Watching More Than the Whales

We went on a Whale Watch out of Plymouth yesterday. The weather forecast has been iffy here lately, with many threats of rain and thunderstorms, but yesterday's forecast was tolerable, so off we went.

Being a Saturday, the boat was full. Very middle America with families, many like ours with 3 generations. We saw a skid load of whales, frolicking about in their feeding grounds. I am always on the lookout for characters and always see a few. Yesterday's was a woman, thin, red-haired and freckled, with a deep tan, wearing boat shoes, as was her husband, different brands, hers Sperry, his Timberland. When you look at people you really have to look. Maine t-shirt, denin shorts, two daughters, one son. They looked like a boating family. Husband in software from his baseball hat. We brought along a quart plastic bag of "snacks," - - granola bars, chocolate, nuts, water. Others brought SNACKS: big bags of chips, Goldfish, candy--that yucky red licorice eaten by the whole family. Details. Details.

Difficult to photograph the whales, due to their quick surfacing and diving. S.O. got one good tail picture and a few other so-so. Delay on digital camera not good for sudden unexpected whale sightings.

A HUGE lobster roll at the Cabby Shack on the habor afterward. Plymouth has beaucoup seafood joins on the waterfront, always a good thing. New England in the Summer to the max. The people, the weather, the smell of brine and fried seafood, young waitresses in short skirts, guys in tank tops hanging out at the bar. Not in Nantucket, of course. Bad wine, good lobster, how sweet it was!

I am finding things to fix in Festival Madness. A friend who was formerly a French professor is reading Promiscuous Mode for me and has some suggestions that I will seriously entertain. Reading a first novel which sounded like it had certain similiarities to mine (it doesn't), that is also not as good. I'm wondering if my character is "tragic" enough. She is conflicted, but she tends not to wallow in her conflicts, because she has a job to do and a busy life. Maybe this is too much life "real" life. She is a supreme pragmatist. Does that turn agents, editors and readers off? Dunno. Dunno. She doesn't let her pain dominate her life.

Off to make some excellent potato salad, get in the shower and then go to the pool. Looks like a good pool day. A faint tan is darkening arms and legs for the first time in years. All this time on boats and poolside and at the beach. Summer is a beach.

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