This cheery double-ended dory was parked in Quisset Harbor and I took its picture one fine day. Didn’t blog this up from Flickr, but posted it directly here. Hooray me.
Finally finished slogging my way through Charles Frazier’s Thirteen Moons. Read some other stuff while this one languished. There is nothing wrong with Mr. Frazier’s writing, and in my judgment his blockbuster Cold Mountain was no fluke. Thirteen Moons details a life lived among the Cherokee in the Southern mountains before, during, and after the relocation to the Territories (the “Trail of Tears”). The protagonist is a white man who joins a clan of the Cherokee. Interesting concept, well written, interesting scenes and ancillary characters. I think what kept this book from riveting my attention was that the protagonist was not driven by some strong desire (one of the “rules” of storytelling), and that, at least for him, there was no real conflict (another “requirement” of storytelling). When I finally finished the book, I was not dissatisfied with my purchase, not put off Charles Frazier, pleased with the historical content (assuming it was at least representative of the truth), and glad I read it. If that’s damning with faint praise, then so be it.
We went for a walk evening before last, down towards Falmouth Heights. That entails walking along the shore for a mile or so. Our intended destination was the Dairy Queen, which is about two miles away from the house. Instead, we toured the new restaurant/bar at the Casino (which I’m mentioned in the past, and posted a picture of). Nice facility, and we’ll try it out soon. The point of this recitation, however, is that as we walked along the beach we looked behind us, and there, huge and orange, was the moon. Achingly beautiful, with a trail of light across Vineyard Sound leading to it. Both decks of the Casino give a grand view of the moonrise (it’s not a sunset view place), and earth’s lonely companion was still shining large, bright, and beautiful when we explored the decks. So . . .
The Moon. Here’s a bit of trivia some of you may know. I got it from reading Isaac Asimov, I believe (one of his non-fiction works). Of all the many moons in our solar system, every one of them, with one exception, is held in orbit around its planet by the gravity of that planet. That one exception is our moon. The sun actually would win the tug-of-war with Earth, and the moon would fall into the sun, but for the gravity of the moon itself. Earth and Moon are locked in a mutual attraction wherein the sum is greater than the parts. Synergy if you will. I think its very romantic. A cosmic love story.
