Out about twenty-five miles and viewing Topsail. Working on a scene in THE TOWER where the characters are far out in the ocean fishing. Nothing like the real thing for inspiration.

Writing demands examining yourself, so in writing I find humility--.

Got on the beach early this morning--the moon was still high in the sky--cool and crisp. It reminded me of how, when I was a kid, I used to spend the night fishing on Barnacle Bill's Fishing Pier. That was pretty cool that my daddy let me do that when I was nine or ten, but he did. You know, when you're a kid staying up all night long is a big deal--watching the sun peak from behind the clouds, watching the colors change and expand, then diminish, that's a big deal too--it still is.

quote: The most important things are the hardest things to say.They are the things you get ashamed of because the words diminish your feelings-words shrink things that seem timeless when they are in your head to no more than living size when they are brought out--Stephen King.

Aw, ain't he perdy? Ain't he beautiful--this lovely lionfish, a native of the Indo Pacific region. Poop on perdy! The last few decades this invader has been terrorizing the southeastern seaboard, causing the extinction of many native plants and animals. He feeds on small crustaceans, you know, SHRIMP, and other small critters like baby snapper and grouper. In short, the lionfish is causing real harm to our area--the fishing industry--as if we didn't have enough threat from other sources. (You know who I'm talking about)
He came to us courtesy of the home aquarium-owners dumped them in the sea. (Thank you lazy aquarium owner.)

Now here is a solution or at least an earnest effort at getting rid of the lionfish--eat them! Ask fish markets to carry them. From what I hear, they are delicious. Go fishing!  But be careful when you take them off the hook, those beautiful spines will zap the crap out of you. 

     Quote of the day: The only good lionfish is the one on my plate-me.

Writing tip: Make sure the information you gather on a subject is correct. And this is! 

I wasn't going to walk on the beach this morning, but something said I miss you. Ha, I thought. Where were you when I needed you. Then I heard, my dear, you just weren't listening.

quote:You are as beloved of the universe. You are as beautiful as the sunrise and as ancient as the stars. You are a spark of divine love. Through you goodness and light flow into this universe.

old photo of me. 1966. Ah Hah! The past was good--remembering it is even better 'cause the yucky stuff seems to have faded away. Now--the present, that is the thing! Living today and still have that optimistic outlook-damn life is good! Ran across  a superb quote from none other than my favorite author, John Steinbeck. He never fails to come to the rescue when my mind is dull and woeful. It is soooo appropriate--so true for those of us who write: Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and soon you have a dozen.  And some very good advice from Mr. Steinbeck: If a scene or a section gets the better of you and you still think you want it--by pass it and go on. When you finish the whole you can come back to it and then you may find that the reason it gave trouble is because it didn't belong there. (this happens to me all the time)

Well--do you think it's grown enough? Enough change? Remember when it looked like this? Crossing our little swing bridge--hearing the ka thump, ka thump, ka thump? I'm constantly reminded of the way things used to be--it was the best, it was simple and life was oh so sweet and good. Yeah!!
Now a bigger and more modern bridge is under construction and it saddens me, so I thought about it--always thinking about this impending change--and so I searched for things to explain change--words to comfort me. Those of us who love things the way they are, are wary of the future, the changes to not only our way of life, but the erasing of our ideal past. That's it-this new thing is like an assault on the familiar, on simple living. But no amount of foot stomping or shaking our fist at the sky is going to stop it. The change gods have spoken.
 I found some quotes--thought I'd share them--maybe they'll add some comfort or make you think about all this stuff that we can't stop.

Metanoia- the journey of changing one's mind, heart, self, or way of life.

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new-Socrates

Life is about trusting your feelings, taking chances, finding happiness, learning from the past, and realizing everything changes-anonymous

You change you life by changing your heart-Max Lucado

She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way she adjusted her sails-anonymous

One of the happiest moments in life is when you find the courage to let go of what you can't change-anonymous

Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable and remove yourself from the unacceptable-Denis Waitley

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance-Alan N. Watts

I hope that in this new year to come you make mistakes, because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, living, learning, pushing yourself, changing your world. You are doing something-Neil Gaiman

Always go with the choice that scares you the most, because that's the one that is going to help you grow-Caroline Myss

It's funny because we ask God to help us change our situation, not knowing that he put us in the situation to change us-anonymous

QUOTE: These are the days of the endless summer, these are the days, the time is now. There is no past, there's only future. There's only here, there's only now-Van Morrison

Writing tip--don't become a writer, your heart will break..

QUOTE: To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong-Joseph Chilton Pearce.

Writing tip-as so many of the admired writers have said--start with one true thing when you write. The rest will follow.

I think this is true for just about everything in life.