A Rough Patch

NaNoWriMo looms ahead..... do I participate or not this year?  Last year I could barely be considered a participant, I attended one or two write-ins and did no other writing at all, I even had a completed "Three Act What?  Great Story Structure" form with great plans, but the dedication just wasn't there.  This year I started some planning, but then my life began to be consumed by pain and all focus is just on making it through the day.  Today I made a list of things to get done and I made it through all but three items so far, completing 5/8 is not bad and I added another item to the list that I had forgotten about...and one of the items left is a meteor shower, so technically it hasn't happened yet and it is actually after midnight so it should be on tomorrow's list.  However, I had to make sure I didn't overdo and have too much pain to go outside.  I am trying to tolerate doing more but not do too much because I really want to return to work on Monday, but at the same time I want my body to heal so whatever is best, I hope is what happens.  I have an MRI on Tuesday and hopefully then there will be some answers and I can feel I am on the mend, as of now it just seems as though it has been dragging on forever and ever.

Just before all of this pain started, I enjoyed a beautiful week in Michigan, enjoyed sunrises and sunsets over the lakes and spending time with God in his beautiful creation.  I can't quite believe one day I walked over 20,000 steps and within a week I was hurting within the first 50 feet it seemed, such is life, and someday I will look back and say remember that fall when.....but for now I will dwell on better thoughts....and ponder whether NaNoWrimo is in my near future or not.

Well, I was going to add some pictures, but I am having technical difficulties, so no pictures
until have a chance to figure it out and update....

Well figured it out, so no you can enjoy a little retreat to the shores of Michigan....hope you enjoy, I sure did.

C is for....The Chaco

My one trip to South America was to Paraguay.  Some people asked me if I brushed up on my Spanish, but the truth was I visited a German colony in the Chaco, so I encountered more German than Spanish during my trip.  After we arrived in Asuncion, before we headed out to the Chaco, we stopped at a Brazilian restaurant where there was a constant flow of different meats on kabobs.  Our friend Elly chatted with the waiter and told us that several of the different meats came from the farms in the Chaco where we were headed.  

The Chaco was hot, dry, and flat.  They were waiting for the rainy season to start and it started a couple of days after we were there.

Sharing the Mate cup.

Wind power in the Chaco

Anyone want to take a guess where this television tower is located.  It was the first one of its kind, now there are numerous more that are taller, but it is still known for its initial innovation. 

Here is a shot of the main street of the borough where this TV tower is located.

So the last hint is that....it starts with a "D".

B is for .....Boston

An old building in Boston surrounded by skyscrapers.
A place where revolutionaries declared independence and
threw statues from the roof.

So if you hadn't figured it out, B is for Boston.  Robert McCloskey wrote "Make Way for Ducklings" and when I was in Boston with a friend we stopped to see the duckling statues in Boston Public Garden.  We also enjoyed the Red Line walking tour through Boston - self guided with AAA guide in hand, which took us by many of the historical sites.  We enjoyed the day and despite the heat stopped for a bowl of New England clam chowder soup before heading out of town.

Now I will let you see if you can guess the location I have for "C".  I will even give you more than one picture.  It is very flat, has a rainy and a dry season, when we saw tarantulas on the road one night my friend, Elly was excited because she said it meant it was going to rain, and it is south of the equator.  So there are your clues.

Feel free to guess in the comments below.

A is for.....Acadia National Park

Standing a top the world on the eastern coast of the United States.  Acadia is a beautiful location and worth a visit.  I enjoyed a summer visit there a few years ago with friends.

We enjoyed fireworks over Bar Harbor, a narrated auto tour, ranger led talks on the stars and on the peregrine falcons, some hiking, lobster dinners, and sunrise on Cadillac Mountain, amongst other things and there was much more we could have done.

Sunrise from Cadillac Mountain

So now for your opportunity to guess on my chose for "B".  A little inspiration from Robert McClousky if you are up on your children's literature this should be an easy answer.

An April Challenge...Let's See How it Goes....

This is a theme reveal post despite the fact that it is just about day -1, in other words, the day before April arrives.  Oh well, for my challenge I have to start a day ahead.

I am a traveler at heart, I like to explore new places, and I have been to 5 different continents and 40+ states.  So this will be a rather simple posting but hopefully fun for those who visit my page.  Each day I will post a picture and the reader's job is to guess where the picture was taken in most cases, although there is a potential it could be another word associated with the picture that starts with the correct letter.

Here is an example:

For this picture, a good guess could be - Paris or Eiffel Tower or City of Lights or..........  Hopefully that gives you an idea.

Now in preparation for "A", here is the picture.

 So now is your chance to make a guess.  Join along, have some fun traveling around the world with me.  Take time to reply with your guess in the replies below.  I will share the answer with you April 1.