Have you ever read a Jane Austen book, or seen one in a movie? I’ve loved her novels forever, but I never wondered about Jane. Not until I started reading a series of books by Beth Pattillo. That’s when I looked her up on the internet. Part 1 – Four Portraits: The first Jane is the only portrait of her in existence. Her sister Cassandra started it sometime around 1810, but she never finished it. She used pencil and watercolor. It’s small in size, only 4-1/2 inches x 3-1/8 inches, but you’ll find it in the National Portrait Gallery in London. The second Jane is a watercolor done by James Andrews. Can you tell it’s based on Cassandra’s original sketch? It found its way into A Memoir of Jane Austen that was written by their nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh in 1871. Every other portrait of Jane is based on this one, including the one on the Bank of England’s £10 note. Look below. There's another set of portraits. The first one is a silhouette of Cassandra, Jane’s sister and her best friend. The artist is unknown. The second is a painting Cassandra did in 1804. This time she painted a back view of her sister using watercolors. Interesting – Jane allowed her sister to capture her image from the back, but not from the front. Remember the one Cassandra didn’t finish? Part 2 – Jane’s Childhood Home: This set of pictures came from A Memoir of Jane Austen published by her nephew, James Edward Austen-Leigh, in 1871. Jane’s father was a minister, and this is the parsonage at Steventon where Jane grew up. It’s long gone, but it once sat in a valley surrounded by meadows. The second picture is her father’s church, St. Nicholas in Steventon. Jane attended services from the time she was born in 1775 until her father retired in 1800. You can still visit St. Nicholas, but its name is now Steventon Church. The Move to Bath: When her father retired, he moved the family to Bath. Their new address: 4 Sydney Place. It was 50 miles away from Steventon, but it must have felt a world away for Jane. She grew up in a quiet country village, but Bath was a busy city. It drew people from all over England. They came for the mineral water, and for the high society. When her father died unexpectantly in January of 1805, Jane ended her time in Bath. She, Cassandra, and their mother were left without a home or financial resources of their own. They were dependent on the charity of Jane’s brothers. Part 3 – Her Final Two Homes: These two pictures are from Kent. The first is Godmersham Park, the home of Jane’s brother Edward. He was adopted by a wealthy family as their son and heir. Jane started visiting there in 1798. The last time was in 1813. Godmersham Park was her model for great houses like Pemberley and Rosings Park. The second photo is her last real home, perhaps her favorite. Chawton was a cottage on her brother’s land at Godmersham Park. Edward gifted the cottage to his mother and sisters early in 1809. Jane spent the last eight years of her life there. She did her best writing in the country, first at Steventon and later at Chawton. She was a country girl at heart. Jane wrote of her trips to London in books and letters. If you’d like to visit her in Town, click on this link: Jane Austen Goes To London | Guide London Her Final Home and Resting Place: The next set of pictures are from Winchester. The first is a cottage on 8 College Street. Jane had been sick since early 1816, but she refused to give into it, or to stop writing. Her sister Cassandra and brother Henry brought her here for a cure in May of 1817, but it was already too late. Jane died on July 18, 1817. She was only 41 years old. Today her symptoms would have been diagnosed as Addison’s disease or Hodgkins’s lymphoma. The second photo is of Winchester Cathedral. That’s where Jane Austen is buried, not because she’s a famous author. She’s there as the daughter of a clergyman, and the sister of another. That’s what Jane wanted, a private life. When she died, her name wasn’t on her book covers. She was listed as an anonymous lady, the way she’d requested. If you’d like to learn more about Jane Austen, click on this link: Jane Austen - Wikipedia Winchester Cathedral reminds me of a song from 1966. It’s a little quirky, but fun. Here’s the search link. Click, then look for the video, and give it a listen: winchester cathedral song - Search (bing.com)
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Do you recognize this song? If you don’t, that’s OK. You’re probably too young 😊 It debuted in 1966 when I was 7. I’m much older now ☹ But you might have heard it over the last couple of weeks in a commercial for Amazon Prime. I didn’t notice the ad part. Sorry! I was busy singing along with one of my favorite songs, and now I can’t find the ad information. It was up yesterday, and gone today. Part 1 – Where the Words Started: I Say a Little Prayer started off as an idea in Hal David’s head. He wrote the lyrics to show what a woman was thinking, knowing her guy was far away fighting the Vietnam War. I had no idea when I heard it in the 60’s. I got the woman part, but I never found the soldier in the song. Not until I started researching this post. It puts a whole new spin on Hal’s words. If you’d like to read his lyrics, click on the google search link below. It’s the only way I can share them with you, and follow copyright rules. Scan down the page. Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin both covered the song, but the way they used the chorus was a little different. Either way, put yourself in that woman’s shoes, and think about someone you love who’s in harm’s way. Hal did, and he used those words in this song. Search link: https://www.bing.com/search?pglt=673&q=say+a+little+prayer+lyrics&cvid=08df26e952c040c7be4b82faff1ed4d7&aqs=edge.0.0l9.9652j0j1&FORM=ANAB01&PC=LCTS A Side Note About Vietnam: This is a map from 1954. The war started in 1955, but the US didn’t get involved until 1960. Fifteen years later we got out. It was 1975. I was a baby when it all started and a sophmore in high school when it ended. My husband was a junior. At age 18 boys had to sign up for the Vietnam draft, and at its high point 40,000 young men were picked for military service each month. I hope a prayer was said for each and every one of them. The draft stopped in 1973 because of the huge anti-war movement, but it returned in a new form in July of 1980. Boys had to sign up for Military Selective Services, but they didn’t go to war. My husband never signed up for either draft, but my two sons did, the 1980 way. Map Source: By User: SnowFire - Own work. Based on File: French Indochina Phan Xich Long.svg., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63532416 Part 2 – Burt Bacharach and His Mixed-Up Signatures: I didn’t know Burt liked to mix-up the time signatures within his music. I never noticed it, but maybe that’s what gives it that distinctive Bacharach sound. The verses in I Say a Little Prayer start with eight beats in 4/4 time, then a ten-beat section (4/4 + 4/4 + 2/4). Then he finishes the verse with that same eight beat pattern again. When you hit the chorus, Burt sets it up in eleven beats (4/4 + 3/4 + 4/4). If you’re a musician, this makes sense. If you’re not, just keep reading, and enjoy the music link down below. A Recording Session: Dionne Warwick was one of Burt and Hal’s favorite singers, and they wrote this song just for her. She was a quick study when it came to recording. Usually, she recorded a song in three takes, but she often did it in one. Not this time. Dionne tried ten times, but Burt was never really happy with it. He thought it sounded rushed, like the tempo was too fast. Maybe it never quite fit the version in his head. They made that recording on April 9, 1966, and it sat on a shelf for over a year, until September 1967. Florence Greenburg from Scepter Records wanted it on his album, The Windows of the World. Disc Jockeys at radio stations around the country heard it, then played it on the air one short month later. It was so popular Scepter released it as a single on the A side, the hit side of a record. They put The Theme from Valley of the Dolls on the B side. Dionne sang that one too, and both songs were super successful for Scepter. And for Dionne, Burt, and Hal too. It's odd that the fast pace Burt disliked, became a million-selling hit for Dionne. That was a gold record back in the 60’s. It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. And me, I can still sing the chorus. If you’d like to listen to Dionne’s version, click on my search link. If you scan down the page, you’ll find Aretha Franklin has one too. She recorded it in 1968, and it went to #2. Either way, pick a video, and enjoy! Search Link for the music video: say a little prayer for you dionne warwick - Search (bing.com) Tomorrow – How this song from 1967 became part of my favorite movie scene of all time! Photo Sources for Burt and Hal: Burt in 1972 - By ABC Television - eBay itemphoto frontphoto back, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18250433 Burt in 2013 - By Phil Guest from Bournemouth, UK - Burt Bacharach, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79102167 Hal in 2011 - By Pat Padua - https://www.flickr.com/photos/ppad/5713457890/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29999116 Part 3 – One of my Favorite Movie Scenes Ever: It’s in My Best Friend’s Wedding from 1997. If you haven’t seen it, you should check it out. It’s funny. It stars Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, and Rupert Everett, but the surprising part is the movie’s soundtrack. It uses five songs from Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Together those things made the movie into one of the best romantic comedies of the 1990’s and beyond. And that favorite scene – it all starts with some kid who has no idea who Dionne Warwick is. If you’re my age you know she’s a singer, but someone at the rehearsal dinner only remembers her because of the Psychic Friends Network. That’s when Rupert Everett begins singing, and he winds up leading the entire restaurant into a rendition of Say a Little Prayer for You. It’s just plain fun! The first time it surprised me, but now every time I watch it, I replay that scene two or three times. It makes me happy! If you’re curious about the Bacharach/David song list, it includes: I Say a Little Prayer for You Wishin’ and Hopin’ What the World Needs Now I’ll Never Fall in Love Again I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself If you want to watch that scene, use this search link: say a little prayer my best friend's wedding - Search (bing.com) Information Sources Where You Can Learn More: I Say a Little Prayer - Wikipedia My Best Friend's Wedding - Wikipedia The Draft (history.com) Vietnam War - Wikipedia Selective Service Acts | History, Significance, & Facts | Britannica Have you ever felt like quitting? I hadn’t, not until last week. That’s when I got stuck, again. I couldn’t write a single word. I tried for four hours. I went back and forth between two chapters, over and over again. Nothing, so I gave up and called it a night. This isn’t the first time I’ve been stuck in the last couple months, but I never, ever thought of quitting. Till last week. Part 1 – The Idea: I was having another sleepless night. That’s when the thought of quitting started. At first I couldn’t imagine it, but the idea, it wouldn’t leave me alone. Then I thought ,what if. What if I quit? I realized I can give it up, even though I’ve been writing since 2007. That night I came up with a few ideas on how to stop, how to tie up my loose ends. When I gave myself permission, I felt free. Free from stress that night. Free to look at my life and the choices I want to make. And finally free, to go to sleep. Now I’m looking back at last week, matching my three experiences with a quote. I hope it helps you if you’re thinking about quitting. And me, I hope it helps if I’m in this situation again. Quote #1: You have to fail in order to practice being brave. Who said it? Mary Tyler Moore Inspiring Quotes found an interview from 1997 that Mary Tyler Moore did. She also said, “Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage.” These are two pictures of Mary. The first is from the Dick Van Dyke Show. It ran for 5 years in the 60’s, and it was one of my favorite TV shows. The second is from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It ran for 7 years during the 70’s, and it was another favorite of mine. I thought Mary was super successful, but I guess even successful people have failures too. Sources: This Photo from 1988: By Photo by Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1471176 Quote #1 : Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes Tomorrow - the next morning - how I felt and my decision Part 2 – And the Result: The next day, I felt lighter. I could quit, if I wanted to, or I could continue on. My choice, so I opened my laptop, and . . . I started writing. It felt wonderful! I wrote past the block in chapter 1, then past the next one in chapter 11. By the end of that day, my first chapter was ready for my critique group, and the second, it needed a little fine-tuning. But it was close! I could write that day, but I left the door to quitting open, just in case. Deciding to write, or not to write gave me a freedom I haven’t had in years. For me. For my writing. Here’s the quote that expresses how I felt. Quote #2: A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living. Who said it? Virginia Wolf Inspiring quotes found these words originated from her ideas about the writers who’d published before her. But they apply to everyone. Virginia too. We’re all human – our ideas grow and change. Learning new things, or learning from mistakes, that’s part of the process. We don’t lose integrity because of it. We gain, in both our personal and professional lives. Part 3 – The Next Obstacle: Remember that second chapter that needed polishing? I worked on it, but there was more to polish than I imagined. I ran into an unexpected obstacle on the last two pages. I had too much information, and it slowed down the story. So I cut and polished, over and over again, but sometimes you have to quit, to get things right in the long run. And that’s what I did. I went outside to read and relax. I didn’t plan to, but it’s what I needed to do. I realized I’d pushed so hard to write/revise a chapter in a week, that I forgot to have fun. Here's the quote that applied to me that day. Quote #3: Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant. Who said it? William A. Ward Inspiring Quotes researched and discovered that William was a motivational writer. He wanted to inspire people with words. He believed success could start with one small step, like making a plan, or finding start-up money. The important thing – be patient. His advice – find pride and satisfaction in each small step you take. Part 4 – The Obstacle Revelations: I hit obstacles in two chapters on a Monday, but by Friday I worked my way through them. I was hoping the next two would be obstacle-free. They weren’t, of course. That’s when I realized I’ll be facing them in each and every chapter of this manuscript. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever written. Why? I’m doing more research in each chapter than I’ve ever done before. Then I have to pick the facts that work, that move the story forward. If they don’t, I edit/revise until the plot, characters, and supporting details do. After a week of bouncing off story walls, I wrote my way to the end of them, and to this quote. It helped me figure out how I can manage this story, chapter by chapter. Quote #4: To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first. Who said it? William Shakespeare Inspiring Quotes found this in scene 1 from Henry VIII. The set-up – The Duke of Buckingham is complaining about a character who’s manipulating the king. The Duke of Norfolk warms him to be careful, to control his anger. That didn’t resonate with me, but this part did . . . acting in haste gets you the worst results. Norfolk said, step back. Think, and you’ll see the insights and perspectives that help you choose the right way to go. My conclusions, after a week of struggle: 1. It’s OK to fail. Sometimes you need to stop and make a new plan. 2. Change when you need to. When I get stuck, I should take a break. I need fun and family too. 3. When I get stuck, I should step back. Later I’ll see how to edit and revise. 4. Each chapter feels like I’m climbing some steep hills. I need to write at this story’s speed. Sometimes that’s fast, and the story just flows. Other times it’s slow or no-speed at all. That’s when my ideas need time to develop. PS – I’ll let you know how these conclusions work out. I’d like to welcome guest blogger Gwen Payne to rindabeach.com. If you’re an introvert who’s feeling stress, Gwen has a few ideas and links to help you feel more like yourself again. As introverts, we often find ourselves feeling drained and overwhelmed in social situations. While some may view this as a weakness, it is important to recognize that introversion is simply a personality trait, and one that can be an asset if we learn to embrace it. With self-care, we can ensure that our unique needs are met and that we can thrive in the world around us. 1. Find Quiet Spaces Whether it is a secluded room in your home or a nearby park, finding quiet spaces where you can recharge is essential for introverts. This allows us to step away from the noise and distractions of the world and focus on our thoughts and feelings. Make sure to schedule regular quiet time into your routine and prioritize it just like you would any other appointment. 2. Communicate Mindfully Introverts often struggle with communication, but it is important to remember that effective communication is key to building strong relationships. Instead of focusing on what you are going to say next, make an effort to truly listen to others and respond thoughtfully. This will help you build deeper connections with those around you and feel more comfortable in social situations. 3. Start a Fitness Routine Regular exercise has been shown to improve mood and reduce stress levels in introverts. Look for fitness activities that speak to your interests, whether it is yoga, hiking, or simply taking a walk in nature. Make it a priority to get moving every day, even if it is just for a few minutes. 4. Embrace Your Unique Nature One of the most important steps in building a self-care plan as an introvert is to embrace your unique personality trait. Instead of feeling ashamed or embarrassed by your need for quiet time, recognize it as a strength and find ways to celebrate it. This can include setting boundaries with others, saying no when you need to, and prioritizing alone time. 5. Prioritize Deeper Relationships While introverts may not have as many friends as extroverts, the relationships we do have tend to be deeper and more meaningful. Make sure to surround yourself with people who understand and appreciate your introverted nature and who support you in your self-care journey. Focus on building quality relationships rather than quantity. 6. Limit Alcohol Consumption Introverts are often more sensitive to external stimuli, and alcohol can intensify these effects, leading to feelings of overstimulation and anxiety. Therefore, moderating alcohol consumption can help introverts maintain a sense of calm and control in social situations. If you are an introvert struggling with drinking too much, cutting back on alcohol consumption can be a daunting challenge. However, it is important to acknowledge that professional help may be necessary to overcome addiction. Look for rehabilitation sites in your state. They can provide a safe and supportive environment for individuals seeking to cut back or stop their alcohol use. Before choosing a treatment facility, learn about their accreditations, certifications, and specific treatment programs available. If affordability is an issue, look for a rehab center that offers payment assistance. 7. Limit Time on Social Media Social media can be a valuable tool for staying connected with others, but it can also be overwhelming and draining for introverts. Set limits on your social media use and make an effort to disconnect regularly. This will allow you to focus on your own thoughts and feelings without being bombarded by the opinions of others. By following these tips, introverts can build a self-care plan that prioritizes mental health and wellness. Remember that self-care is not selfish, but rather a necessary part of living a happy and fulfilling life. By taking steps like building deeper relationships, limiting alcohol consumption, and starting a fitness routine, you will find that you have more energy and enthusiasm for the world around you. Gwen Payne is a stay-at-home mom with an entrepreneurial spirit. Over the years, she has mastered raising her two daughters while side hustling to success through small ventures based on her passions -- from dog walking to writing to e-commerce. With Invisiblemoms.com she hopes to show other stay-at-home parents how they can achieve their business-owning dreams. An Email: Have you ever gotten a message about something you’d done? That happened on Tuesday, the day after I shared Gwen Payne’s first two ideas. Jacob Bryant emailed that he saw them and found them helpful. Jacob also asked if I’d be interested in adding two links to Gwen’s post. They’re about mesothelioma. It’s a rare kind of cancer, but it doesn’t matter what kind you get. It can wreak havoc with your life. I checked his links, and I think his information about mental health and cancer could help you, or someone you know. - Mesothelioma and Mental Health – A guide to coping with a cancer diagnosis. - Mesothelioma – A guide to everything you should know about this disease. This is a computer model of what the Titan submersible once looked like. The real one disappeared an hour and 45 minutes into its voyage to the bottom of the North Atlantic. It was supposed to carry its five passengers down to visit the Titanic. Titanic, the Ship of Dreams. The one that hit an iceberg in 1912 and sank to the bottom of the sea. Of the 2200 people aboard, only 700 would live to tell its story, and this is what the passengers of the Titan came to see. Part 1 – The Voyage of the Titan: This is the map of Titanic’s maiden voyage. It would be its final one too. The yellow star on the bottom of the map is Titanic’s final resting place, and Titan’s destination. Take your finger north of that star, then a little west. You’ll find Newfoundland. It’s the island where the Titan Submersible began its journey on Friday, June 16th. The huge orange boat is an icebreaker named the Polar Prince. OceanGate hired the ship and its crew to get the submersible to the launch site. They arrived on the 17th. The Polar Prince launched the submersible at 9:30 AM on the 18th. Everything went well for the first hour and a half. The Titan and Polar Prince talked to each other every 15 minutes, but at the 11:30 mark . . . nothing. That’s when the search began, and the news went out to the world. I heard it around 1PM. It hurt to know that the people inside had 96 hours of air left, and the rescue teams had 4 days to find them. All over the world people like me began praying. Part 2 – The Search Begins: It all started on Sunday afternoon, from the star that marks Titanic’s location on the map. That’s where Titan disappeared. It’s about 900 miles east of Cape Cod (close to the K in New York). The submersible could be anywhere from the water’s surface down to the wreckage on the ocean floor. That’s 13,000 feet under water! Leading the search – the US Coast Guard, Navy, and the Canadian Coast Guard. That made sense, but it suprised me that the US Air National Guard, the Royal Canadian Air Force and Navy were looking too. Who knew planes could locate a submersible?! There were also private commercial and research ships looking too. It’s good to know that so many people took their time, energy, and talents to search for those five people, but it wasn’t easy. The location in the North Atlantic, its weather, darkness, sea conditions, and the cold water temperatures made it almost impossible to find Titan. These two pictures show three search vehicles. The first is Deep Energy. It’s a ship that lays pipe deep in the ocean. It also has two ROVs (remotely operated vehicles), plus some other equipment that’s perfect to search the seabed for Titan. The second is a US Coast Guard plane flying over the third, a French research vehicle, the L’Atalante. It has its own ROV, which can go down 20,000 feet. That’s far deeper than Titanic’s resting place, and it can send pictures all the way back to the ship. An internal memo sent to the Department of Homeland Security reported that crews heard banging and acoustic feedback in the search area on Tuesday. The memo also said a Canadian plane heard the banging every 30 minutes. Sonar focused in on the sounds, and the banging was heard four hours later. More sounds were heard early Wednesday morning by both the US Coast Guard and a Canadian plane. When those reports made the news, I hoped . . . the five were still alive. But I was a little skeptical about the pounding, until I heard whales could be heard hundreds of miles away, or that submarine crews really pounded on their ships. There was still time to save those five people, so I said a few more prayers. Part 3 – Three Theories About What Happened: As soon as Titan disappeared, the news reports speculated on what could have happened to it. Theory #1 – The submersible was bobbing on the water’s surface. If it had, it might have looked like this boat and the buoy it’s tied to. That’s what Titan was supposed to do. It had seven backup systems that were designed to return it to the surface, if something went wrong. I never heard this theory on the TV news. It must have been quickly discarded that first day when nothing was seen by ship, by plane, or by sonar and radar. Theory #2 – The submersible got tangled in the wreckage. Titanic broke into 2 main pieces, the bow and the stern. They’re seperated by 2000 feet of ocean floor, and it’s littered with the ship’s debris. This is what’s left of the bow. It sits 12,500 feet underwater. Not only would Titan be hard to find, but it might also be impossible to free, in time. I heard this theory on the news. They interviewed an expert who’d been in a submersible that got tangled in Titanic’s wreckage. His pilot freed them, got them to the surface in time. That TV expert was worried that Titan’s pilot didn’t have the kind of controls to break the submersible free himself. Theory #3 – A Catastrophic Implosion happened. Something went wrong inside Titan, and it collapsed inward upon itself. That something could have been a leak, a power failure, an electrical short circuit, or the hull could have been breached. The water would have pushed down on the submersible with so much force that the implosion would have happened within 2 nanoseconds. That’s two billionths of a second, so Titan would have been destroyed, immediately. I heard this theory from the start, but when underwater noises were reported, I was like everyone else, hoping the crew was still alive. It wasn’t meant to be. Late on the 21st, the story came out that a US Navy ship picked up the sound of an implosion sometime after Titan disappeared underwater. They told the Coast Guard, but they didn’t share the news. Maybe they didn’t want to give up hope, just in case the crew was still alive. Part 4 – Honoring the Crew of the Titan: When I started this post, I knew how I wanted it to end . . . with the passengers aboard the Titan. I wanted to share a bit about their lives, and to honor their deaths.Each one died doing what they loved, pursuing knowledge, and seeing Titanic for themselves. Shahzada Dawood A father and son traveled down to Titanic together. Their names, Shahzada and Sulemon Dawood. They’re from Surbiton, in south-west London. Shahzada is survived by his wife and daughter. Shahzada, at age 48, was the UK vice-chairman of the Engro Corporation. They’re a Pakastani company that specializes in fertilizer, petrochemicals, and engineering projects. He was also a board member for the Prince’s Trust International, one of King Charles III’s charities. Shahzada was an adviser to its international arm, and he focused in on Pakistan. Suleman, at age 19, just finished his first year of business school at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. He’s survived by his mother and sister. Shahzada’s wife, Christine, talked about this trip to a reporter. She had originally planned to go, but then Covid hit. When it was rescheduled, her son took her seat. What stayed with me – was how excited she said her husband and son were about this voyage. They were living their dream . . . traveling down to see Titanic together. I hope when I leave this world, I can do it like the Dawoods, following a dream. Photo: By Engro - Original publication: TodayImmediate source: https://www.today.com/news/titanic-missing-sub-shahzada-dawood-passengers-rcna90565, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74106816 Hamish Harding Hamish Harding was a fellow passenger and adventurer. He lived in Dubai, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. He’s survived by his wife, Linda, two sons, Rory and Giles, a stepdaughter, Lauren, and a stepson, Brian Szasz. Hamish, aged 58, was the chairman of Action Aviation, a private plane company, and he loved flying. He held an airline transport pilot’s license and had businesss jet ratings for the Gulfstream G650. He was an adventurer, a skydiver, and a trustee of the Explorers Club. He was chosen in 2022 as a Living Legend of Aviation. Last year he went into space with Blue Origins, and this is his picture to prove it. Hamish was also involved in a luxury tourism company, White Desert. They were the first to offer regular business jets to Antarctica. The South Pole was one of his favorite destinations, and he helped Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, reach a new goal. In 2016 Buzz became the oldest person to make it to the South Pole. His age, 86. Hamish was the ultimate adventurer, and he died making one last trip . . . to the bottom of the North Atlantic, a place very few humans have reached. Photo By Blue Origin - Original publication: The GuardianImmediate source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jun/19/hamish-harding-the-british-explorer-missing-at-sea-near-the-titanic, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74106831 Paul-Henri Nargeolet Paul-Henri Nargeolet was known as Mr. Titanic. He was born in France, and he’s lived in Pawling, New York since 2022. He’s survived by his wife Anne Sarraz-Bournet, two daughters, Chloe and Sidonie, a son Julien, a stepson, John Nathaniel Paschall, and by four grandsons. His 1st wife, Michele Marsh died in 2017. At age 77 Paul-Henri was the senior passenger, and he once served as a French navy commander. He studied Titanic for 35 years, spent hundreds of hours observing it, and has taken several submarines down to the wreck. He joined a team in 1987 that brought up some artifacts from the ocean floor. Titanic lies in darkness, and it’s covered in coral. Paul-Henri spoke about seeing it from a submarine lit by projectors. Everyone onboard the ship was speechless for 10 minutes, not a sound could be heard. He said the ship is an oasis in an immense desert. Imagine the deep dark bottom of the ocean. Nothing survives there . . . except on, and around the Titanic. Life flourishes there, thanks to an accident. Paul-Henri has loved Titanic and its history for over 35 years. It seems fitting for his body to rest beside it. For Mr. Titanic, it is the ship of dreams. Photo By Harpers Collins - Original publication: ICIImmediate source: https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/faits-divers-justice/titanic-le-chamoniard-paul-henri-nargeolet-serait-a-bord-du-sous-marin-disparu-7075224, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74106893 Stockton Rush Stockton Rush was Titan’s pilot on its final voyage. He was also the co-founder and CEO (chief executive officer) of OceanGate. That’s the company that owned and operated Titan. He’s survived by his wife, Wendy and their two children. Both Stockton and Wendy have important ancestors. Wendy’s great-great-grandparents died onboard the Titanic in 1912. Their names, Isidor and Ida Blun Straus. Stockton is descended from Richard Stockton and Dr. Benjamin Rush – they were both founding fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence. Stockton went onto develop several businesses over the last 20 years. At BlueView Technolgies they manufactured high-frequency sonar systems. He also worked at Entomo where he was involved in software development, and at Remote Control Technology Inc. It sounds like each step in his career brought him a little closer to developing Titan. Stockton was in charge of OceanGate’s financial and engineering divisions too. His vision brought the 4000 and 6000-metre submersibles to life for crews and passengers. I imagine taking this special group of adventurers down to Titanic must have been a big moment. It seems fitting as Stockton’s final mission, and for his final resting place. Photo By OceanGate - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHSPhKUUXIM, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=133459795 Sources
Photo by Madelgarius - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=133558088 Part 1- 4 – Titan submersible implosion - Wikipedia Part 2 – https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/06/20/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-live-updates/70336 Part 3 – Wreck of the Titanic - Wikipedia What Happened to the Titanic Sub? Experts Explained Likely Scenarios. (insider.com) Part 4 – Titanic sub: what we know about the victims of deep-sea tragedy | Titanic sub incident | The Guardian Everyone knows their strengths, but do you know your weaknesses? The things you struggle with? Everyone has them. The important thing is to recognize them, then deal with them. #1. Feeling Overwhelmed: Do you ever have a huge goal to accomplish, and it stops you? I planned to write about it, but I didn’t expect to experience it too. I have a chapter that I needed to finish. Here’s what I tried today. - I reread what I wrote. That usually moves me forward, but not today. - I tried doing other things and coming back to that chapter, but I couldn’t find my way in. - I wrote questions about the plot. Then I answered them, but I kept questioning my answers. - After trying each strategy over and over again all day, I gave myself permission to fail. I’m pushing out my deadline. Sometimes you need more time to figure things out. It’s not failing. It’s allowing yourself to be human, and I hope, to write a better chapter. PS – It worked! Sometimes giving yourself time, it frees up your mind. I finished the first two parts of my chapter. Then I stopped. I decided I’d rather finish later. If I do, I won’t be in a pressure cooker every week to finish a chapter. Now I can finish revising, begin research on the next one, and go back to Chapter One. Why? I want to polish the first 50 pages, then look for someone who wants to help me turn those pages into a published book. I hope the force is with me 😊 2. Being Jealous: Have you ever heard of the green-eyed monster? It’s the monstrous feeling you get with jealousy, or have you heard of being green with it? I have, and I’ve spent most of my life being jealous of one person or another. It was a sign of immaturity. Now that I’m older, I hardly notice it. If I do, it’s just a twinge or a flash. Why? Because now that I’m older, I feel more comfortable in my own skin, with what I have, with what I don’t. I remember my younger self who thought my brother got better treatment, or who had to be a piano hog. Yes, sad, but true. I was jealous of the other pianist in the 7th grade choir. I wanted to be as good as she was, and I wasn’t nice about beating her. I should have just tried to get better myself, as a pianist. It’s good to be older and wiser, especially in the business I’m pursuing now, as a writer. Writing is even harder than teaching or playing piano! I’ve worked since 2007 on my stories. I’m lucky – I self-published three books. Yet, I could be jealous of the other writers I know who’ve been published and agented before me. What changed? Faith! I have faith that when and if I’m published or agented, it will happen. If it doesn’t, I have faith that it’s not meant to be. When I still get those twinges or flashes from that green-eyed monster, I tell it about my faith, that I’m doing what I’m supposed to do, and guess what?! It works, and that monster disappears! #3. Balancing My Life: I’ve had problems with balance since 1987. Working is in my DNA. I bet my mother and grandmother had those same genes, but it was easier for them. Their work was at home, caring for it, and their family. I worked in a classroom, caring for my second graders. When my kids were born, that’s when I lost my balance. It always felt like my scale tipped toward work, instead of family. No matter how you divide your time, there’s never enough. I learned you can never give work, or family enough time and attention. Looking back on those years, I wish I had pushed the scale toward my family. Now that I’m working on my second career, I’m trying to find more balance. I still lean towards the work side. I focus on writing most days, and that imbalance is fine. It’s easier now that my kids are grown, and I’m a grandma. When I’m visiting my kids, or they’re visiting me, I tip the scale toward them the entire time. I don’t see them very often, so family time is precious. My balance isn’t perfect, but it’s working, for now. I give up my writing time when our family is together. I write after they go to bed, so for once in my life, my family comes first. I’ve been retired for eight years, and so far, so good. Time will tell if this is the right way to balance my time. And if it’s not, I’ll look for a better way to go. Fingers crossed! My critique partners liked chapter ten. The final scene was set in the family’s chapel. Catholics in Maryland in the 1700’s weren’t allowed to worship in a church. They went to a chapel, inside a private home, and that was the hard part for me to write. Why? I’ve never been inside a private chapel, so I couldn’t picture it. I started googling, and I found Carroll House in Annapolis, but I couldn’t use it . . . copyright! If you’d like to take an online tour of Carroll House like I did, here’s the link: Charles Carroll House of Annapolis - Virtual Tour - YouTube. Thanks to it, and their link for Catholic History, I can picture where the chapel might have been . . . close to where the original frame house met the new, larger brick one. The house below isn’t Carroll House, but it’s their family seat at Doughoregan Manor in Howard County, Maryland. It probably had a private chapel, but I couldn’t find pictures of it, or of any other private chapels either. I struck gold! I found a museum with real images from Carroll House, but they’re copyrighted too. If you’d like to look at them, here’s another link: Mid-Atlantic | National Museum of American History (si.edu) One of the first things I found was the Carroll Family Tabernacle. It’s from the 17th century. The first photo on the left is a tabernacle that looks a little like the Carroll’s. Theirs is nicer, of course. The important thing about the tabernacle is that it held the things needed to celebrate the Eucharist. In my church we call it communion, and we have an altar, not a tabernacle. I picked the picture in the middle to take the place of John Carroll’s chalice and paten. John was Charles’ cousin, a priest, and the first Catholic bishop in the United States. A chalice is a cup you drink from during communion. The paten is a little plate, and it’s where you put the bread. When you celebrate communion, you are celebrating the Last Supper of Jesus Christ. That’s when he shared the bread and the wine, his body and his blood. Carroll House probably had its own chalice and paten, but priests in Maryland traveled, so they carried their own. Would you believe they took them apart and hung them like bells on their saddles? Why? Because Catholics could only practice their faith in private homes, not out in the open. The last thing a church or private chapel needed was a cross. Christians like me believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. Crosses come in lots of sizes. There are large ones in churches, and small ones you can wear or carry in a pocket. If your cross comes with beads, it might be a rosary. So what did I use after all that research? The chapel’s location, the tabernacle, and the rosary. That’s all I needed, this time, but the other details might find their way into another chapter. I never know what I need, until I start writing and revising. 6/13/23 I’m working on Chapter 10, and I just realized Charles has taken over my story. I’m on the last part of the chapter, and I’m finally writing about another signer of the Declaration of Independence. The rest of the chapter, it’s all about Charles and his family. Here are two new things I learned about them since yesterday. #1. Charles of Carrollton had an interesting relationship with his father. Partly because his parents never formally married, not until he was 19. Some people today think it had to do with inheritance laws for Catholics. Charles was an only child. Other people think he had to prove his worth as the Carroll heir. But the oddest part of their relationship was the way his father ended his letters to boarding school. Before the marriage, he closed with “most affectionately yours, Charles Carroll.” I know, odd, and after the marriage he signed “your most affectionate father.” Even odder, and Charles was his son, married, or not. #2. I needed some information for chapter 10. Online it said Charles knew George Washington, and I remembered reading that he came to Carrol House for dinner. I searched my notes, and sure enough George was there first in September 1771, and again in October 1772, four years before the war started. Fun fact – The signer I’m writing about in this chapter, Richard Stockton stood 6 feet tall. My research said Washington was a friend so I decided to tie them together. How? I looked up Washington’s height – 6 foot 2, and I used the measurement to help Charley’s father remember if they’d met. That’s what I love about writing historical fiction . . . you can use real facts to tell the story. When you do, it reads like a story, not a book report. BTW – speaking of book reports, my mentor told me the first time she read chapter one of Neil Armstrong’s Wind Tunnel Dream, that it read like a book report. YIKES! I stopped worrying about getting the facts exactly right, and I worked on telling a good story. It worked! The next time she read it, she only had 2 small errors for me to fix, and she said I didn’t need to look at them, at all. I did! I wanted to get my stories just right for you! 6/11/23 My newest writing project revolves around the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. I needed to picture them so I started reading. I picked this title because Charles was the last living signer. He’ll tell their story from his point of view. I’m 100 pages in, and here are his two earliest influences. #1. Charles grew up Catholic so he couldn’t vote, run for office, or worship publicly. Catholics attended church in small chapels in private homes. Gaining religious freedom was why he joined the American Revolution, and he’s our only Catholic signer. #2. Charles left for a Maryland boarding school at age 10. He left for another one in Europe when he was 11. Can you imagine leaving home and never seeing your mother again? She died while he was in Europe. Charles saw his father, 10 years later. He was now 20. It’s true . . . Charles Carroll of Carrollton grew up with lots of money, but he had his own crosses to bear. Amazon’s Description: Charles Carroll (1737-1832) is one of the most important influences on the birth and early development of the United States. Although barred from voting or holding office in his native colony of Maryland on the eve of the Revolution, he actively worked for independence both before and after the outbreak of fighting in 1775. As the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence and member of the Continental Congress, he implicitly supported Catholic social principles in the government of the emerging country and in its formative Constitutional period. Carroll elaborated a natural law basis for the idea of government legitimately based on the popular consent. And guided by the Catholic distinction between state and civil society he worked for a form of government whose power would be limited, checked, and balanced. Himself a victim of religious intolerance as a member of a minority religion, he supported the ending of state-sanctioned churches in order to allow religion to flourish on the basis of free personal choice. This development alone was probably the most significant in the future growth and influence of the United States, as it averted the main cause of religious warfare, and encouraged future immigration from non-English as well as non-Christians in generations to come. What is the one thing you can’t buy? Love! Poets write about it. Songwriters sing about it. There’s nothing better than being loved, and there’s nothing worse than feeling unloved. I found three inspiring quotes about its power. #1. “He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much." That’s what I see when I look at this family. Their love for each other. I see their smiles, maybe even a giggle. It looks like life has treated them well. So who wrote it? It was Bessie Anderson Stanley. I couldn’t find any pictures, but I found a little information about her. Bessie was born in Newton, Iowa in 1879. She got married in 1900 and moved to Lincoln, Kansas. She died in 1952, when she was 73. In 1904 Brown Book Magazine wanted to know in 100 words or less, “What is success?” Bessie took a chance, and she won first prize, $250. If Bessie hadn’t entered that contest, we wouldn’t know anything about her. Bessie wasn’t a writer, but she won another prize. Some people thought her words were written by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Others, by Robert Louis Stevenson, and they’re both famous writers. Bessie wrote one piece for one contest. Today she has ten links to her quote on Google, and she’s credited with them too. Words, they can live forever! Sources: Quote: Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes Information: Bessie Anderson Stanley - Wikipedia #2. “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Can you guess which picture shows hate? Did you pick the one that shows it in words – like pick apart, beat down, or assault? I’m glad I didn’t show it in action. Hate pushes me away, with only its words. And love, of course it’s shown in the last two photos. I couldn’t find one with just words, but who needs them when pictures work better? Love pulls people together. It doesn’t matter if they’re young or old, and, it pulls people away from hate. If you had to cross out a photo, I bet you’d pick the first one. It’s just plain mean! So who first said these words about love and hate? It was Martin Luther King Jr., and everyone knows his name! That’s because we celebrate his birthday on the third Monday in January. His real one, always January 15. Martin was a Baptist minister and a civil rights activist. He believed everyone should be treated according to the content of their character, not by the color of their skin. His words about love, they were part of a 1957 sermon for his Alabama church. Martin didn’t just talk the talk . . . he walked the walk. He believed in nonviolence, and he was inspired by his ministry, and by Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma changed life in India. His tool – peaceful protest. Martin is famous for his March on Washington D.C. in 1965. More than 250 million people came from all over the country to see him. It was the largest peaceful protest back then. And the name of his speech . . . I Have a Dream. His speech, beautiful! His words still shine 60 years later. They’ve even been turned into a children’s picture book. If you’d like to hear part of it, click on the link below, under sources. I was thrilled to read his words. They’ve shaped my life. It’s true . . . Love is all powerful, Sources: My Picture Book Link: Watch | Facebook Quote: Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes Information: Martin Luther King Jr. - Wikipedia #3. “Above all do not forget your duty to love yourself.” I think that’s exactly what these photos show. Taking care of yourself is key. So is giving yourself time to think, time to breathe. When you love and care for yourself, it makes it easier to love and care for the people around you. So who wrote these words? It was Søren Aabye Kierkegaard. This is an unfinished sketch from the 1840’s. Søren was from Denmark, and he lived from 1813 – 1855. He was a man of thoughts – a theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and a religious author. He wrote about Christianity and morality, ethics and psychology. He believed in the value of the individual, and their view of reality. He believed people should make personal choices and commitments. He preferred those very real things to the abstract. This quote was written to a friend with a physical disability. Søren told him that even though he might feel different from others, he should still value and love himself, and so should we. 6/4/23 When I reread this, I focused on the Battle of Brooklyn. My manuscript has nothing to do with battles. It’s about our nation’s founding fathers, and one of them owned two houses in New York. One in Brooklyn. The other in New York City. His name – Philip Livingston. He was a wealthy merchant who made his money the old-fashioned way – he earned it. Philip and his family fled both houses before the battle began, but he made his Brooklyn home available to General Washington, prebattle. Back then Brooklyn was a wilderness. After the British won the battle, his home became a hospital for the royal navy. Philip didn’t live to see the war end. He died in June of 1778. The second thing that caught my attention was the effect the war had on colonial America. Suddenly families turned on each other. Some backed the King. Others thought of themselves as Patriots. In the story some soldiers passed a boarded-up farm. It was probably owned by patriots like Philip who’d fled the British invasion. Later when the redcoats left New York, it was the loyalists who fled the city. Finally I was shocked by the number of American soldiers who died on prison ships docked around New York City. The number – 11,500. That’s a lot of prisoners, and they were treated horribly. Think of starving soldiers with little/no medical care. Many were captured during the Battle of Brooklyn or Battle of Long Island. Whichever name you use, it was still one of the biggest battles of the Revolution. The loss of life – Huge. It’s expected during a battle, but not afterwards. 5/24/23 I picked this book because I Survived is one of my favorite series. I also picked it because I’m researching this time period for a middle grade novel. It didn’t add anything new to my research, but it helped me picture a time period that’s so different from our own. I picked three things from Lauren’s back matter that caught my attention. I hope they catch yours too. #1 – I didn’t realize America in 1776 was one of the wealthiest places in the world. I was also surprised that more people could read in the colonies than anywhere else, including England. I bet King George was surprised the colonies rebelled. #2 – Without France the colonies would have lost the war. In 1778 France started sending the Americans money, troops, and weapons. Why? France and England were age-old enemies, and France hoped that losing the colonies, would make England weaker. But French help didn’t work right away. Nor did the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781. The war didn’t end until 1783. (If you scan down the page, you’ll find the painting Treaty of Paris. Only half of it’s there. Why? The British refused to be painted.) #3 – I was happy to see Lauren write, “George Washington was even more interesting than I thought.” Lately founding fathers like George have been criticized because of slavery. It was a terrible thing. Unfortunately it’s a part of our history that can’t be changed. I’m glad it’s gone, and I’d like to think that if George and the other founding fathers came back today, that they would be too. Here's Lauren’s list of George’s good traits: smart, brave, great husband, doting stepfather. A lot of people today would like George, but this is what Lauren admired . . . he knew how to fail. He made mistakes, but he learned from them. No one is mistake-proof, but we can all work to do better. George’s Battle of Brooklyn was one of his biggest mistakes. That’s what this book is about, that battle, and it’s worth reading! Amazon’s Description: Bestselling author Lauren Tarshis tackles the American Revolution in this latest installment of the groundbreaking, New York Times bestselling I Survived series. British soldiers were everywhere. There was no escape. Nathaniel Fox never imagined he'd find himself in the middle of a blood-soaked battlefield, fighting for his life. He was only eleven years old! He'd barely paid attention to the troubles between America and England. How could he, while being worked to the bone by his cruel uncle, Uriah Storch? But when his uncle's rage forces him to flee the only home he knows, Nate is suddenly propelled toward a thrilling and dangerous journey into the heart of the Revolutionary War. He finds himself in New York City on the brink of what will be the biggest battle yet. 4/11/23 If you like history, you’ll love this book! It takes you into real events, then uncovers the truth. For example, have you heard of Molly Pitcher? I had, but Kate Messner’s sources said she didn’t exist. That Molly’s story came from two real women, Mary Ludwig Hays and Margaret Corbin. They both fired cannons when their husbands couldn’t. The name Molly Pitcher – it probably came from the ladies who carried water to the troops. This is just one story. Look below the Amazon description, and you’ll find three famous paintings, and the stories Kate told about where they went wrong. Amazon’s Description: Myths! Lies! Secrets! Uncover the hidden truth behind the Revolutionary War with beloved educator/author Kate Messner. The fun mix of sidebars, illustrations, photos, and graphic panels make this perfect for fans of I Survived! and Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales. On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere rode through Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, shouting, "The British are coming!" to start the American Revolution.RIGHT? WRONG! Paul Revere made it to Lexington, but before he could complete his mission, he was captured! The truth is, dozens of Patriots rode around warning people about the Redcoats' plans that night. It was actually a man named Samuel Prescott who succeeded, alerting townspeople in Lexington and then moving on to Concord. But the Revolutionary War didn't officially start for more than a year after Prescott's ride. No joke. AND THOSE THREE PAINTINGS . . . This painting is titled ‘Declaration of Independence,’ but it doesn’t show the real signing. That didn’t happen until August 2, 1776. This was two months earlier, June 28. That’s when the drafting committee presented the Declaration to the Continental Congress, but this painting still isn’t right. John Trumbull wasn’t there to see the signing. He painted it years later. He did his research and talked to some of the signers. Thomas Jefferson even gave him a sketch of the room. If John had paid attention, he would have noticed the wall wasn’t in the background. That the flags and drum weren’t on the wall, and that the delegates had much simpler chairs, but John changed them to make his painting look better. But there was a bigger problem ahead – John had to decide who should be in the painting. He didn’t know whether to include all the men from June, or if he should leave out the ones who voted against the Declaration. He finally decided to put in the signers. His next mistake – he left out fourteen. Why? He didn’t know what they looked like. Sometimes getting things just right, it’s impossible. This is the Birth of Old Glory. It’s supposed to show Betsy Ross giving George Washington the first flag, but the BIG problem – there’s no evidence it ever happened. Kate discovered that Congress approved a new flag in June of 1777, but there are no primary sources to prove that Betsy Ross made it. Washington didn’t write about it in his journal or in his notes, and there are no sales receipts. So where did this tale come from? Betsy’s grandson retold her story of that first flag. It was an article for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, but it was a hundred years too late for us to believe. Grandma Ross really sewed flags for the Pennsylvania navy, and she really was a seamstress in colonial Philadelphia. But the first flag, no one will ever really know who made it. This is the Treaty of Paris. If you scan down to the next book, it’s about the Tower of London, and you’ll see this painting again. It shows the men who negotiated the treaty to end the Revolutionary War. Their names are in this caption, and in that one too. Kate pointed out the right side of the painting. I didn’t notice it last time. Do you see that foggy section? It’s where the British negotiators would have been seated. The only problem – they refused to pose . . . so Benjamin West solved it by painting them into a cloud. 3/29/23 I didn’t read the whole book this time. Just one chapter, that I remembered from before. Why? It’s all about the only American ever held in the Tower of London. His name – Henry Laurens. Here are the details that caught my eye. That I thought I might be able to use in the middle grade I’m working on. On Slavery Henry owned slaves, but some of his actions surprised me. He had two partners in the slave trade . . . he left the business. Later during the Revolutionary War, Henry was put in charge of the defense of Charleston, and he suggested asking free blacks and slaves (to volunteer). Many slave owners opposed it, including George Washington. Henry did it anyway, and his troops kept the British out of Charleston. George Washington never forgave him, and he told his friends in Congress all about it too. The Continental Congress Henry joined the Continental Congress in January of 1777. In November he became its president, but he resigned a year later, in December of 1778. Politics! Henry kept his seat and focused on building an alliance with the Dutch. It took two years, but he got them to resume trade, and give the US a $10 million loan. Congress said OK, but do it yourself. Henry did, but he was captured as soon as his ship broke into the open sea. They found his briefcase and the treaty. He was taken into custody and later convicted of high treason. He couldn’t even be exchanged as a prisoner of war. And the Dutch – King George attacked them and destroyed their navy. There went Henry’s loan! The Tower of London Henry was taken to the Tower where he was expected to pay for his room, his guards, and for any necessities. He was finally exchanged for Lord Cornwallis himself. His surrender at Yorktown ended the Revolutionary War. But Henry didn’t go home – instead Benjamin Franklin asked him to come to France to help negotiate the peace. He didn’t even get to finish the treaty – Ben sent him back to England, as our first unofficial ambassador. Returning Home Henry returned to find his plantations destroyed and one of his sons dead. He died during the closing days of the war. Henry lived for another seven years, and he gained a new nickname – Tower Laurens. He left two endowments behind . . . to the wife of his Tower jailer. The other . . . to their daughter. Evidently she carried messages to his friends, until some guards noticed her unusual activity. Then it stopped. (Amazon's description is below.) Amazon’s Description: The brooding grey walls of the Tower of London circumscribe one of the most recognisable buildings on the planet. Over its thousand-year history the Tower stood as a symbol of the English monarchy and served as both a palace and a prison. It is a place where court intrigues, clandestine liaisons, unimaginable tortures and grisly executions took place with frightening regularity. Tales from the Tower is the factual history of the great building itself told through the true stories of the people, royal and common, good and bad, heroes and villains, who lived and died there. Including characters such as William the Conqueror, the Princes in the Tower, Jane Grey, Guy Fawkes, Colonel Blood and Rudolf Hess, the broad range of stories encompassed in Tales from the Tower present a microcosm of all human experience, from love and death to greed and betrayal, all played out against romantic period settings ranging from medieval knights in shining armour to the darkest days of World War II. Anyone who loves history and adventure will find Tales from the Tower a classic page turner. 3/19/23 Here are 3 stories that caught my eye this week. Two are about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. The third, George Washington. 1, In April and May of 1780, the British had their eyes on Charleston, South Carolina. It fell on May 12, but the British got a bonus – three men who signed the Declaration –Thomas Heyward, Edward Rutledge, and Arthur Middleton. They were arrested and held in a dungeon inside the city. Their next stop – a British prison in St. Augustine, Florida. I was glad they weren’t hanged, but, they weren’t famous like John Hancock or Thomas Jefferson. Maybe that’s why they survived. 2. Richmond, Virginia was burned to the ground in January of 1781. The government escaped to Charlottesville, but the British found out, and now they’re riding hard to capture it. They stopped to rest at a tavern where Jack Jouett overheard them. He rides through the night to warn Thomas Jefferson. His face is scratched so badly that Jack will live with the scars for the rest of his life, but he makes it in time to warn Thomas. But the night isn’t over. Thomas sends him back out to warn the legislature. If Jouett hadn’t made that ride, the Brits would have captured the legislature, plus four signers – Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Nelson, Benjamin Harrison, and Richard Henry Lee. They all escaped, thanks to Jack’s ride. 3. Soldiers give up a lot for their country. George Washington left Mount Vernon in 1775, and he didn’t return until six years later. He finally stopped in on September 12, 1781, for one night. The army was on its way to Yorktown for a final matchup with General Cornwallis. George thought he could spare one night . . . to sleep in his own bed, to see his wife Martha, and to look out on the Potomac River from his porch. George couldn’t help himself . . . he stayed two nights. I would have too, after six years away from home. 3/15/2023 It’s working! I’m a week into this book, on Chapter 19, and it’s helped me to imagine this time period, its heroes, and villains. Here are three big discoveries I’ve made so far. There are others, of course, but not everyone loves reading research 😊 1. I discovered where many of the founders went for a drink, or for a stay. John Adams said it was the “most genteel tavern in America.” This is key! I need its name to help you picture the setting in the first couple chapters of my book. 2. I found a HUGE mistake in my manuscript, in Chapter 2! I put Ben Franklin in Philadelphia in April of 1777. The problem – he sailed to France in November of 1776. OOPS! I’m glad I found it, and fixed it. 3. I can’t use this one yet, but I saw a passage in Wikipedia that said Thomas Jefferson blamed King George for slavery, and he put it in the Declaration of Independence, in one of the drafts. I didn’t believe it, but it’s true! I read his words, in a footnote in this book! Unfortunately, Georgia and South Carolina were slave-owning states, so they had the words pulled. It’s sad. It might have changed things, like no Civil War, but can you imagine getting 13 people to agree on anything? Imagine getting 13 colonies and their 56 representatives to do that. Sometimes you have to negotiate to get part of what you want. You can never, ever, get everything. Started 3/7 I started reading today because I need to immerse myself in research. I found an idea last July, and it wouldn’t let me go. It took me until the end of 2022 to figure out where the story should go. I was searching for a ribbon, a main idea, to thread through the story, from the beginning until the very end. Now that it’s 2023, I’m writing! My critique group looked at chapter 1, twice. This time their advice – add comments and keep moving. I’ll do that this week. I’ll also revise chapter 2 and have my critique group look at it again. I’ll take notes, and keep going. Why? Because this is a BIG topic! The biggest I’ve ever written. I could end up with 50-60 chapters, total. As I write, I’ll learn more about the historical figures at the heart of the American story. I’ll revise better if I know their story, and, it will be easier. I love two-fers! I started the prologue today, and I’m at the beginning of the French and Indian War. I’m watching a young George Washington fight in the battle over Fort Duquesne and the Ohio Valley. I’m also listening to what Ben Franklin said, prebattle. He warned the British about the Indians and their kind of fighting, but they didn’t listen, and, they lost badly. PS - If I find any fun facts along the way, I’ll share them with you. PPS – Well written nonfiction is a joy to read. I love learning new details and points of view! Amazon’s Description: The Revolutionary War as never told before. This breathtaking installment in Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard’s mega-bestselling Killing series transports readers to the most important era in our nation’s history: the Revolutionary War. Told through the eyes of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Great Britain’s King George III, Killing England chronicles the path to independence in gripping detail, taking the reader from the battlefields of America to the royal courts of Europe. What started as protest and unrest in the colonies soon escalated to a world war with devastating casualties. O’Reilly and Dugard recreate the war’s landmark battles, including Bunker Hill, Long Island, Saratoga, and Yorktown, revealing the savagery of hand-to-hand combat and the often brutal conditions under which these brave American soldiers lived and fought. Also here is the reckless treachery of Benedict Arnold and the daring guerrilla tactics of the “Swamp Fox” Frances Marion. A must read, Killing England reminds one and all how the course of history can be changed through the courage and determination of those intent on doing the impossible. Have you ever met a bat up close and personal? Not the baseball kind. The bat, who flies through the night. I have, four times so far. Keep reading, and I’ll tell you some true stories about me, and my bats. Story # 1 – The Bat and the Mop The first bat flew through this backyard in Lengerich, Germany. If you were a bat, you’d stop in every night to feast on its bug buffet, but not that night . . . it tried the door. Most German windows don’t have screens, and the back door, it was open. So that bat flew inside and did a few laps. I called it a bird, and my German friend, night bird. We argued until she pulled out a big, thick book. I thought she was going to hit the bat. Nope! It was a dictionary, and she pointed at a German word, Fledermaus. Beside it, in English, I saw bat, and that’s the moment it hung upside down from the curtain rod. No Fake, Jake! What should we do? Well, we argued some more, and that bat watched and listened. Finally my friend tried the garage, and I was stuck with the bat. I had to do something, so I tried a mop. I held it up to the bat, hoping it would fly away. Nope! Three limbs clutched my mop. The fourth, held tight to the rod. We stared at each other, like forever, at least until I heard my friend’s footsteps. I yelled door. Thank goodness she left it open, and that bat finally flew a few laps, then left through the door. That’s the short version of my brush with a bat. If you’d like the one with more juicy details, try this link: http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/the-true-bat-story Story #2 – A Pillow Fight, with a Bat! Believe it or not, I wasn’t the lead actor for this story . . . that role went to my husband, but I guess I was still the leading lady, and the villain . . . the bat. This is my only bat story where it got to be the villain. The other three times, poor bat! It stumbled into the story. This one started when my husband woke me during the night. He called, cover your face. Note – I hate doing that. I get too hot, and then I have to kick off the covers. When I asked why, he said there was a bat in our bedroom. I know – a bat, flying laps, around my bedroom. YIKES! It was enough to keep me undercover, because this bat wasn’t nice, not like the others. My husband said every time he popped his head out, the bat dive-bombed him. And the sound it made, I don’t remember the syllables, but they were high-pitched and squeaky. They sounded mean, like he was shouting, this is MY room. Not Yours! Finally my husband had enough. Not me, I stayed undercover. He grabbed his pillow and started swatting. The bat pillow fight was on! But it wasn’t the nice kind, the slumber party kind. My husband swatted the bat to the floor, and it screeched – I’ll hurt you, I will! I was terrified, but my husband and the bat, they were still fighting, with that pillow. A few minutes later he yelled, get a shoe! Why? So he could knock it down, for good. Every time he swatted, that bat flew back up a moment later. NOT NICE! It could have flown away. So I scrambled for a shoe, staying close to the ground. I think I tossed it. I wanted it there, fast, but I didn’t want to knock my husband out either! He grabbed the shoe, hit the bat, and the battle was over. That fast! My husband carried it outside. My guess – he didn’t touch it. A bat that mean, might have had rabies. Afterwards I was so thankful it picked our room, not our daughter’s. She was probably middle school age back then, and a bat would have totally freaked her out. Our two boys wanted to keep it as a souvenir, but we said NO! We called a park ranger. He lived two doors down, and he took it away before we got home. We never heard if it had rabies, but I’ve always wondered. PS – I always think of this as my second bat story, but now, telling it for the first time ever, our kids must have been much younger. My guess – in grades 6, 4, and 1. No wonder I was so thankful that bat never crawled into our daughter’s room. PPS – How did it get in? Our guess – it flew in the fireplace. It’s on the bottom level of our house. Then it flew upstairs and crawled under the door. It had too . . . it was the only way in . . . Both of our bedroom doors were closed. What an adventure! Thank goodness we lived to tell! Story #3 – Tennis Anyone? Game, Set, Bat! Have you ever swung a racquet at a bat? I have, but my heart wasn’t in it. It was the third time I’d met one up close, but it was the scariest. Maybe, because I was all alone this time. It all started when my husband decided to cap our chimney. It sounded like a good idea, but I had no idea what it would set in motion . . . Not one. Not two, but three bats flying through our house. They must have called the chimney home, until that cap trapped them inside. There was nothing they could do, except fly through our house. They were looking for a way out, but the doors and windows were all closed. My husband was in Tennessee the night the first one flew through. I was in Ohio. His advice – grab a tennis racquet. Easy for him to say! He can hit the ball, and I can’t. That racquet made me feel a little safer. At least I could defend myself, sort of. My other defense, the one I was good at, hiding in our bedroom with the doors shut tight. Thank goodness that bat never crawled under either door. I think we were scared of each other. The second night the bat flew up and down the stairs a few times. I swung and missed each time, but it finally disappeared. I didn’t search, not me. It was bigger than the other bats, with wings that filled the stairs. He flew up and around me and my racquet. What an acrobat! My husband came home the third night. It took a few days, but he took out each member of our tiny bat colony, all three. I wish they’d found their way back into the night again. Story #4 – My Latest Bat Adventure Would you believe my last one was in May, this May? Or that my other bat experiences helped me face this one? Yes, it was this May, and yes, to those experiences. This time it started with me sitting in our living room at the lake. I was working on my newest manuscript. It’s a middle grade novel, and I’m so excited about it. Anyhow, my husband came inside and said, there’s a bat on the porch. I thought, in the middle of the afternoon? He also said he wanted me to take care of it. I said, huh? What? He said that I was the batlady. Okay, I have said that, and a lot. Then he said I could take care of it. I thought a moment. Then I thought suck it up buttercup, and I headed outside, armed with a six-foot piece of baseboard. And no, I wasn’t going to hit the bat with it. I got outside and of course I didn’t see the bat, like usual. My husband pointed, and there it was, hanging onto the base cap. I googled to find that word. It’s the baseboard that goes around the top of a wall, or the top of a porch. My tiny new friend was on the base cap beside the front yard. It looked like a small bird, but birds can’t land on a base cap. I looked, then wondered if I could really help it leave. Then I thought suck it up buttercup again, and I held my baseboard up to that bat. Nothing! I wondered if it was ignoring me, or sleeping. Did you know bats sleep during the day and fly at night? I tried again. Nothing again! The third time – it stretched out its wings. Yowzah! Suddenly that bat looked a lot bigger, but I sucked it up, and I held that board up one last time.
OOOPS! I forgot to tell you I was talking to the bat the whole time. On that last try I told my winged friend it couldn’t sleep on the porch. I said fly away. Find a better place to sleep. Guess what? It worked! My friend flew away, and I haven’t seen it since. BTW – My tiny new friend probably lives in the mini-woods on either side of our house, but this is the first time we’ve met. Why? Bats avoid people the way people avoid bats. I thought I should build it a house, but I realized I don’t need to – my bat has lots of houses to choose from. They’re called . . . TREES! |
AuthorWhen I write, I can only have one voice in my head, mine. A little noise is fine. But too much, or worse yet, WORDS, and I must change rooms or pull out headphones. Then I can write on! Categories
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