Did you know that seahorses pair up and dance every day? They wrap their tails, change colors, swirl around and make clicking sounds as part of their marriage ritual. (From "The Lined Seahorse", Save the Bay Magazine, Fall, 2012)
Sounds like a good tip for human marriages as well!
Last night we were delighted by an evening with Barbara Kingsolver at Sweet Briar College. She talked about the process she goes through developing an idea into the scheme for a novel, read from her new book Flight Behavior, and answered audience questions. I have not read one of her books since she moved to Virginia, so it has been a few years, but I always loved her writing. It is rich prose, the kind that draws the reader in, etching a picture of a scene into one's mind. From Flight Behavior,
The people, she and the others here, were human boulders in the butterfly-filled current. They had waded into a river of butterflies...
Kingsolver's books are not for speed reading, rather they are ones to savor, to enjoy the flow of her writing as the words paint a picture in your memory. I look forward to reading the rest of the book!
Why Sweet Briar College? It turns out that professors Lincoln Brower, a renowned Monarch Butterfly expert, and his colleague Linda Fink helped Kingsolver in her research for Flight Behavior, even reading drafts to ensure that the science about butterfly behavior was accurate in the novel.
Is that snow or snow geese? On Gretchen's last spring break we went to Pennsylvania to see her mom and sister. One day we went with Peg, Priscilla, Phil and Jon to the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area. It is on the Eastern Migration Route of snow geese. Twenty to forty thousand snow geese arrive daily to feed and rest before taking wing once again on their northern journey. The birds literally cover a field like snow and move from one end to the other feeding. Then they all take off at once and move to another field. The pattern continues until dusk when they move to the lake to sleep. The next day they are gone and more geese arrive taking their place; pausing to rest and feed on their journey.
There was cause for many toasts on this trip. Peg is doing great as she approaches her 93rd birthday! Matt passed his state boards and is officially a dentist and in this photo we were raising a class for Liz's birthday while eating dinner at The Westy in Hamburg. It was a great trip. Thanks Pris and Phil for you hospitality. We appreciate you opening your home to us!
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