“In my experience, men who respond to good fortune
with modesty and kindness are harder to find than
those who face adversity with courage.
For in the very nature of things, success tends
to create pride and blindness in the hearts of men,
while suffering teaches them to be patient and strong.”
Xenophon
Shine On
“And indeed, a horse who bears himself proudly is a thing of such beauty
and astonishment that he attracts the eyes of all beholders.
No one will tire of looking at him as long as
he will display himself in his splendor.”
Xenophon
We rode for hours. Riding through the wild oat fields with oats as tall as the hocks of our horses legs. The smell of the wild oats and lavender lingering in the air as we rode.
We rode through the eucalyptus woods so thick with trees, they covered the trail to the sky. The strong minty, pine, honey scent of eucalyptus lingered as we left the woods.
We rode as the sun began to set. The salty air of the sea drawing us near to the sea, wading through the low tide where the sea meets the sunset.
Shine On
“Old and young, we are all on our last cruise.”
Robert Louis Stevenson
Cruisin on the Esplanade in a silver Z4
Shine On
“The writer isn’t made in a vacuum. Writers are witnesses.
The reason we need writers is because we
need witnesses to this terrifying century.”
E. L. Doctorow
E. L. Doctorow January 6, 1931 to July 21, 2015
A few months back I heard that E. L. Doctorow had died. I was familiar with Doctorow’s writings, but had never read his work, so I immediately bought the iBook Ragtime. I couldn’t stop reading this novel and read it in a few hours.
Edgar Lawrence Doctorow aka E. L. Doctorow was an American author, editor, and professor. He was best known for his works of historical fiction and often described as one of the most important American novelists of the 20th century.
He wrote twelve novels, three volumes of short fiction and a stage drama. They included the award-winning novels Ragtime, Billy Bathgate, and The March. These, like many of his novels, placed fictional characters in recognizable historical contexts, with known historical figures, and often used different narrative styles. His stories were recognized for their originality and versatility, and Doctorow was praised for his imagination. To learn more about Doctorow and his writings, visit his website at: E. L. Doctorow.
Shine On
“People never think of entertainers as being human.
When you walk out on stage, the audience think,
‘Nothing can go wrong with them.’ We get sick and
we have headaches just like they do.
When we are cut, we bleed.”
Karen Carpenter
One of my fellow bloggers, Erika Kind posted The Carpenters song Yesterday Once More, which reminded me how much I enjoyed this song back in the 1970s.
So, after spending all day at the Ukulele festival yesterday, I was inspired to learn how to play some of my favorite songs.
Here’s a beautiful ukulele rendition I hope to learn of Yesterday Once More.
Shine On
