A traditional White Christmas does not seem to be falling upon Galveston Island, Texas where I'm spending part of my winter.I still wear shorts and go barefoot in the sand as I hike beside the Gulf of Mexico,collecting sea shells. I've hung my Christmas ornaments on an artificial palm tree in the living room of my condo. I awaken each morning to spectacular sunrises over the ocean. In the evening, I relax,with a glass of red wine,on my western balcony as I witness some of the most incredible sunsets that I've ever seen.
Life is good...long walks beside the ocean,time to reflect and to explore the rich historical heritage of this amazing island... much of which will be included in one of my future novels.
Still,looking back...wasn't I the one who recently elaborated upon the splendors of a good old Midwestern winter? Yup...that was me... before I immigrated to the south. Before the water pipes in my Wisconsin home burst at the seams and my furnace went out during one of our good old-fashioned snowstorms...
It's difficult, sometimes, to get into the Christmas spirit on this paradise island... I'm used to frigid winters, being buried in snow drifts. How can it possibly be time for Christmas??
Christmas, this year, will be a tad bit different. What remains unchanged is the love of family and friends, wherever they may be. I'm blessed to have both Shannon's and Sherry's families celebrating down here with me. I will miss Shane's family, and my best friend,Len... but want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
Stay tuned and please stay in touch!
Janet Kay
jkjenson01@yahoo.com
www.watersofthedancingsky.com
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Traveling Back In Time ...
Have you ever felt that you belonged in another time, another place? Do you identify with people, places, and things associated with another era? If so, you're not alone! I must confess that I've always identified with the Victorian era, and with the world of Emily Dickinson. Several editors have told me that my writing style is quaint, reminiscent of the Victorian era. Is that all bad??
Anyway, I recently had an opportunity to travel back to the Victorian era, courtesy of the Dickens on The Strand Victorian Holiday Festival on Galveston Island, Texas. This annual celebration is held in the Strand National Historic Landmark District which is filled with Victorian-era buildings, brick cobble-stoned streets, gas lamps, and horse-drawn carriages. Many of the participants (including yours truly) dressed in Victorian costumes. Victorian music filled the air.
Highlights included Victorian bed races, parades, a Piccadilly circus, a living history encampment commemorating the war between the states, jugglers, magicians, Victorian Christmas carolers, Victorian arts,crafts and turkey legs! Down on the Galveston wharf, we also toured the 1877 tall sailing ship, Elissa, Texas' official tall ship.
My Texas grandchildren weren't sure, at first, if they wanted to be seen with crazy Grandma Jan in her lacy black Victorian costume and feather hat! However, once we arrived on The Strand, they realized that I obviously fit in with the other guests.
I'm inspired by all that I saw and learned at this unique celebration. That means, of course, that I'm now researching Galveston and its unique Victorian era. Someday, I hope to set a novel here on this fascinating island in the Gulf of Mexico.
You can check Dickens out at www.galvestonhistory.org.
Stay tuned and please stay in touch!
Janet Kay
www.watersofthedancingsky.com
Anyway, I recently had an opportunity to travel back to the Victorian era, courtesy of the Dickens on The Strand Victorian Holiday Festival on Galveston Island, Texas. This annual celebration is held in the Strand National Historic Landmark District which is filled with Victorian-era buildings, brick cobble-stoned streets, gas lamps, and horse-drawn carriages. Many of the participants (including yours truly) dressed in Victorian costumes. Victorian music filled the air.
Highlights included Victorian bed races, parades, a Piccadilly circus, a living history encampment commemorating the war between the states, jugglers, magicians, Victorian Christmas carolers, Victorian arts,crafts and turkey legs! Down on the Galveston wharf, we also toured the 1877 tall sailing ship, Elissa, Texas' official tall ship.
My Texas grandchildren weren't sure, at first, if they wanted to be seen with crazy Grandma Jan in her lacy black Victorian costume and feather hat! However, once we arrived on The Strand, they realized that I obviously fit in with the other guests.
I'm inspired by all that I saw and learned at this unique celebration. That means, of course, that I'm now researching Galveston and its unique Victorian era. Someday, I hope to set a novel here on this fascinating island in the Gulf of Mexico.
You can check Dickens out at www.galvestonhistory.org.
Stay tuned and please stay in touch!
Janet Kay
www.watersofthedancingsky.com
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Welcome, Winter!
Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius.Pietro Arentino, Italian author/poet 1492 - 1556
Winter has arrived in the northland in all its glory - and fury. I woke this morning to find that the world had turned white overnight. Naked trees have donned frosty coats of snow, bowing low,swaying to the rhythm of the winds. Angry waves tumble across the lake, determined to keep layers of ice from silencing their energy. The Canadian geese have already given up the fight, loudly organizing themselves into formation for their annual flight south.
Soon there will be silence, solitude, as we drift into a winter's frame of mind. Soon we will turn our attention inward, taking time to reflect. Time to sit by the fire with a good book, perhaps to take an online course, to learn something new. Time to think about our lives and plot future directions.
As we turn inward, winter has a way of unleashing our creativity. As the snow falls, I'm drawn to my writing. My characters seem to come to life more readily in the winter than in any other season. Plots thicken.
I'm already hard at work researching my next several novels...and making plans to visit the destinations where they will be set. Of course, I'm doing a sequel to my "Waters of the Dancing Sky" which will be set again on Rainy Lake. Other destinations include Galveston, Texas; Virginia City, Montana; and Walnut, Iowa.
Here's to winter! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...
Stay tuned - and please stay in touch.
Janet Kay
www.watersofthedancingsky.com
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Inspirational Moments in Sweden
They say that life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away! While Sweden was full of these moments for me, one of the most inspirational was a visit to the home and gardens of the famous Swedish artist, Carl Larsson. Born into a poverty-stricken family in 1853, he found a way to follow his dream and talent, to become a world-renowned artist - and to actually become wealthy from the sale of his art work.
Winding through tiny streets in his picturesque village of Sundborn, it felt almost surreal, as if I'd just stepped back into the last century. Carl lived with his wife, Karin, and his eight children in a red Swedish cottage on a private lake. His family, home, and gardens were frequently the subjects that he painted.
I was entranced - and greatly inspired by his quaint cottage. French windows overlooking the lake and gardens were lined with red geranium flowers in clay pots. There were nooks and crannies in which to write, paint, or do needlework. Carl had painted portraits of each of his children, and his wife, on the interior doors, sometimes extending his artistic endeavors up and across the ceilings.
Standing quietly in the midst of his gardens, I marveled at a 350 year old apple tree that is still producing apples! There is something magical about this place...
Breathing deeply,I could almost feel spirits of the past lingering on here. Inspiration flowed through me like a river, as if I'd been touched by the stroke of Carl's paint brush.
I'm back home, back to work on my computer. I've framed one of Carl's photos above my desk, a source of inspiration for me. When I look at it, I hope to tap into my experiences in his gardens. Thanks, Carl!
Stay tuned and please stay in touch.
Janet Kay
www.watersofthedancingsky.com
Winding through tiny streets in his picturesque village of Sundborn, it felt almost surreal, as if I'd just stepped back into the last century. Carl lived with his wife, Karin, and his eight children in a red Swedish cottage on a private lake. His family, home, and gardens were frequently the subjects that he painted.
I was entranced - and greatly inspired by his quaint cottage. French windows overlooking the lake and gardens were lined with red geranium flowers in clay pots. There were nooks and crannies in which to write, paint, or do needlework. Carl had painted portraits of each of his children, and his wife, on the interior doors, sometimes extending his artistic endeavors up and across the ceilings.
Standing quietly in the midst of his gardens, I marveled at a 350 year old apple tree that is still producing apples! There is something magical about this place...
Breathing deeply,I could almost feel spirits of the past lingering on here. Inspiration flowed through me like a river, as if I'd been touched by the stroke of Carl's paint brush.
I'm back home, back to work on my computer. I've framed one of Carl's photos above my desk, a source of inspiration for me. When I look at it, I hope to tap into my experiences in his gardens. Thanks, Carl!
Stay tuned and please stay in touch.
Janet Kay
www.watersofthedancingsky.com
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Stepping Back in Time...
As I explore the nooks and crannies of Sweden, I am overwhelmed with the deep sense of history that seems to seep into one's mind and soul. Wandering through quaint villages along winding cobble-stoned streets, there's a sense of stepping back in time...far back.
In America, I was intrigued with "relics" from the 1800's. Here, I'm disappointed to find that the village church where some of my ancestors lived during the 1600's and early 1700's was not even built until 1840! Imagine that!
What I have seen so far are incredible Gothic and Romanesque medieval churches and cathedrals dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. Swedish life has always revolved around its' churches, perched high above surrounding little villages and farms. They feature some of the finest art work and decor that you will see anyplace in Europe. The history behind these "kyrkas" is fascinating, opening one's mind to endless possibilities for future stories!
I have one of my own amazing stories to share. Something had been nagging me to visit a certain research center here in Ronneby, Sweden on the Baltic Sea. I soon discovered why! The research geneologist who was helping me decipher Swedish records suddenly became very much interested in my family's pedigree chart. She began furiously working at her computer. Finally she turned to me with a big smile on her face, tears in her eyes, and gave me a big hug! She informed me that we were related! It seems that my great-great-great-great grandmother was a sister to Annika's! The two girls, born in 1796 and 1801,came from a family of FOURTEEN children! So, I now have a relative in Sweden whom I plan to stay in touch with.
Amazing things can happen when you embark upon a journey to research your past.
Stay tuned and please stay in touch!
Janet Kay
www.watersofthedancingsky.com
In America, I was intrigued with "relics" from the 1800's. Here, I'm disappointed to find that the village church where some of my ancestors lived during the 1600's and early 1700's was not even built until 1840! Imagine that!
What I have seen so far are incredible Gothic and Romanesque medieval churches and cathedrals dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. Swedish life has always revolved around its' churches, perched high above surrounding little villages and farms. They feature some of the finest art work and decor that you will see anyplace in Europe. The history behind these "kyrkas" is fascinating, opening one's mind to endless possibilities for future stories!
I have one of my own amazing stories to share. Something had been nagging me to visit a certain research center here in Ronneby, Sweden on the Baltic Sea. I soon discovered why! The research geneologist who was helping me decipher Swedish records suddenly became very much interested in my family's pedigree chart. She began furiously working at her computer. Finally she turned to me with a big smile on her face, tears in her eyes, and gave me a big hug! She informed me that we were related! It seems that my great-great-great-great grandmother was a sister to Annika's! The two girls, born in 1796 and 1801,came from a family of FOURTEEN children! So, I now have a relative in Sweden whom I plan to stay in touch with.
Amazing things can happen when you embark upon a journey to research your past.
Stay tuned and please stay in touch!
Janet Kay
www.watersofthedancingsky.com
Saturday, September 11, 2010
"Trollin" in Sweden
Greetings from the land of the midnight sun! I'm here in Smaland doing some family history research, visiting little villages where my Swedish ancestors once lived, trying to learn more about their lives.
I recently went "trollin" in the amazing Trollskogan forest on the northern tip of the Island of Oland in the Baltic Sea. They say that trolls live here! Ancient gnarled oaks twist through the dense forest, taking on the shape of witches, ghosts, and trolls. One tree is 900 years old! I was alone in a fairyland, stumbling over rocky trails, walking through silky threads of spider webs. In the background, the sea wails and crashes against the rocky shoreline. All alone...wondering what lurks around the next bend. Yes, this is a place where imaginations soar. A place to set a story, perhaps. What if...
I contined my "trollin" - this time, searching for tiny villages where my ancestors lived in the 1700's and 1800's. A very long time ago. Some of their old farms no longer exist although remnants of their lives dot the forested landscape.
I was delighted to find the Algutsboda Kyrka (church) where my ancestors were baptized, where many were buried. It was built in the 1500's, renovated in the 1700's. Searching through the grave yard in a drizzling rain, I was disappointed to learn that the graves of my relatives were no longer visible. They now lie buried beneath another layer of gravestones. That is the way they do things here...
My search for these graves was similar to my search for the trolls. Perhaps I didn't find what I thought I was looking for...but maybe I found even more. Maybe we don't need physical evidence of things like spirits and trolls. Maybe it's enough just to feel their presence...to believe in the magic.
Stay tuned and please stay in touch.
Janet Kay
www.watersofthedancingsky.com
I recently went "trollin" in the amazing Trollskogan forest on the northern tip of the Island of Oland in the Baltic Sea. They say that trolls live here! Ancient gnarled oaks twist through the dense forest, taking on the shape of witches, ghosts, and trolls. One tree is 900 years old! I was alone in a fairyland, stumbling over rocky trails, walking through silky threads of spider webs. In the background, the sea wails and crashes against the rocky shoreline. All alone...wondering what lurks around the next bend. Yes, this is a place where imaginations soar. A place to set a story, perhaps. What if...
I contined my "trollin" - this time, searching for tiny villages where my ancestors lived in the 1700's and 1800's. A very long time ago. Some of their old farms no longer exist although remnants of their lives dot the forested landscape.
I was delighted to find the Algutsboda Kyrka (church) where my ancestors were baptized, where many were buried. It was built in the 1500's, renovated in the 1700's. Searching through the grave yard in a drizzling rain, I was disappointed to learn that the graves of my relatives were no longer visible. They now lie buried beneath another layer of gravestones. That is the way they do things here...
My search for these graves was similar to my search for the trolls. Perhaps I didn't find what I thought I was looking for...but maybe I found even more. Maybe we don't need physical evidence of things like spirits and trolls. Maybe it's enough just to feel their presence...to believe in the magic.
Stay tuned and please stay in touch.
Janet Kay
www.watersofthedancingsky.com
Monday, August 30, 2010
Summer's End...
The last sultry days of summer are slipping silently into the mist of early autumn mornings. Intricate spider webs hang precariously from twisted branches of gnarled old oaks. Subtle shades of sun-drenched red and gold begin to emerge along winding country roads.
Tonight I sit alone on my deck overlooking Whitefish Lake as waves crash beneath me. As shadows slip into an endless lake. As wild winds penetrate the pitch of night. Tonight there is no moon. There are no stars. All I can see is black leaves rustling and swaying to the rhythm of the night, dipping and dancing against a blackened sky that seems to threaten the world below.
I wait - as winds begin to howl, as thunder booms across the universe, as jagged spikes of white lightning sizzle across my lake. It's time to retreat into the safety of my home, I think, as the heavens unleash a downpour of icy rain.
As I slam my windows shut against the fickle whims of nature, I ponder the seasons of life that provide balance in our lives, that inspire us to write, to create, and to dream. I long to fling these windows wide open,to let the creative juices flow in again. And I know that they will, when the time is right...
Stay tuned, and please stay in touch!
Janet Kay
www.watersofthedancingsky.com
Tonight I sit alone on my deck overlooking Whitefish Lake as waves crash beneath me. As shadows slip into an endless lake. As wild winds penetrate the pitch of night. Tonight there is no moon. There are no stars. All I can see is black leaves rustling and swaying to the rhythm of the night, dipping and dancing against a blackened sky that seems to threaten the world below.
I wait - as winds begin to howl, as thunder booms across the universe, as jagged spikes of white lightning sizzle across my lake. It's time to retreat into the safety of my home, I think, as the heavens unleash a downpour of icy rain.
As I slam my windows shut against the fickle whims of nature, I ponder the seasons of life that provide balance in our lives, that inspire us to write, to create, and to dream. I long to fling these windows wide open,to let the creative juices flow in again. And I know that they will, when the time is right...
Stay tuned, and please stay in touch!
Janet Kay
www.watersofthedancingsky.com
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