Oh, Canada!

First thing this morning I finished a chapter of my new manuscript. This go-round I’m trying something different; I’m writing the first draft longhand in journals, with the intention of revising on my laptop. One of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, www.neilgaiman.com uses this technique and I’m giving it a try for a couple of reasons:

1. throwing a journal in my bag is even more convenient than packing a laptop, and
2. friends keep giving me journals I’ve never used — they’re stacking up

But change always brings a new set of challenges. Over time I’ve developed a relationship with the blinking cursor that represents commitment. For some reason, I find it easier to close the journal and walk away from my work.  Just as my manuscript is a work in progress, so is adopting longhand over the keyboard; time will tell whether I embrace the journal or return to the blank screen. Let’s call it an experiment, shall we? 

My last post was about tourists visiting our houseboat community. We also have tenants who only share the water for a portion of the year. For example, we have a neighbor who somehow always works the phrase, “our home in the South of France,” into every encounter. This is particularly annoying impressive because our conversations are extremely superficial, leaning towards basic greetings and remarks on the weather.

Sara: “Hi! How are you?”

Neighbor: “I was just noticing how the light reflected on the water reminds me of my home in the South of France.”

 But I digress….here are our neighbors from Canada. I have no idea what they’re saying when they honk as they fly past our windows, but it doesn’t sound like they’re name-dropping: