with John W. Howell
Here is this week’s photo.
As you can see the beach is completely deserted with is a surprise in that these are the last days before school starts. Looks like the beach goers have decided to make it a late day. You can see the marks made by an earth mover. I purposely did not include it in the shot since next Tuesday I have a couple of photos of the monsters.
Last week’s photo is not too different, but there are a few more people.
Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again and this week’s prompt is “VIS.” Linda Hill in her graciousness has allowed us to use VIS any way we want. For more information about this painful, exciting prompt go here. http://lindaghill.com/2015/07/24/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-2515/
Vis by John W. Howell © 2015
All VISITORS MUST CHECK IN said the sign on the receptionist’s desk. Vincent stopped and waited for the young lady to acknowledge him.
“Yes, sir. May I help you?”
“Yes, you may. I’m here to see Mr. Viscount.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“I represent VIS Racing and yes I do.”
“Yes sir please sign in and I will call his assistant.”
“Thank you.”
“Sir?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Viscount is in the visual studio and cannot be disturbed.”
“But I have an appointment for ten o’clock.”
“I understand, but his assistant said he has a concern with the stock price of VIS vis-a-vis other industrials.”
“What is VIS?”
“Vangard Industrials.”
“They’re my competition. Why is he so concerned?”
“I would say he stands to lose a lot of money and if so his partner as well.”
“Partner? How come?”
“The partner goes where the Visa card goes, and Mr. Vincent might be broke enough to lose his.”
“Do you have the partner’s phone number?”
As you may be aware a group of excellent Bloggers put together an incredible Blogfest that includes over 128 blogs. The idea is to talk about a cherished item and to link together a number of bloggers who will be describing an item they cherish. The founders of this idea are Damyanti – Daily (w)rite, Dan Antion – No Facilities,Paul Ruddock – Echoes of the Pen, Peter Nena – Demogorgons Fiction,Sharukh Bamboat – India Destinations and Tom Benson. Here is the badge for the event and if you click on it, you can go to a complete list of the participating bloggers.
The following is my contribution. Todays JohnKu is suspended
A Cherished Item by John W. Howell
When I considered joining the Cherished Blogfest I had in mind some items that could qualify for the title Cherished. Of course, I ruled out family since although cherished they are not items and in keeping with the blog fest it would not be fair to include them. I finally settled on a piece that belonged to my father. I have so few items left since he died was I was ten and the years have taken their toll on those mementos that could also qualify as cherished.
My dad served as a naval aviator during World War Two. He was the bombing group navigator and had the awesome responsibility to plot the course to the bombing site and then back to the ship. He served on both the Aircraft carrier Lexington and Yorktown. His group participated in battles that included the invasion of Iwo Jima and bombing strikes to the Japanese homeland.
He was an older man when the war broke out and could have stayed behind since he had two children and was a member of the Detroit Police detective bureau. He chose instead to enlist and was promptly sent to school stateside to earn his navigator wings. He was commissioned as an Ensign and assigned to Bombing Group Nine of the US Navy. These were the dive bombers who were most effective against the Japanese fleet and land-based targets. He and his group earned a number of medals and to his credit never got lost or missed reaching the assigned target.
My most cherished item is the Year book that all members received upon completion of the war. Here is a picture of the cover. You can see the scuff marks of time. The book is now seventy years old.
The next picture is the page devoted to my dad. The editor had a sense of humor in that a poem was written describing my father as a fighter that was intended to parody his true nature. The cartoon below the picture depicts the sinking of the battleship Yamato, which my dad helped plan and execute.
This book and the fact that the Lexington is permanently docked close to my home are the last links I have to my father. I do cherish it.
We are all faced with moments of writing challenge. Know you are not alone and can help yourself.
I’ve always found the different ways that we scribblers describe our experiences with writer’s block very interesting. Also the different ways the seasoned writers suggest getting over it. Some suggestions are to work around your block, or force yourself to write through it, even if what you write is rubbish. Other advice is to write something completely different. We won’t mention those rather hurtful cries of, “Stop being such a wussy. Adorn yourself in adult underwear! Plumbers don’t get plumbers block!” All of these things can work with a bit of effort and confidence, but one bit of advice that you seldom see is to take a break from writing completely. As if a week away from writing anything will totally strip you of the ability to write at all. It is true that if you don’t do something for a good long while, you could get a little rusty…
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Join us here on Rave Reviews Book Club’s RAVE WAVES SPOTLIGHT HONORS with host John W. Howell and guest Author Micki Peluso. We will discuss her book And the Whippoorwill Sang-Memoir. Join us as we explore this book and become better acquainted with the author. To listen to the broadcast use this link http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ravereviewsbookclub/2015/07/23/rrbc-rave-waves-spotlight-honors-with-micki-peluso
This segment of Spotlight Honors is being sponsored by John Fioravanti, the talented author of Passion and Struggle (The Genesis Saga Book I)
If you’d like to know how you can get your own commercial recorded or read on one of our shows, please visit RaveReviewsByNonnieJules.wordpress.com
Join on Twitter to ask a question. Type #RRBCSpotlightHonors in the Twitter search box and then hit Live.
It is Wednesday story time again. Last week we left Bob and his mother in a pretty dark place. Bob had just threatened to choke his mom and she taunted him with the words, “you don’t have the guts.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that was a wise thing to do. It is time to get back and see where this goes.
“I don’t have the guts you say?”
“That’s right Bob. You are afraid to stand up to anyone in this world let alone your mother.”
“I may be afraid but Robert isn’t.”
“Where is this Robert you keep talking about?”
“Right here.”
“Where? I don’t see anyone but you.”
“I am Robert and I think you owe Bob an apology.”
“Ah, so you are the famous Robert huh?”
“Bob invented me to help him out of troubling circumstances.”
“So you are in his brain?”
“No, I’m here and in a minute I’m going to kick your ass.”
“Just because Bob says so?”
“No, I’ve been here when you treated him like dirt. He doesn’t deserve what you have been doing to him.”
“And you think you will settle the score huh?”
“That’s about it. I don’t have any other reason for being.”
“Are there others inside of Bob?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you find out? Once you deal with me how do you know there isn’t another personality to deal with you?”
“I don’t know but who cares if there is.”
“So you don’t want to live?”
“Never thought of it.”
“Favorite food?”
“Don’t have any.”
“Bob has pretty much kept you in the dark hasn’t he?”
“This is not about me. I have a job protecting Bob from you.”
“Hmm. If it were me, I would wonder how it would be without Bob.”
“You are trying to subvert Bob and my relationship.”
“From my perspective there isn’t much of a relationship. Looks like you’re a servant.”
“You have me confused. Let me think. Bob, where are you?”
As most of the regulars know I have this annoying habit of taking pictures as I ride my bike and then writing little stories about what I see. The story is usually a piece of flash fiction inspired by the photo. Today is no exception. I saw this little car on the beach and couldn’t help myself. Hope you like it.
The Trip by John W. Howell © 2015
“Okay. Where are we?”
“I’m not sure.”
“It was your idea to leave the movie and go on a trip.”
“Did I know the real world was not the same as the film world?”
“I think you could have made a guess it would be different.”
“Sure I thought it would be a little different.”
“But what?”
“Never counted on riding along on a sandy highway.”
“And not hitting a crab.”
“Well, that too.”
“So what do we do now?”
“Do you have your phone?”
“Yes.”
“Give it to me.”
“Please?”
“Please give it to me.”
“Here.”
“Hello. Triple-A? Is this the Disney Pixar Cars Triple A? Oh good. I need a tow. We hit a crab, and the front tire is messed up. Yeah, a crab. How big? I would say as big as the car. Hello. Triple-A? Hello.”
“They hung up?”
“Not sure. I still hear laughing.”
This list has been inspired by observing the interaction between vacationers and locals at some vacation destinations in which I have found myself as a resident. Hope you like it.
Top Ten Things Not to do If You Live in a Vacation Destination
10 If you live in a vacation destination, do not honk your horn at the drivers who habitually go ten miles below the speed limit. If you do, at best they will go even slower. At worst, you may find yourself on the receiving end of a very frustrated lost out of towner with a car full of kids and someone asking “if we should have stopped and asked directions.” (And they might just have their semi-automatic weapon collection along for the ride.)
9 If you live in a vacation destination, do not put off grocery shopping until the end of the week. If you do, at best you will be able to check out before your ice cream is liquefied. At worst, you will have spent three hours fighting out of towners for items on your list only to find you lost a majority of the battles. (And the last six-pack of beer went to an immense guy named Tiny. ( At least that’s what the tattoo you read on the fingers of his fist said before you passed out.)
8 If you live in a vacation destination, do not drive your car downtown between Thursday and Sunday night. If you do at best, your round trip will be several hours. At worst, you will be forced to sleep overnight in your car since you parked in the only spot available only to find all the streets have been closed to traffic until dawn (And you didn’t bring a toothbrush,)
7 If you live in a vacation destination, do not plan to have dinner out from May 30th until September 2nd. If you do, at best you will be disappointed with the quality and service. At worst, you will be served hours after you order and will receive a meal lower than fast food quality and priced like Michelin Four Star. (And you ran out of things to talk about an hour before.)
6 If you live in a vacation destination, do not look forward to a peaceful summer. If you do at best, you will finally give up and stay inside. At worst, you will become known to the police as “that crank with no sense of humor.” (And even get a busy signal on a 911 call).
5 If you live in a vacation destination, do not think by being rude to the visitors somehow they will never come back. If you do, at best you will receive some rudeness in return. At worst, you may just be rude to the wrong person and end up looking like a raccoon. (Tough to explain as well)
4 If you live in a vacation destination, do not think everyone picks up after themselves. If you do, at best you will become disillusioned quickly. At worst, you will find yourself explaining to the police why you are threatening out of towners with a litter pick up stick. (And they have their Tasers at the ready)
3 If you live in a vacation destination, do not even think of going to the Dairy Queen. If you do, at best all your cones will look like shakes. At worst, your blood pressure will hit overdrive as you watch the two clerks try to handle one hundred customers. (And you wonder why management is surprised by a rush of business during vacation time)
2 If you live in a vacation destination, do not give anyone permission to park in your driveway just for a moment. If you do, at best you will not be able to get out for a few hours. At worst, you will have the vacationers in your driveway for two weeks. (And the car is locked)
1 If you live in a vacation destination, do not casually mention the idea people should visit. If you at best you will only get a few who will take you up on your “offer.” At worst, you will have a houseful of permanent residents, and you’ll be lucky if you even know them. (And they remind you of being out of beer.)
Here is this week’s photo
Not too much has changed from last week. There are a few people walking on the beach and enjoying the morning. The morning glories are in bloom and there are a few orange flowers in the foreground.
Last week’s photo
It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday again and this week’s prompt is Fly/Flies/Flew/Flu/Flue. If you would like to participate, visit Linda Hill at http://lindaghill.com/2015/07/17/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-jily-1815/ Here is my interpretation.
Fly/Flies/Flew/Flu/Flue by John W. Howell
When flies flew down the flue,
I could not fly with fly flu.
