West Rock Ridge State Park, Hamden/New Haven CT - part 1

Yesterday was our first time hiking at West Rock Ridge Park. It was challenging sloshing uphill through the snow, even though there was much less of it there than there was here in Central Connecticut. At the South Overlook, we were treated to a grand view of New Haven and Long Island Sound! On the way down, we raced the setting sun, leaving much of the ridge for another day. That was a real shame.

I've been doing some online research for a magazine article.  I'm trying to tie it to high school concepts. I am mindful that the educational, entertaining presentation I created will get rusty if I let it sit too long. Nothing is easy in this business. Nothing.

I noticed yesterday that my article, From Copper Town to Ghost Town, has been published by Viatouch. It's a history article about a ghost town in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska.

There are plenty of interesting articles on the Scientific American website. Here's an article about misinformation on the web, but this time it's not climate related, it's medical information. I have always thought there needed to be controls on self-published nonfiction. Right now, any writer can self-publish any crock and claim that it's true. Web content is far different though. It's more like an octopus and difficult to monitor the facts.

Here's another article that I found really interesting. It's about why Americans are misinformed about climate change. It reminded me of that very stupid greeting card I opened one day. Outside it said, something about global warming and inside it pointed to reducing the candles on your birthday cake. I should have bought it to get it off the shelf. It was supposed to be funny, but I thought of it more as mocking science and the facts.

McLean Game Refuge - Simsbury/Granby

Last Friday, I went cross-country skiing at McLean Game Refuge. I've been there twice and I still haven't seen the whole place. The woodsman road was wide and gently sloping, perfect for skiing even if the messy pines left their needles and pinecones all over the snow. Someone in the parking lot mentioned seeing what they thought was a bear. It was an exceptionally warm day and there are bears in the area, but I just read they den from late November until mid-March, so who knows. That tall box on a pole was a bat condominium.

Today, I should finish improvements to the end of the presentation. I made some minor modifications to a Halloween costume and found some dazzling glitter foam. I LOVE this foam. It's so kid-friendly. Once that is done, my next conquest will be finding a new venue.

As part of holiday decorating, Walt had woven the lights in and around the bamboo. I took this photograph of the deck and moon last night after a strange mix of winter thunder and lightning. The moon and wet reflection caught my eye. I'm not sure we'll ever untangle these lights, but maybe that's not a bad thing.

We've scrapped plans to head to the D.C. area to look at colleges. I'm disappointed I won't get to a science conference, but I think Julia is more disappointed. We'll do it another time, but unfortunately there will be no conference then.

Today, I polished up the 500-word statement that I'm required to write. I've FINALLY come up with a great idea for the ending of the presentation. YEAH! It led to a better presentation name. Now, I need to make it happen with a few more props.

Mansfield Hollow State Park - Mansfield

Tuesday, I drove up to Mansfield Hollow State Park with the intention of cross-country skiing. It was a shivery morning and the snow was iced over. Wind chill sunk the temperatures down to the teens and single digits. Thankfully, I brought my snowshoes and used them instead of trying to maneuver in slippery conditions. I had difficulty finding my location on the park map and wondered if I'd still be wandering around the woods in the morning. It would have been nice if they had put that school on the map! A couple of times the frosty forest opened up to breathtaking vistas of the frozen lake. At another point, the trail divided in two directions.  The left route was flat.  Straight ahead was a steep, slick hill. Naturally, I had to take the more challenging route. The top photograph was the view at the top.

I want to keep the momentum going with this presentation. It occurred to me after speaking with the librarian that the programs there have more to do with the arts or live animals than science. She mentioned the possibility of presenting during the summer. I can't let this sit until the summer. It is fresh in my head and too important to bottle up and stick on a shelf. My focus now is trying to find a place to present it so it becomes more ingrained in my memory.

Last week, I went to the Hill-stead Museum in Farmington CT. The grounds were so nice, set high on a hill. I was quite impressed with the artwork hanging on their walls, especially the pastel speckled Monets. Who knew?

Later this year, when the weather warms I plan to explore the trails. Maybe I'll return for another poetry reading in the garden, hopefully with a violinist like last time. It is such a pleasant relaxing thing to do.

This past weekend I received a check for Chautauqua and mailed that in. YIPPEE! That was a nice cheery piece of mail that I thoroughly enjoyed ripping into. This week, I've been working on the 500-word statement, part of my end of the bargain. Tomorrow, I hope to get a firm commitment on a presentation date. I'm not sure why I find this getting dates stuff hard to do.

I've been revising the presentation, taking suggestions that were offered. It's much better now. This required moving some slides around. Now instead of me talking about a scientist, I'm going to get a student volunteer to BE the scientist and act out the part with a few simple props. I made a collection of short cue cards for the student and the audience to read. The audience will also assist by making noises that correspond to the action taking place. I also added a new attention-getter first slide that is a whole lot more impressive than what I was using. I must say I truly enjoyed smothering an old hat with glue and sticking things to it. It came out great! I know the kids will enjoy the participatory parts of the presentation, but I'm still trying to come up with a better ending. Hm.

Last night, I demoed my presentation in front of eight adults at Toastmasters, a record crowd. This time, I wasn't nervous, I was raring to go. It was GREAT to have a forum with all kinds of comments and suggestions before going live with this. One of the big suggestions was to get the kids more involved in the parts of the presentation where I was droning on too long. Someone suggested I have them act out a story or stories. I can do this easily at the beginning, but the end will require more thought. Someone else suggested having the kids do an action that I did. That would be very easy to do. Another person suggested having notes in front of me versus reading the Powerpoint screens. I took notes as they commented around the room:
"Confident"
"extremely knowledgeable"
"passionate about the subject"
"educational"
"entertaining"
"kids would absolutely love the hands-on part of the presentation"
Now I've got to think about the best way to make it better.

Here's a picture of the iced Hinoki cypress tree we have out front. The poor thing looks frozen to the stem.

Today, I had some fun on the trail cross-country skiing. Conditions were excellent for fast moving. In the sparkling woods, I met an elderly gentleman and talked to him for quite a while. He was an expedition leader for the AMC for a long time and he's hiked many of the trails in CT. His efforts were incorporated in two CT Forest and Parks Association books, Connecticut Walk Book East and Connecticut Walk Book West. He told me the state purchased a chunk of land in town that may become a state forest. He also mentioned the little red barn at Valley Falls Park, where we were skiing, was slated to become a nature education center, a place to occupy camp kids on rainy days with things like slide shows. That's when my ears perked right up. "Slide shows you say?" So, I told him what I was up to and he asked me my name. It occurred to me at the time that bringing the program to camp kids would certainly be a good way to spread the knowledge.

Ice was glistening on the trees as the morning sun cast long shadows across the backyard. Unfortunately, the photograph doesn't capture the sparkling branches the way I saw them, but I tried.

Today, I shipped out what I consider the best article I've ever written. I have high hopes for this one. Since I'm demoing the presentation Thursday night, I've devoted the rest of the week to making sure it runs smoothly and it's interesting throughout.

Talcott Mountain State Park, Bloomfield - part 2

I posted two more photographs from Talcott Mountain State Park. The tower wasn't open.  If it was, binoculars would have been a great idea. The top photograph was a very peculiar tree I spotted right at the end of the road where you park the car. It was the only tree with stripped bark. My first thought was that maybe it was a scratching post for black bears. Plenty of black bears have been sighted in this area of Connecticut. What do you think?

Yesterday, I practiced my presentation a few times. At one point, I was interrupted when one of the cats knocked over two vases and sent water trickling onto the floor. Then one cat tried to hop in the bag and play with my hands-on goodies. After a few practice runs, I decided it's more manageable to divide the whole presentation into three equal pieces (15-20min each) : beginning, hands-on middle, and inquiry based ending. Now, I'm eager to share what I know.

Talcott Mountain State Park, Bloomfield - part 1

I snowshoed at Talcott Mountain State Park on this well-packed trail. It  reminded me of a luge run. The journey was short and fast up to the ridge and the winter view. On the way up, I stopped to talk with a woman carrying a large backpack.  I wondered why she needed such a hefty backpack for a hike that was a cakewalk. Well, she was no wuss.  She was preparing for a winter hike up Mount Washington, a trek that would likely require crampons. Although I've hiked that mountain many times and many ways, I've never done it in winter.

I met my friends today and we hashed over our work. I spent the day revising this article. I'm now..... gulp.....committed to speaking at the next Toastmasters meeting and not just for the 5–7 minute time frame. Oh no, that would be far too easy. I've got a 45 to 55 minute time slot.  If I hear any snoring, I'll call on people to answer questions. Good lord, what have I done?

Today, I created a Facebook fan page called "Linda Zajac." I had always thought when I hit my 5,000 maximum of Facebook friends, I'd get a fan page going. Although, I am pretty close, I'm not there yet. I developed the fan page primarily as a means of interacting with kids who may have questions or comments that I don't have time to answer during presentations.

Aside from that, I'm pretty much gearing up for the presentation by putting together talking points, nit picking at slides, and getting presenting questions answered. I prefer to talk to myself (i.e. practice) when no one is home and with school cancellations every other day, well, I'm still waiting for that opportunity. I did finish the Toastmaster's book and noted a few things to mention, like quotations if I have any good ones. Crit group is now set for Thursday, so I'm still awaiting comments about my article, but I wish I could change it and email them a new copy!

The way this cardinal was angled reminded me of that lawn game, Jarts. I thought it was interesting how folded its legs were when it bent over to eat.

I have a commitment to speak at the next Toastmaster's meeting in two weeks. Now, I HAVE to practice this presentation! I am going to read the entire Toastmaster's book real soon because it has been helpful. For example, last Thursday I read that it's not a good idea to make a presentation entertaining and informative so I removed some humor that I had not yet added. I'm also removing two slides and starting with a question as has been suggested to me by the head of the Vernon Toastmasters. That will plunge me right into the topic, a better idea.

I was really heartened to read that "Science Takes Spotlight in the State of the Union Address" in Scientific American. About time!

I've set a goal of month's end to finish a first draft. After that, I'm refocusing on the presentation. I need to practice. Today I came up with a catchy little kid-oriented name, something that sounds more fun than "climate change presentation." My latest thinking is that I will start with the town library. What I really need more than anything else is to set a date of when this is happening otherwise, I'll keep making writing the priority.

At our critique group meeting we only had time to review one thing due to snow, a late school opening and a new driver I preferred to drive safely in. We are reconvening early next week to finish and hopefully snow won't block our way this time. My article will be reviewed next week, but in my head I'm already thinking I'm stripping out a paragraph or two.

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Here's another photograph that Walt took of the female cardinal, a regular visitor.

I was thinking last night that one of the difficult things for me at least, has been deciding where best to put my time and effort. At any given time, you can write short or long pieces for adult or children and on any topic. Then of course there is the other stuff--presentations to create and practice, grants and fellowships to apply for and contests to enter. Trying to pick my way through a myriad of choices and chart a path that works for me is a constant dilemma. I look back and think about some of the duds, the things I spent time on that never got me anywhere. Time has given me some wisdom to reduce the waste, but a crystal ball would sure be nice.

Yesterday, I was out on snowshoes. Although we've had a lot of snow this season, I've been either too busy or too sick to enjoy it. Here's a photograph of what happens when your snowshoe falls off. I kept right on trudging through the snow wondering why one leg was sinking way down deep and the other wasn't (guess which one?) . After going quite a ways, I looked down and for the first time ever, found my snowshoe was no longer on my foot (you can see it in the photograph). This is what happens when one forgets to tighten the snowshoe. Duh.

Today, I went back to working on my larger project because I feel a need to write this. At the end of the day, I decided that this beginning is better positioned in the middle. Now, I need a spicy new beginning. Hm.

Our new kitten, Twinky, is quite the technician. When there's a problem she's the first one on the scene ready to do the repair. When there's not a problem, she's right there, inspecting the work.

Writing about climate change can be challenging when the writing is for kids. I reread my article and thought the ending was rather dismal. Today, I reworked that ending and made it refer back to the beginning, about the research study. I'm happy that I could put something nice together in a weeks time, but I think that's because the research and the material were so familiar.

I received some great news this past week from the National Association of Science Writers:

In July, I'm headed to the Highlights Foundation Writer's Workshop at Chautauqua! Everything I've read about this workshop is a glowing review. It's nice to start the year with some fabulous news. As I told my kids, it takes persistence. This is the second time I've applied for funding to the workshop. I'm hoping they help me iron out the wrinkles in my big project.

Lately, I've been working on a magazine article about climate change for two reasons. First, I have an email critique deadline next week and nothing to show for myself. Secondly, I'm laying the groundwork for some bigger plans. Finally, this is the same subject I've been writing about, a subject I know very well, so it was fast and easy to put it together.

I finally shot a decent picture of the bluejay that often feeds on the back deck.

I have been immersed in Powerpoint lately, adding transitions, animation, color, maps, and photographs. The presentation with hands-on science is ready to go and looks great! I'm not sure if I want to invest more time dealing with sound which I was unable to get to work. Hm.

Today, I'm diving into research papers and I think I might be able to work simultaneously on a bigger project and on a magazine article on the same topic.

Since I've been slowly adding to my favorite lines, mostly for my own amusement, I decided to add a separate link on the right for quotations and remove them from the "about me" section.

Today, I'm posting my own photographs of the cardinals that have been visiting. They make a handsome pair, him in his bright red suit and her with her fancy headpiece. The male cardinal has an expression that makes me think, "what are you looking at me for?" I love watching them.

I have a glimmer of hope that an exciting opportunity that vanished last year may reappear this year. If so, I will seize upon it with every morsel I've got. Meanwhile, I'm going to finish up two headpieces for costumes for a climate change presentation.

QUOTES

When I first started writing, my native language was COBOL.  ~LRZ 7/1/14
 
I don't let Hope play in traffic because she'll get hurt.  Instead, I keep her close to my heart. ~ LRZ 7/20/13


Picking a story is like finding a gem at a quarry and knowing just how to turn it so the sun makes it sparkle. ~LRZ   10/26/12

There's nothing quite like meandering through the Midnight Garden, picking words and making new arrangements. ~ Linda Zajac 7/26/12

My writing friends are Hope and Patience.  Hope is on a pogo stick, springing eternal.  Patience is a silent friend.  I want to make her talk. ~ Linda Zajac 4/7/12

Some times pulling the words out of me is like yanking a knotted skein of yarn. ~Linda Zajac 9/2/11 post

Transitions are the stepping stones in a river of story. When they're too close, they sink in a bog, too far, and they're lost at sea. ~ Linda Zajac 1/23/11 Facebook post

Shredders are the hungry pets at publishing houses. Lined up against the wall, there's Teddy, Eddy, Betty, and Freddie Shreddy, all waiting to get fed. ~ Linda Zajac 2/2/11 Facebook post

Writing is like building a snowman. You break your back rolling and rolling trying to make nothing into something, but you've no idea where this snowman will end up nor the journey you will take to get there. Over time, with a little luck, the snowball will start ripping up the grass.~ Linda Zajac 2/24/09 post (3/6/09 dream)

I don't want my success to come from playing someone else's music (after listening to a tribute band). ~ Linda Zajac 8/7/09 post

Ideas need freedom to roam and flourish, but "standards" are the leash that restrains them. ~ Linda Zajac 11/1/09 post

If we accept the facts as facts, we lose the ability to uncover inaccuracies. ~ Linda Zajac 11/13/09 Facebook post

I'd rather take a longer time and write it well than take a shorter time and write it often. ~ Linda Zajac 1/1/10 post

Rejection is a blessing in disguise. The disguise is so clever it hides the blessing. ~ Linda Zajac 6/8/10 post

This morning, Walt took a bunch of photographs of a cardinal feeding on bird seed he sprinkled in the flower boxes on the deck. I have tried to capture this same bird, but by the time I get the camera out, it's airborne and I've been too busy to hang around waiting for its return.

Despite a host of unforeseen things this year, I'm ending the year feeling rather triumphant, especially when I look at the champagne cork ornament dangling from the Christmas tree.

I finally finished the nonfiction adult book I was reading and now I'm working on a presentation in conjunction with the AMC. Today, I made a prop for the presentation and reviewed their slides for the first time. I still have a few minor things to finish up and then I've got to figure out how I'm putting it all together.

Yesterday, I went to the local pharmacy to get my 2011 writing calendar, a free Hallmark calendar that they hid behind the counter and made me ask for. Today, I filled it by looking up conference dates as well as contest, grant, fellowship and critique deadlines. I also made another entry about three weeks before a deadline. "Mail xxx."

If something is due early in the month there' s nothing like that sinking feeling you get when you flip the page and realize you have no time to mail it. The little calendar is an inexpensive indispensable tool.

I was also at the same pharmacy on the 23rd. I was a bit dazed when I left. The clerk was on the phone with the police asking the other clerk if he saw the car. The conversation went something like this:
"Were you robbed?"
"yes."
"Was I in the store at the time?" (eyes surely popping out of my head)
"No, it was a while ago."

How long would you wait to call the police after being robbed? Needless to say the calendar I picked up that day is nowhere to be found.

Today, I am posting a photograph of my backyard where I grew up. This field is considered wetlands. In the spring, the meadow is filled with the sound of songbirds.

In some soggy years there was enough frozen water to ice skate on. When the cows came up to the fence, we'd feed them clumps of grass. On hot summer days, I caught snakes with my brothers. They slithered in the grass and startled the heck out of us.

I have been exceptionally busy lately, but I'm really happy that I've finished fact-checking one piece of writing. I've also been busy chiseling away reading and highlighting a NF resource. Today, I met with my writing friends and enjoyed their company while also reviewing their stuff.

As one of the speakers at the Connecticut Envirothon was talking, all eyes and attention shifted to the praying mantis on his pant leg. He stopped what he was saying to examine the little fellow. Even with the best laid plans, there can still be surprises. Yep, I know that well.

Earlier this week I sat through an AMC webinar about climate change. I like the fact that they don't mind if you tailor the talk, hide some slides, add some slides, add some creativity, make it fun.....

Yesterday, I received the final edits for my chemistry article on climate change and reviewed them. Some of my words were sacrificed for a half page eye-opening graphic title. I really liked the first page, the font color and type and the photographs selected. The whole issue is really relevant to the times and it would be nice if it got a broader audience.

My daughter Julia is a junior in high school and has been itching to go look at colleges. I asked her to choose between February or April vacation because many of her choices are out of state. She chose February. Yesterday I was delighted to receive some literature from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It just so happens that their annual conference is in a state we plan to visit and is during school vacation week. I also noticed they offer free Family Science Days on Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th. Why that works for me! If the colleges are nearby and the weather is good, I'd absolutely love to combine college hunting and portions of a science conference. I'm sure she'll be equally excited. Cough. Sputter. Choke.

Valley Falls Park, Vernon

During the waning days of fall foliage, I wandered around Valley Falls Park in Vernon, CT.. In one spot I noticed plywood high on a tree and initially thought it was put there to mark the location of picnic spot B (which had all of one picnic table).  It was odd that the marker was placed so high. Later, I realized it was a bat box. I was amazed that bats could squash in those tiny holes and they actually liked it in those cramped cracks.

The main computer is now up and running. Bookmarks have been restored (that's huge)!!!!  Before the end of the year, I'd like to finish reading a nonfiction adult resource, fact-check a chunk of writing and finalize this presentation. I'm a little annoyed I forgot to "size" the costume when my ten-year-old niece was here this past Thanksgiving.

We had more excitement than I'd ever want this morning when the CPU crashed. What a harrowing day. All the documents were immediately saved, but it took all day to get the emails back. I've been working from a laptop, but my bookmarks have been hosed. I hope I can recover them because it was an extensive list. Anther thing that is really annoying is trying to remember all those archived passwords for FB, discussion boards.... They used to automatically pop up, but now they don't.

Despite the interruption, I finished reviewing the ChemMatters article yesterday and today I finished reviewing the second article I was working on. The ChemMatters article will be published in February of 2011. I also purchased two adult costumes for my presentation, thinking that I would trim off some from the length and make a head piece. After taking one out of the package, I'm now rethinking this. The costume is sheerer than I expected. Should I make one, sew 2 together to double the thickness, or come up some other plan? Hm.

After touring behind the scenes at the Peabody Museum in New Haven, a group of us science writers started walking to the Leitner Observatory at Yale. The bus eventually showed up and drove us there, where wine and cheese were waiting. Although the rain had stopped, there were too many clouds to enjoy a starry sight. Drat. Despite that disappointment, I was so glad I trucked down there for the tours. The planetarium and observatory are open on Tuesday nights for public viewing.

I've suddenly become quite busy editing two articles, creating a presentation, and trying to find time to verify this latest piece of writing. Yesterday, I met with my writing friends and they both agreed this new version is much better.

Here are some more photographs I took behind the scenes at the Peabody Museum in New Haven CT. In the back rooms, there was an entire library of jars with pickled creatures. Gosh, if they let me loose, I could have spent a long time exploring in there. All those jars reminded me of my grandparents cellar that contained a small pantry-sized room filled with canned garden goodies. In the top photograph, I was particularly impressed with how pretty those candy apple green beetles were. They looked glittery. I couldn't help but think (probably to the horror of the bug guy that was taking us around) how festive they would look threaded with cranberries and put on a Christmas tree. Lol.

I mailed off three queries today, but, oops, I think I forgot an SASE. Stellar. Queries are new toys I've been playing with so that's my excuse. I'm also getting charged up about a presentation I'd like to do for elementary aged kids. I need to make a couple of costumes and figure out one detail.

As promised here are some photographs from behind the scenes at the Peabody Museum. I asked permission to take the photographs. The woman said yes, but only if they are not for commercial purposes. They okayed them for a blog so I am posting them, but I added an unsightly total pain-in-the-butt watermark to prevent their commercial use by anyone else.

In the back room they have these special filing cabinets filled to the brim with stuffed birds, feathers, and even extinct birds like the Ivory-billed woodpecker in the top photograph. It made the news not long ago when someone thought they spotted it--alive. That sent a bunch of researchers hunting for the bird and recording its call. Sadly, it turned out to be a sneaky pileated woodpecker. The Senior Collections Manager opened a jar and uncoiled an octopus' arm. I really wanted to touch it to feel how gushy it was, but I was so busy trying to take the picture that by the time I was all set the arm was getting coiled back in the jar of liquid and it was too late. Artists sometimes come in and use these birds as models for accurate scientific drawings.

Today, I volunteered at the CT Children's Book Fair. I had a fun social task of asking everyone how they heard about the book fair. The majority said "we come every year." One Italian lady totally cracked me up. When she saw Clifford, the big red dog, she squealed with delight. I couldn't help but say, "now who is more excited here?" It reminded me of something I might of done when my kids were little. I also ran into a couple of people from town and I spoke with a woman from the New England Independent Book Association who happened to have positioned herself by the door where I was standing. I was heartened to see an entire table of nonfiction books.

I have some more photographs from the Connecticut Envirothon that I'm posting. The bottom photograph is of a seaweed called "Dead Man's Fingers." The top photograph is Irish Moss. Carrageenan from this seaweed is used to make toothpaste, yogurt, and other products.

This past weekend and Monday I shuttled back and forth to New Haven for the National Association of Science Writers Conference. It was my first time attending and I got a lot out of it. It was nice to run into an editor I haven't seen in a long time. It made me miss working with him.

At the social I was surrounded by science writers and dinosaur skeletons. How cool is that? The presentations were really helpful and I'm still trying to catch up on what I missed via lengthy online videos. There were lots of interesting intelligent people there. Most that I met worked for Universities. If I go again, this commuting stuff is out. A two hour snow delay on Monday loused up my schedule and left me quite stressed and short of time, but I'll be darned if I'm missing anything. I high-tailed it down there and got there right as the behind the scenes tour was starting. More on that next time.

Today's photographs came from the Connecticut Envirothon on October 2nd at the UConn Avery Point Campus in Groton Connecticut. It was a beautiful day for the fresh and saltwater estuaries workshop. A few kids got to take part in seine fishing. Then the students carefully scooped up the little fishes that were bouncing around and put them in trays of water. One of the interesting little ocean finds was a soft green crab that had shed its skin. At this vulnerable stage, other green crabs could cannibalize the poor dear. I think it was safer in the tray than back in the sea!

I'm back at work on my big project, humming along on chapter 3 making revisions that were identified in a critique group a couple of weeks ago. The ending needs more polish, but it's in really good shape. This chapter is a little lighter with elements of humor.

South Windsor Wildlife Sanctuary, South Windsor

Last weekend, we walked in the South Windsor Wildlife Sanctuary. Although we didn't see much in the way of wildlife, we did come to a field of black-eyed Susans.  At the highest point in the town, we had a nice view.

Today, I emailed a query. I haven't done much querying, so I did some research on the correct format beforehand. It came together pretty fast and I think it made a strong case. Geesh, it was SO much easier than doing a lot of research, writing an article, then finding out if there was interest in the subject. I like this query idea.  When I zero in on a topic, I want to do one more for a theme I picked out.

In early November, I'm going to the National Association of Science Writers conference. Driving around New Haven, with its multitude of one-way streets, is not my specialty.  So, I am gathering directions and maps. This will be my first science conference.  I hope I get a lot out of it.

On the beach in Chatham, Cape Cod we watched some seals feeding in the water. Admittedly, they were tricky to photograph because they didn't stay still very long.

Today, I emailed my revised article!!!!!!! This article gave me a lot of grief because my approach never seemed to be the approach the editor was looking for. However, I really like the way it has evolved. It took a while for me to rethink the ending, but I'm quite pleased with it. I've been pondering exactly why this article was troublesome. Maybe there is something to be learned here. I'd say there were a number of factors. My world was pretty rattled when I first started writing it. The article also contains an enormous amount of information. Also, I think I'm the kind of person that takes a statement to the extreme. For instance, the editor's words, "they're not babies," echoed in my head as I wrote.

It reminds me of the time I played on a softball team after work. Having no skill in the sport, my husband showed me how to hit the ball. I did everything exactly as he told me. Yes, the steps were correct, but I swung like a robot, no fluidity. However, after finally getting down the process, I ended up with the nickname "Wheels." Since I could consistently get on base, I was also the lead batter. After mastering batting, I moved on. I don't think I'll ever master writing.

I posted a few more photographs from Woods Hole Science Aquarium. The top is a preserved octopus in a glass jar that did not fair as well as the other living exhibits. I loved the color of that copper fish, it reminded me of the copper Opal Manta I used to drive many moons ago. The bottom photograph has become a mystery. I could have sworn that fish had an amusing name. I thought it was called a Buttfish, but I can't seem to find any information about Buttfishes online, so now I'm not so sure.

Today, I was in the right mindset and really ripped into the first page of this article, making it mine again. I came up with three new titles and revised the ending too. I like to let the thing marinate for a while before emailing it. Generally, I end up refining it even more.