Photo Blog Friday

I'm finally home from the United Kingdom. England is my favorite place to visit, and I was so inspired by the spooky and endearing Corfe Castle and Old Harry Rocks, both in the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset. Our day in Windsor was like stepping onto the set of Downton Abbey. (No, I didn't cheat and watch the new season while I was there.) And of course London was magnificent as always, a fascinating blend of cultures and history and modernity, all wrapped up together. I wish I had pictures to share from the Treasures Collection at the British Library. They have the original draft of Persuasion, in Austen's own hand, with revisions. An original draft of Jane Eyre, in Bronte's own hand, with revisions. First printings of Shakespeare and Wuthering Heights. The Magna Carta. A Gutenberg Bible. It's just an overwhelming affirmation that words, writing, and their power of communication matter, not just now, but in the past and in the future.

The Oakley Court grounds, Windsor

The Oakley Court

The Isle of Purbeck

Corfe Castle

The Jurassic Coast

Big Harry Rocks

One of many delightful pubs

At the Band of Skulls concert

The Eye and the aquarium

Big Ben, from Westminster Abbey

The Public Eye

Source

We all live in glass houses in this digital age.

I write about this loss of privacy in my YA fiction, and the idea just won't stop cropping up in the real world. Athletes and celebrities seem to take the brunt of the public eye, but they're not the only ones anymore. It spans such a huge range of situations, from the embarrassing to the criminal.

I can't help wondering what it will mean for our society in the long run. Will it make us better, eventually, knowing that someone's always watching us? Or will it just expose more of the darkness we already fear exists?

The ugliness weighs on me, as a woman, a mother, and a Christian. We have access to multitudes of information and countless people in the palm of our hands, and what do we do with it? Threaten and intimidate? I'm not sure what's worse, the hatred or the indifference.

I don't have any real answers. But over the next few weeks, I'm challenging myself to use this technology that's supposed to make our lives better and easier for something good. I hope you'll take on that challenge, too.

Music for today: Lightening Bolt by Jake Bugg

Fall Inspiration

With summer slipping away, so many changes are coming. In the grand scheme of things, after a month filled with one tragedy after another in the news, I'm looking forward to ushering in a new season full of potential, growth, and thanksgiving. Today I'm photo blogging with images to remind me of where I've been and keep me inspired for the times ahead.

The Upper West Side

At the Met

NYC at night

Boston and Cambridge from the Charles

Boothbay Harbor, Maine at Sunset

From the bay

Peaceful Summer