Geraldine Ford's Playhouse Table

Table in Geraldine Ford's playhouse
at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House.

Eye on Design II

Here's another from the Eye on Design car show at Edsel Ford.  I neglected to photograph the information, I am sorry to say.

Measuring the Days of our lives

The coming and going of flowers is like a metronome measuring the moments and days of our lives.  Detroit.

Old Truck at Car Show, Edsel Ford

Old Truck at Car Show, Edsel Ford
Photo by me, Mary Taitt
Click photo to view larger

We went to the Eye on Design Car Show at Edsel Ford last weekend and I took a Zillion Pictures.  So did Keith.  This was one of my favorites!

Entertainment at the Edsel Ford House

Wonderful music last weekend at Edsel and Eleanor Ford House. (Click
image to view larger).

I seem to be overwhelmed by busyness lately.  We are leaving Saturday for a 3-week trip.  Hope all is well with you!

Waiting for Spring, Cranbrook

At least the sun is warm on the face!!!

Beech Tree at Cranbrook

Beech Tree at Cranbrook on the trail down to the Lake

Mural at CCS--Center for Creative Studies

Mural on the back of the Parking garage at CCS
Center for Creative Studies
Cultural District
Detroit

Sculpture at CCS--Center for Creative Studies

Sculpture at CCS
Detroit's CUltural District

Under the Railroad Overpass on Woodward

Under the Railroad Overpass on Woodward
Detroit
by me, Mary Stebbins Taitt

I don't know why, but these spaces resonate for me.  (And scare me a little, too!)

Railroad underpass on Cass

Railroad underpass on Cass
Detroit

This is just north of the main cultural District near the north campus of the Center for Creative Studies.

Showtime, revisited

From the doorway of Showtime
Woodward in Detroit

Showtime, Woodward Ave
Cultural District, Detroit

Lake St. Clair at Dusk

I'm sorry I am so far behind.  WIll try to catch up soon.  :-(

Lake St. Clair at Dusk.

Benny and the Barracudas
for my new book
5 x 7
gouache

Global Warming?

Snowdrops today on our street!!!

The snowdrops are a couple month early and might be killed if it gets seasonal again!!!  This Detroit, not Florida!

It's Imbolc, Midwinter!  Happy midwinter, it's about half gone!  Of course the second half may be much worse.

Yesterday I submitted my Fellowship app and today I applied for Social Security!  It will take me a while to catch up, but hopefully, I'll be around soon.

Balduck Park in snow today

We've been having snow squalls.  I walked over to Rolandale through Balduck Park.

I am working on my fellowship application.

Save the libraries!

I walked 48 minutes from my house to the library and back, not counting the time I walked around inside the library.

Our libraries are in danger because of republicans, the internet and people buying books for their reading pleasure--which is a good thing for authors, but a bad thing for the poor.

Our libraries and closing one by one.  DO you care?  I DO!!!  I use the library every week.  Saves me lots of money and helps people can't afford to buy books.  At the library, they are FREE to read.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY, read a book.  (From the library!)

AND get out and vote for the libraries!

(The first image is a pretty house between my house and the library.)

Frank J. Hecker House 
Charfoos & Christensen, PC
5510 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI
photo by me, Mary Stebbins Taitt, at dusk in winter

 Downtown (Cultural District.)

NaNoWriMo

I wrote 50,303 words on my novel, Death Angel, in the month of November. The counter mangled a few and gave me credit for 50,280, but that's close enough! YAY!  I am tired now, but in the upcoming days, I'll tell you more about it!!  The last few days have been a real Marathon!!!  To win, one must write 50,000 words in one month!  That is, a 50,000 word novel,  It does not have to be finished.  And, it is not. I've posted parts of it (DRAFTY!!) here.

December 1, 2011 A Note after “Winning”

I am so happy. I cried when the NaNoWriMo teamed cheered for me at 11:30 last night.  I "won" last year, too, but this year was more of a struggle because I traveled and there were more conflicts.

I learned a LOT.  I learned about working efficiently, about structuring a novel, something you have to do in order to write efficiently.  And a lot more I may write about in the coming months.

Of course, I haven't finished the novel!!! I've only written the first 50,00 words. And it's very rough and drafty. But it has shape, plot, maybe a theme. It has characters, action and little suspense.

I'm not sure if trying to write 50,000 words of a novel in a month is the best way to do it. I'm not sure if I'll do it again next year or not. There are advantages and disadvantages to the big push. For example, I gave up even spellchecking in the latter third of the month, and there was no revising going on as I worked.

Yesterday, I wrote only scenes, not chapters. I worked from 5 AM until after 11 PM. So I have a lot of scenes to integrate into chapters!

However, I think I may proceed as if I were going to do one next year, because even if I decide not to do it, the planning will be useful for my NEXT NOVEL when I finish this one, whether or not I try to write most of the first draft in the month of November 2012.

Mansion at Cranbrook

Mansion at Cranbrook from Bog Pond

Yes, we still have a few leaves on the trees, but they are going fast.