A day behind

I don't know when it happened, but somehow I got a day behind. I stopped in Orem, UT for a fabulous and extremely hot visit with some friends (97 degrees in the evening isn't exactly my idea of fair weather conditions). And sadly I don't really have any pictures from there because I forgot my camera the day we went up to scenic view points and when I did have it I was distracted and forgot to take any at all.

I left Utah and took two days to drive back to Seattle. I left with enough time to get back, do laundry, and repack everything to fly out to Boston. I stopped on the Idaho/Oregon boarder for the night on my drive, but when I got to the hotel that I had made reservations for, they kindly informed that I was a no-show for the previous night. I had made my reservation for the wrong day. I don't even know how that happened. I stood at the counter with my mouth open.

But I got it sorted out and made it home, did my laundry, and repacked. The night before my flight, I logged onto the computer to check-in and ... oops... apparently I fly out on Tuesday night, not Monday night as I had thought and planned. I sat there staring at the computer trying to readjust my brain. It's true - I fly out tonight and I've been packed and ready for two days now. So I'm not quite sure how it happened or where my brain is at, but it seems my next adventure will start when it's good and ready to.

Research

Well my plan for this trip was to gather research in Denver. Now that I'm here in Denver the research is nothing like I could have predicted. I have written the section of the book where my characters are in Denver and when I was done I was not thrilled. It felt flat and forced. So I figured I needed to come to Denver and figure out why that was. A luxury I know.

I went to all the places I had previously figured my characters would go and took pictures, made notes, made friends, and had things happen no amount of my imagination could have dreamt up. Isn't that what research is for - I mean seriously. So here are a few of my favorite happenings and photos (some related to the story and some just crazy enough they needed to be documented).

This photo is hands down my favorite one I've taken since being in Denver. It's a good close-up-can-you-tell-what-this-is type photo. It's the bra and underwear racks at the Ross clothing store in Denver. That's a lot of undergarments!! All bright and colorful too. and yes I got several strange looks while taking this photo, but how could I resist.

Just after that I was sitting outside writing notes down while they were still in my head and this guy comes and says, "You a writer? You are a writer! I need someone to write my life story!" He then proceeded to tell me he was a homeless street musician who calls Denver his home and he's gonna make it big so just all you out there take note, I met the next huge flute player.

But of all the places I stopped and strange encounters I had, the best was the prayer revival that occurred in the middle of a baseball diamond. I'm not sure I can even do the feeling and the sight justice, but I can say I've lived to hear bible readings spoken from a pitcher's mound. A group of folks brought the spirit of the Lord to the inner city baseball field and I 'm not sure what it was all about, but I know it was something to see. Bowing, stamping, and clapping in the great outdoors just must sound better than in a church.

Road Funnies

So when I drive from place to place I try to first do things I haven't done before or go to places I've never seen and second to notice things that make a good story and make me laugh.

Today I drove from the California coast straight into the Mojave desert and spit out the other side. Firsts - I drove mostly interstates today, stopped in Barstow, CA (where the heat practically made me fall over) and there I paid almost $5 a gallon for gas! Also, among the firsts, I drove through Las Vegas - in a snails paced traffic jam - and took pictures as I went. Driving into the city, through it, and out the other side really make you realize that it's a big darn city in the middle of BFE!!


As I was leaving Las Vegas, up ahead on the highway was an armored truck driving into the middle of the desert. I stepped on the gas. What kind of story exit from Vegas would it be if I didn't chase down an armored truck...and fly right on by.

Okay and on the funny side, as I passed the armored truck there was another semi pulled over on the shoulder of the highway. Out on the roadside, in front of the pulled over semi was the driver doing push-ups in the hotter than hades weather wearing black jeans and no shirt. You don't see that every day! Does he have a routine? Was he keeping himself awake? Was he expending extra energy from the smorgasbord of energy pills I see hanging next to the cash registers at truck stops? Seriously the little baggies of multi-colored energy pills intrigue me, but are not half as funny as the bags of goat weed.