Pimms and Possibilities
Oh, yum! While editing Rain Dodging, I couldn’t help but notice how often I imbibed a Pimms & Lemonade: Stopping at a quaint pub, I descended three stone steps and sat…
How the Book Got Its Name
Entry 1 July 14-16, Kent & St. Albans, Hertfordshire My last morning in Kent. After breakfast and settling my bill at the little inn where I so pleasantly stayed for 3 nights,…
Two Blokes and a Roman Ruin
Entry 1 July 12, British Channel, Calais France The ferry to Calais was fun. Sun shining but you could tell the clouds were on their way from the east, just as predicted.…
It’s Time to Talk about Mary of Modena, the queen of Rain Dodging.
Researching for my last literature paper at Oxford on 17th-century poet, Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea, I stumbled onto the late 17th-century court of Queen Mary of Modena, consort to…
Banana Peels and Slippery Steps at The Bodleian Library
Oxford. July 3.. . . and I was having such a good day . . . a perfect rainy day to study in an ancient library, but . . .About 5…
London Calling
My scolding for the day from a sour young exhibit guard—this time for taking a photo inside the exhibit of a piece of ship emblem embroidery from 1662. It was…
They had me at Calamari: A Visit to the London National Gallery
June 25. London.Last night, a nightmare. A huge black bird flying into my car, my ex-husband, Manuel, driving and scolding me for worrying. I was screaming, being phobic about birds anyway.…
Weathervanes and Chimneys: Exploring Oxford, Bath, And Stonehenge
Entry 1June 16: OxfordToday, my first trek to special collections. An edge of not knowing the procedure involved. I bussed down to High Street and found myself in a new…
Prepping and Pontoons: Mentors and Lawsuits
Tennessee.Entry 1, June 3. QUII jubilee occurring now, hope crowds disperse by the time I get there next week. I can’t believe it. So much study could still be done, so…