(Chap)Book Heaven

I received a fantastic collection of (chap)books in yesterday's mail. Many thanks to Ethel Rohan. She hosted a giveaway over at her blog, and I won! I'm super excited to read these:

Ethel Rohan, Cut Through the Bone
William Walsh, Pathologies
Claudia Smith, Put Your Head In My Lap
Matthew Salesses, Our Island of Epidemics
Sean Lovelace, How Some People Like Their Eggs
Rusty Barnes, Breaking it Down
xTx, He Is Talking to the Fat Lady
Molly Gaudry, We Take Me Apart
Peter Schwartz, Old Men, Girls, and Monsters
Issue 2 of Sententia

I don't expect I'll get much writing done in the next little while as I'll have my nose buried in these books. But that's okay. Curling up with a great read (or 10!) is a soul-satisfying way to wile away the snowy days.

Ethel: thank you, thank you.

Star Trails

Here's my 1st attempt at star trails. I realize some folks look at these with a yawn, but I'm simply fascinated with the idea of capturing stars (and the movement of them!) with a camera. There is so much to learn and the conditions have to be just right... I tried on 3 different nights during a recent trip to Florida. I thought: Florida? Warm! Not so. The 1st night it was 32 degrees... my ankle-length pants and sweatshirt weren't nearly warm enough. By the 3rd night of staying up late (airplane traffic dies down considerably after 11 p.m.), I was practicing sleeping while standing up. I know there are lots of things to be improved for my next try, but I'm pleased nonetheless.