There now, there’s nothing so odd about carrying a large mammalian skeleton through the nice residential part of town. Not until a car comes in the opposite direction, that is. “Hey Roy, who’s the girl with the dead animal. D’ya know?”
When I decided to thumb through Ireland, I got busy putting all the fear-laced warnings about hitch-hiking out of my head. I hadn’t contemplated the also-fearful-and-more-likely reality that I’d be expected to converse with perfect strangers for hours.
I’m screaming around the circular airport drive to find a spot to get rid of this car. I’m almost back to the first building. I’ll just follow this guy into the employee parking lot. I make it on his card swipe. I lead a charmed life.
Actually, we didn’t do so badly between his few phrases of English, occasional bits of German and much hand-waving. The will to communicate is everything and Hungarians have plenty of that.
“It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.” John Adams, in a letter to Abigail, July 3, 1776. John Adams was off by two days—he thought the holiday ought to [...]
I hadn’t checked into a hotel with a man other than my ex in over 20 years. The atmosphere was so charged I could barely sign. There was a king sized bed, a hot tub, and the two of us for hours and hours. Just after midnight we finally dragged ourselves out of bed and down to the beach. I’d heard something about the Leonid meteor shower.
To the Trees Geography offered me five choices. I picked canopy. Apples, dust and guano challenged my arrival, but skin leathered and I rose. I passed familiar robins and crows. Shy new neighbors hopped away, surprised to see skin.It’s such a loud neighborhood, especially in the mornings. As dirt caked, broke and caked again, I [...]
Vacation…. It’s a word full of expectations, delights, new experiences, satisfaction, planning, speed, languor, surprise, discovery, disappointment, and yes, even stress. I’ll be performing this as part of Big Words, for a September debut.
I love cities–the story of their growth, the declines I remember, and now they’re back again, shining and beautiful–almost too beautiful. But still, it’s good to have them back and appreciated. From Big Words