Sunday Stills: Halloween

This scary Halloween sign appeared in our neighborhood:

I found this guy at the barn:

And this simple display is in the adjacent neighborhood:

To see more Halloween photos, visit Sunday Stills.

Internet Anonymity

Heaven knows why I signed up to post comments on the websites for our local newspaper and one of our TV network affiliates. I stupidly believed there might be some intelligent exchange about current events. An opportunity to clarify points or seek other viewpoints.

Instead, I've been saddened by the mean spirited tone of the majority of comments posted on these two sites.

Because the posts are anonymous, people believe they can insult and defame the subjects of the news story, the reporter who wrote the story, and everyone who posted an opinion contrary to their own.

Their posts also display poor grammar and even worse spelling.

And some show a frightening need for mental health intervention.

Sadly, too many of the comments parrot sound bites that offer simple solutions to extremely complicated issues. They blame the world's problems on the scapegoat du jour. Any attempt to address the complexity of the topic or situation is met with potty-mouth speculation about the author's parentage.

These commenters don't want to be educated about the subject. They only want to express their anger and frustration and, in the process, reveal their ignorance. They are the folks who've made up their minds and don't you dare confuse them with the facts.

With the anonymity offered by the Internet, these folks feel free to bully anyone and everyone who can think for her- or himself.

Too bad.

The commentary forums at news media web sites could be a place to intelligently exchange opinions and information about the subject matter. Instead, they are the soap box for small minds.

Sunday Stills: Fall Foliage

Grab the camera, leash, and dog to head out on one of our last glorious fall days to capture autumn colors.

Right now we're being doused with a series of very juicy, very windy storms. Seems that we're going to have to give in to the calendar.

To see gorgeous fall colors from elsewhere, visit Sunday Stills.

Book Club Discussion

The October selection for our neighborhood book club was mine to recommend, so I suggested The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss. I had it on my bookshelf to read, it had received good reviews, there were adequate copies available in the library system, and none of us had read it before.

Martha Lesson arrives in fictional Elwha County, Oregon, during the winter of 1917. At nineteen she's left her home in Pendleton intending to become a horse gentler for ranches in the region. World War I is raging in Europe and young men are beginning to leave their ranching and farming jobs for the war. Martha is a shy, big-boned girl who is more comfortable in her batwing chaps and wide-brimmed hat than she is in a dress. She is one of many girls in that era who traveled from ranch to ranch to break horses in a quieter, gentler manner than the customary spirit-breaking bucking style practiced by most men.

Martha is hired on by George and Louise Bliss who recommend her to their neighbors. Soon Martha is gentling horses for several folks in the county. Once all the horses are trustworthy under the saddle she begins riding them on a circuit to finish their training. Martha would ride one horse and pony (lead) a second horse from one client's place to the next client's ranch. There she would change horses and move on to the next ranch with the second set of horses. She repeated this at each location until she was back at the Bliss ranch. To "sack out" the horses she tied fluttering and noisy objects to the saddles so the horses would become accustomed to strange sights and sounds.

As Martha makes her rounds the reader meets and becomes acquainted with several of the Elwha county families. Martha quietly becomes a part of the community, and the reader becomes invested in the lives of her friends and clients.

The beginning of novel establishes the setting and reveals Martha's character by describing her training methods. I was familiar with the terminology and practices, but realized the rest of the book club members might not know what a bosal, McClellan saddle, or fetlock were. So I brought some of my horse books to our discussion to provide illustrations. I'm afraid I may have spent too much time on a subject dear to my heart (horses) but, after all, horses and Martha's training methods were a major aspect of the book.

We all agreed that the story took off when Martha began riding the circuit with the green-broke horses. She was the link between the characters with whom we became attached. And the characters were compelling indeed as they battled the landscape, weather, accidents, illnesses, and the modernization of society.

One of the more heart wrenching stories was that of Tom Kandel's battle with cancer. Tom and Ruth's experience with his illness was portrayed so poignantly that we all admitted to needing tissues at its conclusion.

We learned a lot about the era that was still fairly innocent before World War I changed things forever. Cattlemen plowed under their grazing acreage to grow crops needed for the war effort in Europe. The altered landscape would later contribute to the Dust Bowl tragedy. Young men volunteered for the armed services with great patriotism only to die ignobly of dysentery in muddy trenches or return home with missing limbs or spirits broken by shell shock. We were reminded that anything and anyone with German connections became suspect during the war. Long-time friends were shunned by the community because they or their parents had emigrated from Germany. And we learned that millions of horses died in World War I.

The ending of the book intrigued us. An elderly Martha tells her granddaughter: "You know, honey, I guess we brought about the end of our cowboy dreams ourselves." Then Martha thought: "Here I am in my old age and just at the beginning of figuring out what that means, or what to do about it." We pretty much agreed that we imagined Martha as a white-haired environmental advocate.

In summary, we decided the book was a wonderful illustration that it takes all kinds to make a community. Good hearted people as well as undesirable neighbors. And Martha was the link that joined them all together in The Hearts of Horses.

The Hearts of Horses was a dramatic contrast to the roller coaster thriller with which we started our book club (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo). But the pace of the book was appropriate to the setting and period in which the story was set. Ms. Gloss wrote from an omniscient third person viewpoint and on many occasions jumped from one character's viewpoint to another's within the same scene. I felt she could have done a little more showing and less telling on several occasions. But I willingly overlooked the minor irritants to become engrossed in the place, time, and characters. Not to mention the horses with their own individual quirks

Northwest Author Series: Susan Fletcher

Creating Fictional Worlds:

The Strange, Exotic or Unfamiliar

Susan Fletcher is the author of Alphabet of Dreams (2007 Oregon Book Award), Shadow Spinner, Walk Across the Sea, and the Dragon Chronicles series, of which Ancient, Strange, and Lovely was just released. She is a repeat speaker for the Northwest Author Series, and frequent workshop presenter at the Willamette Writers Conference.

Ms. Fletcher writes historical and fantasy novels for young adults, both of which require the creation of (add rimshot here) strange, exotic, or unfamiliar settings. When creating historical settings, she does extensive research to get the period right. However, to allow present day readers to cross the boundary into the past, the author must rely on her imagination to describe what it would be like to actually be present at that time and place. Similarly, when creating a magical and weird setting for a fantasy novel, a touch of reality makes it more accessible to the reader.

So -- when recreating a historical setting where horses were the primary means of transportation, consider the amount of manure all those horses would leave behind and the associated flies and odor. A sensory detail one doesn't get from the lovely images of a Merchant Ivory film.

When creating a whole new fantasy world, use real world settings that can be loosely translated into the mystical setting to provide the sensory details that will draw in the reader. For example, turning the regimens and traditions of real English public schools into Hogwarts.

To help the author develop the feeling of the historic or imaginary setting, Ms. Fletcher suggests using pictures, music, and maps. Whether the pictures are found in a travel book, a calendar, or an issue of National Geographic -- they can help the author create the atmosphere for the story. Similarly, music can inspire the mood and feeling of the period or location. Ms. Fletcher makes a playlist for her iPod and suggests movie soundtracks as an excellent source of music written to establish mood and setting. Maps assist the author in creating realistic terrain for a fantasy world or establish the genuine topography of an historical setting.

Ms. Fletcher conducts research for both historical and fantasy worlds using online search engines, libraries, book stores, reference librarians, and friends and family. She also opens herself to serendipity and enjoys prowling the library stacks as well as used book stores. One never knows what tidbit will be uncovered and perhaps change the whole direction of the story. Ms. Fletcher also suggests using experts to fill in knowledge gaps or to verify accuracy. She recommends contacting the expert after much of the research and/or writing has been done so as not to waste his or her time. Depending on the situation, you may ask the expert to review a specific scene, your entire manuscript, or request a demonstration of the activity required for a scene.

If possible, a visit to the location of your historical novel (or a setting similar to the world of your fantasy story) can expose the author to sensory details that one just can't get from a book. Ms. Fletcher went to Oregon Caves National Park and a lava tube in central Oregon to research cave dwellings for her dragons. She also had the opportunity to visit Iran to experience the setting for Alphabet of Dreams.

Of course, one of the problems of doing all this research to create a realistic setting for your novel is the desire to use it all. After all, we will find so many cool details that we want to share with the reader. Fantasy novels have the additional burden of describing a fantastical new world to the reader. This can all lead to the dreaded "Expository Lump." Also known as the "Information Dump."

There's nothing like lengthy paragraphs of detailed exposition to put a reader to sleep.

Instead, Ms. Fletcher advices we "grind it fine." Insert the details about the story world in small doses -- as needed for the reader to grasp the scene. Hook the reader first, then once he or she wants to know more about your interesting character and unfamiliar location you can insert the details a bit at a time. Exposition still may be needed, but you might be able to keep it brief and less frequent.

Consider inserting the gems of data in the midst of action. Keep your characters busy doing things typical of the time and place they occupy. It will make scenes more interesting and convey details about the world in which your characters live.

Imbed the information in the character's emotions. Take advantage of the character's (and reader's) curiosity. Change the reader's mind as the character learns more and amends his or her feelings. Filter the world you've created through the point of view character.

In summary, Ms. Fletcher advised us that the author can assist the reader in crossing the boundary into the imaginary world of our novel (historical or fantastic) by using action, emotion, and sensory detail.

By the way, Ms. Fletcher is currently researching Renaissance Venice and would be delighted to hear from experts on the subject as well as referrals to reference materials. She's following her own advice by letting others know what she's working on. :-)

Sunday Stills: Cars

Comin' and Goin' on I-5

The car in the foreground is on a road that parallels I-5, so I was able to capture vehicles going every which way.

White Car and Red Leaves

I wasn't too happy with the majority of pictures I captured of traffic on I-5. Then on the walk back home with Indy I come across this scene. A few adjustments with Photoshop and ta da!

See how others met this week's challenge at Sunday Stills.

The Biggest Sporting Event You Never Heard Of

The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) are now history. Conducted at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, it was the first time that WEG has been held in the United States. In Europe, WEG is considered a major sporting event.

If you're not a horse person, this is probably news to you.

Like other "orphan sports," television coverage of equestrian competitions outside of racing is rare and difficult to locate. If you don't have cable or satellite TV, or even if you do but haven't paid extra for the horse-related channels, you get to view equestrian sports every four years during the Summer Olympics. It's not unlike being an avid fencer, yet a little less humiliating than being a curler (the butt of Winter Olympic jokes).

NBC squeezed in coverage of WEG between golf and football, and the Universal Sports Station offered additional free coverage plus more hours of live feed for those who subscribed to the service. Better broadcast coverage than the networks generally provide, but very scant for some of the events that might have interested the general viewership.

Reining, the cross country phase of eventing, and show jumping garnered the most coverage. NBC/Universal deigned to broadcast the top three dressage freestyle rides. Universal Sports did a live broadcast of the Top Four show jumpers -- a nail biter and display of the type of sportsmanship horse folks take for granted. But vaulting, combined driving, and para-dressage received cursory coverage at best.

I can appreciate that cross country as the same appeal to the general audience as grand prix and NASCAR racing. Viewers watch primarily for the inevitable crash. And reining is an American sport conducted in recognizable western wear with exciting spins, slides, and rollbacks. Show jumping is easy to understand -- jump higher and faster without knocking down anything.

However, I think the para-dressage riders would have offered inspiring human-interest stories as well as an appreciation for their phenomenal equestrian accomplishments.

NBC really dropped the ball on vaulting. It combines horses, Olympic-style gymnastics, and glittery apparel. Pretty girls and handsome guys demonstrating grace and athleticism. Think it's tough vaulting off a stationary horse in the Summer Olympics? Try a large warmblood at a canter!

If you find the cross country phase of eventing thrilling -- consider the excitement of driving four horses around and through obstacles! The spit and polish turnout of the dressage phase, the challenge of cross country, and the precision of the arena obstacle course -- combined driving has the potential to absorb the general viewer.

Sadly, it wasn't to be.

During WEG, I flipped through the sports section of the morning paper seeking any reference to WEG. As expected -- nothing. Not even a mention of the local rider who was long-listed to compete.

*sigh*

Yeah, yeah. I know. It's all about money. Beer, cola, snack food, and Viagra ads. Rolex, Ariat, and Cosequin can't compete against Old Spice.

So we equestrian-sports enthusiasts commiserate with curlers, badminton aficionados, fencers, and all the other followers of "orphan sports" while we grumble about the coverage (or lack thereof for the women) afforded beach volleyball.

Hey! Equestrians wear Spandex, too!