November brings stillness to the lake: tourists are gone and boat traffic is down to the occasional fishing boat. It's a good time to work, and sometimes 'work' entails loosening or emptying the mind, or, what Grace Paley once referred to as 'sitting like a dope in a chair time.'
If it's possible to be outside, that's where I'd rather be. I could sit here:
But I am unable to sit for very long in a chair and do nothing, so my empty-the-head time is down by the water's edge, poking through the rocks, walking the shore.
No matter how many times I walk the same stretch, I always find something new:
That something 'new' might be something very old and much like the 'new' stones uncovered in writing a story. There is this one, that one, and ah, look what's under here. And in that one stone are dozens of new pieces to explore. Sometimes the most challenging part of writing a book is not what to include, but what to leave out. There is so much world out there.
Back up the hill now, mind refreshed. Pause here at the swing:
And now: ready to get on with the story . . .
I love the picture of the swing! The lake seem so perfect!
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking me along on your stroll! Now I feel refreshed.
ReplyDeleteWell put...Don't you love the lake when it looks like a mirror? I used to love the fall when the dock was taken in...the boats were pulled out, and it was just plain peaceful. You have some great options.
ReplyDeleteahhh, incredible landscape! Lucky girl! :)
ReplyDeleteLooks peaceful and refreshing. We did have snow here in Snohomish for a few hours. I enjoyed watching, but now back to work :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wise writer you are.
ReplyDeletePromenade enrichissante !
ReplyDeleteDrive rewarding!
That shot of the blue lake, deck chair and stone deck? WONDERFUL! I love it. I bet you can clear the mind, to a degree, here.
ReplyDeleteYou said storm to the east and I thought, "Ah, so it's raining in San Bernardino, too."
ReplyDeleteI am a major admirer and consumer of children's literature. The most difficult thing to write, I think. I think I cannot write it. But I've read the best, over and over. Will get one of your books.
Oh, how I would love to take a ride on that swing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the walk and the talk. So, the writing is good!
ReplyDeleteBut now it snows. Still, you can walk some, I'd guess.
But you can keep the snow. It is pretty, I'll admit...but...
I played golf this morning on beautiful green fairways with a light breeze and bright sun. I prefer that to snow. :-)
Beautiful composition with a very suggestive frame and different lights
ReplyDelete