Hurricane Donna Sept. 12, 1960 --winds at 100 mph. Only a cat 2 but a strong cat 2.  The fishing piers got blasted then, winds came and knocked the center or ends of most off the 8 piers that were on the island at the time.

QUOTE: When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm is all about--Haruki Murakami

WRITING TIP: The storm inside you  needs to be on paper.

I've never professed to be a painter-an artist in that medium-but as I stared at the plain blank walls of my abode i was compelled to do this. Hope you enjoy - would welcome any criticism--she can always be improved. A name? any suggestions there?

We all have stories. Stories happen to us all the time. Someone asked me the other day if one of my characters was a particular person. Of course, my characters are composites of the people whom I have met, those who have impressed upon me their lives, loves--their character. I'm sure I'm a character in someone else's story. I hope I'm a kind, pleasant one. Thank you to those interesting people who have come into my story.

QUOTE: "I had as yet no notion that life every now and then becomes literature"-Norman McLean (A River Runs Through It)

WRITING TIP: If you truly love writing, nothing or no one can ever stop you.

                                                                In the broad and silky morn
                                             
QUOTE AND TIP: A writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world, And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true--John Steinbeck

Oh, don't we look so excited (really?) geez--why didn't we smile more back in the day?

QUOTE: How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were? - Satchel Paige

WRITING TIP: When I write about youth, from a youthful perspective, I remember how I felt--all the insecurities, the doubts. Time or fashion does not change those things.

                LIFE STINKS
Out and about today, checking out the water--the sound. Geez, it was mighty peaceful--t'was nice.
Low tide comes along slowly, so does the smell that comes with it. Low tide is all about life; its beginning and ending. You can see it. Hermit crabs are out, fiddler crabs are scuttling along the marsh searching for food. Little fish are making sure they don't get stranded in the mud.
So much life comes from the sound where bigger fish come to spawn, shrimp are doing it too, other shell fish, all sorts of sea life (including sharks and rays) come to the sound where there's food and safety.
All that life is another world and it has a particular smell. I liken it to collards cooking or when I was a kid and would pull the covers over my head and let one rip.  Anyway, I've come to love that smell--it's life.

QUOTE: There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle-Albert Einstein
QUOTE: Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing-Camille Pissarro

WRITING TIP: stay amazed at what you are capable of.

     Before 6 this morning; it was so beautiful I had to take the shot, but then two seconds later the sun breached a bulkhead of clouds and it was even more beautiful--seconds later, even more...it just doesn't stop.
     Along the shore of my church, I contemplate a scene in a fiction I'm working on. Paula is tall (for a woman) lanky, almost boyish, with a shock of mousy brown too curly hair. Her heart belongs to the ocean and to a man who holds everything that love is supposed to be. Her trust in him is palpable. And he loves her heart, her goodness and how easy she is to manipulate. He will break her heart. He will destroy that which made her believe in dreams, and the hurting...it just doesn't stop.

Quote: I wake up in the morning and my mind starts making sentences, and I have to get rid of them fast--talk them or write them down-Ernest Hemingway

Writing tip: God made post-it-notes for a reason. Write down everything. If you are afraid of what others may think of what you write, then you shouldn't be a writer.
   
   

                                                                  Early morning beautiful.

QUOTE: Go outside amidst the simple beauty of nature and know that as long as places like this exist, there will be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be--Anne Frank

WRITING TIP: keep it cohesive, keep it simple.

A short while back I mentioned that I was writing an article about Monty Brigman for Livin' Out Loud magazine--well, here's Monty and his lovely wife Pansy many years ago. The photo below is Monty now. Monty fought in World War II. He was kind enough to sit down with me for an hour or so and tell me about those years of war. You can find the article on Monty in the above mention magazine; it is on line and copies can be found at the Sneads Ferry library, the Hampstead library, lots of doctor's offices and many shops in Surf City. Hope you enjoy the read.

What a fantastic 4th of July. Shrimp on the barbee, burgers and good friends. It was a quiet night---huh? watched everything from afar--from the dock--must have been seven shows going on from Hampstead to Holly Ridge--we saw so much from a distance.

QUOTE: Everything wasn't meant to be chased. Certain things were made to be admired from afar.

WRITING TIP: stand back and observe your characters.