September 21-22, 2019: Traveling After my flight from California landed in Salt Lake City, I had a 2-1/2 hour layover. Then I boarded the red-eye to Heathrow. We arrived about 11:00 a.m. on the 22nd. Jet-lagged and bleary-eyed, I checked into my Bloomsbury hotel—too drained for more than a foggy scout for supper. I had … Continue reading Footsteps Through Time: A London Diary of Discovery and Dust
Musing
Finding Inspiration in Simplicity
When I was in college, my course load was just shy of full time, but my schedule was intense. I had a part-time job, studied martial arts, played the guitar, and was dating. After a couple of semesters of earning one B for every A, I realized something had to give. As much as I … Continue reading Finding Inspiration in Simplicity
Experiencing York: A Writer’s Journey
As an 18-year-old art student in New York, I began the process of learning to “see.” More than 30 years later, when I landed a contract as a designer with an architectural firm, I learned what it means to “look.” Up until I was hired to be part of the team developing a multi-million-dollar entertainment … Continue reading Experiencing York: A Writer’s Journey
Rubber Soles and Traveling Shoes
You can buy shoes with memory foam inserts, but other sorts of memories may be attached to our foot apparel. During the years I spent as a citizen lobbyist, I got to know my Congressman’s District Director. One afternoon, I had gone to lunch with her and another friend. As we were leaving the restaurant, … Continue reading Rubber Soles and Traveling Shoes
Too Clever: Art, Memories, and Life’s Surprises
Something happened during my 17th summer that was not on my bingo card. I already knew better than to trust my mother’s judgment, but I wasn’t yet even dimly cognizant of how much growing up I needed to do, before I could safely rely upon my own. I had been away since I graduated from … Continue reading Too Clever: Art, Memories, and Life’s Surprises
The Legacy Continues
When I am working on a novel, I have no time for recreational reading. Since I write historical fiction, I burn up many hours poring through source materials: newspaper archives, biographies, letters, memoirs, military records, insurance policies, genealogy charts, maps, history books, etc. My mornings and afternoons are consumed doing research and crafting prose, and … Continue reading The Legacy Continues
The Tacky Tie
The medical receptionist at the other end of the phone did not want to schedule an appointment for me. She insisted that I needed to see a specialist. “But it was the specialist who referred me to Dr. X,” I pointed out. “Yes, sweetie, I know that. But you need to see the specialist.” This … Continue reading The Tacky Tie
Then and Again
“Turn right on Highway 20, and go about a half mile. When you come to the Taco Bell, take a left.” My co-worker may as well have given me directions to Mars. What was she talking about? Taco Bell? Did our town have a Taco Bell? Although I had lived here for a couple of … Continue reading Then and Again
The Mandala
The temperature was forecast to rise to 104℉. I can tolerate heat better than my dog, but I have my limits too. We set out for our walk earlier than usual, while the sun was low on the horizon, and a Delta breeze was still having its cooling effect in the valley. A patch of … Continue reading The Mandala
Hello. Goodbye.
As I awaited a call back on an important matter, I felt jittery. Sitting on the couch, aimlessly scrolling through social media, wasn’t going to make my situation any better, so I turned to my dog and said, “Do you want to go outside?” Those words work like magic on him. His little ears perk … Continue reading Hello. Goodbye.
Roxane Gilbert 