Mid November

Well, it's really been quite a month so far. First of all, I have four MSN email addresses and one by one, they all locked up. It's fun. I can read that people have sent me email but I can't open any of them. I can't get to my address book either. So I've been searching my memory for email addresses and going through drawers trying to find printed out emails. I've also started a number of email addresses at various sites, hoping that not all of them will crash at one time.

I've tried different computers at different locations to open the email. That didn't work. I've tried unplugging the computer. Hitting the CPU. Except for the fact that I know it is not this computer, I'd throw it out.

The fun part of the month so far was the Kentucky Book Fair. Lots of authors. Lots of patrons. We had great fun meeting friends from other book fairs and meeting new authors whom I am sure we will see again. We met lots of great folks and had a chance to talk to them about our books and many of them bought. Which was very exciting for us.

But live doesn't slow down just because the book fair season ends. In the two days that we have been home, I've been to a baby shower and thrown a party for our new neighbors. All my girl friends brought food and none of them took any home so I figure I don't need to cook for about a week. And we have lots of desserts!!

Book Fairs

Well, we spent most of the month of October running around Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, selling our books. It was beautiful weather and the fall colors in the mountains were just spectacular. We were really pleased with the sales but came home exhausted, swearing that we'd never go for more than four days again.

Since I haven't figured out how to post photos on the blog yet, please visit www.krazyduck.com to see them.

Anyway, we started out local, in Knifley, KY, which is only about a 20 minute drive from home. It was a day long event at the Janice Holt Giles home -- a combined book fair and arts and craft fair. The booksellers were inside the house which was probably better than being outside as the day started off quite cool and ended up quite hot. One lady selling earrings was sitting holding an umbrella to keep the sun off. We met up with Russ's friend, Mike. They had met at the Danville Bookfair in March. And we had some nice conversations with the Bardstown Booksellers who were in the same room. They were doing appraisals which was fun to watch and listen to. And they had been on Antique Roadshow in Louisville so it was fun to hear all the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes into that show.

Our long road trip took us to Pikeville, Kentucky, for a day. Then it was on to Lewisburg, West Virginia, for two events in one day. And then on to Clifton Forge, Virginia, for a day, and then on to Waynesboro, Virginia, for the Book Em event. Book Em foundation helps to prevent illiteracy by sponsoring a book fair. 40% of all sales goes to the foundation. Then it was back to Clifton Forge for a couple of days that included three events.

The highlight of the trip for me was Nancy. She drove about 45 miles to show me an original copy of a November, 1917, edition of The Stars and Stripes. Her father had fought in the First World War and been wounded. His wounds were so severe that he was put aside with the other men that the medics thought would die before they could be operated on. The next morning as they were moving the dead bodies they found Nancy's father alive! He was treated and received medals for his wounds. The family, however, was told he had died so they were shocked when months later he appeared at the door.

We were home for a week and then it was off to Western Kentucky, Sturgis to be exact, for their bookfair. That was lots of fun because we met up with three couples that we knew from prior bookfairs so there was lots of catching up to do.

Next weekend we are off to the Kentucky Book Fair in Frankfort and then the bookfair season ends until spring.

It will be nice to slow down and catch up. But tonight it's off to a Halloween party -- delayed because we weren't home last weekend.

So busy

We have been so busy, I can't quite believe it. We went to the Decatur Book Fair in Georgia the first weekend of this month and did quite well, plus had some great meals. Shortly after we got home, one of our riding horses started to founder. So after treating him and getting him right, we've been doing as much riding as possible so that we "ride the weight" off the trail horses. That was going great until the heat blazed back this past weekend. Now the horses want to come in the airconditioned house instead of being ridden!

Spunky had a fight with a woodchuck and ultimately won but in the process he received a couple of bites. One on his leg didn't heal quite right so we finally took him to the vet -- who said it was healing fine but Spunky had pancreatitis. So we've been treating him for that and watching his diet. No more dead deer for him!

And, of course, that's a problem because it's so dry the creeks are drying up. The deer are drinking from stagnate pools and getting blue tongue disease from which they die in 72 hours. We are hoping for some rain this week which might ease the problem.

Sweet Pea has been wonderful with Spunky since he's been sick. He has to walk on a leash and not be let loose. So whenever he is tied up, Sweet Pea sits down right next to him and keeps him company. A neighbor's dog showed up to play with Spunky, who just didn't feel up to it. Sweet Pea barked and growled and finally jumped on the dog to get it to leave Spunky alone. Quite the mother dog.

Please visit www.krazyduck.com to see all the places we will be in October. It's almost mind boggling.

Hello again - sort of

Hi!

Russ is into so many things that I was having a very hard time getting him to write something for his blog. Ok, so it would have been easier if he were willing to us my computer but after AOL kicked him off for trying to send 684 bulk mailings (he swears he didn't), he hasn't touched this computer since.

So I have decided instead of nagging, I am just going to start blogging.

I have no plan in mind. Not idea of what I'll write about any given time. Or whether it is even worth it. But, let's see.

The summer was hot, humid and busy. Grandchildren visited in July with their parents. Then in August we had grandson, Mikey, for over two weeks. He had lots of fun in the creeks and swimming and learning to shoot and he even got a chance to go hunting with Papa Russ. We also made some day trips; one to the Frazier Museum and one to Kentucky Down Under where he got to pet a kangaroo and bottle feed a lamb.

Labor Day weekend saw us in Decatur, Georgia, for a book fair. Traffic was unbelievable. But then coming from here where a log truck or a truck with a trailer full of hay, is traffic, what did I expect? We had lots of fun and sold enough books to cover the cost of the booth and then some.

October is full of book fairs -- one almost every weekend.

Over the course of the next week or so I am going to try to figure out how to post photos to this blog. And I'll figure out more to say.

See ya. Virginia

We are off to Portovenere (Port of Venus) which is on the western Italian coast. This is often referred to as Cinque Terre and for those non-Italians, it is pronounced CHIN KA TERRA. The shoreline is known as Riviera del Levante, or the Resort of the Rising Sun. This is the isolated and rugged part of the coast line.

The most remarkable thing about Portevenere is the first appearance as you come into the bay area. The houses are actually a wall, standing next to one another and colored with dull yellows and reds, light and dark grays. Because such coastal villages were the target of pirates and plunderers, the inhabitants decided to build their homes in the form of a wall. Rather than walling the town as many other areas did, they built their homes, one right next to another and high enough to form a wall. Behind the first row, the land climbs into a second tear and hence into another wall of homes.

When one thinks of the Riviera, he probably thinks of sandy beaches and modern cities. That is partly true of the French Riviera which does front on a modern city; although the beaches are not sand, they are rock and the attraction is not the water but the warm weather where people from the cold north of Europe can escape. And it is partly true of the Italian Riviera, but there is also a rugged coastline that spans eleven miles of sheer rock and cliffs so steep that only the hardiest can work them.

Into these sheer cliffs the villagers have terraced vineyards and olive trees. In some sections a person may purchase a small parcel of this land provided she agrees to keep it ecologically sound and works to keep it that way.

Yes, there are tourists who visit there. A lot of boats pull into these remote villages. But the character of the village does not change. There is a subtle dignity and individuality to each village. The villagers go about their normal day as if the tourist does not exist. They meet your eyes with a quiet confidence that tells you they are the inhabitant and you are the stranger. The merchants do not hawk their wares but permit you time to view and decide. And if you pass without purchasing, they do not say, “Have a nice day.” They simply go about their business as if you had never been there in the first place. Oh, but it’s hard to pass up the goods and the bargains.

It is sad to be there and not know the language for I am certain these people all have tales to tell and I am equally certain that at night, they sit around their fires, sipping a glass of wine and speaking of the funny looking tourists they saw that day. But when one is in a nation where he does not speak or understand the language, only then do we understand that the mind communicates by thought and not by word, and there are always ways to communicate the thought. Most of the menus were in Italian and English but even if they had not been, one would not starve. Sometimes mere eye contact was enough to affirm that a friendship can be struck even without knowing the language.

The modern names suggest that the area was settled by the Romans and indeed there is evidence of Roman engineering. The harbors are well sheltered and well maintained; otherwise, tourist boats could not get there. Once the boat (ship) has deposited its guests, it leaves the harbor and anchors outside. Once headed back to Portovenere, white wine is passed around to the passengers along with focaccia (a kind of bread) and cheese from the local areas just visited. Focaccia has a delicious texture, the softness of a bun, the sweetness of pastry, not really bread, not really cake, but a perfect blend of both.

I wish we had more time to spend in each village. Next blog I’ll write about the two villages we did visit.

Seabourn Crew Members

Before I go on about our trip, let me at least speak of some of the crew members we met on shipboard. I don't know how they manage to select these fine young people, but they are from all over the world. Gael from France had one of the funniest senses of humor I have ever encountered. He would make a seemingly sarcastic remark with a completely deadpan face but he had a sharp wit. Just a loveable guy. He insisted on reading my book Tears and Tales so we mailed him a copy. He likes to go home and sleep late, except his mother keeps waking him up and telling him to do something useful. All these kids work twelve hour shifts for three to eight months at a time.

Then there was Kevin who we saw most nights at dinner. From South Africa, his father is a doctor practicing in England, his brother is a dentist practicing in Ireland, his mother lives in South Africe at the main dwelling and his girlfriend was waiting until his eight month tour was over so they could get married. It's not often one gets an invitation to South Africa. We may just take him up on it.

Kevin was on the taller side, usually wore a vest and did a little two step dance somewhat reminiscent of Groucho Marx. But a kinder person one never meets. When we had 12 foot seas and Virginia suffered mal de mer (sea sickness for those who do not speak French), Kevin insisted on bringing her some ginger. Ginger is an old remedy for an upset stomach. Now, he didn't send it down with one of the staff. He brought it down himself to our suite to see how she was doing.

We never finished a meal and left the Veranda restaurant without him giving Virginia a warm hug and me a hearty handshake or arm around the shoulder. It was a sad day when we had our last meal there. Kevin seemed to hang around through most of our meal. At times he seemed afraid to make eye contact. I think if he had, we all would have cried.

Then there was Mihai from Romania whose wife was also on board. The company allows them to work the same ship and to room together. They also get perks if patrons write about them and compliment their handling. Now Mihai and I met on the first cruise when he kept accidentally bumping into me. I may have said this before but I'll repeat it.

As he passed the last time, I looked up at him and said: "You don't want to break your record now, Mihai. You haven't missed me yet." I guess he felt comfortable with us on the second cruise because he smiled at me and said: "I don't bump into you deliberately. I bump into you because I don't like you." And with that, he gave me a smile and Romanian bear hug. On the day we left he came up from his post downstairs to wish us well and to say goodbye. I never saw a more sad face and yet we've known him only a short time. I guess if I had been looking in a mirror, my own face would not have been so happy either.

Mihai wasn't the only one from Romania. Carmen was also from there and I kept thinking she was Cuban or Spanish because she had a cream-colored complexion, chunky features and long, brown hair. Turns out she is from Romania and told me something I did not know -- Romania is a Latin country and not Slavic as I always believed. They have many words similar to Spanish.

Be that as it may, Carmen made absolutely sure we had everything at our meals that we wanted. If they dind't have it one day, she made sure they had it the next.

We met so many friends on board it would be hard to define them all. I did write to the company and compliment each and every one and, if we take another cruise, it will be because of these wonderful kids who work endless hours to make the passengers comfortable.

Someone very special to me was a six-foot-eleven inch German lad named Gunnar. He was the wine captain. When Virginia asked for Frangelica, he said they did not carry it on board. But the next day he had six bottles brought in from the mainland. (Virginia did not drink all six!) He knew I was a brandy drinker so after each meal, he raced down two flights of stairs to the main bar and came back with one brandy and one Frangelica.

The night we had the rough seas it was positively amazing to see him maneuver that super tall frame of his as dishes and settings were crashing to the floor. At one point the ship listd so badly, my chair slid four feet to my left, leaving my food on the table (the tables are fixed to the floor) and me sitting out there in space. But the next thing I knew, Gunnar was pushing me and my chair back to the table so I could continue eating.

We had twelve foot waves that night crossing the Mediterranean and there were only three diners in the Veranda. I still do not know how I didn't get sick. Too scared holding onto my food, I guess. At one point things got so bad, Gunnar actually stood behind me and held my chair in place. There is nothing funnier than the smile on his face when I would say: Gunnar, schnell, schnell mit der brandy.

He asked me if I spoke some German. I told him that any German I spoke would get me in trouble, either with the authorities or my wife. Just to make him laugh, I recited the only German I had ever learned which came from an Army guy who had served in Germany. In short, the phrase said that sleeping with a woman was very, very good, but sleeping with the burgomaster, al es kaput. (all is finished.) I never saw a guy laugh so hard in my life. I think it was my German pronunciation.

I have to say that when God made nice people he put an awful lot of them on Seabourn and we were fortunate to have them and to meet them. They will always be in our hearts, our prayers and our thoughts.

Yippee

This week has been an active one. I received notification that my true short story A Heart Betrayed had been picked as a finalist in the Reader Views Literary Contest for stories about transformation. The story will be published in Loving Healing Press.

Today I just received word that Tears and Tales: Stories of Animal and Human Rescue is a semi-finalist in the 2006 Reader Views Literary Awards. The finalists will be announced in early April. If you visit http://www.insidescooplive.com you can look for and listen to my Internet radio interview.

To top everything off, I have placed Tears and Tales at the Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center gift shop where the four original copies sold out in five days. Their second order was for six books. And Bluegrass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, contacted me. They want to place autographed copies of Tears and Tales in the airport gift shop AND in the bookstore upstairs. The manager thinks the book will be popular because most of the flights out of the airport are commuter flights and people are looking for short books or books of short stories.

Yippee!!!!!