As I mentioned in my last post we spent the weekend with my daughter, her husband and our granddaughter in New Brunswick. They are a four-hour car drive away, that’s four hours if you don’t make any stops along the way. (Three and a half hours if you’re my son-in-law.)
We made several stops; the trip seemed to go on forever. I went prepared, though, armed with a copy of Tom Sheppard’s, Historic Bridgewater, and a notepad. I’ve had Tom’s book for sometime but hadn’t got around to reading it. My to be read list is long. I sometimes get distracted. A new book comes along, one that I have to read immediately. I can’t help myself.
Okay, so I really am a history nut. There’s so much to be learned about our present and our future by turning toward the past. Whenever I read a history book I’m always reminded that history is all about change and preserving what once was. Life is about change. It has to be.
Not only did I dig into Tom’s book but I made plenty of notes during the trip for my present work in progress. (I guess I wasn’t very good company!) Ideas seemed to fly as the miles went by. I knew I couldn’t rely upon my memory to remember these things later on. I don’t often think to bring a notebook along with me but this time I did. I seldom plot my stories out on paper, but this particular story has been dancing around in background for some time, flaring up every now and again to let me know it’s time will one day come. I haven’t given up on it. It just hasn’t been quite ripe until now.
What amazed me about the weekend was realizing how our granddaughter has grown. The changes had happened slowly over the days and weeks, but for us it seemed so sudden. Then comes the nagging reminder of all those little moments we are missing out on. It had been seven weeks since we last saw her. So many changes have taken place. Babies are like that. Just try and stop them!
But I do not dare spend my time dwelling about all the things we are missing out on or all those little changes that we aren’t there to see. I am choosing to enjoy each precious moment as it comes along.
The weekend was great and we had a terrific time, and although Miss Charlotte won’t see us as often as we might like those precious bonds are still being formed.
And now it’s back to the real world, back to daydreaming about all those little changes we won’t be there to see as they unfold, and back to a story that has suddenly decided the time is right.
Laura Best 
dave ebright
/ June 13, 2010SO THAT’s why Canadians are bad drivers – they read write & drive at the same time! (We’re safe from “your type” ’til November/December & I only worry about the ones with Quebec plates. YOU DO KNOW I’M KIDDING.)
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Laura Best
/ June 14, 2010Actually, I often read/write and drive. Doesn’t everyone? It makes life much more interesting.
Hmmm. I was wondering if I needed to add the part that I wasn’t driving but I thought it was apparent..Leave it to you, Dave…lol!
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Helen
/ June 14, 2010I love that feeling when a story ripens. Get it down quick!
I’m amazed you can read and make notes while travelling. That always makes me car sick! You must have been pretty engrossed in your book.
Are you going to tell us more about your WIP or is it top secret?
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Laura Best
/ June 14, 2010Growing up we had an hour bus ride to school and I often studied or read to help relieve boredom. I really enjoy reading local history. I find it fascinating to try and picture the places I now know while reading about what they looked like hundreds of years ago.
My WIP isn’t top secret. I rarely talk about what I’m working on. It will be something for a younger audience but that’s about all I’m going to say at the present moment.
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Judi
/ June 15, 2010LOL, then I guess I will enjoy reading it, if it’s for the “Younger” audience. You mentioned the long drive to school, I remember those. The older children had to wake up the younger one, when they reached their stop….It’s funny the things that we remember….
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Laura Best
/ June 15, 2010Yup! I fell asleep more than once when I first started. Seemed like such a waste of two hours in our day. But we survived..
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Ev Bishop
/ June 16, 2010Aw, Laura, I’m glad you had such a wonderful time with your little granddaughter. And hooray for stories churning and frothing and biding their time ’til they explode.
I haven’t had a lot of time to comment these days, but I have thoroughly enjoyed your posts the last month (and holy toledo you’re wonderfully prolific! :)).
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Laura Best
/ June 16, 2010Hi Ev. It’s always nice to see your smiling face in the comment section of my blog.. Blogging is very time consuming. I agree with you there. But I’ve met many great people along the way.. 🙂
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writerwoman61
/ July 6, 2010Another thing we have in common (besides being Maritimers and having granddaughters)…I also love history, particularly local history!
Wendy
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Laura Best
/ July 6, 2010Hi Wendy!
A few years back I was asked to write a history of our church for its 100th anniversary little knowing when I did that I’d be using some of that history in my novel a few years later..I was so consumed while I was writing the history I just couldn’t get it out of my head. It seems as though every story I write I end up setting it in the past. Yeah, I’m kind of a history nut!
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writerwoman61
/ July 6, 2010I edited a local church history a few years ago…however, I didn’t get to see the final proof before it went to print…my last name ended up being spelled wrong!
Wendy
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writerwoman61
/ July 6, 2010Trying to get on the e-mail subscription list…
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