Plaza Mayor, Madrid

The Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain, is a fun place. The photo below is your basic tourist shot. No matter, it would take dozens of photos to document the area.

At street level, there are a wide variety of shops selling everything from old stamps, to hats, to post cards. There’s also a number of restaurants that put their tables in the plaza. Many of these are very good and should not be overlooked. Just a few streets away, you’ll find more restaurants and shops as this area is still the heart of the “old city.” On Sunday mornings, stamp and coin collectors set up their tables under the cloister around the edge of the plaza. I’ve seen some amazing old stamps, stock certificates, and coins on these days. That type of market gives a deeper glimpse into the culture of a place like Madrid.

Last but not least, take a look at that blue sky. It’s one of the simple, and yet stunningly beautiful, things about Spain.

Published in: on September 10, 2008 at 2:50 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Hamilton, Bermuda, 1911

It was Mark Twain who said, “You die and go to heaven, I’ll stay here in Bermuda.” He might have been on to something. Of course I love the island of Aruba, which is a more raucous place than the more dignified Bermuda. Still, I appreciate the difference and have enjoyed several visits to Bermuda in my travels. So it was that I found this old photograph of Hamilton in the archives at the Library of Congress, where regular readers of this blog know I scour up some good finds now and then.

This photo was taken in 1911. My how things have changed! You don’t see any cruise ships in the harbor. Plenty of small buildings, the scale of which seems appropriate to a place like Bermuda. I can’t be certain, however, I think I was in that church on left side of the frame. Back in my days of photography that used film, I made some images of the stained glass windows there.

This photo is also a time capsule of sorts. It shows us what was, which can then be compared to what is today. It might also give us a glimpse of the future or at least a sense of the trend of things to come. I hope people take the time to print their digital photographs. If for no other reason, someday someone will find them and be able to do what I’ve been doing with these photos from the Library of Congress: Take a look at the past. One of my fears is that all the digital photos we take will be stored (invisibly) on a chip or CD or some other media that will become inaccessible. As the computer industry changes, compatibility is always a problem.

The best thing to do is print the good ones, and a few of the not so good ones as well. Hey, you never know. Some guy may be writing a blog or a novel and use your pictures as source material. If you’re really lucky, they’ll end up in the Library of Congress.

Published in: on September 8, 2008 at 12:23 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Still The Real Thing

I was in Doylestown, Pennyslvania, USA a couple of nights ago for a book signing. I always arrive early so there’s plenty of time to check out the local scene. I walked around the corner from the bookstore and found this small shop selling snacks. Inside I found Coca-Cola in glass bottles that are reproductions of the first bottles, the ones that came before the distinctive, bodaciously curvy one. Here’s a look:

Yes, that’s the real thing. I popped the top on this and guzzled. It was so good that I drank two.

During my book signing, I met dozens of people interested in my new novel, An Island Away. It’s a real pleasure meeting readers. They have great recommendations for other books and provide insight into stories they’ve read. This helps me become a better writer. After all, the readers are the customers. Talking to them directly gives you the chance to hear their thoughts.

With all the talk these days about how no one reads, you would think we’re headed for the dark ages. Not so. There were hundreds of people through the bookstore that night. There was an 8 year old who had illustrated her grandmother’s book there as well. Good for them! The younger the better when it comes to books and reading.

Reading, like ice-cold Coca Cola, is the real thing.

Published in: on September 7, 2008 at 2:49 pm  Comments (1)  
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MacMillan Judge and Fort Zoutman

Going back through my story notes this morning, I stumbled on some scenes for the end of a novel I mentioned earlier, MacMillan Judge, Privateer. Without ruining the story, I can tell you that our man, Captain MacMillan Judge, ends up heading to that favorite island of mine, namely Aruba. (Don’t worry, this story will be a long time coming. It’s third in line right now.) Well, in Oranjestaad there is Fort Zoutman, which today is more or less dwarfed by nearby commercial structures. However, back in the day, it was enough to keep the island under control.

The photo to the right is of the Willem III tower. It served as a general lookout for the soldiers in the fort that sits below and behind it. Judge spots this tower as he cruises the coast in search of a decent anchorage. In case I forgot to mention it, MacMillan Judge, Privateer is set in 1815-1816. I’ve been brushing up on my history of this period, not only of Aruba, but also the Mediterranean area around southern Spain and the so-called Barbary Coast. This was a wild time in the history of the known world. The United States was a new country. Britain and France had been at war (yes, again) for quite a while. Spain, although not a superpower, still had some fangs. Through these tricky times MacMillan Judge and his crew of the privateer-built, topsail schooner Fletcher pick their way to fortune and glory. Actually that makes light of the serious themes in the story, but it sounded like the blurb you might find on the back of a sailing novel and I’m a firm believer in some excitement now and then.

It’s had to imagine a time when the canon pictured below was a key component to military domination.

Nonetheless, they did the job. In the course of the story, MacMillan Judge receives two long guns from Don Francisco, a Spanish aristocrat whose family has been harassed by the Barbary Pirates for generations. Those two long guns figure into MacMillan’s strategy as he beats back an attack by two corsairs. There I go again, telling too much of the story. Well, let’s leave it at that. For now.

Published in: on September 5, 2008 at 11:10 am  Leave a Comment  
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