Tag: The Last Drive

The Last Drive Tour with Lauren Scott

~ John W. Howell

Laren Scott is hosting this stop on the tour. I am grateful for her help in spreading the word about The Last Drive. You can visit her post HERE.

I have been following Lauren since 2015. I have always been impressed by the passion she puts into her work. Lauren writes prose and poetry. She has four titles published. Three are stand-alone, authored by her, and one is an anthology. You can see them all on Lauren’s Amazon author’s page.

A little more about Lauren in her words.

Currently, California is my home where my husband, Matt, of thirty-three years, and our cuddly canine, Copper, reside; we have two grown children. I have authored two collections of poetry: New Day, New Dreams (2013) and Finding a Balance (2015), and my latest book, More than Coffee: Memories in Verse and Prose, was published in September of 2021.

My writing projects are sometimes serious – drawn from painful subjects and raw emotions – or they spotlight my silly side – pulled from humorous moments. I am inspired to write about family, love, loss, and nature – the marvelous wild world that surrounds me: the smell of the woods, the sound of a babbling brook, and the chorus of birds singing. Recent backpacking trips with my husband along the California coast and Sierra Nevada mountains have stirred up thoughts to pen about fear, loss of friendship, overcoming challenges, and the possibility that anything can happen. Hikes along the Paper Mill Creek remind me that life is fragile. From trout hatchlings to swallowtail butterflies, I marvel at how the world is interconnected and every living thing matters. I hope my readers will find a little nugget of delight, comfort, or understanding in my poetry and stories – some detail that resonates with them beyond my words.

Lauren’s latest – Click for Amazon.

Thank you, Lauren, for hosting me today. I appreciate you.

I have closed comments so that all the words fit to write are left at Lauren’s place.

The Last Drive Tour with Elizabeth Gauffreau

~ John W. Howell

I’m honored to be with Liz Gauffreau, talking about The Last Drive. You can visit her post HERE.

Liz is amazing. She has had multiple positions in higher education. She was a navy wife for twenty years and is a poet and novelist. She has one book of poetry in print and a novel. She is also one of eight authors contributing stories to an anthology. You can see all her books on her Amazon author’s page.

Here is more about Liz.

Elizabeth Gauffreau writes fiction and poetry with a strong connection to family and place. She holds a BA in English/Writing from Old Dominion University and an MA in English/Fiction Writing from the University of New Hampshire. Her fiction publications include short stories in Woven Tale Press, The Long Story, Soundings East, Ad Hoc Monadnock, Rio Grande Review, Blueline, Slow Trains, Hospital Drive, and Serving House Journal, among others. Her poetry has appeared in North of Oxford, The Writing On The Wall, The Larcom Review, and Natural Bridge. Her debut novel Telling Sonny, was published by Adelaide Books, New York, in 2018.

Liz grew up a child of the 1960s in northern New England before spending twenty years in the South as a Navy wife. After working for Granite State College in Concord, New Hampshire, for eighteen years, she accepted a faculty position as Assistant Dean of Curriculum and Assessment at Champlain College Online in Burlington, Vermont. In addition to academic advising, teaching, and higher education administration, her professional background includes assessment of prior experiential learning for college credit. Liz lives in Nottingham, New Hampshire, with her husband; their daughter has flown the nest to live in sunny California.

Liz’s Book of Poetry – Click for Amazon

Thank you, Liz, for helping spread the word about The Last Drive.

I have closed comments, so you will be fresh at Liz’s site.

 

The Last Drive Tour with Geoff Le Pard

~ John W. Howell

I am excited to be with Geoff Le Pard to talk about The Last Drive. You can visit Geoff’s post HERE.

Geoff and Dog

Geoff lives in London with his wife and Dog and has embarked upon writing after a successful law career that saw him achieve the position of partner in his firm. Geoff’s talents include cooking, gardening, and a killer sense of humor. He has authored 17 titles and has been included in three anthologies. You can view all his books on his Amazon author page.

More on Geoff in his words.

I have been writing creatively since 2006 when at a summer school with my family I wrote a short radio play. That led to a novel, some more courses, more novels, each better than the last until I took an MA at Sheffield Hallam. I published my first novel in 2014 – Dead Flies and Sherry Trifle. In 2015 a second followed – My Father and Other Liars. In 2016 I have an anthology of short stories out, Life, in a Grain of Sand. I have now added ‘memoir’ to my list of genres with the launch of Apprenticed To My Mother. Other novels can be found here. I write in a range of genres, so there is something for everyone.

Before writing, I was a lawyer, ending up at the London Olympics. Now I mix writing with a range of activities, often walking to find inspiration or taking in a variety of sports events. I blog at Tangental – https://geofflepard.com/, and you can find more of my writing and poetry there.

Geoff’s latest – click for Amazon.

Thank you, Geoff, for helping spread the word about The Last Drive.

I have closed The Comments so that you can save your creativity for Geoff’s post.

 

 

The Last Drive Tour with Marcia Meara

~ John W. Howell

What a delight to be with Marcia Meara to talk about The Last Drive. You can visit her blog HERE.

I really got to know Marcia when she was a member of Story Empire. I joined after she was a member, and she made me feel welcome and was always ready to help a novice navigate the unknown. Marcia is a prolific writer with 11 Titles published. You can see them all on her Amazon author’s page.

Here is a little more about Marcia.

Marcia Meara lives in central Florida, just north of Orlando, with her husband of over thirty-five years and four big cats.

When not writing or blogging, she spends her time gardening and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard. She enjoys nature. Really, really enjoys it. All of it! Well, almost all of it, anyway. From birds to furry critters to her very favorites, snakes. The exception would be spiders, which she truly loathes, convinced that anything with eight hairy legs is surely up to no good. She does not, however, kill spiders anymore since she knows they have their place in the world. Besides, her husband now handles her Arachnid Catch and Release Program, and she’s good with that.

Spiders aside, the one thing Marcia would like to tell each of her readers is that it’s never too late to make your dreams come true. If, at the age of 69, she could write and publish a book (and thus fulfill 64 years of longing to do that very thing), you can make your own dreams a reality, too. Go for it! What have you got to lose?

The Emissary Series by Marcia- Click for Amazon.

Thank you, Marcia, for helping spread the word on The Last Drive.

I have closed the comments so that Marcia will be delighted with fresh words posted at her place.

The Last Drive Tour with Annette Rochelle Aben.

~ John W. Howell ~ 2 Comments

I am happy to be with fellow Michigander Annette Rochelle Aben to discuss The Last Drive. You can visit Annette’s post HERE.

Annette can be described as a Communicator, WordSmith, Artist, Guide, Mentor, and Muse. She is all of these things. As a communicator, she is a trained radio broadcaster and has a blog talk radio show. Her wordsmith moniker is proven by the fact she has a daily blog and has written 20 titles which are available on Amazon. Her artistic talent can be seen in her Zazzle store. Here is the link http://www.zazzle.com/annetteaben. As a mentor and guide, Annette has developed the concept of Attitude with Gratitude. She shows folks how to approach life in a way that produces happiness. You can visit several examples of her teachings HERE.

As a muse, Annette invites everyone to her blog with these works. “In addition to writing, I am completely in love with Angels, cooking, making jewelry, photography, cats, listening to music, and laughing! Perhaps we have something in common, if so, leave me a comment, and let’s connect.”

Click for Amazon

Thank you so much for helping me tell The Last Drive story, Annette.

I have closed the comments, so you don’t have to think of something clever to say here but you can do that at Annette’s place.

Views of the Neighborhood – Lakeway Heritage Tour

~ John W. Howell ~ 67 Comments

Today we are going on the heritage tour of Lakeway. There are 22 stops, and we will be chauffeured in a brand-new bus. Of course, we will have to take our bus to get there. We are catered by Odd Duck of Austin, and our entertainment is The Who.

Menu

Starters

Gulf seafood ceviche, carrot leche de tigre, strawberry, radish, potato chips

Grilled kale salad, fennel, citrus, sunchoke dukkah, shiitake ranch

Charred broccoli, chèvre, mole spice, apple gastrique, sesame

Cast iron cheddar cornbread, green garlic butter

Mushroom tamal, kohlrabi cheese, field greens, cilantro

Smoked oyster chowder, turnip, pork belly, brassica greens, pork rinds

Main

Capellini pasta, sunchoke cacio e pepe, TX cheddar, carrot salsa macha

Blackened redfish, sourdough sauce, wilted romaine, pecan, lemon

Grilled quail, XO fried rice, braised greens, beet BBQ, fried chicken skin

Dry-aged wagyu burger, blue beer cheese, tostada, pork birria jam, cabbage slaw

Aged pork loin, tzatziki, caramelized fennel, beets, pepitas

Chile beer glazed short rib, radish kimchi, Japanese sweet potato, peanut

Dessert

Lime mousse, strawberry sorbet, puffed rice, butter mochi

Sunchoke blondie, caramelized white chocolate, sherry vinegar caramel, cocoa nib ice cream

Salted peanut butter budino, chocolate cake, marshmallow creme, dark chocolate-covered peanut butter cookie

Picture of an old time school bus

All aboard.

Here is the map of the tour and a list of the stops.

After the tour, we each get a hardcover book about Lakeway.

That bus makes ours look a little shabby. Not as lovely inside, I’ll bet.

There are the registration tents. Yes, we had to have reservations.

We can also meet the mayor, who is here somewhere, and Gwen Wunneberger, who as a girl, lived in the cabin in the background.

Gotta have a sweet and cup of coffee but don’t spoil your brunch.

Always terrific to be welcomed.

The old Liebelt cabin was moved to this spot.

Kay Andrews, dressed in a period costume, gives us a tour of the cabin.

A horse-drawn hay cutter sits in the cabin yard.

Behind the cabin sits a replica of August Liebelt’s headstone in honor of him.

It is time to get on the other bus for the tour. If you really want to see what the tour is like. you can visit a previous post on the subject HERE

I hope you enjoyed the tour. Now, let’s sit back and enjoy the food and entertainment. I hope you have a terrific week.

 

Saturday – A Little Personal – Lucy and Twiggy Messing Around

~ John W. Howell ~ 122 Comments

“Lucy. What are you doing?”

“Who says I’m Lucy?”

“What do you mean, ‘who says I’m Lucy?’ I say you’re Lucy.”

“Look closer, pesky puma. There is a water buffalo stalking you.”

“We just played this yesterday. Let’s do something else.”

“Play puma? Play? Do you think this is a game?”

“You’re funny, Lucy. We always play this game.”

“So I’m funny, huh? What kind of funny? Funny, haha, or what?”

“What’s come over you, Lucy? I just said I thought you were funny.”

“Yeah, I know, and I want to know what is so funny?”

“Oh, I get it. You’re doing a Joe Pesci Goodfella riff.”

“Okay, so you figured it out. Had you going though, didn’t I?”

“Let’s just say I thought you had finally gone off the deep end.”

“Why do you always sniff the stair when you are nervous?”

“I’m not nervous, and I think you just made that up.”

“I’m just telling you what I have observed.”

“Don’t go near that door. I heard mom putting together the bath stuff.”

“When did you hear that?”

“Just before we came out. Man, I do not like baths.”

“See, you’re doing it again. Sniffing the stair.”

“Okay, you stay by that door until you’re discovered. I’m heading the other way.”

“I think I hear mom coming.”

“I’m outta here.”

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

~ John W. Howell ~ 104 Comments
The plane that made the hydrogen-powered flight. credit: ZeroAvia

Today’s good news story comes from the Good News Network. Here it is in its entirety.

Aviation Startup ZeroAvia Flies Largest-Ever Hydrogen Electric Aircraft

By

Andy Corbley

An aviation start-up just set a new world-first for the largest hydrogen-powered aircraft flight in history—a 19-seat aircraft called the Dornier 228.

Designed by ZeroAvia, the start-up is developing hydrogen-powered engines for regional flights and has taken off over the last 12 months.

This most recent flight was a 10-minute affair from the Cotswolds Airport in Gloucestershire, England, but was only the most recent manifestation of their success.

ZeroAvia counts American and United airlines as their investors, and by 2025, the firm has 1,500 pre-orders of their hydrogen-electric powertrains to fulfill. In addition, the prototype powertrains have received approval from the UK and US civil aviation authorities.

“This is a major moment, not just for ZeroAvia, but for the aviation industry as a whole, as it shows that true zero-emission commercial flight is only a few years away,” ZeroAvia founder and CEO Val Miftakhov said in a statement Thursday.

The flight comes after news in August that the company signed a memorandum of understanding with American Airlines for 100 of the powertrains being developed for 90-seat aircraft.

“Having support from [one of the] world’s largest airline is a strong indication of the progress we’re making on the development of hydrogen-electric, zero-emission flight,” added ZeroAvia Founder and CEO Val Miftakhov. “We are focused on delivering sustainable travel and are delighted that American, a visionary leader in the industry, sees ZeroAvia as a part of the future of aviation.”

Hydrogen as a fuel source is currently one of two more sustainable alternatives to powering aviation. Accounting for 2.8% of all global emissions, passenger aircraft need high-octane, energy-dense fuel sources because of the weight limitations that batteries can’t account for.

The ZA2000-RJ powertrain from ZeroAvia is predicted to have a 500-mile range on a full tank, which United Airlines said would restore the economic viability of smaller regional flights.

“A lot of small cities have lost service because of the cost, and we think that these technologies will allow United to bring back more frequent service and service to airports that don’t have any service today,” Michael Leskinen, president of United Airlines Ventures, told CBS.

For reference, 500-mile jumps could service distances such as Pittsburgh to Chicago, Amarillo to Austin, or Fort Myers to Savannah. In Europe, the benefits compound because of the size of the continent. ZeroAvia could easily service Milan to Naples, Munich to Hamburg, or Newcastle to Exeter.

The good news here is zero emissions are possible for air travel. Today’s JohnKu talks about innovation. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Discovery by John W. Howell © 2023

Like we always have,

Is not an excuse anymore . . .

Innovation rules.

The Last Drive Tour with Joan Hall

~ John W. Howell ~ 1 Comment

I am excited to be with Joan Hall to talk about The Last Drive. You can visit her post HERE.

Joan and I are both members of Story Empire. Since the time I joined, I have always been impressed by Joan’s professional approach to writing. Also, she is quick to help fellow writers with questions about their stories or any concerns in general. Joan is always giving the group links to some of the latest improvements in applications designed to help make the job of writing easier.

Joan is the author of ten books, and you can see them on her Amazon page

Here is a little more about Joan.

Joan Hall has always enjoyed reading or listening to stories about inexplicable events, so it’s not surprising she writes mystery and romantic suspense. A lover of classic rock music, songs often serve as the inspiration for her books.

When she’s not writing, Joan likes to observe the night skies, explore old cemeteries, and learn about legends and folklore. She and her husband live in Texas with their two cats. Learn more about Joan at her website, http://JoanHall.net.

Joan’s latest. Click for Amazon

Thank you, Joan, for helping spread The Last Drive word.

I have closed the comments so that Joan will have your original thoughts.

The last Drive Tour with Keith Channing

~ John W. Howell

I am delighted to be visiting Keith Channing’s blog today. He is helping spread the word about The Last Drive. You can visit the post HERE.

Each Monday, Keith publishes a photo and asks for submissions. I have been submitting a story using his photo as a prompt since August 6th, 2015. Prior to my joining in Keith had published 39 photos. He just finished number 392. So I have participated with Keith in 353 stories over the last seven years. Keith has also published 13 books. You can see them all on his Amazon page.

More about Keith in his own words.

“My work background was in insurance and IT. When I retired in 2005 at the tender age of 56, my wife Clare and I sold up and moved to a small hamlet in the middle of France, where we stayed for thirteen years. In 2019, we relocated to South Yorkshire with our two dogs.

During my working life, I spent five years living in Dubai and two years in Tanzania, which had an enormous effect on shaping my world view and my way of looking at life.

As a writer of fiction, I make up and write lies (and some poetry – mostly limericks) for the sheer pleasure of doing it. These lies generally end up on my blog at keithkreates.com, as do a few of the photographs I take from time to time.”

Keith’s latest- click for Amazon.

Thank you, Keith, for helping to spread the word on The Last Drive.

I have closed the comments so that every word in Keith’s comment section is original.