We were thrilled to celebrate Thanksgiving with my sister and her family in Portland Oregon this year and were overwhelmed with the gorgeous fall colors. We don't have trees turning yellow, orange, and deep reds in Southern California nor do we have the bountiful rain that fell in Portland while we were there - in fact we hardly have any rain at all. I took the following shots through a window that was sprinkled with rain drops. The day after Thanksgiving we went to visit the Oregon pinot noir wine region. Here is a wine press prominently displayed on the patio of Anne Amie Winery (the palm tree in the background made me feel right at home). Besides some lovely pinots I also sampled dark chocolate covered hazelnuts that are a main crop in the region. … [Read more...]
Everybody is talking about sisterhood
Everybody at Women on Writing is talking about Sisterhood today. And so am I. But first I want to tell you about Therese Walsh's new novel The Moon Sisters so you can join our celebration. In The Moon Sisters, her second novel, Therese Walsh wanted to write about one sister's quest to find will-o'-the-wisp light, which was her mother's unfulfilled dream. Also called foolish fires, these lights are sometimes seen over wetlands and are thought to lead those who follow them to treasure. Despite the promise, they are never captured and sometimes lead to injury or even death for adventurers who follow them. The metaphor of that fire that some dreams and goals are impossible to reach, and that hope itself may not be innately good eventually rooted its way into deeper meaning as the Moon sisters tried to come to terms with real-world dreams and hopes, and with each other, in their strange new world. Olivia and Jazz Moon are polar opposites: one a dreamy synesthete, able to see … [Read more...]
