Beach Buddies: Authors Pick Literary Partners for Fun, Sun

This morning I came upon a fun article in the Washington Post where famous authors were asked which literary characters they would like to accompany them to the beach. Here is Jodi Piccoult's answer:

I'd spend the day with Mr. Darcy, from Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice," naturally. Is there any other man who broods so masterfully in literature and who could benefit more from a spirited, lighthearted game of beach Frisbee? And of course, since we'd be on a beach together, I'd greatly enjoy seeing what's beneath that proper waistcoat of his.

I'd like to collect sea glass and observe the sealife with Mr. Rodchester from Jane Eyre and talk more about his issues with women. I was considering Atticus Finch. He certainly would be a gentleman, but it would probably be more fun to frolic in the waves with passionate Mr. R!

My second choice would be sipping pina coladas while watching the sunset over the ocean with Frederick Wentworth from Austen's Persuasion and discussing the art of the hand written letter. Gotta LOVE his letter to Anne Elliot -

"You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight and a half years ago. Dare not say that a man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant."

So who would YOU choose as a beach buddy?

Reads and Roots

Okay. I admit it. I'm an Anglo/Scotophile kind of gal. Love their literature. Love their land. Love their history. These are my people and my roots, and although there is no sign of Scottish blood in the documentation of our family tree, I know in my heart and bones it is there somewhere! When browsing at bookstores, I'm most definitely drawn to novels based in the U.K. My most recent adult and children's favorites are:

The Sweetness of the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Mystery is not one of my favorite literary genres. Perhaps it was the word "pie" that caught my eye in the Wellesley Booksmith as the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (now in paperback) is high on my list of recent favorites. I typically don't eat pie, but I seem to enjoy reading about pie! The protagonist is 11 year-old Flavia De Luce - Harriet the Spy/Sammy Keyes meets Sherlock Holmes/Miss Marple. The characters in the novel are quirky and delightful. When Flavia discovers a dead body in the family's cucumber patch she wishes she could say she was afraid. "But I wasn't . Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life."

Death in the cucumber patch...gotta love it! So very British.


And then there is Julie Hahnke's fantasy novel for intermediate readers, The Grey Ghost.

When Black Duncan Campbell starts murdering his neighbors in 1526 Scotland, eleven-year-old Angus suddenly finds himself the sole survivor of Clan Macnab. Aided by a goshawk and a pine marten, and urged forward by a mysterious luna moth, Angus must uncover his clan’s heritage, reveal ancient secrets, and try to end the Campbell’s bloody rampage.

Julie also hosts AMAZING author/bookstore visits and presentations as she brings along her bagpipes (she is a superb piper) plus lots of historical /scientific information and slides about the animals and countries she writes about in her novels.

Great Stuff...So what would be the Scottish verion of "Erin Go Bragh"? Mel Gibson might know.

Walking on Sunshine despite the rain

It all began when I purchased a pair of Mizuno trail running shoes. And these shoes were made for travelling!
After arriving in London at 5:15 A.M. on Thursday morning and a 3 1/2 hour train ride up to the Lake District, followed by an absolutely terrifying taxi ride from the train station, I finally arrived at Laurel Cottage in the town of Bowness where I would begin and end my 3 day walking holiday.

On Friday morning, after a typical English breakfast of eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and toast, I headed up the quaint street of Bowness into the village of Windermere.

And thus began Day 1 of my adventure: A 10.5 mile walk from Windermere to Grasmere

After about 30 minutes I arrived at Orrest Head for some fabulous views down on to the lake and village of Windermere. It was a rainy day, but even the lowsy weather couldn't cloud over the beauty of this piece of the world.

I was incredibly fortunate at this point in the trip to meet up with an older English couple walking to Ambleside, the half-way point of Day 1. After leaving Orrest Head there was no clear path whatsoever - just rolling hills, stone walls and lots and lots of sheep. They helped me navigate my way over stiles through these farms , and after 4 miles with these nice, helpful people I was becoming a bit more confident in my ability to understand the maps and directions.

Below is a view of Rylant Waters which leads to Grasmere, the home of Williams Wordsworth and where I was spending the night.

Before checking in to the guest house in Grasmere, I had the opportunity to tour Dove Cottage, Wordsworth's home.

It was great fun to meet some locals for an evening of Questions (their version of trivia night) at the pub in the Wordsworth Inn.
My view from the guest house in Grasmere was amazing!

Day 2: Grasmere to Coniston, 12.5 miles. After breakfast (same thing - eggs, toast, tomatoes and mushrooms), it was time to head up into the hills again.

And along sides of mountains:

At some point looking across the way I knew I was going to have to go up and over the mountain range to get to Coniston. Hmmmm...

And when I finally headed up and over, the views were again, AMAZING!

On the way back down, however, it started to get a little dicey. I took a picture of this charming stream (or "beck" as it is called in Cumbria). Shortly after snapping this photo, the beck lost it's charm and turned into what felt like a gorge to me as the path became very steep and rocky.

There also was NO sign of life at this point in the route. My directions told me I was supposed to come upon a minor road, but this is all I could see: Do you see any sign of a road????

As it turned out there WAS a road along side the wall in the distance and I was SO relieved when I saw a car drive by along that wall. Yes, civilization!! It literally was all down hill after that scarey moment.

Whenever I was walking through a wooded area, there were lovely patches of bluebells.

I was really pooped after Day 2 and was thrilled to reach my guest house in Coniston.

Day 3: Coniston to Sawrey - 9.5 miles
The morning walk out of Coniston was quite spiritual as church bells were ringing as I hiked up the hills. I couldn't help but start to sing (to myself as not to scare the sheep! ) a favorite hymn that brings me back to my high school days at Laurel School...."And did those feet in ancient time, walk upon England's mountains green." And believe me...there were lots of holy lambs too

The home of Beatrix Potter who left over 4.000 acres of land she purchased to the National Trust in order to preserve the beauty of the Lake District country sid

After visiting Beatrix's house and a quick lunch in Near Sawrey, I only had a few more miles of my walking adventure as I headed over to Lake Windermere where I would be taking a ferry back to Bowness, the beginning and end of my walking holiday.

Wild garlic was in full bloom this time of year and the smell was quite powerful when you walked through a batch.

And finally, waiting for the ferry to take me back to Laurel Cottage. I MADE IT! A magical and brilliant adventure indeed!

Walking Holiday in the Lake District

I'm off for a 3 day self-guided walking holiday to the Lake District in England, described as one of the most beautiful places in the world by Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley and Bronte. The self-guided aspect of the trip is a bit frightening considering my horrible sense of direction, but there should be many other travellers/walkers this time of year and eventually I'll get to my destination inn/guest house by the end of the day. The distances range from 9 - 12 miles. I'd actually love to run most of this mileage, but I'll have to be checking my maps frequently in order to make sure I'm on the right path or at least heading in the right direction.

While most of the reviews of the guest houses where I'll be staying were okay/good, I did come upon these two that concern me:

"We spent 2 nights at this lovely little guest house ( it used to be a grammar school) and its winding corridors and steep staircases, - I bet the chambermaids are fit - and really enjoyed it. The room (8) was quite small but we did not have cat in need of swinging so was not an issue."

or even worse...

"The worst decision we have made, after being shown to our room/box via the very floral stairway we could not believe our eyes. The bedding was about the same age of the cottage and had many stains and human hairs on it, the carpet was stained and worn and very unclean."

I may need to upgrade when I get there!

Here's another description of one of the houses where I'll be staying:

"In 1961 the house and its grounds were bequeathed to the Society of Friends (Quakers) to be held in trust and used as a place for Quakers and others to come for purposes of religious worship, for rest, for convalescence after illness and for other activities of a charitable nature."

I'm assuming that there won't be any sort of mini-fridge with a pinot grigio for me at the Quaker guest house, so I'm hoping there is a lovely tavern near by for some post-walk refreshments. I'll be humming " Tis the gift to be simple" on this leg of the trip!

Race Stats

14th Boston Marathon with DFMC

27th Marathon Overall

3:13 Official Finish Time

3324 - overall place

240 - gender

28 - division (over 40 - old lady category!)

What's next???

..I want to be a part of it....

Ready to take on Boston AGAIN!

"April hath put a spirit of youth in everything" - William Shakespeare

I love this marathon, I love the DFMC, and running 26.2 miles in April allows me to celebrate life, love, hope, community and spring.

Om Gal and Cara running Boston for Fit Girls!

....because readers are leaders!

It is official! Yoga enthusiasts, Cara and Rebecca, will be running their first Boston Marathon and raising funds for the Boston Fit Girls Project (sponsored by the DMSE Children's Fitness Foundation!!!

Please come and support Cara and Rebecca at the Fit Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Event at the Lululemon Store at the Prudential on Tuesday, April 7 6;30-9:00.