Aye, the summer dark feet

I've stood beneath green skies - yes, green the way I sees them - In the weeks since I've last written. I've taken early morning bike rides down straightaways - trails that lead to and parallel the crisp, cool tide. In the weeks since I've last written, yes. I've spent pacified nights on a screened porch - sparkled by fireflies in the inky dark. I dreamed of my brother and sister - how I miss them. Southern weather has come to visit - but for just a few days. I've targeted buoys with endless pebbled ammunition. In my weeks. I've, too, spent nights in the ceremonies of my own porch - feasted upon by mosquitos. Every evening I witness South Portland head to an early sleep - we own the town upon its slumber. And, aye, my feet are darkened by the long days under the sun. I've swam in the ocean, with its shocking temperature stealing my lungs. Sometimes, the clouds appear as pinkish smudges, warped by this very strange

latitude. And I love everything. Deep breathes - the salt flavored air! And what is a night without a walk on the beach? I've deciphered the moonshine as it collides with eddys by the coast. And I've met the spirit of my house, its a mirthful ghost.

Recovery

don't mind the posts that have nothing in them or abbreviated text, they're space holders, I will translate my journal entries to them soon

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worked some, celebrated too much

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Parents leave

photo of a rainbow after a spritzing shower, it was refreshing!

Journey to points South

journey to points south photo in Kennebunkport area

Journey to points North

Easily the most adventurous and most spiritual day of my time in Maine! I had never left the immediate area of inner Greater Portland (you like that?) and I explained to my parents, who love an adventure as well, that anything outside of the area is new to me. We decided to start in Freeport and make further decisions on our trip later. In Freeport there are many outlet stores, and the L.L. Bean 24/365 store is there. Nothing too exciting there. Next we decided to go to a group of island south of Brunswick. Map. Notice Portland in the lower-left and Brunswick at the top-center. You will see below Brunswick the islands of Orrs and Bailey. It was short journey, we expected it to take longer. But we got to a point called Lands End at the tip of Bailey. The moment we got out of the car and stepped towards the coast, I felt a feeling of home and a sort of justification of my move. That is where the photo was taken, and

the mist evoked a mysticism inherent in the coast. Along the way down to the island, I saw a view straight from the works of Hokusai, a great Japanese printmaker. Wikipedia. I did a search of his work for something comparable, but I could not find much, mostly disparate elements from several prints that could be combined, by pastiche, to construct a composition of Mackerel Cove. Picture. There was a lot of fishermen out, which is an occupation that I am very removed from, having lived inland for all my life, and my visits to the coast in mostly vacation spots. Overall, it was a peaceful area that I could easily reside in. After the island tour, we went to Cape Elisabeth, just south of Portland. The rock formation here was different than the ones at Bailey and even different from Fort Williams. Oh, how I do enjoy the variety of the coastline! Picture.

visit from the parents

Well, having prepared for this for the past week, I anxiously awaited the arrival of my parents, their first visit to Maine. I checked in on their journey during my breaks at work, and left a half hour early to do last minute errands. I met my parents off the interstate, because Broadway is a ill-navigable road. After we met up, I led them to my house to show them it's charm. They were a little sketched on the rope for a door latch. Next, I took them to Fort Williams to see the lighthouse and tremendous few from the coast. The weather was warm, and it was just sunny enough for a cheerful reunion. Then, getting hungry, we headed into Portland for a dinner at Bull Feeny's. It's in Old Port and is a historic structure. We parked the car on the top story of a parking garage and saw the sunset from a great height. I showed them WF. The evening wound down, and they dropped me off at my house, and they returned to their hotel in

Biddeford. I went over to a friends house, then we all took a walk down to the Casco Bay Bridge, which is where the photo was taken. This fulfills my promise to catch the lights of Portland from across the harbor. Better photos exist by better photographers, but this is moment from my life, and as such more valuable and more illustious. We visited the harbor at low-tide and it astounded me to see that only a very small fraction of the bridge's span is above water, the rest being flood plane and land.

more work ruminations

Now with three shifts to my credit, work is starting to become easier. It's not a lot of physically strenuous activity, but its more of a presentation and customer oriented service in the grocery department. How many times will I be asked where the tahini is? And why does that word not exist in the spellcheck editor? Unfortunately the store lacks a substantial bulk section like the WF's back home. No cereals, very little tea selection, but a good amount of grains, flours, nuts, etc. I do a lot of product label reading to pass the time, I figure it will help me learn the information before my actual classes occur. A trend that is interesting is the humorous/quirky/absurdest content on the labels. This extends to the store proper, as well. An institutional uniqueness exists within the culture of the natural foods that soon enough will verge on hegemony. But is this better than droll product packaging. Should

they be wrapped in simple, nondescript coverings? Something more utilitarian? Anyways, the photo is from the outside dining area at work, a wonderful place to sit for break, though it gets blustery there at times. This, above all, is the biggest ideological difference between my former grocery employer and WF. Wf wants it's customer to stay and explore, while my previous grocer wanted the customer to get through the checkouts as fast as possible.

Report on First day of work

So last night was my first official day of work at WF. It went smoothly, and fortunately my orientation was spare of annoying videos on how to lift properly, and customer service techniques. My biggest challenge is going to be learning the locations of items. Beyond that, product knowledge (ingediants, diet restrictions, nutritional information, uses) is an education in its own, but I look forward to that, because ignorance on the items I stock is unacceptable. Also, getting to know the names of co-workers will take some time because there is around 150 of them, yeesh! Overall, this will be an amazing place to work and it will give me an opportunity to expand my food awareness. Eventually I wish to take cooking courses at a school around these parts, and learn me how to cook somethin' delectable. The picture was taken in an elevator at the store. Its in the backroom and I use it a lot to take stuff to and

from the backstock location on the second floor. It might just be me, but I find it odd that there is a button for 1st floor and one for the 2nd floor. There really should be just a 'GO' button, because when your on the 1st floor there is only one way to go, and vice versa. Eh, the little, inconsequential things that take up more mental energy than they ought to.

beachcombing

Like a scavenger I scoured Willard Beach for interesting items that were washed up by the storm. Found: A four-foot long frond of kelp, which is pictured. Five oysters - full bodies, though missing the muscle. Lots of skipping stones - which were made of shale. Tossed the frisbee around. Watched the sun burn off the mist out on the bay. As commented before, my house lies beneath the flight path of Portland Jetport, and it was ghostly seeing the planes silhouetted through a layer of fog.

the soaking / ch 16 done

The waterline rises, the waves roll fierce, the wind gets wicked. And I get adventurous . I went to Fort Williams, and oh how great it is to have a park like this so close. It has a great vantage from up on the cliffs to see how the weather affects the water. Just fantastic. I saw several tide pools, created by the surging waves. The rain was dispersed by the wind, severing what were large droplets into many smaller ones, floating and falling. The seagulls used the coastal winds to drift casually in the air. I also used my 35mm, and I've now a couple rolls to be developed, from the past two weeks. One thing, though, about all this rain - there is a rain spout that empties just outside my room, and it gets frustratingly loud, it woke me up this morning. I prefer the gentle patter of the window, not a faucet. I finished ch 16, but I was tentative on one part, but I want to finish the entire book before I go through and revise it, no sense getting

stuck in one section. 6 chapters to go! Today's rainfall: 4.61 inches! thats a two-day (really more like 30 hours) total of 5.56 inches.....

old port fest

The storm that never arrived yesterday came a little later last night. We went down to the beach to watch the lightning explode over the bay, but that was a snooze. THEN it became more eventful, but only after I had went back to my house. Today we went to the Old Port Fest - they shut down a couple blocks of the older section of Portland, hence the name. Standard fare for a festival, lots of live music all around. Eh. Rainfall, mostly after sunset: .95 inches.

a phantom squal

Great anticipation. I awaited a blustering storm. Hail. Gale force winds. Darkened skies. Lightning. I waited. But a whimper. Just a soft rain. A crow who dipped its cracker in a puddle. Nothing. Aye, it passed south. Another time. Having the stretch of fine, high sun days was great for out-of-doors-activities, but it browned the land a bit. So it was that the past couple days found the plants the hydration they needed. Quenched, they now blush their verdant green, an affectionate complexion, indeed. The splendid display of photosynthesis, in concert. Good theater.

one month report

So it's been a month. And I feel fortune has been kind. The house I live at is in a great location, on most days I can smell the sea, and hear it occasionally. Not to slight any past roommates, but the ones here are fast friends. And there are the characters that frequent the place, they who gravitate to the spacious porch. Its an open door relationship that provides an almost continual ushering of new folk. This relationship extends to the animals, too. The climate is nothing to complain about, but then again I appreciate most types of weather. Despite common conception from people back home in PA, it's not all that much colder here. Take that! The greatest source of frustration was the job search, and its slightly interesting that my orientation at WF is one month after I rolled into town. The photo is of the truck that sits out front of the store.

More text matter

Yes, 16 is halfway home, and I have a very good idea of what the other half is going to be, which is necessary for it to get done. What? Yeah I don't know either. But I'm not concerned about making sense here. It's been overcast here ALL day, which is unfortunate, but has also forced me to write. I like being outside on sunny days. Like 90% of humanity. Photo: Portland (Old Port) from across the harbor at Bug Light.

and again

photo from another trip into portland, this one on preble st. Having finished some very intriguing developments in my story, I look at this picture and think exactly thus, "Straight to the sky, mind matters, escape from streetdom - shot into the sun. My ideas careen off the buildings and rise. Yes."

these days are wearing thin

I need to start work soon, my orientation is friday, but all this free time is starting to grow stale. Basically did the same thing today as I did yesterday, though I was toting around my 35mm camera. In a week I'll be getting the B/W back from the developers. Stalled a bit on the writing, but no worries. It appears that the extra fine weather of late will be ebbing, going in to some rainy days, which will surely put a spell on me.

memorial day

laundry, wiffle ball (with a hacky sack) ice cream, sittin on the porch, a trip into portland, good peoples over... yeah it was a good day. And here? A Breathing Tree.. that term will make more sense in time, for it occurs in my story.

Watched the phils put the hammer down

Picture is of an apartment building in Portland. It used to be a swanky hotel. Now its kind of danky, but has a great charm.

One of Those Days

Good ol' Woody, doin what we were all thinking. --- I laid down the first several paragraphs of 16. Spent past couple days searching for its tone. --- Some great times, though, tonight. We hosted a gathering for a birthday. Stayed out on the porch all night, lit only by a candle. Then, under the influence, went on down to willard beach to appreciate the ocean. We took a seat up on a bluff and I watched a couple planes on their path to the airport. Their flight path is directly over my house, which gets loud at times, but they are infrequent. What was very intriguing, though, is that when the planes approach at night, they appear as a star in the distance, just over the horizon. Slowly they enlarge, and their two headlights are

reflected on the water. Cars in the Sky!

Baseball Game.

But first, I woke early, spent most of my day at the beach, temperatures flirted with Ninety. Did the paperwork at WF. Then on to Portland for the Seadogs v. Phillies. We got into line, but a woman came over and offered four tickets to a man in front of us. "But I'm only one person," he cried. The lady picked three tickets and foisted them at us - I and my roomate and her brother. That was easy! "Thanks," I yelled to her as she skirted away. As we sat, the Phils put a one on the scoreboard, "Great start!" I recall saying. Pitcher's duel and sloppy play until the seventh. Seadogs ran eight on the plate in the bottom seven. Phillies mounted a meek rally, but could not coax any more runs from a hot hurler who finished out the game. No problem, I thought. The ballpark, pictured here, has an amateur looking replica of the Green Monster. It looked more like sullen seaweed, dried and dead.

And I have a job...

Whole Foods, gonna fill out my paperwork tomorrow.... RELIEF! Went in to help the flower vendor, I put out three cases (six in each) of potted lavender plants. I smelled each one. Then as I was walking home form tossing the fisbee about I took a sprig of lilac, pictured here. Sweets smells.

Finished Ch 15

With the aide of yesterday's excursion I completed ch 15. Today I had the itch to check out Bug Light, which is at the mouth of Portland Harbor, on the South Portland side. Map. Picture. The day was overcast, which is the sort of lighting conditions I like when I take landscape photographs. The light is even and does not over-saturate. The photo here in the post is of Bug Light, looking up at the sun from its side. The Light has engaged columns with Corinthian capitals. Picture. Overall it has a Roman temple design. (Taking into account its circular base) The entablature has dentils, which is from the Ionic order. And this combination of different orders is common with Neo-Classical architecture, popular at the end of the 19th century. According to its entry in Wikipedia, it was rebuilt in 1875, so that puts it in the appropriate era. The Nor'easter that tore through last month really did some damage to

the breakwater area, and its amazing that Bug Light has survived all these years. I also checked out Spring Point Ledge Light - fairly interesting. Map. Picture. I was more occupied with the ground covering, some species of coniferous plant. Picture. I want to check out Bug Light at night, because it provides a stunning view of Portland, with its lights reflecting on the water. I'll be sure to post some pictures of that.

Resolution

First the floral place, then Whole Foods called back, they keep stringing me along, and I follow. Had an issue with my Cingular plan, but twenty minutes on the phone fixed that. Those dastardly pills I take for allergies, they claim they're non-drowsy. Wrong. But I suppose it's a small price for the clearing of my sinuses it delivers. --- Ch 15 is oh so close to finished, and as always its better than I expected - a feeling I won't grow tired of. --- Went on a hike of the coastline, that's where this photo was taken, with a crescent moon anchoring the sky above the cliffs. Look at the map. We (about eight all together)went from the north part of Fort Williams (seen at the bottom of the map) to Willard Beach (that little strip of beige north of Fort Will.) Hopping, climbing, skidding

and slipping around every nook along the coast, as the sun was setting. We left two cars at the park and had one waiting at the other end at one of the adventurer's house. The park closes at sunset, and we had left three people back there (we didn't think it would take THAT long) so we got a call as we were walking back to the car to hurry up, they were gonna boot the others out of the park. We arrived there just in time, and the sojourn came to a sweet, relaxing conclusion. Here are the rest of my pictures from the trip, taken on my phone (not bad, eh?) So to get a grasp of how far we went, look at this picture The Head Light (recall from this post)is far in the distance, just off center in the pic. All told, it ended up being about two miles, with a detour thrown in.

Allergies!

Sneeze, Cough, Snort, Hack, Whimper. I tried to fight them off as long as I could, but it appears that after the rain cleared out the pollen was free and willing to attack. Great timing, too, because I just got over my cold. Ah well, I can at least predict the allergies - two times a year, mid-September and late May, both for about a week. In the world of employment, it looks like the floral place is in the front running, they want me more.... the picture here was taken while we were playing hacky sack, good ol' earthworm, still out from the rain, sittin' on my roommate's brother's shoulder.

Trees of the neighborhood

I took a walk this morning to catalog the flora in the area around my house. What is certain, though, is there's a great many outstanding trees in my neighborhood. If I knew the species I would list them for you. But there is one in particular that intrigues me. The leaves are shown here, they look like six or seven fingered gloves, hanging down asking to be kissed. Some of these leaf grouping have an additional flourish, one that looks like a miniature tree sprouting from the intersection of the leaves and their branch. I ran out of battery, so I do not have a photo to illustrate my point. I'll get back on this task another day. This picture, however, was taken with a flash, which I never use - never. But it was by accident that the camera utilized the flash, and it created a interesting effect.

Laundry day

Taken while at the laundromat, I enjoy framing my photos with flowers or plants, it adds a certain amount of depth, and plants are so lovely - they have the most wonderful inherent relationship of positive and negative space - a designer's dream....What doesn't show up here are the beautiful strands that contour the blossoms, from their base straight to the tip of the petal. Its a camera phone, give me a break! Well, this is my third Saturday in Maine, and I'm getting into the rhythm of things. Some guy asked me why it was strangely quiet today - couldn't answer him, give me some time and I might. Otherwise today is rainless but overcast, and given the option of taking one, I'd have the rainy day. --- Cold clearing up, but not totally better

Temperature - High: ?? | Low: ?? Precipitation - ? in.

"Rain down, come on, rain down"

The steps to my front porch, its been raining non-stop all day. As is my character, I'm thoroughly enjoying it - the rain woke me up with its patter on my window, and it has pleased me with its uninterrupted drizzle - it was the reason for me to go into Portland. While there I made another entry into my photographic series of city architecture in the rain, joining Seattle, London, Phila., New York,Boston (though I have to redo Boston in B/W) This has been the second time I went on photo-safari since I've been in Maine. I anticipate satisfactory results, though no real good composition stands out, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. --- I'm fighting a minor cold (sore throat, very subtle fever, runny nose, mild headache) ---

Ch 15 is shaping up nicely, I'm feeling better and better about the prospects of my writing.



Temperature - High: 43 | Low: 40 Precipitation - 1.1 in.

and the results are in

I went to the floral thing, spent three and a half hours there, I got paid for it too, nice. The job seems easy, just need to learn the ins and outs, but thats no different from any other job. While I was there I got a call from Bank of America, which I applied to, though I don't know how attractive bank work is. Actually, I do know. Not a lot. Went to the Whole Foods interview, lasted twenty minutes, thought I got a fair shake. They're gonna get back to me on Saturday. Let's hope. The photo is of a tree with some sickly looking leaves, almost like a swarm of wine-colored bats.

the job situation

weird, I thought I'd never hear from the seven or eight places I applied to or sent a resume to. Then late in the morning today I got a call from a floral vendor who takes care of stocking and merchandising the plants and flowers at grocery stores. Part time work, but I was willing, set up an observation/interview for tomorrow morning. Then later that night I got a call for Whole Foods. I end up having a twenty minute interview over the phone. Those are awkward, cos I need to read people. I set up an in-store interview for tomorrow afternoon. The picture is of Fort Preble, which is now the campus of SMCC. I reached out my arm to take this'n, it was a blind shot, turned out good, though.

ch 14

finished ch 14 up today, wrote half the chapter today, most of the rest was worked on while here in Maine... I've been helped by reading On the Road... why didn't I think of that sooner.... ch 14 was a pivotal chapter, had to make sure it was done with care and forthought.... Framed between the blossoming branches, out in the bay, is Fort Gorges. I want to visit there, but the only way is by a private boat/water vessel... I'm thinkin a kayak.

one very long day

Very shortly after I woke up, while finishing my cereal, I got asked to go play frisbee - I'm always down for that. Me and my roommate went to meet another guy, and we played for a while. Then for the better part of the day, until well past noon, I went from place to place, following the crowd, just hanging out. Played some banjo and guitar, had a spaghetti lunch, soaked up the day. Went over to Fort Williams again. Kinda needed one of these 'I'm not working, so I might as well make the most of it' days. Then I went to a barbecue, played some hack, then they lit a fire right there in the grill, nice. Had s'mores, which I had not indulged in quite a while. Hung out till the wee hours of the morn. The photo? It's a hairy jetty. Some odd seaplant, very alien looking.

First visit to Fort Williams

I wish I had my bike here! (or could find a cheap one) This park is a little less than a mile and a half away, I'd ride to it every day. (map) This is where one can experience two Maine signatures. The rocky coasts and the lighthouses. This is a picture of the Portland Head Light lighthouse, nothing really exceptional about it. I found some chiseled eaves along the coast, little sanctuaries. Go here for the photo album. Temperature - High: 67 | Low: 31 Precipitation - 0in.

Nice day for some flowers

The flowers are out now, along with the leaves on the trees. I arrived with good timing because there was not a leaf on a tree when I got here. Then in the next couple days I saw signs of life in the land. Before I knew it - through the clamorous days and the doldrum days since I've been here - everything was in bloom. Go here for the photo album. Temperature - High: 62 | Low: 42 Precipitation - .02 in.

end of semester party

I'm rooming with two students of Southern Maine Community College (SMCC). The semester is over, unofficially anyways. So they held party here, had an enjoyable time. Good turnout, I knew mostly everyone, which is fortunate when it happens. Jammed with the guy I replaced in the house, though night quite the 'passing of the torch'.

Half Hour 'o' Humidity

While playing frisbee, I noticed out on the bay that a very large, dense, low-hanging cloud was moving in. I thought it might be rain, because I hadn't seen what rain looked like up here (hey, I was open for the idea) -- well it came to shore and almost completely obscured the campus, swallowing us whole. The bright spot is the sun. Kinda reminded me of home in the sultry days of summer. Temperature - High: 68 | Low: 50 Precipitation - 0in.

Fantastic game of ultimate

Joined that pickup game I stumbled upon last week, thanks to my roommate of course. Most of the same people were there, with only a couple substitutions. I would have paid to watch this game, it went down to the wire. But more than that it was a friendly kind of competition. Intense, skillful and tactical. Surprisingly there was no wind at all, so if there was a mistake made it was on the thrower or receiver, not the wind.

Casco Bay Bridge

This is the bridge that connects Portland and South Portland. I had the pleasure of waiting 15 minutes for a tall ship to go through. Funny thing, though, the car to the right is a BMW.... with Pennsylvania tags.... and a Devon BMW badge to the left of the license plate - freaky. You can see the badge better here Temperature - High: 61 | Low: 33 Precipitation - 0in.

Ultimate sunsets - Ultimate frisbee

Absolutely clear skies! My first day here was terrific. Played a lot of frisbee in the fields at SMCC. The campus is right on Casco Bay (map) and the sunsets are long and strong. Blue, blue water! There happened to be another group of people throwing the frisbee around, this was about six o'clock. My roommate went over and asked if they wanted to get a game of Ultimate on, which was why they were there to begin with. They were glad to and so were we. They were very skilled, I had some good moments and some bad ones - to be expected. They play there every Wednesday at that times, so we might be joining them regularly. Temperature - High: 60 | Low: 40 Precipitation - 0in.

"Are you Excited?"

hmmm, that was the question most asked this past week, and the answer is 'no, i haven't had much time to think about it' there was an endless amount of things to get ready and people to meet, and I didn't get closure on either. yet that is exactly how i operate. so it went that I woke up this morning and busied myself with throwing away the vast collection of sentiment I've accrued, from the worthless to the moderately valuable. I had packed most of my stuff the night before and was looking to get on the road by 11 or so. it ended up being a quarter past 'so' that I left, but not before plucking a sprig of blossom from the tree my yard, and I set it on my dash and its smell cut through all the others. the journey itself was mediocre - i was spoiled last time i made the trip. I got snarled in backup due to an accident, went through two congested areas, and had to drive without my center mirror. Why? because my jeep was

packed solid to the ceiling. I managed to adjust my passenger side mirror to eliminate the blindspot, but I still had to bob my head over to make sure there wasn't some jerk camping in the nanometer that I could not see.




Temperature - High: 59 | Low: 41 Precipitation - 0in.

Starting this thing...

Here's what would be ideal: if I could post a picture from my day, and some thoughts I have been mulling. Every day. Once a day. You check up on it every so often (or you could 'subscribe' to it, making yer life easier) Comments would be nice, a freeform discussion of sorts.... But that probably won't happen - wistful thinking. I'm done packing, didn't get to say goodbye in person to several people, unfortunately. That's all for now, g'night.

ch 13

threeteen - so so .... will be back to scrub up

fourteen - you're next.... hop in the water

And They're Out!

blossoms are blooming... no need to worry - i also see the leaves are starting to bud - exciting ... at this point i suppose i should wish winter a goodbye, i will miss the tetracolored black, gray, gold and rust of the fields, and the hearty winds as they swept headlong, picking up the season's fragrances - and we didn't have enough snow, we'll work on that last one for next year - i look forward to watching the sun make its migration from vernal equinox (which was march 21st) to summer solstice (june 21st) .... the moon is waxing, and the other morning around 4:45 AM, i was heading to work and it was a vibrant yellow, just above the horizon

this entry is dedicated to anybody familiar with the PBS staple program 'Alone In The Wilderness'

Ch 12 is done

right-o, finished up ch. twelve today, did not expect it to end the way it did, but that is what makes the process refreshing. it took me a while, though, to truly put my effort in, didn't really start it until last week. so why the long layoff? busy moving, catching up with friends and enjoying the weather.... ch. thirteen shall commence tonight - but I shouldn't dare estimate how long it might take - i usually am wrong

yesterday was a magnificent day - I rode the schyulkill trail from oaks to manyunk - round trip - final tally: 36 miles in three hours. the return route was damnable, it had a strong headwind, which I always underestimate. I also failed to bring enough water, 32 oz. was not enough, time to pack another bottle. lesson learned. what struck me, though, and which has been for last week or so, is the absense of the spring blossoms, be they cherry or be they tulip - they are rather late this year. if they don't turn up in the next week, i shall start worrying.

time to eat, then time to write, ciao

so what have I been up to...

For those unaware of my current project, I have undertaken the writing of a story, in the form of a novel. Additionally, it will have chapter opening illustrations, to be executed by myself. The story is fiction - and it is no stretch to call it fantasy, though I am inclined to shy away from associating it with that genre. It has very few 'fantastical' elements, but I suppose enough to put it on the threshold, waiting to be nudged over the edge. As of now it is half-way written, and I have numerous sketches for the illustrations. At last count it is approximately 100 pages of text, as it is formatted in its final codex-structure.


The idea for this project manifested itself almost two years ago, but I only started writing it this past autumn. After putting it on the shelf for the holidays, it is with great excitement that I start at it again.


Except for my close and dear collaborators, there shall be no sneak-peeks until I have finished. Yet, it does give me some thrill to titillate - in an attempt to whip up anticipation. As such I will try to keep updating my progress herein. Chapter by wonderful Chapter. Illustration by beautiful Illustration. Until Finish. Current tally: 11 chapters and 7 illustrations (I suppose its natural for the images to lag behind, as I work on those while I think about the upcoming plot and events.)

As I reflect back on this creative surge, I can only be thankful for whatever inspiration kicked me into action. Indeed, I haven't the slightest inkling how I did summon the spirit - but rest assured that I will continue to conjure it until I have finished.

'Til next…