i'm writing a book - right here!

[McNarff]

Hey Martha,
How have you been? I must of somehow got knocked off e-mail notification.

It's been awhile, your up to over 15 thousand views. Congratulations you lockenut! Ha.

I know you've been busy, I read back through your thread. I'm sure you saw Jim and Kevin at Osh Kosh. I'll still be here waiting whenever your ready.

[AAC Cadet Leader]

hi mcnarff,
yes, i've been busy.

need to get back in the daily writing mode, but i'm just not ready yet. i think i experienced burn-out after the first three months of working on re-writing the tenth draft for 4-5 hours a day last year on this seemingly never-ending book project and posting to this thread. but, i know i must get back in the swing of it again and get it finished. sure would be easier if i had an interested publisher who could also assist with a lot of the details i need to research, as well as indexing, etc. a book advance would be helpful too, but don't think that's the norm these days, except for celebrities and famous authors.

no, i never did run into kevin and jim kimball at this year's oshkosh, darn. would've liked to seen them. they are super people!

hey, thanks for posting, ken! really appreciate that you took the time to read all the way through this thread again. i don't think i have even done that.

[AAC Cadet Leader]

... on december 26, 2008, a man and woman walked in my little gallery and i asked them where they were from (just as i ask many of the tourists who come in.) the man answered, "montana!" i paused for a moment, looking at him and then realised who he was!

he was my pipeline pilot, larry larson from molt, montana with his wonderful wife, lalonnie. what a thrill it was for me to see them again and spend the next few hours with them!

before they left i took this photo of them in my front parlor:

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...ec_26_2008.jpg

larry is still flying the pipeline in the same aeroplane, his piper super cruiser.

after flying with him twenty years ago, i changed my ambitions from wanting to be an airline pilot to wanting to be a pipeline pilot! it's still my ambition. perhaps someday in the future...

[backusstudio]

Way cool Martha. You touched a lot of lives with that trip. I hope you get your book published. You'll touch a lot more.

Happy New Year!

[Roryanimations]

Oops. pressed submit twice!!

[Roryanimations]

Hi there Martha and Happy New Year to you and everyone else on this thread!!

And yeah, Wow!! isn't it great that people keep popping up out of that magnificent journey of yours!?!!

I guess you can relax right now about the book for a year or so as the Queen of England would have a hard itme publishing her erotic diaries in the current economic climate!! But seriously, don't give up, it is a great story, wonderfully told, and books do get published - the economy is slowing down, it isn't stopping!! We still got to eat and entertain ourselves...

We had a great Christmas here and I hope you and your daughters did too. Incidentally, I don't know if you have heard of it, but I was given a brilliant, witty, insightful and worrying book called Deer Hunting With Jesus by Joe Bageant. Maybe it will amuse you, or maybe it will anger you, and maybe you recognise the people he writes about, his friends and family in West Virginia, but I believe it must be of interest to all thinking people at some level. As a long distance admirer and life long friend of America, it told me stuff I needed to learn, especially in his explanation of the meaning and symbolism of guns in that society and in setting my European prejudices straight on a lot of the myths and legends about American gun laws and habits. And if you ever tire of hearing our illustrious governments telling us no-one could have predicted the collapse of the mortgage markets read what Joe had to say back in 2006!!

Anyway, it got published so this is also just to say, you/we can still get our stuff out there...

All the best as ever

Rory

[AAC Cadet Leader]

mike,
thanks. yeah, getting back in touch with some of my pilots and hosts has been a way of continuing the adventure. in 2008, i met up with let's see...eight of them in person and a few more online and through letters.


rory,
thanks for the continued encouragement. my son, daughter and i did have a nice christmas here, too.

i have heard of that book. i'll look into it. thx.

[backusstudio]

Originally Posted by Roryanimations

H the people he writes about, his friends and family in West Virginia,
Rory

I'd like to point out that Winchester, Joe Bageant's home town, is in western Virginia, not West Virginia which is a completely separate state. West Virginia was part of Virginia prior to the American Civil War but broke off from Virginia in 1863. They stayed with the Union rather than join the Confederacy.

There are lots of Irish in West Virginia, Rory. Part of my own family moved there from County Cork back in the 1850s. If you ever get a chance to see an art film called "The Songcatcher" it's a great film about the Irish and their folk music in WV back in the 1920s.

[Roryanimations]

First, Martha, sorry for the mix up of your son for a second daughter!! I hope he can forgive me. One day maybe I'll make it to Oshkosh and meet with you and them and who knows who else from this thread!!

And second, Hi Michael, How do you do and thank you for the corrections. Typical lazy reading on my part as I do know that much of American geography to distinguish West Virginia from Virginia, it is just that I don't really know where Winchester is and should have checked. Time for Google Earth!!

Actually I am of English and Scottish extraction but my family have had a house here since 1964 and my wife and I made it our home in 2004 after she retired and I began working more from home, which meant I could live in the only home I have ever missed when I am away!! Cork is our nearest city and these Southern Irish are the best of the bunch. If you ever come to see the land of your forefathers please look us up... Killian, another of us on this thread, is coming by later this month on a trip he plans to make around the Ring of Kerry.

Better work now...

All the best everyone

Rory

[Roryanimations]

And I'll check out The Songcatcher on Amazon today, see if I can get the DVD. Thanks again Michael.