Keeler, CA

Here are a couple of pictures from my recent adventure through Death Valley. These shots were taken in Keeler, CA, in between Lone Pine, CA and Death Valley. Population in Keeler is 50. No kidding. It's semi-abandoned with things left to die where they sit. We found an old International truck (pink, no less) with 4 rotted tires and the keys rusted in the ignition.

The light was fantastic. And I LOVED the colors on display in this almost forgotten place. Simply gorgeous.






Sierra Nevada Mountains in the background





A lone lamp over a cracked, grass-covered inground pool




Gas at .48 per gallon! Almost 40 years ago...

Night Sky

I'm back from my fabulous trip to Lone Pine, CA via Death Valley. It was so awesomely wonderful that I'm not sure I can find the right adjectives... the scenery in Death Valley was beyond anything I had imagined. The terrain and geological makeup changed every 15 miles or so, and at times it looked like I was on a different planet - truly spectacular and jaw-dropping.

Getting up for sunrise photos and then staying out at night for hours on end in the cold makes for an exhausting experience - exhilarating but exhausting. I took the red eye home from Las Vegas (arrived in Milwaukee at 5:15 a.m.) - it was brutal and exacerbated the whole sleep deprivation situation. Slept 14 hours Wednesday night, 12 hours Thursday night. I'm hoping that a nap today will get me all caught up.

I haven't yet had the time to examine the photos I took (over 1000 of them!) and will post some eventually. But, in the mean time, here's a shot I took one night in Death Valley. I was able to stand in the middle of the road because we didn't see a single car during the entire 6 hours we were out there! On the left side of the picture you can detect the beginnings of star trails. I was actually going for a still shot (read: no star trails), and the exposure seems correct for this for the stars in the right half of the shot, anyway, as they appear as distinct points. But the stars on the left are closer to true north and so, as they move (or, more accurately, as the earth rotates), the trails they leave are much closer together, more concentric.


Scotty's Castle Road, just south
of Mesquite Spring.

Musings

I saw a quote last week and really liked it: The earth without art is just eh.

The last few weeks have been crazy busy and extraordinarily stressful. Normally as I go through the busyness of living -- work, grocery shopping, vacuuming, paying bills -- I have characters and plot points playing in the background of my mind. I've come to realize that this background symphony is what keeps me tethered to the world; it's what allows me to get through the daily minutia, it's the light that beckons when the stress threatens to overwhelm me. But, as I discovered, this light can grow dim. When this happens, the world, for me, becomes quiet, muted, dull. The magic disappears. I know that my detail oriented tendencies exacerbated the level of stress I experienced over the past few weeks: I find it hard to let go. But this same tenacity is what keeps me drawn to the magic of creating characters and plots, of creating my own art.

And speaking of creating art: I'm headed next week to a star trails workshop in California. What are star trails, you ask? They are the captured movement of the stars in the night sky. And they're captured by leaving a camera's shutter open for long periods of time away from all ambient light. I'm making my way to Lone Pine, CA by way of Death Valley. I'm really jazzed about the trip - the scenery in Death Valley is breathtaking and I hope to come back with the best pictures of my life. The caveat, of course, is that I'm still a novice in the picture-taking department, but I'll be with my sister-in-law who's just awesomely talented. I got my first in-depth, on-the-fly, deep in the trenches training with her during our trip to Ireland last year. She's amazingly patient and enthusiastic.

Find your art -- create it, live it.

Great read:

I've just finished Clifford Garstang's In an Uncharted Country and very much enjoyed it. This is a collection of short stories, filled with warm, honest characters, some of whom make repeat appearances. I took my time with it, reading one story at a time, then setting it aside for a day or a week in order to allow the story/characters time to sit with me. I found that each story was like a small universe unto itself, full of rich details and tremendous depth.

If you haven't already read this collection, put it on your to-read list.

Balloon Festival

I went to my first hot air balloon festival back in July, held in Waterford, WI. It was an awesome sight! They were supposedly offering tethered rides, and I wanted to try it, but I couldn't find the spot to sign up. Probably just as well as I'm sure I would've been after the guy at the controls, begging him to hold the balloon still for just a second so I could catch that shot and that shot and...

Here are some pictures I managed to snatch from the ground:

Great read:

I've just finished reading Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife, and it was amazing and brilliant and poignant and deliciously creative. All of these! I couldn't put it down and, in fact, stayed up until 2 a.m. last night reading, finishing it. Of course, I'm moving slow today, but it was worth it.

My one small caveat to this is that somewhere just shy of the middle, I *did* put it down and even made the comment that it was dragging for me. A friend and my daughter both gave me a strange look and encouraged me to keep at it. Now I know why. Looking back, I think that although there was a point where I was anxious for the story to "get on with it," this slow, purposeful back and forth was necessary; the intent was to lay the foundation.

As a reader: I was engaged with the characters; I enjoyed watching them grow and respond to life. I found the idea of time traveling mesmerizing - the mechanics of it, the possibilities, the ramifications - and how it physically affected Henry. I thought the way the plot unfolded was masterful. That whole business with Henry's feet was terrifically well done - I actually couldn't believe it and had to go back and read it again.

As a writer: I thought the way the timeline revealed itself, the back and forth, the way each trip -- a jump forward or backward -- built meaning was a very impressive feat. I can't imagine how one even begins to build a world like that, how you keep it all straight -- in one's head, on paper, on a chalkboard -- so that it flows seamlessly, with intent. Incredibly amazing.

This deserves a spot on your to-read list.

Mondays

As Mondays go, this was just like any other. Except for the sublime weather. Oh, and the email I received from a woman who wanted me to know that she was using a story of mine as a teaching tool for her students! How cool is that? She uses my story "Pretending" in order to teach her 10th grade English Lit students about flash fiction.

I'm flattered and humbled. I'm also sporting a pleased-as-punch grin.

My story Pretending appeared in the 2009 Summer Issue of Staccato Fiction.

Happy Monday.