tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post5445210273793899306..comments2024-03-28T04:55:50.771-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: You Can't Go Back AgainJungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-55778006391754363742013-06-10T14:44:55.291-04:002013-06-10T14:44:55.291-04:00There are some places you can't go back to. W...There are some places you can't go back to. When I was 5 or 6 we lived in a tiny town called High Vista. There was a rock formation called the elephant rock all the young kids (including me) used to climb on it, then jump off. It was the height of bravery at the time. When I went back at the ripe old age of 13 I was astonished. The elephant rock that had seemed so tall and dangerous was maybe hip high. It was my first true lesson in perspective!Diane Halehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07232621705007156159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-63828322719666853232013-06-10T14:26:18.226-04:002013-06-10T14:26:18.226-04:00Lisa, Tennessee Valley trail is one of my favorite...Lisa, Tennessee Valley trail is one of my favorites in the Bay Area. As are all the trails on Mount Tam and out at Point Reyes. We're so lucky with so many world class hiking trails in my backyard.<br /><br />But also my childhood home, a big rambling house among orchards, has long gone, victim of the new M25 motorway construction.Rhysnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-81753749122109964342013-06-10T14:20:02.218-04:002013-06-10T14:20:02.218-04:00Yeah, Richard is pretty fabulous. He gave me the t...Yeah, Richard is pretty fabulous. He gave me the title for my next book of poetry, Dark Sister. He's a seriously gifted, dedicated writer--and tons of fun. So glad you had a chance to spend some time with him.Linda Rodriguezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11913741596693442469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-3146230655611669462013-06-10T14:19:31.206-04:002013-06-10T14:19:31.206-04:00Count as places I can't go back is Flagstaff a...Count as places I can't go back is Flagstaff and Sedona, AZ - I spent summers in that area when I was little. Sedona was unpaved with a horse rail. <br /><br />It's unrecognizable.Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-33595945271538950952013-06-10T14:14:45.401-04:002013-06-10T14:14:45.401-04:00Linda, he was fabulous! He had us all in tears on...Linda, he was fabulous! He had us all in tears one minute and laughing hysterically the next. Marianne in Mainenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-17487138233551625712013-06-10T13:35:35.168-04:002013-06-10T13:35:35.168-04:00Marianne, thanks for the shout-out to my pal, Rich...Marianne, thanks for the shout-out to my pal, Richard Blanco, who's a real sweetheart and a gifted poet. A lot of his poetry, in fact, is about going back to what we knew when we were young or to what we never knew but our parents and grandparents pounded into us, only to find that "it" or we have changed too much for comfort.Linda Rodriguezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11913741596693442469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-20141813458803501572013-06-10T13:19:03.677-04:002013-06-10T13:19:03.677-04:00Just a short one:
When I was twelve, my parents d...Just a short one: <br />When I was twelve, my parents drove the five of us kids one Sunday up to northwestern CT to see the quaint country inn where they spent their honeymoon. Sadly, the house was gone, and in its place was a gas station!Deb Romanonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-40583010821360581842013-06-10T13:18:10.354-04:002013-06-10T13:18:10.354-04:00It's funny this should be the topic. I was at...It's funny this should be the topic. I was at a brunch yesterday and the featured speaker was Richard Blanco, the poet who gave a reading at Obama's Inauguration in January. He's a Maine resident but grew up in Miami. He read a poem called "Looking for the Gulf Motel" which is about going back to Marco Island where they'd go every year. It's a great story and it's available online.<br /><br />That reminded me of the places we'd go as kids...Paragon Park in Nantasket, Adventureland in Newbury and Pleasure Island in Wakefield - all in Massachusetts. I was enthralled as a small child but we'd go back with my littlest siblings the rides weren't as much fun, the cowboy shoot-outs were really corny, and the magic just wasn't the same. I guess that's just the story of growing up.<br /><br />I first went to Europe was I was 17. The magic there has NEVER gone away.<br /><br />Thank you, Rhys; I loved the accounts of your trip.Marianne in Mainenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-2786136024116080812013-06-10T12:24:35.096-04:002013-06-10T12:24:35.096-04:00HURRAY! And the winner of Edith Maxwell's boo...HURRAY! And the winner of Edith Maxwell's book is: Dianne (from Orlando)! Email Hank at h ryan at whdh dot com to get your prize!Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-2473027798155522892013-06-10T12:04:29.277-04:002013-06-10T12:04:29.277-04:00Greece has long been on my top-10 list...sigh...
...Greece has long been on my top-10 list...sigh...<br /><br />In high school, I spend a summer in Costa Rica and a summer in Panama doing volunteer work. What a momentous experience, and talk about homesickness! Would I go back? Probably not.<br /><br />In my 20s, I lived in Ecuador, Brazil, and New York City. Would I go back? To NYC, yes. I sometimes have nostalgic NYC dreams, and I'm still not sure why I haven't revisited NYC. I don't go back to places often, even when I fall in love with them--like Paris, like Florence/Tuscany...<br /><br />I'll definitely go back to Ireland, but that's for novel research.<br /><br />I grew up in a idyllic town (Rhys, I'm sure you're familiar with it: Mill Valley!), but I don't return to it that often either...However, when I do, my soul sighs. I have certain rituals: must hike to Tennessee Vally Cove, must drive by my childhood home, must sit around the plaza at the Book Depot. Lisa Alberhttp://lisaalber.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-45807288726896247802013-06-10T11:39:54.493-04:002013-06-10T11:39:54.493-04:00Karen in Ohio, I know, Florida. It's very hard...Karen in Ohio, I know, Florida. It's very hard to see what's happened to that state. My sister, Susan Cerulean, went to college in FL and has been working to protect the state and its wild places and animals her entire lifetime. She is revising a book about it right now...<br /><br />Thelma, we must hear more about your impressions!<br /><br />Mary, you are so right about how our limitations and youth can affect our impressions of a place. I felt so desperately homesick, that I'm certain I couldn't try very hard to fit in. I'm looking forward to seeing Provence with wiser eyes this time!Lucy Burdette aka Roberta Isleibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660402177299546055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-86291838402236063132013-06-10T11:38:35.340-04:002013-06-10T11:38:35.340-04:00Thelma - too funny! Wonder what ever happeened to ...Thelma - too funny! Wonder what ever happeened to Larry. Do you still see that friend? Maybe I should give the Adams Chronicles another chance.<br /><br />The first time I went to Greece was eons ago - and even back then people said it wasn't "what it was 20 years before." I returned about 5 years ago and people were saying the same thing. I truly believe you bring your party with you.<br />Rosemary Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08033747422699443024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-64656951341983074952013-06-10T10:33:03.411-04:002013-06-10T10:33:03.411-04:00Oh, Karen, that's so horrible to hear about Fl...Oh, Karen, that's so horrible to hear about Florida's wildlife. Sometimes I think our corporations won't be happy until we've blanketed the whole earth with concrete.Linda Rodriguezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11913741596693442469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-61741183488136295822013-06-10T10:13:56.165-04:002013-06-10T10:13:56.165-04:00Rhys, thank you for taking us with you on your fab...Rhys, thank you for taking us with you on your fabulous trip, both times. I would love to go to Greece someday, and Istanbul has been on my list for a long time, too. <br /><br />The world is such a big place, it's almost too much to hope for revisiting any particular spot. But when my husband and I were just dating, and then as newlyweds, we went to Florida together. I learned to identify birds sitting in the car while he drove from one lecture date to another, just by looking out the window at the amazing diversity of bird life there. <br /><br />Now our daughter lives in Miami (although she's moving to Lexington, 90 minutes away! Squeee!), so I've been down there several times in the last four years to visit. The birds are virtually gone, it's so horrifyingly sad, I can't tell you. And forget the huge turtles and alligators we used to see along the road, I have not seen either while driving in 20+ years. There also used to be tens of thousands of acres of orange, lemon, pecan and other trees in the northern half of the state. All gone, replaced by endless urban sprawl. Even the Everglades is nothing like it used to be. <br /><br /> Karen in Ohionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-12272223622763632252013-06-10T10:06:50.517-04:002013-06-10T10:06:50.517-04:00What terrific stories. Thanks for sharing. It take...What terrific stories. Thanks for sharing. It takes courage to do things at which we might fail or be disappointed. <br />My college friends and I get together every three years now and that is a wonderful way of keeping our relationships present and flourishing.Rhysnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-57785213998640871782013-06-10T10:05:30.154-04:002013-06-10T10:05:30.154-04:00Rhys, I second Reine. Your account of both visits ...Rhys, I second Reine. Your account of both visits to Mykonos was a delight!<br /><br />I grew up all over the country with a military father. Spent my last two years of high school in Manhattan, KS (known as "The Little Apple"). I hated everything, mostly because I was so miserable at home. We were poor, and I was unhappy at the high school where they'd all gone to first grade together. Couldn't wait to leave.<br /><br />I returned to Manhattan when my mother died a few years later and then a decade later when my stepfather was dying. I had to spend a lot of time there at that time and fell in love with the place, as did the guy I was living with. It's a beautiful little town surrounded by the Flint Hills and the Konza Tallgrass Prairie. Gorgeous! When we married, we honeymooned in Manhattan, the Little Apple.<br /><br />Still, I was unsure about finally attending a high school reunion. I'd been so unhappy in high school. But I went, and it was great fun, and I've reconnected with many of my classmates, who've become good friends and supporters of my work.<br /><br />Sometimes, when you go back, it's better.Linda Rodriguezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11913741596693442469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-54279053787791735262013-06-10T09:09:26.893-04:002013-06-10T09:09:26.893-04:00Thelma! What a FABULOUS story!
"Dusty"?...Thelma! What a FABULOUS story!<br /><br />"Dusty"? Really?Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-79579230008691499932013-06-10T08:45:22.773-04:002013-06-10T08:45:22.773-04:00Lucy, I've been carrying similar memories of m...Lucy, I've been carrying similar memories of my junior year in Aix-en-Provence, more than 40 years ago. While the joys of first tasting ratatouille and pizza aux fruits de mer were unforgettable, so were the rebuffs and overt discourtesies encountered in the shops and public offices. As a naive young student from small-town Ontario, I took it personally. But a couple of years ago, I read a novel by one of my French professors based on his childhood in WWII-era Provence, and that was a different kind of revelation - about someone I thought I knew. For many Aixois and Marseillais, those brutal wartime experiences were pretty fresh. I finally understood that our early experiences in an exotic locale may reflect our limitations as well as our youth, and that the wisdom acquired in our own lives might just make for a more rewarding return later.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13965327261879961663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-24336636697975064412013-06-10T08:20:58.534-04:002013-06-10T08:20:58.534-04:00Response to Rosemary... The Adams Chronicles has a...Response to Rosemary... The Adams Chronicles has a very unusual memory for me: I'd spent the summer at Perry Mansfield School of Theatre and Dance in Colorado near Steamboat Springs. My new friend from there, who later produced the Adams Chronicles, Ginny, had a car - so she and another girl and I drove back east... we gave a ride to two boys who were bound for Broadway to make their fortune. One, Larry, was a handsome guy and we knew he's make it in lights! The other, not handsome, who'd spent the summer sweeping the stage, would never be a star. We felt so sorry for him. A<br />few years later I read the ads for The Graduate - realized the star was our stage sweeper... his name, of course---Dusty Hoffman!!! Thelma Straw in Manhattan!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-27611045296046571882013-06-10T07:16:23.946-04:002013-06-10T07:16:23.946-04:00Rhys, Mykonos sounds wonderful. Your description o...Rhys, Mykonos sounds wonderful. Your description of the town is very enticing. I now find myself craving warm bread and cheeses and grapes!<br /><br />When I was a little girl I lived with my great-grandmother at her camp in Billerica, Massachusetts. It was in a beautiful pine forest near a river. The house was very simple. We had to pump our water outdoors with a hand pump. All of the important facilities were outside. It was a challenge keeping warm in the winter, because the camp was not insulated. We loved it there all the same.<br /><br />I went back to visit in my 20s when I was a newlywed. Almost everyone I had known there was still there including "the boy next door." Our relationship began when we were three, and I bit him on the bum. I received such a terrible spanking in return, that he felt sorry for me, and we became best friends and more later on. So I was a little nervous when the girlfriend I was visiting called him up. All she said to him was, "Dinner at my house if you can guess who's here." Then she started laughing and said he was coming right over.<br /><br />There we were a bunch of old friends sitting in the dining room and me with a Steve to my right and a Steve to my left. Something clicked between them and the two very quiet, introverted, engineer Steves started talking. They wouldn't stop. It was so funny that's all the rest of us could talk about. It turned out to be a great time.Maureen Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499876353651763590noreply@blogger.com