#Somewhere in Prince Edward County

[maguro13-2]

The Dark Picture Repaint ~ Origins of the Ink Demon : Operation Drawcia Pt.23 ~

Winry : Hmmm...So this place...This is America ain't it? And this place right here is Maryland...Prince George's County Maryland. What a familiar setting, is this the reason that how I ended up here? Was Edward with another girl? If Edward and us were never friends to those guys, then that mean...Oh my God, I never thought of this that this would be so strange. I wonder if there some people living in the county like this place. I'm good with it. I'm not liking that this is a good start for me to live in. But if surviving four years straight during the Black Arms Invasion. I just realized that Isekai thing from Fullmetal Alchemist was something else to be set in Europe.

"Edward, Alphonse,and I were living in the world of the 2003 show. However, around two years ago, something happened to that world that was an intense shock and roaring sound of Alchemy. It was a massive shock as Edward made us Isekai'd into the real world. But that's not what I remember from the show or even the movie.

*flash of images appearing*

Winry : If I'm starting to slowly to come to realization, then that means there was no one to be found...But after the show or even the movie, I can't sense that Edward and Alphonse are here anywhere.

PGC Citizen : Hey you. Are you the only one who came here into this state? I am a fellow citizen of this entire county, we are the citizens of Prince George's County, Maryland, a place bordering by the Nation's capital. You must be the immigrant hailed somewhere from before, so nice of to see you drop by to our community, our race had a history to this place for more than many years.

Winry : So when did I get here? Wait, am I the only one who knows about this state? Or did I came here before?

PGC Citizen : You don't remember how you got here. You came across the country here by planes, trains, and automobiles, those were the three kinds of transportation a the country.

Winry : Oh yeah. I remember coming down all across to the nation's capital region. I believe that it was some kind of "friend" wearing a mask coming from Asia. It was some kind of girl who knows about Xing or probably like that, that's only in China.

PGC Citizen : That "friend" of your's. I believe that she was no friend, King Bradley from Square Enix told that he was chasing some kind of foreigner wearing some kind of mask of a assassin, and also a little girl with a small panda bear as well.

PGC Citizen 2 : What's going on here, sir? Ey! What's this "white folk" doing in our community!? We don't want your kind to be in this place. Leave now or else you get hurt!

PGC Citizen : Hey! Be nice to this girl, this white folk came from another country. No need for harsh words on Xenophobia. This young lady right here, she's just a person that came to our county in two years. She hailed from something like a place called Japan. Ah yes, you are Automail Winry Rockbell of Fullmetal Alchemist.

PGC Citizen 2 : Winry Rockbell? Fullmetal Alchemist? This young lady is Winry Rockbell of Fullmetal Alchemist?

PGC Citizen 3 : Winry Rockbell of Fullmetal Alchemist? Hey, we remember her? She's Winry Rockbell of Fullmetal Alchemist!

PGC Citizen 4 : Oh my it's true! It is Winry Rockbell!

*people murmuring*

Winry : What's going on here? How did every citizen of this state knows who I am? And how did I ended up in a situation? Guess it's not easy of being alone in the State of Maryland myself

??? : Oh, hey! It's been a while, Winry.

[Echo Night - Beyond OST : Track 13]

Winry : Eh? Who are you? Do I know you somewhere?

??? : Of course I do, I hailed from Japan. What's the matter with you? You seemed strange and a little off. Do I sound something funny? I haven't seen you somewhere back in the world of FMA since the show.

Winry : Okay...I'm getting a little empty inside. But you said that you did hailed from Japan earlier then I imagined.

??? : Well... don't just stand there, come on. Follow me, I know of a place where you can do your hand crafty work here in this county. We have a lot of normal fun things to carry on. But I don't mean "fun", I mean "friend" to you.

Winry : Well, alright. I'll be there. Take me to a place where I can show my work from Edward.

*scene cuts to the shutter entrance*

??? : Well, here we are! Now let's get you settled to make yourself at home. Help me open this up for me.

Winry : Right.

*Winry uses strength to open the shutter*

??? : Nice! Welcome to our palace, Casa de Rockbell.

Winry : You know, you're a great person, and a great friend. I really trusted you in favor of finding me here around the Nation's Capital.

??? : Well, this is where you did all your work on creating new arms and legs for disabled people, like the dog, Edward, and disabled veterans.

Winry : Edward, you knew about Edward? What are you talking about? I'm a little confused on where to ask this pacific question. Who are you and why have I come here for?

??? : Why you may ask, that's a rhetorical question. I am...*removes hoodie jacket* Paninya!

Winry : Eh?

[Cats on Mars by Yoko Kanno plays]

Winry : Wait a sec, Paninya!?

Paninya : Remember me? It's good to see ya again!

Winry : Oh I remember you, you're the girl who pick pocketed Edward, remember that watch in his hand? That was the one you took from, and yet you did help me to open it.

Paninya : Oh yeah. Sorry about that. I just wanted to take a look at it.

Winry : Gladly that it's nice to see you again. So you say that you hailed from Japan all the way here right near the nation's capital. Washington was it? What region is this supposed to be?

Paninya : DMV! No not that one, DMV, all three places of the Capital Region of the United States of America!

Winry : All three places at one. Not a bad place. But despite all the bad things happening in the region, there's lots of danger in Prince George's County. Not to worry, I'll be the one to make you trusty worthy. Yep.

Paninya : Well, yeah. Not bad...In that case, another person is making on his or her way is coming from somewhere after being hailed from Japan. Something tells me that Sheska person said to be working as the commissioner before King Bradley removed her, yep. She became a librarian after that. But is she really in this county, no?

Winry : I'm not sure if Sheska was either in this county or Fairfax county.

Paninya : Fairfax? That's the on ther side of DC, it's basically the Commonwealth of Virginia, or just called State of Virginia. one of the original 13 states.

Winry : Sheska could be either in DC or in Virginia as we all know it. But where can she be anywhere.

Sheska : There you are, Winry!

Winry : Sheska!

Paninya : That's Sheska. But that's the librarian.

Sheska : I'm a librarian, I used part of the Amestris military as the commissioner, but I gave up my uniform and became a librarian. So that is why I am not a commissioner, but a commissioner to the United States' Army. I've been doing a lot stampings and checkings to make sure every single knowledge that is stored within the brains, I got a job at Walter Reed's. But my part time job as a librarian, that would be my twin sister.

Sheska's Twin : Hi, everyone.

*later*

Winry : Now that you mentioned it, you're not from Virginia or DC, where did you work at around the DMV?

Sheska : Montgomery County.

Winry : Montgomery County, I knew it. Montgomery, you mean that popular place that you work at, that Montgomery County? But I thought that Montgomery County is in Alabama or in Pennsylvania.

Sheska : Montgomery County is everywhere in the country, that's why I get to know about America in the first place, great people, great places, great food, and some that are not so great. But this is where you ended up, right, Winry?

Winry : *nods*

Sheska : It's such a detail that I never fought anyone here after the 2003 show, the show that we used to be in. But now that you're in the state of Maryland, I do realize that the Nation's capital would be a great place for us!

Winry : Sounds great to me. Okay, let's stay in all in this together. Welcome to the club, Sheska! Let's have a toast, to girl friends of us!

All : Yeah!

*SHUTTER BANGING*

Winry : What was that?

Paninya : Oh look! That must've been the delivery boy we hired from Montgomery.

Sheska : We didn't have a Pizza Party before, have we?

Paninya : That's why we ordered for us at one of the food joint, I called all of my friends to have the food and drinks ready.

Paninya : Nonsense, I'll have the shutter opening.

*Shutter Banging*

Winry : Fine! I'll get it myself, with your help. Thank goodness, someone needed my advice

*Shutter opening*

Winry : Edward! About the 2003 show and the movie, I--(sees a mysterious masked Xing mercenary) Oh hello, masked stranger. [Realizing] Masked Stranger?

Paninya : You're not the guys that I'm looking for, where's our food and Drinks to the party?

Winry : Hello, and who are you? Where's Edward and Alphonse? What in the world did you--

Masked Mercenary : Your friends are still in Tokyo, they're fine with our author. But best be assured that you will cooperate with me.

Winry : Okay and, uhh, what do you want?

Masked Mercenary : You, of course.

Winry : Wait me? How did you know that I am here?

Masked Mercenary : Prepare for yourself, I wanted to get into the main picture. So, I need your help to save some time in order to prove that I could find you easily. But there's no time to lose, I need help.

Paninya : Hey, what's that supposed to mean?

Masked Mercenary (?) : It means, that Winry Rockbell needs our help getting me an arm.

Winry : Your Arm...? (Sees a missing arm) What happened to your arm?

Masked Mercenary (?) : Please, Winry. I need a doctor...*collapses*

Winry : Hey, you alright! This one's out cold.

Sheska : She's been knocked out due to blood loss. What are we gonna do? I mustn't let headquarters knows about masked assassin for surgery. But Walter Reed gave me the permission to have healing aid. But what to do with the missing person's arm, I'm not just a commissioner, but also...a doctor! Hey, Winry. You thinking what I'm thinking?

Winry : Yes, there is. (agrees with each other) Let's put our efforts to save this girl.

*the next morning*

Masked Mercenary (?) : (waking up, grumbles) Huh? Did you save me...? Or how did you...What happened?

Sheska : You were knocked out after losing an arm, which sorta might help you stop the blood flowing out. You should've died from losing an arm. And oh, breakfast should be ready.

Paninya : (yawning) Morning, guys.

Sheska : Morning, Paninya!

Paninya : Somebody had a take long nap with you. (sees Winry sleeping next to the person)

Sheska : Guess she did all of her hard work after fixing an arm...But she did made an arm for her.

Winry : (yawns) Oh good morning, guys. I finally did all of my hand crafted work. This should be enough metal pieces of the factory, being a hard working girl ain't that tough.

Paninya : Well. Did everyone sleep real good. Best sleepover ever!

Sheska : Yeah, that's what you said.

Paninya : Yeah, thanking so much that it would be a pleasure.

Sheska : Don't believe it. Just spread it.

Paninya : Hmm? This masked mercenary, It's a...

*SFX : Timpani bounce*

Paninya : It's a girl?

Winry : Yep. She's a human like us do, I don't know if she was part of the show, but she did reminded one thing, how can a girl wears gauzes around her body like that in the movie Mulan?

Masked Mercernary (?) : Winry...What are you talking about? And it's called a sarashi, Japanese for gauzes, thank you very much.

Winry : So...Tell me, masked stranger. You got a name? I think you're kinda cute when I'm looking at you.

Masked Mercenary (Lan Fan) : Winry...It's me, Lan Fan.

Winry : Lan fan, eh? That's a funny name for you. Yeah, I know who you are, I knew it. I knew that you weren't from the 2003 show. So you were the one who has been following me all this time.

Lan Fan : Of course I have been following you. I traveled all the way here to get help, your friends led me to this place. But you wouldn't know nothing about Chinatown, Japantown, or every asian town in America that you would experience.

Winry : Lan Fan. Xing is a reminiscent to Chinese legend, back in the manga, you were the mercenaries of Xing, a country based on the real world nation of China, you are chinese or mandarin, right? And not Japanese.

Lan Fan : It's chinese, but the people of Japan did help do the martial arts being an assassin working for...Ling Yao. The 12th son of the emperor.

Winry : 12th son. Oh yeah, now I remember, you were the guys that met Edward and Alphonse before I did. Oh, wait, we were kids in our time as well. But I was the one who can really save you, and now It is clear that you have a missing arm...How did that happened?

Lan Fan : One of your kind did it, or probably, some guy with an eyepatch stabbed me in the arm, and I had no choice but to cut it off.

Winry : You cut your arm off. That must've been real sad for you, you're like another disabled veteran like these people, all have lost their limbs due to disabilities, but I get the feeling, when they are missing a limb, I can replace with my hand crafty metallic arms. Making Metal is Steampunk power! Promise me...

[Chun-Nan (Day) by Kenichi Tokoi]

Winry : I'm gonna make you a new metal arm, so that you would never have to die alone! Hopefully, Xing would a really, really, real world place since you are a foreigner from another country, in our world.

Lan Fan : Although the pain was excruciating after having my arm cut off for a decoy, which is a Dog, somebody must've took it for a fresh pair of a new body.

Winry : So did, you know any kind of three transporations that you came across to the nation's capital region?

Lan Fan : Of course, I had to go by boats, trains, and vehicles. Just to meet in you person.

Winry : Huh? So that's why...Speaking of transportations, wonder how you got here?

Lan Fan : About that...I had chance before meeting you.

[Echo Night - Beyond OST : Track 20]

"Ling Yao and I were pair of duos from Arakawa's perspective, meeting the Elric Brothers and you in person, we had so much time together in the Real World outside the world of FMA. However, during the 2003 show and before the movie, this man know about us that we are spies working for some kind of Chinese Governemnt, this man King Bradley, stabbed me in the arm with his sword on purpose. Then those shadowy monsters smell of the blood and we had no choice but to come to America. The monsters we call them Heartless are known to eat a victims's heart and drain their souls for energy."

"Day after Day, We traveled from Tokyo and all the way to coming to that girl's hometown, San Francisco. That town was our only place of hideout in the shadows, but I realized that San Francisco was no ordinary town to be a tourist trap...It was heavily militarized by machines and whole pack of robots. San Francisco was usually part of Sonic's World in the multiverse and it was being controlled by the Hang Castle Security Defense Force."

"That enforced me to travel across country in order to find another place to hide and chosen the Nation's Capital as our newest place to make myself at home...But I can't sense that Ling Yao is in the country anywhere...the people in the states as well. I was never wanted, I was all alone, I had to cut off my own arm in order to escape the Homunculus's corruption and that place would be my final destination to make it home."

Lan Fan : So in order to break the world of FMA free from the Homunculus's corruption, I needed to find those who were just in the 2003 show, but the show's storyline never happened in canon which resulted to the movie itself, and Arakawa told me to find you guys somewhere in America. So I officially ended up in Montgomery.

Winry : So where is that Ling Yao person?

Lan Fan : He's still in Tokyo under Arakawa's perspective strictless rules in the industry, but don't tell this to anyone, or you'll be sorry.

Winry : I promise...I won't. But I'm glad that I could make you a new arm, would that be a friend, so how bad's the pain?

Lan Fan : Excruciating. I really, really, need a new arm right if you would help me out. In fact, (comforts Winry to get her close) I'll treat you nicely, maybe Edward would give you credit for that.

Winry : Eh...Gee, I would love to, but I'll make sure it's a promise, I would give you a new arm, so that you'll never hurt yourself ever again.

Lan Fan : Thanks, Winry. I won't never again.

Ling (?) : That's real touching of you, lady. Even though that's quite possible for yourself to grow back a new arm, but eventually, you lost it even if you really think about having a simple minor detail about facing hardships throughout the world of FMA. Who knows, maybe it's their loss.

Lan Fan : Ling? Is that you? You sound different than usual.

Ling (?) : Nope, sorry that I had to take your partner's body, so I'm able to use it for a while. [To Winry] Hey there, sweet cheeks. You with the wrench, you are Winry Rockbell is it? How do you feel after the show in 2003? It feels like that we're getting the same faces all over again.

Winry : Wait a sec. I feel like there's someone inside Ling. *gasps* Oh no. It can't be! You were that Homunculus back at the show.

[Awakening by Akira Senju]

(it's revealed that Homunculus Greed is inside Ling's Body)

Winry : Greed! I thought you were supposed to be dead at the show, what happened?

Greed/Ling : Apparently, those idiots dumped me with hot molten lava and cooked me like their dinner...So I lost my body and possessed this one here, but we're glad that were on the same side of the coin.

Winry : There's no way that a Homunculus would have the power to possesses one's body and becomes another. I don't understand, you should be dead back at the 2003, but Arakawa had change subject and you...You became like a fusion. Who made you lose your body and possessed into another?

Greed/Ling : Smart thinking, metal-making girl. You finally noticed who did it. Well...It's all his teacher's fault that I failed and my besties, the Homunculi all turned my backs on me.

Winry : Who ordered them to degenerate you and became stuck in a person's body? Was it Dante from the 2003 show?

Greed/Ling : Dante from FMA 2003? That Non-canon villain did not order them, it was someone else.

*flashback*

Father : I am very disappointed that you have failed us, Greed.

Greed : Whatever man! At least, Arakawa paid me respect that I had to do so, but you had to realize that I am the one that failed, the Fullmetal Shrimp's teacher came and defeated me to a pulp! I have lost to a fight into fighting against woman who is really pissed off.

Father : Is that so? Do not worry, I know one certain thing that could fix your mistakes.

Greed : Then lay it on me, Father. Fix that mistake and we all do the same at stake. What are you going to do, boil me alive in hot lava?

Father : Correction. And this shall be your reward.

Greed : (looks down) Guys! Wait! Overruled! I-I over spoke too much! Now I know who the real Wrath and Sloth is...[To Bradley and the real Sloth] And it has to be someone that is know for your response! I'll get the Fullmetal next time...So, burn up my life!

*falls+splash+sizzling*

Greed : AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! Oh, this is real nice! Real pain from you guys! Wrath and Sloth would be here about this when I possess the body of a chinese dude! See you in the next chapters, suckers!

*flashback ends*

Winry : So all of those time, Wrath and Sloth from the 2003 show were nothing but a couple of imposters?

Greed/Ling : Sloth was the name of that homunculus chick in 2003, a homunculus created by the 2003 Elric Brothers, but that was only an imitation of their dead mother, and the Wrath that is the little boy, is not him. This is the "Real" Wrath. (shows King Bradley's wanted poster)

Lan Fan : That's the man who stabbed me in the arm! He did that on purpose!

Greed/Ling : And let's not forget the real Pride and Sloth, the two homunculus that are...

Paninya : The King and the hot lady?

Greed/Ling : These two. [shows two more wanted posters with pictures of two Homunculus; the canon Sloth and Selim (Pride)]

Winry : No way...That's the real Pride and Sloth? If Sloth from the manga is the canon homunculus, then who is this?

Greed/Ling : You don't remember who that kid is? This is his son. Selim Bradley, Codename : The real Homunculus Pride

Sheska : Fuhrer Bradley has a kid, a Homunculus kid? So where are the 2003 Wrath and Sloth?

Greed/Ling : I'm sure those guys that were very exclusive to the show would be dead by now, can't believe how many heartless was it for Envy to get a wedgie in his pants. Too bad that it must've been real harsh for anyone to have the hardships of everyone's life.

*Cellphone ringing*

Greed/Ling : Hmmm? Ey, Library girl. Your phone's ringing.

Sheska : Oh, that must be the guys at Walter Reed. *answers phone* Hello?

Maryland Officer via : Are...Are you Sheska of Fullmetal Alchemist?

Sheska : Yes, I am librarian Sheska, just a normal commissioner from Montgomery County. Who is this?

Maryland Officer : This is the Maryland State Police, we found two unwanted visitors from Tokyo Japan and there hunting down a another man possessing the body of a young chinese person. And they are demanding us to look for him. They're looking for a man name Greed, who is one of the Homunculi. But someone is in their way of getting to him.

Greed/Ling : Ah sh*t, those assholes from the show again? I thought they would be dead by now. Guess I have to pay Father the steep price. If villains can't correct their wrongdoings, then I'm gonna do them a favor of doing the right way! Blondie, you keep an eye out on her, I'll take the girls to scene. Hey, Sheska. You know to learn how to drive.?

Sheska : Well I do have a license to drive, but we also have licenses to ride a--[in a sing tone voice] Motorcycle!

Paninya : Here the keys! I got the keys to my moped!

*Motorbike revving*

Paninya : [To Winry] Hey, Winry. Make sure that you stay put with Lan Fan, we'll take a look around at the Nation's Capital to find those fiends, you'll have plenty of food and drinks for you and her to have, but don't touch anything that are mine, please...Hopefully you'll find everything usesful.

Winry : Okay! Safe travel with you guys!

Paninya, Sheska, & Greed : [rides off]

[Belief by Tomoko Sasaki & Naofumi Hataya]

Winry : [To Lan Fan] Phew! Welll...I guess that It's just me and you for now. They'll come back

Lan Fan : Yes. Just the two of us. How long will Ling get back to me? Will he be okay without me, while that man has taken over his body? I'm not always lonely like this as always. We were always together if I'm not mistaken if he's the same Ling as always, I'm part of his side, no matter what I do. Guess you needed me the most.

Winry : Of course, sweetie. You aren't, and just because of that, you have everyone, me, Edward, and Alphonse, we could share a bond, to have solstice between we aren't so different, just the two of us in each other's differences. How about it, why don't we get along together together, as always? (holds Lan Fan's hand)

Lan Fan : I...I see. *blushes*

Winry : Everything will be okay, I'm sure that I'm getting very useful to this place. Just stay with me a little longer.

Lan Fan : Yeah...I can't wait to have this feeling inside me. Guess we'll get along together.

"Two Girls Share the same forces as Dark and Light..."

"Forged in a bond of friendship..."

"Sunshine and Gloom Bond with the same sides as Yin and Yang..."

"Hearts are connected by one's with love and courage"

~ Mission 22 : The Bonds Between Light and Dark ~

[flipper42-blog]

Somewhere in Prince Edward County

Somewhere in Prince Edward County

Somewhere in Prince Edward County… Somewhere in Prince Edward County. The up and coming wine production area of Canada, if not in North America. Visit us when you get the chance.

[himynameisobed]

mood swings.

last night, my family celebrated my sister's 31st birthday. my mom had been asking me when i finished work, as if 7pm was pushing the boundaries how late we could celebrate. i told her i could finish up by 6 but we ended up getting to my sister's place at around 9pm anyway, since we had to wait for her and john to get back from a day trip. we ate pizza and talked and had several desserts (the birthday cake, a cheesecake that john made, and several donuts courtesy of joy), all vegan. i think i had maybe 5 pieces of pizza and i tried every dessert (though admittedly not every single flavour of donut), so by the time we were done dinner, i was really full. we also had some tofu that my mom brought out late because she forgot about it. it was really good and i forced myself to eat more than i probably should've because i liked the way it tasted. they bought it in a vegan shop in kensington market, and now i'm thinking of checking it out myself. the only setback of the night was that i was feeling pretty sick. i'd been feeling sick all day, having come down with a stuffy/runny nose, a sporadic cough and spells of light-headedness. i was a bit nervous it was covid since i'd been with a bunch of people that weekend and it probably wasn't the safest environment, but i think i'd just been out too late, and my body was still reeling from it and my immune system was shot to shit. that in combination with eating outside in the cold at kinton with omri on sunday night didn't make for a very healthy or restful weekend, and i think it caught up to me. i'm pretty sure i just caught a cold, but i went and got tested at an assessment center today anyway, even though i was feeling a lot better and my symptoms had for the most part alleviated. i'm babysitting my sister's cat for a couple of days while she and john are away at prince edward county, and it's nice having this strange, low-maintenance animal around. the cat, and feeling a lot better and way less sick, kept me in good spirits for most of the day, and i felt strangely strong and invincible. i rode the momentum of being in a good mood, trying to appreciate it and not take it for granted since i'd been feeling so shitty so recently. it's strange to recognize something as a passing thing while you're experiencing it, thinking "oh, this is a nice feeling, i wish i could feel like this more often," knowing it's not going to last. the feeling was kind of like when you're drunk and you think you can do just about anything - surges of overflowing confidence, the recognition that life is what you make of it and feeling like you're the creator of your own destiny. you feel as though a better life, a happier life, is simply a few easy decisions away, if only you were brave enough to make them. i was feeling little snippets of this kind of inspired drive throughout the day, but then later on, in the evening spilling into night, i felt desperately lonely, and even in the moment, i noted how strange it was for my mood to shift so. i tried to read it away, i watched an episode of never have i ever, and i hung out with the cat, but i couldn't help feeling so tragically alone, and i thought about how loss is an inevitable part of life, and how we structure ourselves around it, always marching on and hoping for the best, bracing ourselves for the next dwindling thing. i texted megan asking if she was doing anything, hoping to maybe get a drink somewhere - immerse myself in the night and draw strength from the vivacity of strangers around me, and the comfort of knowing life stretches on beyond the walls of my apartment, and maybe my sorrows aren't so big and insurmountable in the grand scheme of things. but by the time she responded, it was pretty late, and i was tired, so now i'm just going to sleep. i feel better though, after scrolling through instagram for a bit and watching a few youtube videos - distracting myself with mindless, light-hearted nothingness and the slightly numbing effect it brings. at least it keeps me from dwelling too long or too pointedly on new aches that i'm still getting used to, or the old existential questions that seem to punctuate my life. sometimes i wonder if i will always feel this specific kind of loneliness. though i hope i spend more days feeling the courage and the strength.

[atlanticcanada]

New foes emerge against Halifax's Cornwallis statue: Highlanders descendants

HALIFAX -- Somewhere in Halifax, a large statue honouring British commander Edward Cornwallis -- founder of the historic port city -- is gathering dust.

In a move that made international headlines, city council ordered the statue cut from its downtown pedestal and hauled away this winter amid a heated debate over Cornwallis's role in a bloody conflict with Nova Scotia's Indigenous people in the mid-1700s.

Local resident Beth Anne MacEachen says the statue should never have been erected in the first place.

"He didn't deserve that type of notoriety," she says. "To celebrate him is not what we should be doing."

But the source of MacEachen's disdain for Cornwallis extends beyond his sordid deeds in Canada.

Cornwallis, as it turns out, was no friend of Scottish Highlanders, many of whom would later emigrate to Nova Scotia, which is Latin for New Scotland.

"I don't think Nova Scotians realize that what happened with the Mi'kmaq was part of a second wave of Cornwallis's cruelty ... It wasn't taught in school," says MacEachen, a descendant of Scottish immigrants and president of The Scots North British Society, based in Halifax.

"If they knew about Cornwallis and what he did to their great, great, great grandparents (in Scotland) ... then more people would be up in arms about this monument."

Almost a third of Nova Scotia's residents can trace their roots to Gaelic-speaking settlers from the islands and Highlands of Scotland, according to the provincial government's Office of Gaelic Affairs. To this day, about 2,000 residents still speak Gaelic, and the language is taught at the Gaelic College in Cape Breton.

Still, it's a safe bet most Nova Scotians have no idea what Cornwallis did before he founded Halifax with a group of settlers and soldiers in June 1749.

"He, as a figure, is not someone I would want to celebrate, knowing my history," says Allan MacMaster, member of the provincial legislature for the Cape Breton riding that shares its name with the Scottish city of Inverness.

MacMaster, whose ancestors came from the Highlands to Nova Scotia in the early 1800s, says the British had engaged in the systematic "ethnic cleansing" of Gaelic Highlanders for hundreds of years, and Cornwallis was part of that deadly drive.

In 1745, four years before Cornwallis arrived in Halifax, he was dispatched to Scotland to help crush a rebellion led by Roman Catholic Scottish leader Charles Edward Stuart, later known as Bonnie Prince Charlie.

And on April 16, 1746 -- 272 years ago Monday -- British soldiers killed as many as 2,000 Jacobite warriors in a decisive battle at Culloden.

But the killing wasn't over.

British troops pushed farther into the Highlands to hunt for fleeing rebels.

Cornwallis led 320 soldiers to "pacify" an area of northwestern Scotland. Properties were looted and burned, livestock was driven off, crops were destroyed and some Jacobite families were burned alive in their homes.

"They had full permission to plunder, burn and destroy through the western part of the Highlands -- the part of Scotland where many of the ancestors of the people of (Nova Scotia's) Inverness County and Antigonish County and eastern Pictou County come from," MacMaster says.

The details of Cornwallis's terror campaign are detailed in a journal kept by Michael Hughes, one of his soldiers.

"What Cornwallis did (in Nova Scotia) to the Mi'kmaq was no different than the attitude that was shown to the Gaels in Scotland," says MacMaster, whose grandfather's first language was Gaelic.

While the story of Cornwallis's grim tour of duty in the Highlands is not well known in Nova Scotia, his ugly legacy remains raw in Scotland.

After his statue was removed on Jan. 31 in Halifax, Scotland's national newspaper, The Scotsman, carried a story that described the lieutenant-general's harsh treatment of the Mi'kmaq, as well as his previous orders to "plunder, burn and destroy" in western Scotland.

John Reid, a history professor at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, says Cornwallis's punitive campaign went on for months.

"With the involvement of Cornwallis, among others, there certainly was a great deal of violence after the battle of Culloden," he says.

"The reality is that they were doing more than killing rebels, though the evidence is pretty sparse ... But it's reasonably clear there were some elements of random killing."

However, MacMaster stressed that recalling Cornwallis's brutal behaviour in Scotland should in no way diminish what he did to the Mi'kmaq in Nova Scotia.

Though the Mi'kmaq had initially greeted Cornwallis with hospitality, he quickly asserted British control over the region and signed a treaty with Maliseet chiefs -- leaving the Mi'kmaq as the sole Indigenous group opposed to colonial rule.

The Mi'kmaq declared war on the British, attacking military, shipping and trade targets.

On Oct. 2, 1749, Cornwallis and his military council approved an infamous proclamation to "take or destroy the savages." The decree promised a reward of "ten Guineas for every Indian Micmac taken, or killed, to be paid upon producing such savage taken or his scalp."

In recent years, there has been a spirited debate in Nova Scotia over Cornwallis's legacy, as activists repeatedly staged protests at the foot of the statue to denounce the former governor as a genocidal tyrant.

As for his bloody campaigns in Scotland, those gruesome stories are adding a new dimension to the public discussion.

Later this month, on April 21, near the rural community of Knoydart, N.S., hundreds of people are expected to gather at a coastal cairn that commemorates those killed at the Battle of Culloden.

The cairn, erected in 1938, pays tribute to Angus MacDonald, Hugh MacDonald and John MacPherson, three men who fought for Clan Ranald Regiment and are now buried near the monument.

The ceremony has been held every year since 1982.

"If you go along the coast in Antigonish County, you'll see (Scottish) place names like Arisaig, Moidart, Knoydart," says MacMaster. "Those are the very places where Cornwallis was plundering, burning and murdering."

Despite Cornwallis's ignominious past, Halifax city council voted last fall to launch a special advisory committee that will provide advice on what to do with Cornwallis commemorations, as well as make recommendations for honouring Indigenous history.

"There is no commitment to any course of action on the statue at this point," Shaune MacKinlay, spokesperson for Halifax Mayor Mike Savage, said last week in an emailed statement. "This will be determined at a later date by council with the benefit of the recommendations from the committee."

MacEachen says if the Cornwallis statue is returned to public view, it should be accompanied by displays that offer historical context.

"The statue does have a place in Halifax's history, but I do not feel that Cornwallis deserves to be commemorated with something like a park," she says.

"We could tell people why he came here and where he had come from, instead of just celebrating the man. I don't think this man deserves to be celebrated at all."

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/2JOBfmz

[myraelvira]

TX GHOST TOWNS PART 1

A photo of Indianola

Indianola

Indianola is a rather famous ghost town in the state of Texas. It is a town that lays on the coast of the state, in the Matagorda bay. Having started in August of 1846, it is said to have almost immediately started a rivalry with the nearby town of Port Lavaca (originally called Lavaca). According to the Texas State Historical Association handbook, the two was started by two men named Sam Addison White and William M. Cook. Just two years prior, in 1844, a stretch of beach near the point had been selected by Car, Prince of Braunfels as the landing place of immigrants bound for west Texas.The area was briefly referred as Karlshafen. The first house was build in 1845 by man named Johann Schwartz.

A WWII Post Card

During the Mexican War, Indianola, still referred to as Indian Point back then, was 'firmly established deep water port'. In 1846, Anglo landowners came into the area and started selling plots of land. The first post office opened in 1847 (which is a really big point in being recognized as an official town).

In 1845, it is said that thousands of Germans were stranded at Indianola because their agents had gone broke. Disease claimed many lives of those on shore, and those that tried to walk to New Braunfels or Fredricksburg ended up infected their destinations. Those that couldn't make the distance settled in the nearby towns of Victoria, Cuero, and Gonzales.

Allegedly, the town had experimented with canning beef in 1848, their first exports traveling to eastern markets in 1868. The town incorporated in 1853. It was originally the county seat of Calhoun County.

"Many currents of the mainstream of Texas history flow in this onetime port. Pineda explored the coast in 1519 and La Salle planted a settlement near here in 1685. Once an Indian trading point, it was a major seaport from 1844 to 1875. Texas colonists, including Germans led by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels, entered through Indianola. "

Indianola has had a bad history with hurricanes, almost like as if it's a town that's not supposed to be, or at least, not to be large.

Indianola, 1857

In 1851, a storm hit the town, and it was called "The Great Storm". During the Civil War, there were Union Army soldiers that occupied the town. Indianola was a port to rival other places such as New Orleans. There were ships that came to the port all the way from New York and New England, bringing by cargoes of ice.

"Forty-niners", supplies for frontier forts, and experimental Army camels were landed here landed here. During the Civil War Indianola and Fort Esperanza, which controlled the gateway to Indianola through Pass Cavallo, were objectives of Federal blockading vessels. Pass Cavallo, ten miles south, was one of several entrances to the inside waterway created by Matagorda Peninsula and the offshore islands extending to the Rio Grande. To deny Confederate use of this waterway for commerce through Mexico the Federals had to seize control of these entrances. Before Confederate defenses at Fort Esperanza were completed, two Federal steamers slipped through Pass Cavallo to Indianola and on October 31, 1862 demanded the surrender of Lavaca (now Port Lavaca) to the northwest.

The Confederate command refused, stood off the naval guns with land batteries, and forced the withdrawal of the Federal ships. Federal forces attacked Fort Esperanza November 22, 1863. The Confederates withstood the assault of naval and land forces for six days then spiked their guns, destroyed their magazines, and withdrew to the mainland. Indianola then fell December 23. On Christmas Eve, Federal and Confederate forces clashed at Norris Bridge, eight miles north. Two days later Lavaca was occupied and the entire Matagorda-Lavaca Bay area remained in Federal control until the war's end. Indianola was partially destroyed by a hurricane in 1875 and completely destroyed by another in 1886. A memorial to Texans who served the Confederacy. (1963) "

(And yes, there were absolutely camels brought to Texas through Indianola.)

There is a historical marker about this topic which says,

"No immigrants arriving in Indianola were quite as exotic as the seventy-five camels that came ashore in 1856 and 1857 from Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey. As early as 1836, politicians, diplomats and the military were considering the importation of camels for use in North America’s desert wastelands. In 1853, secretary of war Jefferson Davis, a man familiar with harsh desert conditions, proposed to congress the use of camels as pack animals in the desert southwest. Congress approved the request on March 3, 1855. After a three-month voyage from the Mediterranean, the Fashion entered Matagorda Bay on May 13, 1856 and landed the camels at the wharf at powder horn. Thirty-four camels, ranging from Bactrians (two-humped variety), Arabians (one-hump variety) and a hybrid-cross between the two, came ashore. Many residents of Indianola recalled the unusual sight of the camels being led through the streets. By February 1857, a second government shipment of forty-one camels arrived in Indianola. Military camel caravans carrying supplies became more common in the Texas Hill Country between the camels’ home of Camp Verde and San Antonio. The camels, along with traditional livestock, were used in the summer of 1857 to survey the great wagon road between Arizona and California, now known as Route 66. The camels were also used in 1859 and 1860 for reconnaissance in west Texas, surveying routes to the U.S./Mexico border. In 1861, upon the outbreak of the Civil War, all U.S. military assets, including the camels, came into possession of confederate troops and, after the war, the camels were auctioned off. "

The Great Camel Experiment Historical Marker | Taken by me

A newspaper called the 'Indianola Bulletin' had correspondents as far as Wilson county, which is right outside of San Antonio.

In 1867, a fire damaged the town, and yellow fever came.

It is stated that in 1875 the first major hurricane hit the town Around 150 to 300 people are estimated to have been the storm's fatalities. The debris from the storm was used to rebuild the city stronger; but in 1886 another storm came around and apparently 'demoralized' the citizens. These people moved inland to the nearby towns of Victoria, Cuero, Edna, and Gonzales, with some of the original structures standing today in these towns. Apparently there was a large ice house in town, and it floated across the bay somewhere, being converted in a house.

Even though the people of the town could have rebuilt once again, apparently the bay was too shallow for the ships of major importance. Initially, there was supposed to be a railroad that would have connected Indianola to San Antonio. But the hurricanes discouraged investors, and they decided to go to Galveston as the railroad port. but then, there was hurricane in Galveston, and so shipping traffic was then sent to Houston.

Monument to La Salle, one of the first explorers to come the area.

After the hurricane of 1886, the county seat of Calhoun County was then moved to Port Lavaca, which is about 30 minutes away or so from Indianola. On October 4th, 1887, the post was permanently closed and town declared dead. Allegedly, most of the cite of the city is now under water, due to storm erosion.

Indianola was of course one of the areas hit by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. While there was some soil erosion, there doesn't seem to have been significant damage to what was left of the town.

Indianola, 2018

Though unincorporated, and a ghost town, Indianola is still lived in today. It is adjacent to Magnolia beach which attracts visitors from the local areas to fish and hang out.

Hawley/Deming's Bridge

Originally known as Deming's Bridge, Hawley started out in 1857 when a man named Edwin A. Deming build a bridge over the Tres Palacios River. It is located in Matagorda County, about a mile east of State Highway 71. The area was once used as a meeting place by the local settlers as early as 1850, and there was a log church in 1852. According to the TSHA handbook, there was land deeded for a cemetery and church in 1854.

A post office was operated in the 1860's, closed in 1866, then reopened in 1872. In 1861, the town was used during the Civil War but the Confederate reserve infantry unit the, Trespalacios Coast Guard. A cattle company was headquartered south of the town by Jonathan Edwards Pierce, a friend of Edwin Deming.

There was a storm and/or a fire that hit the town in 1875 destroying the church (which was called the Tres Palacios Baptist Church), but it kept its population of 300 people. In the mid 1880s, the town grew to 500 around ten years later. The church was rebuilt as a two story building, still Baptist, but on the second floor there was a Masonic meeting lodge.

In 1899, the town changed names from Deming's Bridge to Hawley. The original name had gone into disuse with the exception of a school called 'Deming's Bridge School'. The school eventually met its 'demise' at some point in the future, I am assuming through rot. The historical marker for the Deming's Bridge Community reads,

"The Deming's Bridge community grew up around a wooden bridge built over the Tres Palacios River at this site in 1857 for Edward A. Deming, owner of land along the west side of the stream. The crossing provided by Deming's Bridge became a natural gathering place for settlers of western Matagorda County.

Tres Palacios Baptist Church, site of many community activities, was established on the east side of the river. The Deming's Bridge Post Office opened in 1858, with Edwin A. Deming serving as postmaster until it was discontinued in 1866. Reinstated in 1872, the post office name was changed to Hawley in 1899. It closed again in 1903 when it was moved to the new settlement of Blessing (2 miles west). A Masonic hall, established in 1874, was also moved to Blessing after location of the railroad there caused a population shift.

Hawley Cemetery originated as a two-acre plot of land called Deming's Bridge Cemetery. Among the burials are the graves of brothers and noted cattle ranchers Abel Head "Shanghai" Pierce (1834-1900) and Jonathan Edwards Pierce (1839-1915). Jonathan Pierce donated land to enlarge the cemetery and was instrumental in changing its name in 1898 in honor of Texas Senator Robert B. Hawley (1849-1921)."

The historical marker is in front of one of the original pieces of wood that was used in making the bridge. The wood is huge, giant piece of log that is chained to some very old looking metal. For some reason, the whole thing is in a cemetery (Hawley Cemetery). The cemetery seems to be the original cemetery for the area, as when I went in 2020, there some very old graves there.

Hawley cemetery is also a historical marker.

Back in the 1890's the town of Hawley had 17 businesses. Jonathan Pierce was the postmaster, and apparently renamed the town as Hawley since there was a benefactor who appointed his son into the Navy. In 1903, the New York, Texas, and Mexican Railway was encroaching close to the area and Pierce donated land to ensure that the railroad would pass through the area. With this land donation, the town of Blessing was born. When Blessing came around, the post office and Masonic lodge moved there, turning Hawley into a ghost town. Blessing is still around though.

New Gulf

New Gulf is a company town that was created in 1928 by the Texas Gulf Sulphur Company (now Texasgulf). It was built in Wharton county before most of the area reportedly had paved roads. Apparently it was named through a contest that was employee only. The winning entry was submitted by a woman named Marie Ertz, that worked at the Houston. Apparently, the first town created by Texasgulf was called Gulf.

The town was built with 400 houses that ranged from 1-3 bedrooms. These houses were leased to employees. Apparently the town had a 'downtown' area, a single four lane road with essential businesses on either side, and a movie theater (I am not sure if any remnants of these are still around). New Gulf had its own post office, and the company provided a hospital, library, school, and golf course. In 1940 the population was 1586, the highest it ever was. The area is described as being semi isolated, with the community being very close knit. Reportedly the people would barely venture out to even Boling, which is just 3 miles away. At it's height, the town had as many 15 businesses, including a cafe, 2 dry goods stores, 2 grocery stores, 2 pharmacies, a barbershop, a tailor, and three garages. Eventually 4 churches were created, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian. The year of its creation, an independent school district was formed. Lago and Newgulf, Texas had the elementary schools, and Boling had the high school. The town started to decline after WWII as the demand for sulphur decreased. Texas Gulf Sulphur built new plants and the employees were eventually laid off.

The company started selling empty houses in 1961. Apparently in the 1980 census there were only 1000 residents in town. By 1990 only 100 of the company houses remained, and most of the residents did their shopping in Wharton. The post office closed in 1993, and the Newgulf School merged with the Boling school.

A skeleton crew was maintained through the 90's, and at some point it seems that the Wharton electric company may have bought out the original plant. According to the TSHA, the town is on top of the Boling Dome, an underground rock structure that contains petroleum, sulfur, and salt. In 2009, the estimated population was 10.

In 2020, I took went on a visit to the area. I drove through Wharton, then Boling, then got close to Newgulf. From more than ten miles away, I could see the abandoned smokestacks in the sky, which was honestly really frightening. There was something so ominous about seeing parts of this abandoned warehouse in the sky. When I drove into town, there was a noticeable emptiness about it all. There was an abandoned building that looked like it had serviced something before, and a bus stop that looked like it hadn't been used in years. If I remember correctly, there also seemed to have been a mount to some sort of stand that seemed to be removed at some point.

The company houses are still there, and very noticeably similar. At this point, many people have painted over the company white, there were red and blue, and various colored houses. It was a Saturday, so of course everyone was home. I didn't feel right going around taking pictures of peoples' houses.

I made my way to the old plant and saw a sign that said no trespassing. There didn't seem to be anyone working, but the last thing I wanted was for someone to call the cops on me. Like I said before, it seems that an electric company from Wharton seems to own the buildings now. There were company trucks parked in a gated lot.

I drove back to the main part of town, unsure of which road was the right one, since google maps had told me that there was still school there. To tell you the truth, the town was giving me creeps, since it was way too similar. I kind of got that cultish feel like Hackdirt in Oblivion. A lot of the land in the area seems to have been sold to farmers though, there was a lot of private areas. Near the back of the town are newer houses, that seem to have been built in the last 20 years. This seems to be an affluent area of the town.

Later on when I went back to the town in January of 2021, I decided to just say fuck it, and went in the plant anyway. There seemed to be someone else curious about the old plant, but they drove away once seeing the trespassing sign. I was actually pretty disappointed, there wasn't much of interest when driving further into the plant. There were some abandoned buildings that either had the windows boarded up or others that had them taken out. Really, the only marker to signify the history of the town are the two long stacks that are noticeable from miles away. It seems that everything that made the town come to be is essentially gone.

I was hoping to see some sort of remnants of the downtown, but it is all gone. I assume that maybe the large open field when entering the town may have been it.

The school is still there, and still in use. In 2029 it will turn 100 years old.

As far as I know, there don't seem to be any historical markers in this area, but I may be wrong. Also, I am unsure of what cemetery the original people of the town used, and what is closest buy. Probably something from Boling. Apparently there is more history to the town that can be found at the museum in Wharton.

Texana

Texana was founded in 1832 by Dr. Francis F. Wells and his sister in law, Pamelia McNut Porter, in what is now the south central part of Jackson County. The town was originally named Santa Anna after Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who was a popular Mexican liberal, soldier, and politician. In 1835 Antonio Santa Anna had 'proven himself an enemy of republican government', and the residents changed the name of the town to Texana. During the Texas revolution of 1835-36, the town served as a port of entry and training camp for many of the volunteers that came from various parts of the US. Texana was the original county seat of Jackson county, incorporated as a municipality in 1840. According to the TSHA, on January 2nd, 1850, a school called 'Texana Academy', also called 'Texana College', was chartered. It did not teach a full range of courses, so many students were forced to transfer to other schools to finish their education. It didn't have any religious restrictions, nor was it affiliated with any religious group, unlike most of the school in its day. I am assuming that it disappeared with the town when it was deserted.

By 1880, the town had acquired a regular steamboat service, along with mail and stage routes. There was a booming business section, and they even had their own newspaper called the 'Clarion'. In 1882, Texana was a thriving port town and had as many as twenty ships docking a week.

Image by Bill Matthews

In 1883, there was an inquiry from the investors of the New York, Texas, and Mexican Railroad if they wanted to have the railroad run through their town. Very little information can be found about this section, but according to museum dedicated to Texana, they told me that the people of Texana actually did not want the railroad running through town. Because of this decision, the railroad ended up bypassing Texana, and created the town of Edna. The railroad in Edna (which was only about 10 minutes away) essentially killed Texana, as many people and businesses moved to the new town. By 1884, Texana became a ghost town.

The Texana Museum

In 1968, congress approved the formation of a lake using the area of old Texana. The lake was formed by Palmetto Bend Dam, and completed in 1979. The old townsite was turned into the lake/dam combo now operated by the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority in Jackson County. Supposedly the formation of the lake took away a few driving routes to other parts of the county, like the small town of Vanderbilt, though I am unsure how true that is. Granted, I don't think I could prove or disprove this anecdote. The lake houses all sorts of wildlife, such as Gar, Catfish, crabs and more. By the lake is a small cemetery from the 1800s, called 'Sanford Cemetery'. It is gated off to the public by LNRA. LNRA is also in charge of the outdoor complex known as 'Brackenridge Park' where people can camp, attend events, and even get married.

image from LNRA website

At the park there is the old church from Texana, which people can rent out for their ceremony. The park also has the family cemetery belonging to the Brackenridge family, rather hidden in the woods of the park. The area was first selected by John Adams Brackenridge when his daughter Elizabeth Anne died on July 16th, 1856 at the age of 8. Not far from the cemetery is the site where the Brackenridge family used to live in their large house known as Fernwood. It has seen been torn down.

Fernridge

[SOURCES]

wikipedia http://usgenwebsites.org/TXJackson/texana_info.htm https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/ http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasGhostTowns/IndianolaTexas/IndianolaTx.htm https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/indianola-tx https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/hawley-tx-matagorda-county https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/newgulf-tx https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/texana-academy https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/texana-tx https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/lake-texana http://www.lnra.org/home 'The Great Camel Experiment' Historical Marker 'Indianola' Historical Marker 'Deming's Bridge' HM

[rowingchat]

Living for the Weekend

OFFER: 5 for 5!

If you and 5 friends from the same rowing club book the same trip, you’ll all get 5% off! It’s a great opportunity to bond and experience two of the best things that life has to offer – rowing and travel!

This is a reminder, right now, for those of you who are working too hard, that you need to change things up sooner than later and start doing more of what you love. Also, why shouldn’t hard work be about physical exertion and fine food consumed in a bucolic setting. So, we’d like to turn your attention to four fabulous weekends worth living for. Spoiler alert: rowing is involved. Depending on where you live, you can row somewhere beautiful and different with virtually no time off work. It may be easier to join us on your own if your spouse doesn’t row, so there is no need to forego longer shared holiday plans. Our weekend rowing trips run in Ireland, Canada or France in June, September or October. We promise three or more days of rowing on magnificent waters, and typically, two nights’ quality accommodation, two breakfasts, lunches and dinners, use of quality rowing shells, guide services and tour support, all starting at US$233/€190/day.

Ireland Weekend: Galway and Lough Corrib, June

How much can you pack into one weekend? A lot if you are travel to the western reaches of Ireland and the counties Galway and Mayo. In just three days we will move between city and country. First we will enjoy time in charming and colourful Galway, where the pubs pulse with traditional music and friends sharing a pint of Guinness or a local ale. Then, we move on to the wild and rugged countryside of Connemara. This is some of the most famous and stunningly beautiful scenery in this country of spectacular sights. Big rounded mountains fold into valleys winding to nowhere, lakes and bogs fill the creases in green hills, and everywhere stone walls enclose sheep dotted with colourful splotches. Even the rowing is a study in contrasts. We begin with a spin on the shortest river in Europe. The setting is urban. The next two rows are on the Republic of Ireland’s biggest lake. The feel is much more remote. All in one weekend!

Canada Weekend: Prince Edward Island, June/July

Famous for lobster suppers, potato fields and Anne of Green Gables, Prince Edward Island, affectionately known as PEI, is Canada’s smallest province. We have packaged up a small sample of the best of PEI: red cliffs and green fields, friendly people and wonderful food. We will row, eat very well, visit local sites and attractions and also have time to relax and enjoy our restful surroundings. Though this trip is five days long, ending on Canada Day, it is still a short and sweet summer rowing holiday. The coastal waters of PEI are our playground with many options to choose from. Enjoy two nights in the capital and two nights at a provincial park and resort. We will launch right in downtown Charlottetown and row the harbour, seeing this historical city from the water. Then off for a little Island living, to explore the stunning red shoreline, stroll high sand dunes, smell the salty air and listen to the waves washing in on the many expansive beaches of this small island province. Did we mention lobster?

France Weekend: Lot River, September

We spend three days descending the Lot River, rowing through an ancient landscape of dramatic cliffs, perched villages, walnut farms and vineyards. The Lot used to be used for transportation, and as with so many rivers, was supplanted by railways and roads. In the last few decades, navigation has returned to the rivers, with locks re-opened allowing us to explore one of the most beautiful rivers in France. We begin in the Parc Naturel Régional des Causses du Quercy. Cave entrances can be glimpsed and you can imagine pre-historic hunters and gatherers who left mysterious paintings of mammoths, antelopes and their hands, hidden deep in the rocks. The most famous castle is Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, a stunning site best appreciated from the water. Walnut groves fill the few flat stretches before we reach the vineyards named for the city of Cahors. The spectacular Pont Valentré is over 700 years old and classified as a UNESCO world heritage site, just another of the many features packed into this weekend. In a country famous for its food and wine, the Southwest is particularly renowned and September is the perfect time. The hearty but refined food of duck confit or magret de canard, patés, and walnut pastries is perfect for our fall row. Cahors wine is deep red, with an intensity of flavour similar to Malbec. Morning mists and cool and crisp evenings beckon.

Ireland Weekend: Ancient East, October

We will row three different venues in eastern Ireland, beginning with Blessington Lake, and then moving down to Rivers Barrow and Nore. Each has a distinctive character. Blessington, the location of many national regattas, is dramatically overlooked by the Wicklow Mountains. River Barrow is one of Waterways Ireland’s navigable rivers, and is a delightful twisting river touching the borders of three counties. The Nore is the little sister to the Barrow, an intimate rowing experience. The sunny south-east corner of Ireland is a lovely verdant land sheltering a rich history that began thousands of years ago. It is a land of legends and stories, written in every stone and shared in the music played in the pubs. Our base is Graiguenamanagh which showcases its own distinctive heritage from the 800-year-old Duiske Abbey to the still thriving Cushendale Woollen Mills. And then there is Doyle’s. A pub and a hardware store all in one – why not? Besides giving you a different kind of hard work, we hope that taking an extended weekend to work hard on a spectacular rowing trip will be infinitely more rewarding. At the very least, it will deliver a rejuvenating jolt to the soul. That’s living for your life.

The post Living for the Weekend appeared first on Rowperfect UK.

     from Rowperfect (On-Demand) https://ift.tt/2DUqKdj

[thosewhocando]

Somewhere in Prince Edward County, Ontario

[historybehindassassinscreed]

In Game:

Lawrence Washington was the half-brother of George Washington and a Master Templar of the British Rite of the Templar Order, operating in the Northern American colonies.

In 1738, Lawrence was sent to Virginia by Reginald Birch after having been named Master Templar of the Northern colonies. He received a letter from the Grand Master, in which he revealed that he had obtained the journal of the Assassin Edward Kenway. The journal suggested that the First Civilization Grand Temple was located somewhere in the New World.

While living in the colonies, he lived primarily on the plantation that he inherited from his father, maintaining a correspondence with Birch and Christopher Gist about Templar business in the New World, primarily about William Johnson and his relationship with the Kanien'kehá:ka.

By 1750, Lawrence had received another letter from Birch, who was highly displeased with the former's lack of progress in discovering Precursor artifacts and sites, as well as the founding of a Colonial Assassin Brotherhood near New York. Claiming that Lawrence was "busy building a postal service", Birch transferred his agent, George Monro, to the colonies in order to assist him in his mission. Although Monro would serve as Lawrence's subordinate, Birch claimed that the former was "[his] better in every way.”

Lawrence eventually came into possession of two Pieces of Eden, the Precursor box and manuscript, after he stole them from the camp of one-armed Maroon Assassin named François Mackandal.

While sailing back to Virginia, Lawrence was pursued by the legendary Assassin Adéwalé. The Assassin eventually lost track of him, however. Back in the Thirteen Colonies, Lawrence entrusted the Precursor box and manuscript to his subordinates Samuel Smith and James Wardrop, respectively.

By July 1752, Lawrence had retired to Mount Vernon, dying of tuberculosis. Around this time, a prototype air rifle was sent to him. The Colonial Assassin Mentor Achilles Davenport charged Shay Cormac with interrogating Lawrence about the stolen artifacts and assassinating him. He tailed the air rifle shipment to Mount Vernon, and stole the weapon.

Shay watched from nearby at Lawrence's garden party, the latter assured George that he was in fine condition. As Jack Weeks, Smith and Wardrop approached, he bid George fetch a bottle of wine for them. With George away, Lawrence requested that his fellow Templars keep his younger brother out of Templar business. He then inquired on their progress in discovering the purpose of the artifacts, to which Smith and Wardrop replied that they were fully occupied with doing so.

After sending his fellow Templars away, Lawrence walked the grounds of his mansion and spoke to the guests. Shay hid in the crowd and assassinated the Templar with his Hidden Blade. In his dying moments, Lawrence claimed that Shay was too late, his own death having given his men time to escape. Thanking the Assassin for giving him a quick death, Lawrence passed away.

As Shay escaped, he told his fellow Assassin Liam O'Brien of his displeasure in killing the already dying Lawrence, and his suspicion that his death had little impact on the Templars. Liam claimed that Lawrence would simply have wanted him to believe so.

In Real Life:

Lawrence Washington was born sometime in 1718 as the second child of Augustine Washington and Jane Butler (whose first-born son, Butler, died in infancy in 1716). The family was then living in Westmoreland County, Virginia, along the Potomac River. In 1729, Augustine took Lawrence and younger son Augustine, Jr., to England and enrolled them in the Appleby Grammar School in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria.

Lawrence completed his education and returned to Virginia in 1738, to oversee the management of his father's 2,000-plus acre plantation on the Potomac River at Little Hunting Creek (then in Prince William County; after 1742 Fairfax County), which Lawrence inherited after Augustine’s death.

George Washington idolized his elder brother from a young age. After losing his father prematurely at age eleven, young George looked to Lawrence as a paternal influence, as well as a brother.

In 1739, the British Parliament created an infantry regiment for the American colonies to be used in the West Indies against Spain in what became known as the War of Jenkins' Ear. Arriving in Jamaica in 1741, Lawrence saw action in expeditions against Cartagena, New Granada, Cuba and Panama.

During these conflicts, many soldiers died of tropical diseases. Because he had arrived in the region early, Lawrence was able survive these fevers. In late 1742, Lawrence returned to Virginia and became a militia commander at the rank of Major.

Lawrence Washington died of tuberculosis at his Mount Vernon home in July 1752. His widow Anne remarried into the Lee family shortly thereafter. Twenty-year-old George lived at, and managed the Mount Vernon plantation. Upon the death of Lawrence's widow Anne, George Washington inherited the estate at Mount Vernon.

(Image sources)

The only surviving portrait of Lawrence Washington is at Mt. Vernon, where George Washington is known to have kept it in his private studio/library on the ground floor: it is the only Washington family portrait honored with a place in the Study. A group of American art experts – including James Flexner – were invited to Mt. Vernon around 1966 to examine the many family portraits owned by George Washington. In their brief examination of the unsigned, undated painting of Lawrence Washington, those social historians noted that his jacket lacked a collar, which was a style of dress popular in England in the 1730s. On that basis alone, they estimated the portrait was painted in England before Lawrence left Appleby School in 1738 (to return to Virginia).

Sources:

https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/02-01-02-0003

http://www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/american-ancestry/

http://www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/lawrence-washington/

https://books.google.com/books?id=y_ktAAAAYAAJ&dq=House+of+Burgesses+Virginia+1748&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=5AI_CzxOGB&sig=wFKQnbb1AliPSD5TqKbNRWa2nxY&hl=en&ei=HMJvSq_UJY3-MdbU5ekI&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=House%20of%20Burgesses%20Virginia%201748&f=false

https://web.archive.org/web/20110811165542/http://www.mountvernon.org/learn/explore_mv/index.cfm/ss/27

[avanneman]

Ralph Northam: Virginia woke, or Virginia covering ass?

Poor Ralph Northam! Well, the “embattled” VA guv has put down the shoe polish and eschewed the moon walk, but he’s still having trouble with the indentured servant thing. See, Virginians of his generation (he was born in 1959) know that slavery was a bad thing, but the strategy appears to have been, not to confess the sin but deny its existence. “They weren’t really slaves! They were just, you know, servants! Very, very hard-working servants!”

Afterwords Northam grew up on Virginia’s “Eastern Shore”, that oddly shaped peninsula which is “shared” by Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia and protects the Chesapeake Bay from Atlantic storms. The Eastern Shore is notoriously conservative—back in the fifties, Prince Edward County shut down its public school system rather than integrate it. Still, Northam came from a much less privileged background than many of the people criticizing him (see Wikipedia for more) and attended a largely black high school. However, somewhere along the line, he acquired a dose of post-segregationist southern double-think on the subject.

I grew up in Falls Church, Va., a suburb composed almost entirely of northern transplants (the one girl in our class with a southern accent was a source of great amusement for her “funny” way of speaking). I attended segregated schools until my senior year, 1963. Falls Church was in fact incorporated as a city (previously it had been an “area”) in 1950 with the explicit purpose of maintaining an all-white, or almost all-white school system even in the event of federally mandated integration, which people could clearly see coming. My seventh-grade Virginia history book, Cavalier Commonwealth, though not explicitly racist, did not think to explain away slavery, as apparently later became the fashion. Slaves back then were called slaves.

[maguro13-2]

Shattered Hero Rekindled ~ Origins of the Ink Demon : Episode Maka Pt.20 ~

*Somewhere at the DMV (Washington Metro)*

"Prince George's County, Maryland"

[Mother's Caption (Pause Menu Theme) by Hirokazu Ando]

Winry : There. That should do it. Haven't felt like this since I left Japan after the show and movie, I haven't received any calls from Edward since the movie. In the show, the video games, I just don't understand why is he into other women than me all the time? The Writers back at the studio had no idea that he was into other women.

*Winry Sighs*

Winry : Can't wait for losin, oh well, perhaps that I'll get him next time for fall for me in the next six years of our story's lifespan. It'll be the last of us for sure.

"Winry Rockbell : Automal Mechanic and Childhood Friend"

Winry : So...I guess we're in the bottom of this world, do we? I did a little exercise, staying fit and active, I hope that this would be perfect for some spare parts, if only the king was making some tarts. The people of this state could get really exciting. It'll be fun at Japan like old times since we were kids.

*wipes sweats off*

Winry : Voila, all finished! I finally fished it in about a week. This is should be perfect for your disability coverage. So, my friend, how are you feeling today? You look pretty sturdy.

Lan Fan : Umm, are you sure about that. It only took me a day to get army replaced. This is...really a good piece of arm you want me to replace?

Winry : Yep. I did it all by myself.

Lan Fan : Well, yes. This is quite the perfect opportunity to have my arm fixed.

"Lan Fan : Mercernary Assassin of Xing"

Winry : Hand crafted, new automail arm for you, and we're getting it somewhere.

Lan Fan : Well, thanks. I kinda like this new arm.

Winry : Truly fantastic, I am automail mechanic expert and I always get the job done, except when you're a mechanic that service things for automobiles or even some wild hogs.

Lan Fan : So you really sure about that. You say that you're finding interesting place where we first made contact eye-to-eye in Montgomery County.

Winry : Thanks! Yeah, Montgomery County...that's sounded like an interesting play, there are lot of fun things to do in the state of Maryland, we could do some fishing, go camping, and...we could see the amazing sights of the Chesapeake Bay.

Lan Fan : Oh lovely, hope you give me a souvenir from Annapolis.

Winry : I could make it a gift to you, it would be lovely if you really like it.

Lan Fan : Hope it's a fair welcome for the naval academy.

Winry : Right, the naval academy. I wonder what it's like to be at this state?

*Imagines of Winry and Lan Fan fishing at the docks*

Winry : This is a perfect place for us to fish.

Lan Fan : Yeah!

Winry : Nothing like a good fishing at the harbor.

*fishing rod moving*

Winry : Hey, I think I caught one!

*SPLASH*

Winry : Aha!...Uh-oh. Who's clothes are these?

Blair : Hey! Those are my pair of clothes!

*imagnary scenario ends*

[Fishing Vibes by Tomoya Ohtani]

Lan Fan : I don't mind any fishing stuff at the Chesapeake. But I do little hike and training in the wilderness of Frederick County and Montgomery County. How about you?

Winry : Well, a hiking and training is a good exercise, that's why I stay fit and active. Take a look, see these guns. *flexes her arm* I've been doing a lot work since 2001 and I'm always in shop.

Lan Fan : *blushes* Oh...Well, it kinda blushes me out. So anything good after the incident?

Winry : Well, honestly. About Roy destroyed my parents, he was actually mistaken for someone else, It was that man named Scar. I tried to kill him at Gun point for attempted but...I felt so sorry. It's not revenge that wanted to us to serve a dish best served cold, it was those jerks that is responsible for everything.

Lan Fan : You really think he's the one that destroyed your parents.

Winry : And now, I'm with always needed and you, of course. I thought revenge would be the answer, but...Revenge could never be the right answer, it feels like that we've got ourselves involved with someone else's mess. I thought I...*voice breaking* I thought...I...

Lan Fan : Winry, no need to fret. This is how we felt, if only revenge is thought to be the wright answer, than the only kind of revenge is what we needed, the mastermind that set up the events. We could overthrow someone, someone like a homunculous. Yeah, it's those guys, they're the ones responsible for the conflicts and they're the ones who made that Ishvalan guy kill your parents. Except for the Nina Dog part, that Nina turning into a chimera thing, is really traumatizing. *comforts winry*

Winry : Thanks. I'm glad that I have somebody with you, somebody as a friend. Thanks for comforting me.

Lan Fan : Any time, Winry. Any time.

*Garbage Can Hit*

Winry : What was that?

Lan Fan : Could be some intruder.

Winry : Whatever it is, I do not like surprises, and especially, I think we have some uninvited guests. I'm gonna go take a look. You stay put, okay?

Lan Fan : *nods*

Winry : *haves her wrench in her hand* Alright, a-hole. Stop playing around...

*cues Graveyard Shift Title card theme*

Winry : Show your faces here and I'll blow a landing your noggin head!

Lan Fan : Huh? Wait a sec. Winry, there's a heartless shadow with glasses.

Winry : Arakawa?....Is that you?

Heartless : ....DOES THIS LOOK LIKE I'M ARAKAWA TO YOU!?!

Winry : ....Oh...You can talk?

Lan Fan : It's weird to see a heartless with glasses that could easily find out about the problems. But, ummm...do we know a heartless with glasses like you don't know?

Heartless : Of course, I wear the glasses. Ever since I was killed by that envy person, strange occurrences happening over manipulating the events of this situation. Those heartless had sure contact the that the homunculus had their supicious eyes out of it. I told Roy that he was not the one who killed your parents. It was an Ishvalan named Sccar the whole time and therefore, those bastards were responsible for that and who says revenge is not the right answer, but a dish best served cold.

Winry : *gasped in shock*

*images of Hughes flashing*

Winry : Mr.Hughes?

Heartless (Hughes) : Well, what did you know? It looks like you finally found out who I am. I did survived, after I lost my own body to that homunculus is where they put my body in a funeral, it's where my family came to mourn at, I am so gonna get that guy for what he did to me!

Lan Fan : Wait a sec. So this talking heartless with glasses is...*about to say something*

*Scene then cuts*

Lan Fan : WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US THAT YOU TURNED YOURSELF INTO A SHADOW!? HOW DID THIS HAPPENED!?

[Frequency Current by Hideaki Kobayashi]

Heartless (Hughes) : Well, umm, I was going to show everyone the truth but the cocky Homunculus were too stubborn for their own ways and then this punk decided to shoot me down at gunpoint! It's not like that I was gonna live forever, look at me, I'm a small shadowy being called a heartless and I don't have my own size, my original life sized me! If only I could get back to my wife and daughter, I'd still be seeing Alicia's face right about now. But I'm still a shadow.

Lan Fan : I felt sorry for your loss.

Winry : Here, have a chocolate chip. It'll make you feel better.

Heartless (Hughes) : I just hope that you didn't get from these fast food joints, I always go to a fancy restaurant for paying my bill.

*absorbs cookie*

Winry : Woah! Did It just...You absorbed it!

*munching*

Lan Fan : Can a heartless floss like that? It's munching alright, but I wonder if he tries to absorb juices?

*GULP*

Heartless (Hughes) : Mmm, that hit the spot. I haven't eaten anything for a week, a month, or year to eat some good food since I lost my body. You give tasty treats to humans, but I'm concerning that we heartless absorb real food since we don't have any mouths to feed on.

Winry : Sounds like you got yourself quite a deal on whether you want revenge or you could have your revenge to do it for you.

Heartless (Hughes) : How come? I'm still a shadow, I'd probably miss my wife and kid, and I'll have plenty of Good Memories of--PLEASE DON'T TELL COLONEL MUSTANG, THAT I'VE BECOME A SHADOWY CREATURE LIKE THIS! I'M A MONSTER!....But I do like wearing these glasses on my face.

[Gaia Manuscripts by Takahito Eguchi]

Winry : So...How did you knew that Envy was the one that kept you from unveiling the truth.

Heartless (Hughes) : Villains like him, they're the real monsters. I know it's a harsh reasoning of why Dark Fantasy stories were considered to be edgy as hell. Ever since Amestris was created, the country got every human race involved because of the homunculus plan of wiping out every living being on the planet in exchange for hearts and souls like they smuggle to take candy from a baby. But this candy will not be their last, their hungry power selves was to consume the race and would make Amestris to monopolize political power. They weren't going to help Amestris to monopolize the entire world, they were helping them to destroy the world and the human race itself. Unlike that Harry Potter stone, the philosopher stone of our world was the beginning of everything.

Winry : Ehh?

Heartless (Hughes) : Everyone who got their selves involved have been losing their lives in exchange for science, but taking out the heart and soul for the use of alchemy, yeah right. Now we understand why we can't have nice things. I thought that there is an easy way to solve this problem, we might have the solution to end our world's suffering.

Winry : That could be us, if Heroes like Edward would solve everyone's problem, then he might find the solution that would save the country. I get it, the heart and soul was the power of everything what Sora told us. No wonder we found out on what's been causing all of this nonsense from Soul Eater.

Heartless (Hughes) : Ever since that Chao from the garden was possessed by the soul of Shinra's Resurrection, Shinra wanted to see Maka's face from both existing times in the Ohkuboverse that goes from Past to Future, the reason that they live in the same universe, because the Ohkuboverse was in a time loop until it was destroyed by the Time Eater and expunged everyone from their stories or tales.

Lan Fan : And let me guess, Winry gets involve of sacrifices that only happens in a dark fantasy setting?

Heartless (Hughes) : Yes...which is a plot twist orchestrated by the man responsible for the outcome and creating the Homunculi, all he wanted was to absorb truth and crave all the knowledge he wants to destroy all life in the world of FMA.

Lan Fan : So that's why the bad guys were after us, they have manipulating because of the problem in a dark fantasy setting. Unveiling the truth would be the key to everything.

Heartless (Hughes) : Remember, these guys were attempting keep truth out of the public eye, but we are spreading it like wild fire, I hope you must find Maka Albarn, they're located at a coastal area called Emerald Coast.

Winry : Don't worry, Mr. Hughes. We'll find a way to get our revenge and solve the problem with the solutions we have, after all there can only be one Winry and who knows that something from the past would come up with a better idea.

*Meanwhile at Emerald Coast*

Inky Albarn : What a shocking coincidence. I never thought that you would be born outside of this world, and found yourself born light years away from Earth, we discovered that we had any grudges against those who told everything a lie to you. So were you eventually born on Jupiter.

Maka Albarn : I figured, of course that would be--hold up did you say I was born at Jupiter?

Moirai : There was a sanctuary that created after the Phantonian race has colonized the solar system.

Sir Halberd Knight (Tsugumi) : A sanctuary at Jupiter?

Moirai : Yes, that sanctuary which was established a long time ago before we were born, Actually I was modeled on the same Maka Albarn that disappeared from the 1930s, and that Maka Albarn is you, you regret nothing but we do alike, it's like were identical to another, but what costs?

Maka Albarn : At the age of 3, I was born from the DNA of the original, I am her "copy", a human copy from the past. Born from the cells Inky Albarn who was formally Maka Albarn from the past itself.

Sir Halberd Knight : You're a copy, created by who?

Maka Albarn : Lord Phanto of the Phanton Empire, created me.

Sir Halberd Knight (Tsugumi) : Created, you are a copy of the original? A man known as Phanto created you? I see. But on what costs did you expected to believe that your future was to defeat Demon God to bring peace to this planet. Why do you want to go against the Kishin and bring end to the Ohkuboverse's order? Why do you gotta hide from this.

Maka Albarn : Alright, I'll unveil you the truth.

[cues Unveiled Truth by Fumie Kumatani]

"It all began over a year ago...After the Ohkuboverse was erased by the Time Eater, Phanto and his people the Phantonians have conquered the Solar System to bring conquest over from to Jupiter to Earth."

Seto : This whole Maka Albarn thing, was what's left from the Phantonians

Solva : They're the relatives of Phanto and the Shy Guys, the Mask minions of Mamu and Bowser.

Maka Albarn : After being born from Lord Phanto's wish, I was given with extremely powers called the Shattered Resonance, a deadly force that has the power to destroy people's hearts and bring massive destruction. It is a combination of both anger and sadness that becomes one known as Frustration.

Seto : Frustration? As in an emotion that combines Anger and Sadness together? That makes something very interesting about one's power. But wait, I am missing something from this time around. If there was something in the 06. If Shinra forgot something in the 06, who created that Yona person in the first in which used everyone to let the planet be destroyed by Demon Vibe. Who created him?

Inky Albarn : Despite all of his efforts of rejuvenating himself as a hero, I discovered that we found something different from us Ink Demons, I know someone who is a manipulative bastard that tricked Shinra into letting his old world die at the hands of Demon Vibe himself, there was some kind of Sun God that the inhabitants of the Ohkuboverse's past wasn't a Sun God and all religion in the Ohkuboverse was a massive ploy. Someone who wanted to drown in darkness.

[The Resurrection of Mephiles by Hideaki Kobayashi]

Maka Albarn : No...I don't believe it, after all of that in the Ohkuboverse. All religion were a massive ploy, the prayers, the Sun God, all of it, it was all a somebody's acting alone. I know who made religion as a massive ploy in the Ohkuboverse. It was some kind of recolor who lays waste on the planet for mass genocide and disruption of time and space.

*flashing images of Mephiles*

Maka Albarn : A recolored shadow! That's it! Someone is setting the stage in Shinra's story from the Ohkuboverse's past, that's why he wanted to become a hero, he fooled him and his comrades from the start. His plan was bring not only a person to fall with despair, but everyone involved to it! That's why Shinra's story happened in the first place before he created my world and story.

Solva : Then who's idea was it to manipulate Shinra and his people of the first place.

*Rumbling*

Solva : Woah! An earthquake?

Seto : What's that written in the sand?

"THE FAULT OF MEPHILES!"

Seto : "The Fault of Mephiles"? Wait a sec, that name sounded familiar before...More importantly...I just don't put my finger to it.

Solva : Whatever that is, I'm sure master Grim would probably know the details about this...

Eve : Huh...?

Seto & Solva : *realizing* ....WHO THE HECK IS MEPHILES!?!

~ Level 19 : THE BROKEN TRUTH ~

[gsgaragedoors1]

Finest Garage Door Repair Secrets And Techniques.

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[chriskarrtravelblog]

The Auckland Project

Bishop Auckland, a small Northeast town with big ambitions, is fast becoming a cultural hub

Bishop Auckland, County Durham, was once the playground of the second most powerful man in England. Powerful men don’t usually like to share and, for centuries, the castle here kept its doors firmly locked. The inhabitants of the small market town took it in their stride – they were more interested in life around the nearby coalmines anyway. When the pits closed in the 1980s Bishop Auckland, like so many other mining towns, began to fade away. It would take a new vision to begin to turn things around.

From early medieval times the Bishops of Durham answered only to the king himself. Granted exceptional power to govern the North of England they became ‘Prince Bishops’, as comfortable in their role as warriors as they were men of God. Even Prince Bishops needed somewhere to relax, however, and a few miles away from the city, on a ridge looking out over the River Wear, they found an ideal position for their fortified pleasure palace.

Over the centuries various incumbents of the position remodelled and tweaked Auckland Castle to their own tastes. They hosted banquets and hunting trips, dignitaries and royalty, including kings John, Edward III, James I, Charles I and Queen Victoria.

The castle was in continuous occupation until the early 21st century, owned by the Church of England. Then a small incident began a chain of events that would lead to a cultural earthquake.

Credit: Peter Haygarth. Courtesy of The Auckland Project

A series of rare paintings by 17th-century Spanish master Francisco de Zurbarán was put up for sale. The canvases, Jacob and His Twelve Sons, Biblical founders of the twelve tribes of Israel, had lived in the castle since 1756 when Bishop Richard Trevor, a supporter of the then-controversial Jewish Naturalisation Act of 1753, had purchased them in a highly political gesture.

Wealthy businessman Jonathan Ruffer had been brought up in the Northeast of England. He and his wife Jane had, for some time, been looking for a way to give something back to the area. “The Auckland Project was founded in 2012, the year that Jane and I came to live in Bishop Auckland,” he says. He bought the paintings – then Auckland Castle itself, to keep them in.

Ruffer’s initial idea was to open the castle to the public for the first time, but things soon gained a momentum of their own. A vision developed, one where museums, gardens, parkland, restaurants, world-class exhibitions and other attractions would celebrate the Northeast, employing and engaging local people and volunteers, regenerating the town through arts and culture.

Ruffer is keen to point out this was not some fancy top-down initiative parachuting in to distribute cultural alms to the poor. “We do not aim to bring good things to people,” he says, “nor to do nice things for people. ‘With’ is the key word; we work in partnership with individuals, governments (local and national), other charities, the churches, and all other religions.”

First to open was the Auckland Tower visitor centre in the marketplace, which tells the story of the Prince Bishops and gives a literal overview of the town from a 15m-high platform. It’s a great way of getting your bearings and working out what to visit next.

Landscape view of Auckland Tower, Bishop Auckland. Photograph Norman Cooper, courtesy of The Auckland Project

Below, in the marketplace itself, a former bank has reopened as the Mining Art Gallery. Moving and deeply personal, it contains work by artists such as Tom McGuinness and Norman Cornish. The themes enjoy a direct link with the town and its people through rolling exhibitions, depicting rugged local communities.

Inspired by the acquisition of the Zurbarán paintings, Ruffer also instigated the Spanish Gallery. This will cover Spanish art from medieval old masters to contemporary works, focusing on the 16th- and 17th-century Spanish Golden Age.

To get to Auckland Castle, visitors pass another building under construction, based on medieval tithe barns. The Faith Museum will trace the history of belief in the British Isles from the earliest prehistoric ritual, through the Northeast’s contribution to Christianity via Saint Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede, to modern expressions of faith. It will include the oldest Christian object ever found in the UK: a pre-Constantinian signet ring with a symbol of fishes, found about a mile away at Binchester Roman Fort.

Also en route to the castle is the gigantic, 14,000-square-acre walled garden. In its 18th-century heyday the garden grew one of Britain’s first pineapples.

The ceiling of St Peter’s Chapel, Auckland Castle. Photograph Graeme Peacock. Courtesy of The Auckland Project

A small gate leads to a superb 13th-century deer park. It’s not hard to see why the Prince Bishops built here. Bishop Auckland is as beautiful as it is compact, with a water supply in the river below and steep hillsides making it easily defendable. Don’t miss the crenellated Georgian deer house, from which the Bishops would have surveyed their quarry before releasing it for the chase.

Auckland Castle survived the Reformation, after Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall sensibly signed Henry VIII’s Act of Supremacy, keeping both his head and his lands. Alas, the castle fared less well a century later during the English Civil War. It was sold and partly demolished.

On the Restoration of Charles II the Church got the castle back in ruins. In a slightly unusual about-face to the fate of most country houses, the former medieval Great Hall was turned into a church. It remains as solemn and awe-inspiring as it must have been four centuries ago.

During the 18th century much of the rest of the castle was remodelled in Gothic style. It was designed for frivolity, its lightness reflected in a rainbow of pastel-coloured wall and white-painted tracery.

Some exciting discoveries were made during restoration, such as the original Tudor servery in the kitchens, carved with the phrase Est Deo Gracia (Thanks be to God). This was a time-saving device: any food that passed under it was deemed to have already had grace said for it.

Each room recreates the world of a different Bishop of Durham, including the ‘Abolitionist Bishop’, Shute Barrington, and Reform Act opponent William Van Mildert, whose effigy was burned outside his window by the mob. Hensley Henson, who opposed appeasement with Nazi Germany, is shown through his (very untidy) study, while David Jenkins, labelled ‘Bishop of Blasphemy’ by the press but who was outspoken against the closure of the mines, is represented though his daughter’s 1980s bedroom.

Bishop Trevor’s former apartments will house the Bishop Trevor Gallery, an art gallery hosting a programme of world-class exhibitions of fine art.

As Jonathan Ruffer notes, “Real change in a community takes place over generations and our plans are, accordingly, conceived on this timescale.”

www.aucklandproject.org

The post The Auckland Project appeared first on Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture.

Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture https://www.britain-magazine.com/attractions-2/the-auckland-project/

source https://coragemonik.wordpress.com/2020/04/02/the-auckland-project/

[whereareroo]

FITZ

WF THOUGHTS (9/28/19).

When you were a schoolkid, I bet you studied the Battle of Hastings of 1066. In case you were absent that day, I'll give you a brief summary.

William of Normandy ("William the Conqueror"), took over England and became King. That gave him control of Wales and Ireland too.

Normandy was on the northwest coast of France. In 1066, the Normans spoke a language called Norman. It is related to French. Even today, some people in that area of France speak "Norman French."

William brought the Norman language to England, Ireland, and Wales.

You've probably known somebody named Fitzgerald or Fitzpatrick. You certainly know at least one person named Fitzmaurice. What's the "Fitz" stuff all about?

Even though it's an Irish thing, you can thank William of Normandy for the "Fitz" stuff. "Fitz" is a Norman word, derived from ancient French and Latin, that means "son of."

In the really old days, important men were identified by their first name and their place of residence (their country, county, or castle). History is full of names like William of Normandy and Robert of Bunratty.

Over time, a problem developed. What do you call a male who does not own land or a castle? A new tradition developed using the word "Fitz," meaning "son of."

If a man named Michael had a son named John, the boy became known as John Fitzmichael. Get it? (Essentially, John the son of Michael).

By 1272, more than 200 years after the Norman conquest and at the start of the King Edward I era, Ireland was filled with "Fitz" people who had similar names. It was confusing. An order was issued that people should start using names that were based upon their political district. There was a brief revival of new "Fitz" names in the 1600s and 1700s, when the "Fitz" naming system was used to identify the illegitimate children of kings and princes who were not associated with a single political district.

Somewhere in my lineage there was a fellow named Maurice. I need volunteers to search the old photo albums. You in?

[biofunmy]

9 American Tourists Have Died in the Dominican Republic

“I think there’s probably some kind of negligence somewhere,” Jason Allen said on Thursday.

News of Mr. Allen’s death came just days after Leyla Cox, 53, from Staten Island, died in her hotel room at Excellence Resorts in Punta Cana. Other deaths, which were apparently related to cardiac issues, include: Yvette Monique Sport, 51, of Glenside, Pa., at a Bahia Príncipe resort in June 2018; Mark Hurlbut, 62, of Grand Prairie, Tex., in June 2018; David Harrison, 45, of Maryland, at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana in July 2018; Robert Wallace, 67, of California, at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana in April of this year; Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, of Allentown, Pa., at the Luxury Bahia Príncipe Bouganville, on May 25; and Nathaniel Edward Holmes 63, and Cynthia Ann Day, 49, of Prince George’s County, Md., at the Grand Bahia Príncipe La Romana on May 30.

The Dominican Attorney General’s office and the national police are investigating the deaths, and the U.S. State Department said last week that the F.B.I. was assisting. On the State Department website, the Dominican Republic has a “level 2” travel warning on a one to four scale, which encourages travelers to “exercise increased caution” if traveling to the island. The warning was last updated in April.

Frank Pallone, a New Jersey congressman sent a letter to the F.B.I. and the State Department about the deaths. In it, he asked the State Department to increase its warning for travelers, writing on Twitter on Wednesday evening that he was “extremely saddened” by the deaths. Mr. Allen was from the congressman’s district.

Sahred From Source link Travel

from WordPress http://bit.ly/31MzzTC via IFTTT

[atlanticcanada]

Teddy trends East with impacts still expected for the Maritimes

Hurricane Teddy is a large Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 195 km/h.

The storm is forecast to pass just east of Bermuda on Sunday as a Category 2 hurricane. While a direct landfall in Bermuda looks unlikely, tropical storm conditions are still expected for the island, and a Tropical Storm Warning is in effect.

Hurricane Teddy passes east of Bermuda late Sunday before making an approach towards Atlantic Canada.

Teddy is forecast to arrive in the southern marine areas of the Maritimes as a Category 2 or Category 1 hurricane Tuesday morning.

As it approaches the eastern Atlantic coastline of Nova Scotia, the storm will undergo post-tropical transition. Post-tropical storm Teddy will then take a path somewhere between eastern Nova Scotia and central Newfoundland before entering north Atlantic ocean waters. This is a trend towards the more eastern portion of the forecast cone issued by the National Hurricane Center over the past few days.

Teddy enters the southern marine areas of the Maritimes Tuesday morning, becoming a post-tropical storm as it passes through our region.

Despite a post-tropical transition in the forecast, a large portion of the Maritimes remains at risk of a period of tropical storm force wind. That would be a one-minute sustained wind of 63+ km/h with stronger gusts.

The area at greatest risk is currently forecast to be Lunenburg County and east in N.S., P.E.I. and southeastern N.B. The most likely arrival time of the stronger winds is being given as Tuesday afternoon and evening.

Given gusts, tree foliage, and heavy rain, there is a risk of power outages with that wind. A period of stronger wind is also likely Tuesday night and Wednesday in the wake of the departing storm.

The storm will have a large field of strong winds as it moves through. A large portion of Nova Scotia and PEI are still forecast to be at risk of tropical storm-force winds.

A storm packing as much moisture as Teddy will bring heavy rain with it. Pockets of 50 to 100+ mm of rain are a risk for the region.

While it is too early to narrow that down to specific regions, the general area of risk would again be Lunenburg Co and east in N.S., P.E.I. and southeastern N.B.

The storm may bring significant wave heights of 12 to 15 metres into the marine area of the Maritimes.

The WaveWatch III model run by the NOAA also shows potential 6 to 8-metre waves near Atlantic coastal Nova Scotia late Tuesday. The Canadian Hurricane Centre has stated that storm surge is possible, mainly for parts of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Magdalen Islands and Newfoundland. Still, it is too early to be specific about which portions of the coastline may be affected.

Large waves will be brought in by the storm to the marine districts of the Maritimes as well as near the coastline. Details of the risk of storm surge are still to be determined.

Both the Canadian Hurricane Centre and the National Hurricane Center will continue to post multiple daily updates on Teddy. Monitor your forecast, make appropriate preparations, and watch for weather warnings or alerts issued for your area.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/35LXIy6

[edc-creations-blog]

Telling Stories by Cheri Paris Edwards

Sometimes life throws you a curveball…

Navigating middle-age is a challenge for 45-year old Genelle “Gigi” Golden. First the death of her mother, then her long time live-in boyfriend abruptly trades her in for a new model. Determined to restart her life Gigl packs her bags and heads to the Southwest. When things don’t go as planned, Gigi finds herself caught between the proverbial ‘rock and a hard place’; and an impulsive decision turns her life in an unexpected direction.

Then ex-military man Desmond Wright enters her life. Although physically changed by a skin disease it hasn’t dampened Desmond’s confidence or lessened his appeal to the opposite sex. But, Desmond’s life is complicated by an spoiled adult daughter, who treats his home like it has a revolving door, and a mother who won’t let him forget that he’s yet to find the love of his life.

When things falls apart, Gigi discovers that true friends reveal themselves in the toughest times and that grace comes when you least expect it.

    Chapter One

Genelle- Chasing Waterfalls

Somewhere I read that the sky doesn’t get dark anymore. Well, I know for a fact it’s not true. Tonight, a deep black sky arches above, like an inky tarp dotted with glittering lights. In fact, the entire scene is as picturesque as one of those postcards hanging on the small wire carousel that sits on the shiny front counter of the hotel gift shop. Sand spreads like a fine white coverlet to the ocean’s edge. There, ripples nudged by a soft wind pause, glide effortlessly back into the sea. And perched at the edge of the horizon, a fat moon beams at his shimmery reflection.

Dragging my bare toes through the warm sand, I slowly make my way back toward the squat building that sits at the top of a small hill. By day, the charisma of the eccentric owners, Sam and Anthony, illuminates the restaurant and bar unimaginatively called the Tiki Lounge. At night, it’s the place that transforms. Rows of slender pendant lamps dangle from the wooden rafters above the terrace, turning it into a magical oasis. Even the breeze is enchanting, fragrant with spicy sandalwood incense and sweet plumeria blooms. Stepping onto the pebbled deck, I find an empty table, sink onto the emerald cushion of a chair. I slide my lips over the straw of the daiquiri I hold between my hands. Take a long thirsty swallow.

My eyes drift to the patio doors.

He walks in.

Eyes flashing, he threads through the cluster of tables and chairs. Makes his way toward me, as rhythmically as a slow, sweet song.

“Hey . . . ” he says huskily as he nears my table. His gaze holds mine.

“Hey yourself . . . ” I manage to whisper, breathless from the pounding of my heart.

My nostrils quiver. His scent like a sparkling forest after a burst of summer rain. Flicking my tongue, I moisten my lips, ready for the pressure of his mouth on mine.

Then a sound.

“Jeantel!”

Focus, I tell myself. I lock my eyes on the handsome planes of the face in front of me.

That sound again.

Then, “Jeantel!” Louder this time.

The smooth, angular face poised so delectably near begins to waver.

“Don’t go,” I whisper.

“Over here, Jeantel!”

My black prince’s face dims.

“Jeantel!”

Grudgingly, I let the fantasy slide away.

“Whaaat?” I yell. Yank myself upright. Blink rapidly. Slowly, the cramped interior of my car grows clear.

“It’s me. James.”

“I see you,” I tell the wiry man peering through the passenger window of my Nissan Altima. “What do you want?”

Rudeness is not usually my style, but I convince myself rather easily that there’s no real reason to feel bad about being shitty to James, who I’ve known less than a week. Allowing myself to indulge in a little fantasy has always been a way for me to cope, and the blame for the abrupt ending of this morning’s session lies squarely at James’s feet.

“Gonna let me in or what?” James snatches a face towel that hasn’t seen a washing in a good long while from the back pocket of his jeans, wipes the sweat around on his face.

“Okay,” I tell him as I flick open the door latch.

“Something wrong?” James asks as he climbs inside, flops on the seat.

  ( Continued… )

© 2018 All rights reserved. Book excerpt reprinted by permission of the author, Cheri Paris Edwards. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author’s written permission. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only.

  Purchase Telling Stories by Cheri Paris Edwards Amazon Download: http://a.co/d/eVVYwqo

    Intimate Conversation with Cheri Paris Edwards

Cheri Paris Edwards is the author of “Plenty Good Room” and the “The Other Sister.” Edwards work has been praised by “Publisher’s Weekly” and “Booklist.” Edwards is a PhD Candidate at the University of North Texas and an Associate Professor.

  BPM: It is such a pleasure to have you join us to discuss, “Telling Stories.” Describe yourself in three words. “Passionate, creative and funny.”

    BPM: What drove you to publish your first book or create your first series? How long have you been writing? I have been writing since I was a teen when I wrote poetry. I wrote my first novel after literary agent Denise Stinson called me after I’d submitted a non-fiction effort and asked had I ever considered fiction. That novel didn’t ever get published but my next effort, “Plenty Good Room” was published by Denise when she was also an editor for Walk Worthy at Warner books.

    BPM: Describe what you do outside of writing to expand your business or brand. Well, I am an Associate Professor at Tarrant County College which is a huge college with almost 40,000 students on five campuses. I work at the Trinity River Campus in downtown Fort Worth. The head of our Tahita Fulkerson library is Dr. Susan Smith and she’s a great person in my view. Like me, she comes to TCC from the University of North Texas. Anyway, she read a proof of “Telling Stories,” and wrote that she REALLY liked it. Consequently, she ordered copies for the library and I spoke at an event on November 1st.

On the other hand, it’s been a bit hard, to talk about my writing in some academic settings. I am a Lit major, and yet I definitely do NOT write literary fiction and many academics do not take romance lit or Christian fiction seriously. They have a specific writing style and expectations for content that they believe is valuable, particularly when it comes to literature written by African-Americans.

I am self-taught as a fiction writer and most promote a programmatic approach to writing fiction that’s gained by going through an MFA program. This is particularly true, because I’ve had to learn to understand the expectations of genre better, and had to readjust my writing to create the kind of pacing that is different from academic or some non-fiction writing. And, I am also self-published. So, I’ve definitely had to find my own confidence. However, I am blessed to have a few great friends who served as beta readers and gave me valuable feedback and others who are just wonderfully supportive of my efforts. I also feel I’ll get nice support from some at the Community College level.

Additionally, I just purchased home in what is called the Great Southwest area in Dallas County and plan to visit libraries to get the book on library shelves in the towns of Lancaster, DeSoto and Cedar Hill. These small cities are predominantly African-American and Lancaster and DeSoto still shelve copies of “Plenty Good Room” It’s also a way of getting my name on local invites to other events where I can sell my book. Unfortunately, I missed the Fort Worth library author’s program this year, but will try to make it next time.

    BPM: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your body of work/books? Well, the first time out I was quite surprised at how difficult it was for black writers to get a publishing deal. I don’t know why I didn’t know. After studying African-American history and realizing that this has been an historical challenge for blacks, I understand the constraints of the publishing landscape better. I mean blacks in the not too distant past (like Harlem Renaissance year) really were writing a great deal of the time for a white audience because that’s primarily who had the leisure time, and the ability to read. And, even when weren’t writing for them, they were quite aware their “gaze” was on the work, and that likely influenced how it was written (and what was written) as well.

It’s still difficult today to find publishers for stories about blacks just living their lives, which is situation that Zora Neale Hurston lamented many years ago in a 1950 essay entitled, “What White Publishers Won’t Print.” Well, “Telling Stories” is about black folks just living their lives and they’re older folks (as am I) which makes both me and novel even less interesting to traditional publishers.

So, after a few queries, and rejections and looking at “wish lists from diverse writers” that was just ridiculous in my opinion, I decided since I know how to do graphics and can content edit reasonably well, that I would just again publish myself. One of my TWU colleagues, Erin Marissa Russell, is a fantastic copy-editor and she took the job on pro-bono and I’m very grateful for her help. However, I do feel books should be read across racial lines, because they often identify what connects us as humans.

    BPM: How did you choose the genre you write in? Have you considered writing in another genre? I am writing in another genre! And, this is also the first novel written in first-person narrative voice. I began my published career in Christian fiction but it wasn’t purposeful. I wrote a non-fiction book with Christian elements and was told when I submitted it on the open market, I should query Christian publishers and agents. And, because I included those elements in my fiction, after talking with Denise Stinson, I followed the same path in other writings. I really never felt it was a great fit, because my first story didn’t have the arc that most Christian fiction writings do. I don’t think readers knew how to handle the story because of that.

I decided this time out to write a story that was more ME. In hindsight I also think including Christian elements in my fiction and my topics were subconsciously influenced by some internal obligations I felt I had to meet. Now, I just feel freed from those and allowed this story to flow without the feeling that I had to take on any issue or problems or curtail much about how I wanted to tell the story. For example, I curse, so there’s cursing. *lol* And, I am a person who laughs a lot and who often relies on humor to help deal with life’s struggles, so writing a humorous book is also a natural.

    BPM: Tell us about your most recent work. It is entitled, “Telling Stories” and is available right now only at Amazon, in print and e-book. Available on Nook and Kindle?

    BPM: Introduce us to the people in the book! Give us some insight into your main characters or the speakers. There’s quite a few characters in the book. The story is narrated in the alternating voices of Genelle Golden (or Gigi as she’s called once she moves to Texas) and Desmond Wright. Both are middle-aged and both face challenges in their lives. Gigi has relocated to Texas and when a living situation doesn’t work out, has to take shelter in her car. In other words, she’s homeless.

Some of the people she meets along the way help her through the situation, even when they don’t know all that’s going on in her life. We also meet Butterfly who owns the hair salon where Gigi gets a job, Juan and Imogene who work there and all of the others who stop through or are there for hair appointments. And there’s James, the waitress who helps Gigi and Gigi’s sister Neecie, who’s a bit of a snob.

Desmond comes with his own family and baggage. Mama, is a petite, well-coiffed churchgoer, who will curse you out in “a voice sweet as Karo syrup.” Desmond is a Mama’s boy, and Mama thinks Desmond should hurry up and find a wife! He’s a bit of a commitment-phobe though and though he’s dated quite a bit, none of the women have been quite right. Desmond also has an adult daughter. Malaika is spoiled (by Desmond, of course!) and he can’t keep her out of his pocket or his house, since she’s always underwhelmed by the efforts of her husband Ray. He also has a grandson Clint, who is a whirling dervish one moment, and wise beyond his years the next. And, Desmond has the skin disease vitiligo, although he brags its not dampened his swagger.

    BPM: What’s so unique about their story-line or voice in the story? What makes each one so special? Gigi and Desmond have their own distinct voices, challenges, and their lives are quite different, but they are similar in that they both are middle-age and without partners and somehow they come together. Each of them also have backstory that contributes to the emotional baggage they must wade through to really connect which is revealed in brief reminiscences about past events and both working through grief about their parents who have passed away.

    BPM: Share one specific point in your book that resonated with your present situation or journey. Like Gigi, I moved to Texas after a series of losses. I lost my mother, and my sons were grown and had moved out. Also like Gigi, I was chronically underemployed while living in Illinois and wasn’t working at all when I decided to leave. Additionally a second contract with a publisher was on the verge of falling apart. Once I decided to relocate, I literally packed my three bedroom townhouse on my own, and with help of a nephew, my brother-in law and a friend, packed all I had into storage and the rest in my car within a few weeks time. Leaving behind below 32 degree temps, ice and snow, my toy poodle Mocha and I took a long rainy ride to Texas.

It was a challenging start. About a year later I returned to school though. I earned my Master’s in English in 2014 and then was accepted into the Literature program at The University of North Texas. I also was able to teach many wonderful students teaching at both colleges before taking the position here last year. I didn’t even have furniture here for a year and a half. I couldn’t move my bed though and slept on an inflatable mattress and kept my clothes in open suitcases until two years ago!

    BPM: Are there certain characters you would like to go back to or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with? Oh, I don’t know. I loved these characters. I haven’t thought seriously about writing more about any of them, but I’m sure I could since much was left unfinished.

    BPM: Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? I would not write about a pathological subject having to do with blacks or about passing, simply because I’ve read too many books in the canon about that kind of thing.

    BPM: Have you ever received a rejection from an agent or a publisher? Yes, about 3 on this novel from agents before I gave up on querying about a year and a half ago. I didn’t get many with “Plenty Good Room,” and the “The Other Sister” was going to originally be published by the same publisher under a different imprint. However, it was taking so long to get to my manuscript that I went with another offer which ended up not working out.

    BPM: Do you ever have days when writing is a struggle? Have you ever had to deal with rejection? It’s a struggle of lot of the time. I just forge through.

    BPM: Have you written any other books that are not published? Yes, I’ve written some that I took off the market as well.

    BPM: What projects are you working on at the present? Right now I’m working on getting through my dissertation. I’ve been writing throughout this year. Since January, “Telling Stories” had been getting copyedited. Erin was doing it between paying jobs, and then I did a last couple edits on it this summer, but nothing major. I am finishing chapter three of my dissertation and I have one more to finish. I am expanding a research paper I’ve already written, so I’m hopeful I may still finish by the first of the year. I teach five sections this semester and six next semester, and I grade a lot because I offer a workshop setting where students are always submitting exercises, and that takes time too. I have about 100 students this semester. Also, now I commute a couple hours a day since I live in Dallas County.

    BPM: How do you stay connected with others in publishing and your readers? On social media of course, although I had deactivated my Facebook for quite a long time. I wanted to get back in touch with the real world, and I did. Even though it’s reactivated, I’m not sure I’ll be involved as I was before.

    BPM: What legacy do you hope to leave future generations of readers and new writers with your writing? That it’s not too late, nor are you confined to “traditional” publishers. Just write the best book you can, and have a “day job.”

    BPM: What is your preferred method to have readers get in touch with or follow you? They can follow at @write12b on Twitter and I also have a Facebook Author and Personal page. I haven’t been all that active this year because of all of my obligations, but I will be picking up steam in the next few weeks.

    BPM: How can readers discover more about you and your work? Twitter: https://twitter.com/write12b Website: https://cheriparisedwards.wixsite.com/mysite-2 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cheriparisedwards Author FB page: https://www.facebook.com/purelyparispublishing

      Telling Stories by Cheri Paris Edwards Telling Stories by Cheri Paris Edwards Sometimes life throws you a curveball... Navigating middle-age is a challenge for 45-year old Genelle "Gigi" Golden.