Dépaysement in Thomasville, GA

Bienvenue! Welcome to my Blog. I'm trying to create something that will help heal in some way.
Please pipe in.

Yesterday my friend Lynne and I had plans to travel to the Gulf coast, which fell through when we learned of impending thunderstorms. We decided to travel instead to Thomasville, GA, where we spent the day strolling, dining, waiting at stop lights for a long time before crossing by foot at sleepy intersections, hydrating, rehydrating, poring over books and book reviews, sharing pie, purchasing coffee beans, and talking about writing.
First, however, Lynne introduced me to an oak tree:                                             Above@Jonah's Shrimp and Grits
                                                  




                                                                                                                                                             
What will I remember?

We wandered beneath this tremendous, generous tree. Ancient limbs reached out like an agile dancer, covered in resurrection fern shooting upward with its post-rain life. They offered shade and sanctuary.
Location: Tallahassee, FL, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Home is elemental (a piece in progress, here are some preliminary, rough sketches:)   A year following the worst (three-tornado) storm that Tallahassee has ever seen, I have thoughts circulating about a topic that speaks to everyone--What is HOME? ****** For two decades or more this topic has lingered in my heart (tho in some ways it has always been there, has its very genesis in life as a small child). It was the nexus of the study of women's travel letters that made it's way to the doorstep of my mind's eye in the early 2000s. And I must say, with no doubt, the "Home" that I wanted to explore wasn't the rosy red-cheeked children-scape at the dinner table of Rockwell (whose paintings I love). ****** The week I defended my thesis on the subject of Home at the University of Virginia in 2005 was the same week that Katrina blew in and devasted so many homes on the grittiest level of materiality. And I felt then as if I wa...
Read more

Take me to the River @St Marks, FL

Image
When I feel like the "world is too much with (me)," to borrow from Wordsworth, I take myself to St. Mark's. The capacity for unloading one's mental wastebin and drifting instead with the ebb and flow of the St Mark's river is so deep and expansive that I often give way to the pull toward this place. It's located just far enough away from Tallahassee to feel like I'm getting out of town without committing to a long drive, and for cyclists, there is the magnificent and well-known bike trail going all the way there from its trailhead off of Capital Circle. On my most recent trip down, I stopped at "The Shack," an inviting coffee shop with many options for cooling off, perking up, and feeling better through the nourishment of freshly-made treats. Just next door to this oasis is a wonderful antique shoppe for beach-themed decor, "The Beach Trader." The restorative experience begins when I hit the Woodville Road from Cap Circle and know I...
Read more

An Interview in 3 Questions with Lynne Laslie, Magic-Maker

Image
  Lynne is my friend, but Lynne is much more. She is bringing magic to a hurting world. The day I was unpacking my U-Haul trailer, she walked up to me and introduced herself. She was my upstairs neighbor in the new apartment building I had found by great chance, with hardwood floors and an old, Floridian flair. I knew we'd become friends, despite working in demanding jobs (full-time teacher, hospital administrator). In truth we came together because of our demanding jobs. What began as a simple greeting turned into dinner at the Mexican, then road trips to the Gulf. The rest is herstory in the making.  The smile of friends who hadn't seen eachother for months in the early 2020s. We compared notes. We found resonance. It was soothing. This is my interview in 3-questions with Lynne,  angelic friend, planner-pro, mom to interesting adult sons and high-energy shelter pups, and aspiring mahjong player if you have any Tallahassee leads... What new inspiration are you carrying ...
Read more