Landscaping in St Helena

I brought Muriel and Leland to St Helena to study the landscapes of Lakes Hennessey and Berryessa. The whole weekend we were deluged with rains coming from the Pacific and covering the entire state. On Lake Berryessa we were caught in what should have been called a squall. Sudden, gusty, and very very wet. We captured hundreds of photos, some audio of birds and rain, and a few drawings. In the afternoons, we returned to the motel and dried out, making sculpey models of the landscapes we'd seen in the mornings.

In the late evenings, I got to work a bit on the novel. I've found a great little application called Scrivener. It's a novel writing and organizing program made for the Mac. I have no idea why it didn't show up when I was looking for just this in 2008, but here it is. I ended up using DevonThinkPro, which is a great research app, but not necessarily a friendly writing app. And I can never ever remember its name.

So I've now seen a quick and dirty compilation of the pages I've got. I included former sets, too, at first and had around 200pp. A strange feeling.

Tonight I filled out the remainder of the placeholder sections in Scrivener with elements from my outline. I have not bee updating my outline based on the thinking I've been doing--especially about Adara and the Boy. The story has taken a turn from the last full version of the outline.

I've lost one notebook--or it feels lost. It had some good notes, but mostly good drawings. Many significant things came out in that notebook. After I returned from India my life has not resumed its normal flow. I'll have a few days this week and a few next week to find that rhythm again.