DINOSAUR LAND.

Unlike Foamhenge, Dinosaur Land isn't completely done by Mark Cline, but some of his work is showcased there.


Dinosaur Land is the great place to go if you want to break away from typical tourist photos and come away with some more unusual and interactive.

Sure, you can still take photos of everything you see:

Doesn't he look like a confused old man?

But you can also interact!

I'm giving this massive insect as piggyback ride, though some think I'm booty dancin'.

This one will always be my fave:

Hey, if that fell outta me, I'd be confused, too.

The creatures are actually a lot of fun, and some are sly:

He covered my eyes so he could eat the leaves I was goin' for!

The dinosaurs aren't just stationary - some are battling it out:


And there aren't just dinosaurs!



When wearing my Dinosaurland t-shirt, I encourage people to ask questions about the attraction.
"Oh, it's just like Jurassic Park!" I exclaim. "Google it!"
I love imagining their disappointment.

FOAMHENGE.

The best thing about road trips is never simply getting to your destination, it's all about enjoying the journey. And roadside attractions just make everything more enjoyable. Perhaps one thing I'll miss about Virginia is its plethora of ridiculous attractions, courtesy of Mark Cline, eccentric artisté extraordinaire.

PRESENTING:


First, a little history:


And a warning:


Then a peek up the hill:

I love how my Polaroid focused so clearly on the leaves in the top right corner,
with only a blurry hint of what's beyond.


I know it's only foam, but it still looks majestic.

The pseudo-ruins:


There is a random wizard overlooking the entire sculpture.

See those two orbs floating in the sky? They were not there in real life. Seriously.
They didn't even appear until the photo was fully developed. I'm not entirely
positive that the wizard is merely a sculpture...

power lines

I've been taking a fair amount of Polaroids lately:

I love how they look, all scattered and piled together.

This series was taken one Sunday afternoon at a dog park beneath a lot of power lines.



You could hear the electricity crackling above you;
it was calming yet threatening, all at once.

Secret Keepers

I first read The Garden Angel by Mindy Friddle in 2007 because Joshilyn Jackson blogged about it. I promptly recommended it to all the readers I knew. A copy of my own was a Christmas gift that year, and I've read it every year since. This year, I got to read a new Mindy Friddle novel - Secret Keepers. My own copy was an early, self-given Christmas gift, and I've been recommending it to all the readers I know. So read it!


I've been fixated on creating quality characters since, well, since my own writing workshops, but especially since the great blogging experiment, and I can't help but notice that Mindy is an author whose characters are so believable, they seem lifted from real life. They are so complex and well-written that you feel like you're getting to know them face-to-face. Secret Keepers focuses on a family with a deep, painful history. Some authors do well with a handful of characters narrating their book, and some authors lose the voice - their own and each character's - in the muddle. Mindy is one of those authors who can hold her own - and school you on how it should be done. Each character is so clear-cut that you never forget their names, histories, or confuse them for someone else.

The story begins from the point-of-view of a grandmother who is thisclose to a taste of freedom, only to have it ripped away. I thought it was very ambitious of Mindy to write about an older woman, and she kept impressing me with each new section. In addition to the seventy-two year old Emma, there is her born-again/relapsing daughter Dora and her religious zealot husband Donny, their struggling-to-be-normal son Kyle, and Dora's old flame, Jake, who just returned to the town they grew up in. Though he died in Vietnam, Emma's son Will is still a present character, and added an interesting spin to certain scenes. Emma's other son, Bobby, is... somewhat handicapped, though that might be too strong a word. He's a genius, and perhaps just paranoid and socially stunted. I thought Mindy did an especially great job with Bobby, because just as you accepted that he was mentally handicapped, he'd surprise you with an intricate scientific explanation of flowers or insects; two seconds later, he was looking for his foil hat, concerned about who was listening and watching him.

I read a few reader reviews that addressed the slightly supernatural quality of the flowers that bloom in this story. There is definitely a magical quality to them, and I'm not sure that's ever fully explored. There is a family history behind the flowers, and gardening is a major storyline throughout the book, so I understand why it's there. The titular flower is a special bloom that smells differently for each person, based on a moment in their past they value or long for. I was so swept away by the characters in the story that I didn't really focus too much on the flowers or their importance, so I might have missed something in that respect. Either way - if I missed it, or if it was never really clarified - it didn't bother me one bit, or take away from the overall story.

The ending, I thought, was incredibly well done. I often think I know how a book will end after a chapter or two. I had a few theories for certain characters in this book, but, like I said, everything was so realistic that I knew I couldn't count on a character to act the way I had them pegged. Sure enough, the ending surprised me - in a good way. It was hopeful and honest without being a typical "happy" ending. It was realistic enough to be open-ended, but still give a strong resolution so you're not left wondering what really happened.

Mindy Friddle was scheduled to appear at the Southern Festival of Books. Unfortunately for me, she was scheduled to speak on Friday afternoon, and I couldn't get off work. I emailed her about my predicament and desire to meet her, and she replied the next day. She said she'd be at the festival on Saturday and would love to meet up. I was thrilled that she replied, first off, but also that she was open to meeting me on her own time. We both had plans to attend the same panel Saturday morning, and she even called to let me know that she was going to be late. You can hardly expect that kind of courtesy from friends these days, much less a published author who doesn't know you from anyone! I was definitely impressed by her kindness, and only wish I wasn't so shy that I could hardly hold a discussion with her Saturday.

Lesson to be learned: Read The Garden Angel and Secret Keepers by Mindy Friddle, because she is not only a good author, but a good person. Definitely something to be valued these days!

I turn my camera on

True, I already own a Polaroid camera. A six-year-old 600, for whom film is not made anymore. And the film available costs anywhere from $50 to $785??? per pack.

No fun.

When I saw the cute lil 300 at Target, I knew I had to have him. I told myself no, I had a Polaroid, and even though 600 film was super expensive, I had thoughtfully conserved four shots. I could use those four exposures instead of buy a new Polaroid.

But the film was there, hanging a level below the camera. A full row of film, with the promise of never discontinuing! (Ok, I made up that promise. It's more of a hope.) And so the camera and several packs of film jumped into my arms and made me carry them to the checkout aisle.

I can't be mad at them for having a mind of their own, because I have fun with it. The camera, true to Polaroid form, is bulky and awkward and exciting.



The pictures are about half the size of the 600 film. Maybe the size of a business card.


There are actually settings on this camera, compared to a lone flash on the 600. The 300 still flashes with every setting (except for those times when I must have taken a picture too soon after firing it up, and gotten a black exposure.) There's indoor, cloudy, sunny, and fine. Yeah, I don't know what they mean, either. It defaults to the indoor, but I'm not sure of the difference between sunny and fine.

There's a drastic difference between those two settings, but I'm not sure which I like better. And since I shoved the pictures in my pocket after taking them, I'm not even sure which is which, anymore.

Regardless, it's a fun camera. Film has been available at every Target that I have been to (read: two). It's still $10 an exposure, like the 600 once was. But the pictures are so cute and fun that, to me, it's worth it. I even started a photo project on the drive from DC to Memphis two weeks ago, and started posting over at the Adventures of Shrimp and Crabby. Real pictures and posts about the trip on this blog, coming soon.

September Book Reviews, Part II

I started Imperfect Birds by Anne Lamott without realizing it was a continuation of Rosie, or even that there was a book in-between! (Rosie is four in the first book, thirteen in the second, and seventeen in Imperfect Birds.) Lamott's language is beautiful and sparse. At first, I was annoyed that she described basically every little thing that happened in this family's life, whether it had relevance or not, but towards the end of the book, I was glad she did. It helped build up the reality of the book, it made it seem like real life, and it wasn't extraneous or unnecessary. It allows you to be side-by-side with the characters and really feel what they're going through. I'd definitely recommend this book series, read in the correct order, even though they work as stand-alone novels as well.

I picked up Crooked Little Heart by Anne Lamott right after I finished Imperfect Birds. Reading the books out of order didn't cause me to lose anything - there was no shock value or anything. In fact, it was kind of interesting to know what was going to happen to Rosie in her next few years, while she had regressed to a thirteen year old. Like Imperfect Birds, this book gives a lot of details of a family's life, a daughter becoming a teen, and the ups and downs of marriage. Each character is rich and well-developed; even though we only see things (throughout the entire series) from Rosie and Elizabeth's point of view, you still get a good grasp of how other characters think and act.

White Teeth by Zadie Smith is really well-written. The language and sentences are beautiful. I had to stop and write down a lot of them, or even just stop and think about them for a moment. Beautiful stuff. But the book tackles too much, and is incredibly long for the overall story arc. Smith spends a lot of time with each primary character, allowing you to get to know them, and it's very effective. The characters are definitely well-developed and multi-faceted. But the action is lacking. The end of the book builds up to a frenzy that I thought would redeem the whole thing, but then Smith doesn't take the chance, and so it ends lackluster and disappointing. If it had ended with a bigger bang, it would have been a better story, one I would read again. As it stands now, I'd only recommend it if you want to read some beautiful sentences and have a lot of time to invest in a book that leaves you wanting more (and not in the good way of never wanting it to end).

I read JD Salinger's Catcher in the Rye past the peak age where it would have changed my life. I was a college student with disdain for pretentious high school boys, so while I enjoyed the story overall, it's not one of those that sticks with me, or even one I'm eager to read again. I tried to read Franny and Zooey last summer, and couldn't get past the third page or so. But Nine Stories completely grabbed me. I think Salinger wins with short stories more than novels. (Not that you can compare him to Stephen King, but that's how I think of King, too. I can't handle his novels at all, but I devour his short story collections.) They were all well-written little scenes with great characters. He really excels with dialogue - it was crisp, clean, and believable, not bogged down with extra information. Salinger writes amazing children - my favorite were Teddy from Teddy and Ramona from Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut. My favorite story was A Perfect Day for Bananafish, which also had an interesting child, but mostly because the shock ending is perfect for a short story, and leaves you wondering why long after you finish.

I downloaded Life, Love and a Polar Bear Tattoo by Heather Wardell when I first got my Nook because it was free. It wasn't as fluffy as most chick lit - the author says her goal is to write "women's fiction with depth, humor, and heart," and she accomplishes that. The premise was interesting and kept me reading to the end, even if I wasn't completely attached to the characters. I wasn't able to really get into their heads; I think they just weren't developed enough to seem whole. A few of the main character's friends also had similar sounding names to go along with fairly flat personalities, so I kept getting them mixed up. Overall, it was nice, quick, entertaining read.

I've already raved a little bit about SERIAL by Blake Crouch and Jack Kilborn, which is a short story/novella (about 33 pages on my Nook). The writing isn't the best - I mean, it's grammatically correct, but the sentences aren't beautiful; they get the point across. And when you're reading about gruesome murders, do you really want to get swept away by breathtaking prose? It's an interesting short read, and when you're done with the story, make sure to read the Q&A with the authors to understand how it was written, because that takes it to another level.
     *Apparently there is now an extended edition of SERIAL, coming in at 36,000 words.
     I'm definitely going to read this one, too.

September Book Reviews

September was the month of catching up on all the reading I hadn't done for the past year. So much that I broke it up into two review posts, the first of which is:


I've heard a lot about Megan McCafferty's Jessica Darling series, mostly from another Jessica, but kept putting off reading them. I wish I hadn't. I wish I could rewind back to high school and read them then, because Jessica graduated the year before me, and being her friend (YES I know she's fictional) could have helped out a lot. These books are written from Jessica's point of view, in journal format, and getting inside her head made me feel comfortable with how I used to think and feel in high school. I must have read the first four books over a weekend, because they're really engrossing and well-written - meaning they sound like a 16 to 22 yr old is writing them. Even so, there were times when I was aware that I was reading, and there were some character discrepancies that still stick out to me.
          The last book is told in third person, and jumps between the points of view of both Jessica and her off-again on-again boyfriend Marcus. The distance really pulled me from the story - I had spent years (so to speak) living inside of Jessica's head, and now I have no clue what she's thinking. And, on top of that, I'm suddenly more aware of Marcus, and the character he is in this book was drastically different than the way he was painted in the first four. I think the style should have been more consistent, stuck with Jessica's journals with maybe some letters from Marcus pasted inside. Many sections of this book seemed fluffier and cuter than the harsh high school and college realities presented earlier, and a lot of the situations seemed unbelievable.
          It's no Alice series, but overall it's a great series I will read again. The books are:
Sloppy Firsts // Second Helpings // Charmed Thirds // Fourth Comings // Perfect Fifths

Lock and Key is typical Sarah Dessen, which I was hoping for when I bought the book. The more I read, the more I realized she follows a formula. This might be because I've had a Dessen overload this summer, and with little in-between to take my mind off her stories, they start to sound the same. The same thing happened back in middle school, when I was obsessed with Dean Koontz. After reading three books in a row, I realized he always had a beautiful dark-haired woman in distress, and many other consistencies with new(ish) plot lines and character names. Dessen is following a similar formula - girl is an outcast/has a hard life/isn't understood until a cute boy finds her and falls for her and waits for her, and she realizes she loves him too, but messes it up and then has to fix things. Hey - whatever works! Luckily, Dessen has a great writing style and most pages have beautiful sentences, and her characters, however similar they may be to each other, seem very realistic. I picked this up wanting a quick, entertaining read, and that's exactly what I got.

A drastic change from the previous YA books, I finished Fallout by Ellen Hopkins on the last day of the month. It's written as poetry, though easy to read straight through like prose, without being bothered by the funky line breaks - just remember to read each section's title, as they play into the following poetry. The book is told from three teenagers' points of view. All of them have the same mother, who is a meth addict, and all of them live in different places, with different relatives. They all struggle with their own various addictions in varying stages. There are news stories interspersed throughout the book, which I guess are supposed to ground the reader and give extra information, but they just confused me. I got very swept up in trying to figure out who was each kid's father, and how/when they were with the mother, and how the kids' guardians related to the mother and fathers. The mother apparently went by different names in different times of her life, and the fathers' names were all typical, unremarkable boys' names, and the news stories just added even more names to the pile.

If you ignore all of the name/genealogy/paternity/guardianship issues, the book is really fascinating. It's an interesting approach to addiction - seeing how one affects many. Even so, there's no real resolution to the book - no one changes, no one learns anything. As much as I'll accept that as an ending for a short story, it's harder to swallow after investing so much in a novel - especially a novel tackling something as big as a meth addiction, when the stakes are so high. It is apparently the end of a trilogy which began with the mother as a teenager, so going back to read those might clarify a lot of character questions.

*An interesting but unimportant note is that I read all of these books on my Nook.

**Another interesting and completely important note is that I signed up for the Amazon affiliates program through Blogger. If you want to buy any books/anything I recommend, it's linked on Amazon, and I get a little pocket change for advertising. (So if you're buying from Amazon anyway, you might as well help a sista out, right? Right? Yes, please?) I'm unsure if the pop-up links will be worth it in the long run, or if it will get annoying for those who leave their mice hovering over the entry... We'll give it a test run, at least!