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">C. doing a space and Tully Harper trivia contest, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">D. seeing everyone there,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">E. all of the above.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Answer: E.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Hope you got that correct.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">:)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> If you haven't been to SCH recently - or ever - you're going to be impressed with the wonderful exhibits and are welcome to check them out after the book launch. I hope everyone enjoys their weekend and look forward to seeing some of you quite soon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">PS - I'll upload some shots of my recent author visit to Uplift North Hills in the next post. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9HeowVBa9eI_OkYu8eAqgu4C49AMz3kUItTS6ogNxQeW_0NML4ZdUwtfZd5W7HWZMMFHKG36mqB5ZZVYunIzs1IS9cMaevL_XFcIus94sg_LwRTYqpiO6lMnc3GgBN-DTksuXOvtYypag/s1600/IMG_9765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9HeowVBa9eI_OkYu8eAqgu4C49AMz3kUItTS6ogNxQeW_0NML4ZdUwtfZd5W7HWZMMFHKG36mqB5ZZVYunIzs1IS9cMaevL_XFcIus94sg_LwRTYqpiO6lMnc3GgBN-DTksuXOvtYypag/s640/IMG_9765.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Love and rockets,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- A</span>Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-1158835169294994452018-04-15T13:52:00.004-07:002018-04-16T17:27:01.492-07:00What a weekend! #1 in its category!Dear conspirators,<br />
Thank you so much for your enthusiasm for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CF7J9DY" target="_blank">A Cord of Three Strands</a>! THE KINDLE IS NOW AVAILABLE, FREE TO BORROW IF YOU'RE PRIME MEMBER! After a three year wait, and limited advertising, I wasn't expecting this...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsgNsD31Y6dW2WzV8W8dphuvWStBC6H6Sivl6eaokaWpV8K-AsrUZ2_XUc9PvSeBll4lzqNn05e1MgqAozBkIZRiKyzv0HXOqnN3nYQARjHW_-v7UrJQMsRWqDlX7guns7N5Qq5BHrljP/s1600/cord.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="603" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsgNsD31Y6dW2WzV8W8dphuvWStBC6H6Sivl6eaokaWpV8K-AsrUZ2_XUc9PvSeBll4lzqNn05e1MgqAozBkIZRiKyzv0HXOqnN3nYQARjHW_-v7UrJQMsRWqDlX7guns7N5Qq5BHrljP/s640/cord.png" width="640" /></a></div>
#1 in a category on Amazon. Good golly! That's a first for me. I'll give you more updates on the launch party and a few school visits in the next few days, but just wanted to let you know that I'm celebrating a successful release over here. I hope you are, too! Enjoy your weekend.<br />
Yours truly,<br />
- A<br />
PS - I'm speaking at a school in Dallas tomorrow. I've been here all weekend taking trips down memory lane.Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-18551724815714093502018-04-02T14:13:00.001-07:002018-04-04T12:34:47.914-07:00COVER ART AND A SURPRISE!<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #282828; font-family: "Maison Neue Book", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Dear conspirators, blog readers, friends, and perfect strangers,</div>
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Before I say anything else, here's the beautiful cover art for the next Tully Harper novel. What follows is the surprise...</div>
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<a href="http://a.co/9bAUpDu" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="912" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlk2As9LJY3BfnnQbLOuqYcafTwxkhfShLbYn9h1N3BEV0osjXPTzcGoh0ZZrNaf9HwCHEWFB2PEE46XvmSZstp_0ZrNYRS_o5KqaN2dCIaOFbBCqJAOOcbeIwJWdzH3c-31xXmui2Z0B/s640/Screen+Shot+2018-04-02+at+3.58.15+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #282828; font-family: "Maison Neue Book", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #020621; font-family: "maison neue book" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "liberation sans" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">THE BOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE! WOOO!!!! Really? Yes, really. It took three years to write (and rewrite), but it's finally here. My editor and beta readers tell me it's the best of three, and I can't wait to get it into readers' hands.</span></div>
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HELP ME SPREAD THE WORD! - Well, first of all, enjoy the book! But, since you're a blog reader, <b>p</b><b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">lease help Tully reach the right readers right now. As Tully's friend Misty would say, "Go, and do not delay." Here's what you can do: </b><br />
<b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1. </b><a href="http://a.co/9bAUpDu" style="border: 0px; color: #2752ff; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Order books here</b>.</a><br />
2. Write a review. The series needs <b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">recent reviews</b> for all three books, especially from verified purchasers. Why? Because I sell plenty of paperbacks to young readers, but teens don't exactly hop on Amazon to review things like you do. Have you reviewed the books? You don't have to write a novel yourself. :) Just a few stars and "Great series!" are enough to help it move up the Amazon ranking and reach more readers.<br />
3. Share your purchase on FaceBook, Instagram, MySpace, something else. I will announce A Cord of Three Strands officially and begin advertising campaigns this Saturday, so you're the early birds.</div>
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BOOK LAUNCH AT SPACE CENTER HOUSTON - YOU'RE INVITED! Email me at adamholtwrites@gmail.com to get on the invite list. This includes <b>FREE ADMISSION</b> to Space Center Houston. Date TBA, but likely Saturday, May 5 or May 12. I'll read a bit of the book and share some behind the scenes information about the book, as well as what happened since the last release - writing an album, helping out with the Restore Mission Control effort, and the revision week in Las Vegas that helped me put the final touches on this novel. It has been quite a ride, but wait until you see the ride Tully goes on in this book...<br />
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LAST THING - FREE MUSIC! - If you do write a review, email adamholtwrites@gmail.com and I will make sure you get a free download of <i><a href="http://hyperurl.co/3drf4y" target="_blank">Stars and Wonder,</a></i> my debut album. </div>
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Okay, any questions, comments, emojis you want to share? That's it for me. I'm headed to a school visit next week with not one, not two, but THREE TULLY HARPER BOOKS in hand! Can you tell I'm excited about that prospect? PS - After you read <b><a href="http://a.co/9bAUpDu">A Cord of Three Strands</a>, </b>you'll see why I'm writing book four right now...</div>
Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916112412825822855.post-43264276575635250942018-02-01T06:05:00.000-08:002018-02-15T06:43:26.491-08:00An open letter to my as of yet unknown cover artist...<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Dear future cover artist whose name I do not yet know,</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My former cover artist is moving and unavailable for this project, but I'm so glad you are willing to tackle book three. I've put more work into this one than the first two, my editor says it's the best book of the three (yess!), so I want to nail it when it comes to cover art. I decided to make this an open letter than an email because it's a pretty good teaser for what is to come. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwTiyKzXlg0pLAjL1tBWGqWDYSUXtUtqVb_Yvy4c56wP6AibSkp7U4r28PP6VP5fMxoFmfLE3QABcuySQ6Gybo8c9eZIfVldHrXVPpdnsMI_fUP9tUF33ycFLk-ZL3j8iPzKWfVrI51F3/s1600/tully_fbheader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwTiyKzXlg0pLAjL1tBWGqWDYSUXtUtqVb_Yvy4c56wP6AibSkp7U4r28PP6VP5fMxoFmfLE3QABcuySQ6Gybo8c9eZIfVldHrXVPpdnsMI_fUP9tUF33ycFLk-ZL3j8iPzKWfVrI51F3/s640/tully_fbheader.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Refresher #1...</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Here's what I had in mind for book three. (Minor drum roll). </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I want to keep the same color scheme (heavy on pastels), but for this one, I'd like a bit more action and detail. A reminder of where we were the last time we worked together...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmr5rznE5kA5OHBeDNtODCDFaS5TxNs1citeeItcVliD0mLSo9n4QBT6eWAP5S50CCOuG1sXm9CgpdzgVvhjek8yvKOC8gtD7-BiLAWBeHih1WNAOpcnNTbFyc87QJqDvRQjcjrGZ7GsW/s1600/fb-header-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmr5rznE5kA5OHBeDNtODCDFaS5TxNs1citeeItcVliD0mLSo9n4QBT6eWAP5S50CCOuG1sXm9CgpdzgVvhjek8yvKOC8gtD7-BiLAWBeHih1WNAOpcnNTbFyc87QJqDvRQjcjrGZ7GsW/s640/fb-header-1.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Refresher #2...</td></tr>
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Okay, here we go. </div>
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IDEA 1: For the cover image, we have Tully in his jeans and a NASA t-shirt. He's holding Little Bacon, his hand-sized Android with the floppy hat. They are falling through a glowing portal. They are basically skydivers without parachutes. Below them is a giant lily pad. It operates like a floating albeit impoverished city on this moon. Think sealskin tents and lean-to's, not skyscrapers. However, in the distance, in the fog, are the ruins of two large pillars suggestive of the city of Rathmore on The Rathmore Chaos cover. So this is a world whose city has crumbled and <span style="background-color: white;">inhabitants now live on these lily pads. Tully is going to hopefully save them...and save himself from the curse of the Lord Ascendant. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0xa9bC5HAZ05l60yNjjI22kwfJe_-HvZDkKxHNt7US1OBoSkUV68sOKvUDkZFz-axFESpsLgTgyO9u-A0hZXw4nGRbSEJt665Zg_QfOCwzU0BEbqighueXkcxmV-cDaHamIhEOgGtupz/s1600/201533154722133_image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0xa9bC5HAZ05l60yNjjI22kwfJe_-HvZDkKxHNt7US1OBoSkUV68sOKvUDkZFz-axFESpsLgTgyO9u-A0hZXw4nGRbSEJt665Zg_QfOCwzU0BEbqighueXkcxmV-cDaHamIhEOgGtupz/s400/201533154722133_image.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Imagine the lily pad and ocean below, the pillars in the distance. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEluhMRRjFxxpuWT7E1U6Dm2wd1UXIMXnlTKlPL-EQi9ksEQRzuvoUGE0gbz8y8P8FRUIwI7R39xYEQxktZpcwthd3Sel0YDNvqEwqoy3MxBOpDc7yJCxk9VZaCxqV6IAs4CWzyW2c-gN/s1600/falling_backward___sorta_by_manuelpreitano-d6l8nuo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEluhMRRjFxxpuWT7E1U6Dm2wd1UXIMXnlTKlPL-EQi9ksEQRzuvoUGE0gbz8y8P8FRUIwI7R39xYEQxktZpcwthd3Sel0YDNvqEwqoy3MxBOpDc7yJCxk9VZaCxqV6IAs4CWzyW2c-gN/s400/falling_backward___sorta_by_manuelpreitano-d6l8nuo.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
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Some color inspiration. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZmouQ12OutjUG_Ztw7Q0ROwqLFUvwH3Msju5Qac6rM17SzgiQfASfXXjs1OMjgJoUsw0gOetiQ1GK3NGKODlS2eRTSXemtI4oL7HbLhn2B-UgL7JVHZNdHfH_2mXu3YQO9z17HlqLcLH/s1600/14-Floating-City-0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZmouQ12OutjUG_Ztw7Q0ROwqLFUvwH3Msju5Qac6rM17SzgiQfASfXXjs1OMjgJoUsw0gOetiQ1GK3NGKODlS2eRTSXemtI4oL7HbLhn2B-UgL7JVHZNdHfH_2mXu3YQO9z17HlqLcLH/s320/14-Floating-City-0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Color inspiration for the lily pad. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">IDEA 2: We can see the top of a tower. On it is a fiery disk spewing lightning (see eye of Sauron picture). Tully (brown hair) has taken a tall, wispy, beautiful girl by the hand. Her hair is white, clothing is violet-colored. Both of them are diving <u>INTO</u> the disk of fire. Sort of like diving into the eye of Sauron, if you follow me, or like this dude trying to head a soccer ball. We could view them from the back, as with the first two book covers. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_NDWPsc8ZbNujRWvsUcJmaGzIfA_gxo_sd_MXlaV02DyXZbQpoQvOstzuBunGpHuMVHi72P2BbCxGB3U98Gvq4Gx3DMRLTPL0Z-1Mec9FdNcd_Dfhqw_GVtszqTM6mjKRE7S2mmniTy1/s1600/sauron2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_NDWPsc8ZbNujRWvsUcJmaGzIfA_gxo_sd_MXlaV02DyXZbQpoQvOstzuBunGpHuMVHi72P2BbCxGB3U98Gvq4Gx3DMRLTPL0Z-1Mec9FdNcd_Dfhqw_GVtszqTM6mjKRE7S2mmniTy1/s320/sauron2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Imagine two characters diving into this, but need lightning bursting from the edges. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnyoGeXdI5QWh00UpqX_2M7M5vjcacFDVLvvpXMUJzwqb6dVXMno4K4SgJc_nOiPTOdjISjoCDIRP_j4eVfAfBJOjQ1WNhc7tPiK4jasAc9YBA-2wArglPROXvAJ-wK8G_O_hbiZ2unZZ/s1600/maxresdefault-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnyoGeXdI5QWh00UpqX_2M7M5vjcacFDVLvvpXMUJzwqb6dVXMno4K4SgJc_nOiPTOdjISjoCDIRP_j4eVfAfBJOjQ1WNhc7tPiK4jasAc9YBA-2wArglPROXvAJ-wK8G_O_hbiZ2unZZ/s320/maxresdefault-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another perspective. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztqCp_kDImIgpk3-yXHsbFrFayXCziez9hCUjdJSP20E2mZiK_Yk_JFF4liIlp3Sqc7EhZv5dL5vXdc7F4LjpKXnwirwz5ZbFtiIIN56P3__TzjHebZ6Ieb1MrRH8ne5xHZJ1HAyJC5yg/s1600/87phb_Main.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztqCp_kDImIgpk3-yXHsbFrFayXCziez9hCUjdJSP20E2mZiK_Yk_JFF4liIlp3Sqc7EhZv5dL5vXdc7F4LjpKXnwirwz5ZbFtiIIN56P3__TzjHebZ6Ieb1MrRH8ne5xHZJ1HAyJC5yg/s320/87phb_Main.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dude diving with purpose. </td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">IDEA 3: </span><span style="background-color: white;">This combines IDEA 2 with another image. I really like this idea but not sure if we can pull it off or if it's too busy. So the book cover is cut into two diagonal halves. IDEA 2 is the top left half image. The bottom right half is a person diving off a bridge. Specifically, it's the Locks of Love Bridge in Paris, where one of the major turning points in the story occurs. Tabitha loses something vital to defeating the Ascendant on this bridge. The guy who is diving into the water is a thief, and he has that thing. He's wearing an overcoat and black fedora. There are Ascendant warriors standing on the rail of the bridge. They're seven feet tall, wearing tunics, and holding glowing black staffs. From the staffs come purple balls of flames. They're licking at his heels but he's going to make it to the water before being hit. It's winter. He's going to freeze to death in the water unless he's got some magic up his sleeve. He has magic up his sleeve.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXwP6tEwdGjbUx7yAFH4-Qsv6PzdPEdopRdLBgISW0z-2dU8oZ7POWXYJyXY71xXETa38W_grGv1QqhV9VTrA2TqtV5J3M8jq1_5IfeC0FFfo3TwzPJZhyphenhyphengHCnVrZ9nDLk5nsc5SsSrqH/s1600/Love-locks-on-Salzburg-bridge-in-Austria-Love-locks-around-the-world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXwP6tEwdGjbUx7yAFH4-Qsv6PzdPEdopRdLBgISW0z-2dU8oZ7POWXYJyXY71xXETa38W_grGv1QqhV9VTrA2TqtV5J3M8jq1_5IfeC0FFfo3TwzPJZhyphenhyphengHCnVrZ9nDLk5nsc5SsSrqH/s320/Love-locks-on-Salzburg-bridge-in-Austria-Love-locks-around-the-world.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYhM_7bTauGhJOwX0MczM58vjhxTC1GM9xhlJNtJ0_46JpIAvKoGyLVTWKt-JREvywxiEoC5sss7-twZMWrjRrS3yzfz_CLCU9H-K5eSrc0humd1nMQQWgEhPReGXO_wWwaC_WP3aIKaN/s1600/the-love-lock-bridge-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYhM_7bTauGhJOwX0MczM58vjhxTC1GM9xhlJNtJ0_46JpIAvKoGyLVTWKt-JREvywxiEoC5sss7-twZMWrjRrS3yzfz_CLCU9H-K5eSrc0humd1nMQQWgEhPReGXO_wWwaC_WP3aIKaN/s320/the-love-lock-bridge-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZOS5dI_Y2mIs9hDTt8pf90tQSjihKA9dNgon_zoY0zOwNw-k6nQlkv-tYcO109NSreKilzUnzXVUZ1IYqqUpLeKHB2yngX2XD_Lp-TTKmBAHcJWjs8BLOg3WTo_rNzuAO7xNQ9fmJt7Y/s1600/maxresdefault-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZOS5dI_Y2mIs9hDTt8pf90tQSjihKA9dNgon_zoY0zOwNw-k6nQlkv-tYcO109NSreKilzUnzXVUZ1IYqqUpLeKHB2yngX2XD_Lp-TTKmBAHcJWjs8BLOg3WTo_rNzuAO7xNQ9fmJt7Y/s640/maxresdefault-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This might work for perspective. Tully diving into the disk of fire in the top left. Bottom right is the thief diving into the river.</td></tr>
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IDEA 4: Well, let's stop at three. </div>
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Okay, that's what I've got. Hopefully I haven't scared you away from this project quite yet, brave graphic design guru. Let me know what you think, and thank for working with me on this series.</div>
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Love and rockets,</div>
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Adam </div>
Adam Holthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14973458934568085718noreply@blogger.com0