Saturday night, after a soiree honoring the Ferguson clan, the festival slowly began to wind down. I guess it was about ten when Tom and I returned to our hotel. I met so many cool people. Tom and I spent a good amount of time talking to a Scotsman, Mark Fowler, and his wife. Great couple. I found Mark witty, knowledgeable of history and culture, and an expert on Scotch whisky. And there were so many others.

Sunday, we returned to Monroe, my head brimming with memories of the festival. I also returned with lists of things to do, names of people I had met who I needed to contact quickly, and photographs I need to download and develop. The festival was a reminder of how I need to get out once in a while. The work will always be there, and I learned and experienced much from my weekend that is bound to have some value to my writing.

I’ve taken a day’s break from Civil War reading and picked up White Oleander by Janet Fitch. I had seen the movie and that piqued my interest in the novel. (Yes, I know, one should never judge a book by its movie!) I find the novel’s language beautiful, poetic, and the tone engaging. Two other books came to mind for some reason as I thought about how the tone of a book affects my interest in it: The Weight of Water and Angela’s Ashes. Anyway, you can read more of Janet Fitch, her works, and her bio here: http://literati.net/Fitch/index.htm