Melbourne, Australia, 2019

We saw the Terra Cotta Warriors.

I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we have gathered on today. I pay my respects to the Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the nation.

Source: Welcome to Country & Acknowledgement of Country - Creative Spirits, retrieved from https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/spirituality/welcome-to-country-acknowledgement-of-country

I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we have gathered on today. I pay my respects to the Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the nation.

Source: Welcome to Country & Acknowledgement of Country - Creative Spirits, retrieved from https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/spirituality/welcome-to-country-acknowledgement-of-country

 I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we have gathered on today. I pay my respects to the Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the nation.

Source: Welcome to Country & Acknowledgement of Country - Creative Spirits, retrieved from https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/spirituality/welcome-to-country-acknowledgement-of-country

Before every event in Australia, they acknowledge the indigenous people of the country. I was nearly in tears after I heard it the first time. I find it appropriate for me to do this when I am showing things from Melbourne.

We visited the National Gallery of Victoria. Intertwined with the traditional art and grave goods, modern Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang's beautiful, gunpowder-painted pieces brought an even greater sense of wonder.

I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we have gathered on today. I pay my respects to the Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the nation.

Source: Welcome to Country & Acknowledgement of Country - Creative Spirits, retrieved from https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/spirituality/welcome-to-country-acknowledgement-of-country

Cai Guo-Qiang's enormous silks, painted with exploded gunpowder.

Grave Guardian.

A Horse Lamp from the exhibit, Designing Women.

The laneways and arcades of Melbourne are *amazing*.

Inside one of the laneways.

How could I not take this store's picture?

Speaks for itself.

The Great Ocean Road.

And another brilliant costume from RWAus.

Location, location, location

Radu (not in picture) loves Istanbul.

 Dracula Unleashed takes place all over the world. I've been lucky enough to travel to some of the locations I write about. Here we go, across the globe!

Amsterdam is the home of Luc Breton, the European leader.

More Amsterdam. So gorgeous!

The Hagia Sophia.

Once a cathedral and a mosque, the Hagia is a museum. Can you imagine worshipping here?

The Sultan's private rooms in the Topkapi Palace.

Valerie and her boys.

Travel pictures!

Crater Lake, Oregon

We had cocktails at the Grand Californian at Disneyland!

I've had a busy spring, including some fantastic trips down the West Coast.  Here are some pics!

The Guardians of the Galaxy ride. So  much fun!

Oregon wine country

Writing Prompt #2: Tiny Stories

Again, the challenge was to write, just write. Not think, not edit, not change anything.

As a result, I present:

Quest Accepted

It is the twenty-first century. The days of seven league boots, of secret wizards doling out quests from hidden booths in the market, of dreams that come true are long, long gone. 

Modern people could only shuffle through racks and shelves of vintage stores to get a glimpse of the most mundane of treasures. 

The well-worn denim jacket fit perfectly. Rare for a thrift store find, but what drew her to it was the trio of badges that promised things she only dared dream.

One was a smiley face with a negative sign to indicate a wink and a positive sign for a nose. One was a topless woman, reminiscent of a Nagel painting, with the words Soft Metals across the center, and the last, the most intriguing button said, “Talk Kinky to Me!” 

She clutched the lapels in her hands and posed in front of the mirror. The reflection showed a bad-ass, someone daring, someone who flirted and knew her own desires. Someone who took risks.

About as far as she could get from her normal introverted self. 

The jacket was five dollars.She chewed on her lower lip. Five dollars for a broken-in jean jacket was not a risk. She could take off the buttons if she wanted to.

Blushing, she bought the jacket and hurried out the store. Quest accepted.

Tiny stories

Last year was a rough one here at the Charming-Mercury household. As I result, I lost my love of writing and shut down. 

Quite frankly, it sucked.

My dear friend Coral Mallow rode to the rescue! For Christmas, she gave me a box full of writing prompts. Here is the first prompt. Her challenge to me was to write fast, not edit, and let the story come.

And here we are!

Secret Rose

 

He was the baddest, burliest, biker boy you ever did see. Leathers, patches, tattoos, scars, beard, long hair…the whole shebang. There was one thing, though, that no one was brave enough to ask about – the matter of the tiny bouquet of roses pinned into his hair.

But if they had asked, he would have told them the truth. Of the baby sister he’d once had. How he had built a full Victorian  doll-house for her; three floors of little  rugs, teacups, and lace curtains.  

She was a surprise baby, born when he was fully sixteen years old. The late pregnancy took a toll on everyone, though. Their miracle had Down’s Syndrome. 

No one cared. Little Rosie was their sunshine, their joy, the reason the household smiled every day. Her uncoordinated hands could play with the delicate handmade furniture for hours, never once scratching or dropping his hard work.

The therapist always encouraged his time with Rose, but truth was, he would have played with her anyway. She was his escape from the misery of High School where he only excelled in the automotive arts.

She died the day he graduated from from his motorcycle repair course. He took the tiny bouquet of roses from the entry hall of the doll-house, put them in his braid, and left town, never to return to the scene of his heartbreak.

Lousy self-esteem gets in the way of being fabulous.

Behold what I found in the depths of my filing cabinet.

 When I was a young Ms. Mercury, I knew I wanted to write and I knew I wanted to write erotica.

Alas, I let the haters stop me. I tell ya, lousy self-esteem gets in the way of being fabulous. So my list of naughty things languished in my filing cabinet for over 25 years.

So here's to making up for lost time. Let's be fabulous, let's break the rules, and let the good times roll. :)

Photos of the Moment

The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona is a magical place. Upstairs, each country on each continent is represented by their musical instruments.

Here are some Pacific Rim copies of European instruments. Since the Philippine Archipelago is low on metals, they recreated these instruments in bamboo.  What a way to make what you have work for you!

The Pleasure Center: Little Sexy Workbook #2

Sacher Torte is very civilized. And sexy.

Let's get started on having the love life you want. :) I recommend having this conversation over Sacher Torte and coffee with whipped cream. There is nothing like creating a luscious life over a luscious dessert.

First, ask yourself, what is currently working in your intimate life?

Do you split the chores well? Do you enjoy telling your honey how awesome they are? Do you cuddle well? How's that kissing going?

Praise what is going well. Spend some time praising your lover. For example:

• "You get me so hot when you lick my ear/come up behind me and nuzzle my shoulder/walk around in a towel/wear good undies/___________."
•  "I want to make sure you know that I think you are the sexiest person ever."



Gregg Homme makes sexy, sexy undies. *swoon*




•  "I like pleasuring you. It's the most fun I can think of."

Remember, these are compliments. Give them freely, lavishly, lovingly, without expectations.

Next time, I'll tell you how to gather those compliments together and write a super duper love letter.

Go out there and get thinking about love, sex, and pleasure!

The Bohemian Life

Darla's sweet and smart short story

Darla Luke, a wr.iter of formidable insight, told me that I had a Bohemian life.

And I went, "Me?? No way." After all, a bohemian travels the world, dyes her hair crazy colors, has an eclectic and varied family of choice, and wears funky, sassy clothes.

 

 

Funky color green

Talk about a moment of clarity. I grew up in a very small town in Northern Illinois. There was a strong tendency toward, shall we say, conformity. I never once believed I would go overseas, write books, or even live in a beautiful city.

Visiting Amsterdam

Visiting the Louvre! 

I still can't believe I went to Istanbul!!

The best adventure of all: The Charming Man.

Pompeii.

Eh. I'm too tired to write anything intelligent and carefully researched. Have some pictures of Pompeii.

The best tasting octupus ever.

The Flaming Chef and Dr. Snickerdoodle outside the amphitheater.

Mosaic from a wine bar/lunch counter

The dogs of Pompeii were very fat and happy.

The city baths.

Dr. Snickerdoodle as the barkeep!

The ruts in the streets from the carts.

The House of the Faun.

More wicked cool mosaics.

One of the victims of Vesuvius.

Tidbits from the Roman Forum.

Flowers on the mound.

 I've been putting off my blogging. I was going to get "serious" and write about my writing process.

But I wasn't ready to leave Italy behind! Back to Rome for an exploration of death and rebirth.

The mound to the right is the altar of the Temple of Caesar. Augustus began construction of the temple in 42 BC after Julius was assassinated. All that remains is the mound above.

Below is the entrance to the Umbilicus Urbis (Navel of the City). I found myself fascinated by the small, unassuming structure. It had been used as a reference point for center point of the city and was considered an entrance to the Underworld.

The sign at the Umbilicus Urbis.

Augustus Caesar as the Pontifex Maximus.

The remains of a colossus of Constantine.

The Roman emphasis on realism in their portraiture proves that you don't need to be a big, brawny guy to rule the world.

The statue from the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, originally built around 509 BC. Wow!