After well over a week of incredibly frustrating sleep patterns, (only sleeping a few hours at a time) I am finally getting a good night’s sleep. The Joys and tribulations of travel.

As Dorothy said in The Wizard of Oz; “There is no place like home.”

Even when going away is fun and exciting. It was wonderful to be greeted with such enthusiasm by my dog, Henry. It seemed like he really missed me. I certainly missed him. We have snuggled every night evening since! 

WRITING

Now I am home, writing becomes serious/fun business again. The Blue bottles Writing Studio

is back together. Our prompt: Write about a favorite city you have visited. 

Here is an abridged version from my piece—

Amazing Places – Elizabeth Jane Pryce

It was February, 1st, 1988. I was leaving England to visit three American students who had stayed with me. I would be visiting Dallas, Fort Forth, San Francisco, Portland, Oregon, Bellingham and New York. I remember buying only a one-way ticket to Dallas and another on to Portland because I didn’t know how long I’d stay or where I’d fly home from. This caused trouble in Dallas, as I had only $50 in my purse. I had to answer dozens of questions of where I was traveling and when I was flying back, and how was I paying for my time in the States, before I was allowed to leave the airport. I had never seen a city like Dallas. Skyscrapers, buildings with green and gold marble walls, women with towering hair styles, bright makeup, bold print clothing and metallic accessories—in a word, Glitzy. Yet riding the bus into the city one morning, I saw another side: a man in tattered clothes walking barefoot in freezing rain. I spent most of my time exploring the Downtown Historic District—the John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza and the surrounding sites. One memorable day was at Old City Park, as it was then called. I met an elderly Texan couple who insisted on taking me to lunch at Antares, the rotating restaurant at the top of the Reunion Tower—it was a day to remember. I had the best steak I’ve ever eaten—melt-in-the-mouth perfection. I’ve often dreamed of going back.

I explored San Francisco on foot. On my first morning, I started at Chinatown’s Dragon Gate. The streets smelled of dried herbs and fresh bread; shopkeepers’ voices drifted from open windows. Lanterns swayed in the breeze. Every corner felt like an unfolding story. From there I walked through various unique area and finally climbed the Filbert Steps to Telegraph Hill. By the time I reached the Coit Tower, my legs ached. The slender concrete column rose like a sentinel, its fluted sides catching the sun. From the top, I looked out at Alcatraz Island, once a formidable penitentiary—now a historic site open to visitors. The Golden Gate Bridge shimmered in the haze, the bay shifting in color. Inside, the 1930s murals depicting life in California during the Great Depression were extraordinary. It was a wonderful day alone, wandering through a history I’d never known. 

I loved walking down the crooked block of Lombard Street, though the hairpin turns were daunting with cars weaving through. The flowerbeds on each curve were lovely. At Fisherman’s Wharf on Pier 39 I saw the noisy sea lions sprawled on floating docks, whiskered and unbothered by gawking tourists. I bought my first clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl—delicious. So many first-time experiences. 

Then I flew to Portland. We didn’t stay in the city but went out to the Columbia River Gorge and hiked to Wahkeenah and Multnomah Falls, just off the historic Highway 30. The next day we went to the Pacific Ocean which, although wet and windy, was beautiful. These are wonderful places I’ve been back to many times. 

I spent few days in Bellingham with friends, which was restful before I flew from Seattle into La Guardia, New York. I remember eating the best Chinese food in Greenwich Village, and wandering through amazing shops and buildings. On my last evening I stood at the top of the World Trade Center and looked down on the city, which looked so small.

Our next prompt will be: What was a precious item you’ve always wanted—did you get it or not?

BOOKS— Because of my lack of sleep for over a week, I read quite a few books.

The Shack by William P. Young, which I read because my mother said, “It changed my life, when I read it.” I enjoyed it both time, but I believe that my mother has forgotten how and why it changed her life.

Enough a memoir by Cassidy Hutchinson, who worked for White Office of Legislative Affairs for the Republicans, and chose to be a key witness in the investigation of the January 6th attack. It was an interesting story of her strength and her ability to keep going through adversity.

The Color of Mourning by Kim Dempster—a book I received in the mail, but I don’t know why! Set in the war torn city of Raqqa during the Syrian civil war. It is a story of two women trying to survive. It puts faces to an unfolding tragedy.

Legend of Ira Hill by Sam Fletcher—A local author from Whidbey Island, Washington, I met at my local Barnes & Noble book reading event. We exchanged books, his fantasy of a human-born dragon warrior who are up in a trailer park in Bellingham for my memoir, Untethered. 

Because I am an eclectic reader, I enjoyed all the books for different reasons—the main one being—we learn more about other people when we read.