JUL 15, 21 .. THE TIME HAS COME THE WALRUS SAID ..
The time has come,’ the Walrus said,
To talk of many things:
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —
Of cabbages — and kings —
And why the sea is boiling hot —
And whether pigs have wings.’
The Walrus and the Carpenter .. Lewis Carroll
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43914/the-walrus-and-the-carpenter-56d222cbc80a9
The Time Has Come for me (along with Patti) to look at my current slump here on dot.net and make some decisions on its future and in fact its very existence.
This I know : On August the 16th we will reach the end of a ten year run and begin a second decade of ‘For What It’s Worth. I am currently in a slump. I have not been out of the country now for over a year and a half, so I haven’t any new and interesting travel experiences to write about. But all things considered, I am not ready to discontinue this website.
What to do?
Some thoughts.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The short version.. We will begin to publish pleasant sayings in lieu of doing nothing at all.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The long version..
Blogging and Websites and Book Writing.
When Andrej and I began this website (back on August 16th 2011) my own personal top priority, my main mission, was to have a platform (this website) where I could share my International Travel adventures.
Just in case you personally have never had a website (or if you prefer a blog), online, or for that matter if you’ve tried to write a book, there are many MANY suggestions on how to blog / write your book. These suggestions begin with how to write (the style), what to say (the content of your undertaking), how to say it, along with many do’s and many don’ts.
I have always winged it. Stream of consciousness writing. I sit down and write. Sure I have some idea of where we will go but you get the idea.
With a website, one of the cardinal, and most important, suggestions is that you absolutely must have a certain degree of consistency. Stop writing for too long and you lose your followers. When you lose someone you may never get them back.
Once upon a time..
MAY 29, 2012..
I wrote a post.
It wasn’t until NOV 20, 2012..
Just a few days shy of six (6) months later..
That I wrote my next post.
This poor little website ‘died’ during that six (6) month time span.
I don’t want this scenario to be repeated !!
Consistency is one of the most important things that bloggers tend to forget. It’s much easier to lose your readers than it is to get them, so make sure you consistently blog.
Here are (but a few) other suggestions:
Write for yourself first and foremost. Ignore the fact that anyone else will read what you write; just focus on your thoughts, ideas, opinions and figure out how to put those into words. Write it and they will come.
Stay true to yourself and your voice. People don’t care to follow sites so much as they care to follow people.
Writing isn’t about picking the right topic; it’s about finding the right voice. What matters, what readers really resonate with, isn’t so much what you say, but how.
Writing is like a Mini-Skirt ! It has to be short enough to be interesting, but long enough to cover the subject.
Somewhere, sometime (and I can’t find it now for the life of me) I read that readers are not interested in you per se, but in what they can take away from your site that is of value to them.
So as I approach the conclusion of ten (10) years of hosting this website (along with Patti) I am stuck in a creative impasse. Not that I haven’t previously experienced slumps because (along with probably everyone else who has hosted a website of ten years duration) I most certainly have had more than a few of them. As we all know, life itself has its ups and its downs, its highly active phases and its quiet times.
So I have reached into my bag of inspirational ideas and came up with this, one of my all time favorite inspirational writings by Edward Everett Hale:
I am only one,
But still,
I AM one.
I cannot do everything,
But still,
I CAN DO SOMETHING.
And because I cannot do everything
I will NOT refuse to do the something
That I CAN DO.
Edward Everett Hale
I will focus upon : Although I am stuck, what CAN I DO?
This I CAN DO.
Instead of sitting idle, I CAN share A Quiet Thought with you.
I feel that publishing something is far better than being idle because, once you lose your readers, you do not easily get them to return.
So here we go.
In a few days (to allow some time for this Post to be read) we are going to (once a week or so just to keep myself and things active here on dot.net) post some writings titled : A QUIET THOUGHT.
Oh-By-The-Way, this is not a new idea here on dot.net. If you are interested, please see one or two of the below links.
See APR 21, 2012
See MAY 12, 2012
See MAY 28, 2020
Smiles and Hugs ..
Cap and Patti
- JUL 11, 21 .. NOW A PROMISE MADE (TO DANNY 48073) IS A DEBT UNPAID
- JUL 16, 21 .. FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH .. MY REPLY TO A COMMENT MADE TO YESTERDAY’S POST
10 thoughts on “JUL 15, 21 .. THE TIME HAS COME THE WALRUS SAID ..”
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Thursday, July 15, 2020 – 2:00 pm
Hi Cap,
I always get a kick and entertainment from your writings! You always have some interesting tails/stories to tell about what’s happening in your neck of the woods! Keep it up!
Your ole buddy, zilla
Wow ! How nice ‘Zilla. YOU go all the way back to the beginning of dot.net. YOU are the one who suggested that I date our posts here to make them much easier to find.. As in : JUL 15, 21 .. Smiles and Hugs from Patti and me to you and Kleiner Bär.
I know exactly what you are talking about, Cap. Not traveling and then getting busy with other things leaves little time for blogging. I would do more posts if my photos didn’t take so long to upload.
With blogging comes the responsibility to keep it up for readers who are loyal. Yet where to find the time and inspiration?
You could, of course, do some traveling inside Alaska. The Whittier tunnel and 26 Glacier Cruise would make a perfect post for your readers. Nice little cafe serves good halibut and chips in Whittier.
Visit McCarthy and Kennicott Mine park. Visit Denali NP–you can drive in 15 miles without a permit. You pass through moose and caribou country and turn around at a unique rest stop. Or, take the bus to the Eielson Visitor’s center and see some spectacular scenery.
Lots to do inside Alaska. Take one of the bear-viewing flights from Soldotna or Homer. Go on a cruise out of Seward and see whales and sea lions and glaciers.
You don’t have to sit in your condo and wonder what to post. What are you saving your $$$$$ for? Old age?
Continuing on…. Drive to Portage and visit the animals at the Alaska Wildland Conservation Center. Moose, musk ox, elk, bison, wolves, porcupines, bears, lynx, etc. lots to see there.
Head up to Turnagain Pass for the wildflowers, but hurry. Short season there. You can’t just drive by them because they are small and you won’t appreciation the effect. Miles 64-65 and miles 67-68. Not the pullouts—pull over along side the road.
Palmer area— Hatcher’s Pass! Lots of interesting history. If you know where, you can see pika and hoary marmots.
Go up to Lion’s Head on the Glenn. Beautiful scenery and a little farther up, the site of the annual Hawk Watch in April. Google it.
Drive over to the ANS area, the business area, and see all the waterfowl in the pond! Baby grebes are extraordinary.
Do a post on the 4th Avenue Theater, its history and current travails.
Take the Alyeska tram to the top and do a photo shoot. Chena Hot Springs. Ever been to the ice house there?
Note that none of my suggestions require excess walking.
Go to Seward and visit the SeaLife Center, especially to bird exhibit with birds flying underwater. Lots of colorful birds to photograph.
Go to Seldovia. Picturesque and unique.
Take photos of the Russian Orthodox churches in Ninilchik and Kenai and talk about Alaska’s history.
Remember, Alaska is exotic to your readers. Any of these activities will get you out of your condo and do wonders for your doldrums.
Agreed Gullible. Great suggestions. Excellent suggestions. We have done all of these suggestions and more over the years. The issue is simple : I am extremely fatigued and I mean EXTREMELY. It is fatigue of another world Gullible. I can (and I DO) sleep for ten or eleven hours and awaken and want only to go back to sleep. I don’t often do that (go right back to sleep) but I do take nap(s) sooner rather than later. I am in touch with Mayo Clinic and other Doctors up here in Alaska all to no avail for over the past one and one half years. Still Smiling but certainly facing a life challenging issue here. I remain convinced that I had Covid-19 when I returned here in December of 2019 and was so ill flying through Seattle that I broke my flight and I went to the Emergency Room at the Virginia Mason Hospital en route home from Mongolia and South Korea. Now THAT is something. THAT is being ill. Again thanks for your many comments. Cap
I like what Gullible suggested, if possible. Gord
So too do I Gord. Great suggestions. Gord with the extreme fatigue that I am experiencing, I simply do not have the physical energy to get out on the road. These treks are physically demanding Gord and I just don’t have the energy. Smiles and THANKS so very much for your support. Cap
Oh CAP! I am so sorry you are going through this. I know that fatigue you speak of, an incomprehensible depth that is more than I have ever experienced in my original life. It’s so hard to describe. Nothing alleviates it. And everything can require more energy than is available. My heart goes out to you.
Thanks Kathleen. Thanks so very, VERY much. Only those who have actual experience (at anything) can fully understand what others who are going through the same experience (depression, manic epsiodes, etc) are experiencing. And? I could fill a book with other ailments that are worse (in my opinion). As just one-for-instance, the brother of a close friend has recently survived having 30 radiation and chemotherapy treatments and all that entails. I will happily experience this fatigue in comparrison. So great to be-in-touch Kathleen. Cap