Larry McMurtry’s Booked Up In 1988, Pulitzer Prize winning author Larry McMurtry returned to his hometown of Archer City, Texas with the dream of transforming it into a book-themed town. He even took out ads in literary magazines proclaiming, “Miraculous birth! Visit the newly born book town of Archer City, Texas, and help the endless migration of good books continue.” For those who can’t quite place the name, Larry McMurtry has written dozens of novels, several of which have been turned into movies, including the Oscar-winning “Terms of Endearment” and “Brokeback Mountain.” Even if his name is not familiar, you…
Tag: photo essay
Japanese Gardens of Fort Worth A few weeks ago, my husband and I popped over to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens and wandered through our favorite section, the Japanese Gardens. As usual, I went snap-happy, taking lots of photos. The ones I’m sharing here show bright koi fish swimming beneath the swirling reflections of the trees. I found it really hypnotic! Follow me on Instagram & I’ll follow you back! I’ve gone from turning up my nose at the idea of cell phone pictures, to being an avid iPhone photographer, which is why my theme for the 2014 A to…
Christmas in the Desert My family and I spent last Christmas in the desert. Needless to say, it was not a white Christmas, although the opening lines of that famous Irving Berlin song, did apply: The sun is shining, the grass is green The orange and palm trees sway There’s never been such a day In Beverly Hills, LA But it’s December the 24th And I’m longing to be up north At least, they sort of applied. We were actually in Arizona, and I don’t think any of us were longing for snow or New York. It was tough to…
Indie Author Interview & Interesting Icons Rather than describe all the silly stick people in today’s photo essay, I decided to let them speak for themselves. Keeping with the letter I theme, however, I’m posting an interview with indie author Anthony St. Clair in which all the questions begin with the letter I. Win a Free eBook Anthony will also be the guest at #StoryDam chat on Twitter tonight at 8pm EST. I hope you will join us for a fun chat about writing, travel, and beer brewing. Oh – he is also giving a copy of his eBook, Home…
Happy Hour Yes, H is for Happy Hour in London – which, according to the chart in my second photo, appears to be 24/7. Indeed, as I tap the keyboard for this particular A to Z entry, I see that I should be imbibing a “Fancy Smile.” What is the proper cocktail for you at this moment? Hendrick’s Gin I’m not much of a drinker, but I am a sucker for festive, foo-foo beverages. Gimme a tissue paper parasol, a skewer of fruit, or a plastic monkey hanging off my glass, and I’m happy. As a former coffeehouse owner and…
Venice, Italy Lives up to its Hype Venice is one of those rare cities that lives up to all the tour book hype. I’ve been lucky enough to visit 3 times, yet I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what this ancient city has to offer. It’s not for lack of trying, either. Each time I’ve been there, I spend 12 to 15 hours a day exploring. This tiny, labyrinthian town has so much worth seeing! Mindful Travel Believe it or not, despite being a total shutterbug, I actually find it quite easy to put down the…