A day on the train and ferry

All day yesterday was given over to transportation, leaving the Dublin hotel right after breakfast and taking a succession of taxis, trains, and ferries to wind up in Chester after 11:00 p.m.

The ferry ride was very smooth, only a little rocking and swaying.  We didn't opt for a cabin, but the main area wasn't crowded.  Big wall-sized teevee screen showing interminable golf.  Misting rain most of the time.  I only went out on deck a couple of times, to accompany Wendi on her cigarette breaks.  (Wishing I was still smoking my pipe!)

We had a nice meal on the ferry, Swedish meatballs with loganberry sauce.  Free wine in first class, pour your own.  I enjoyed reading the book from the conference, The Impossible Craft, Scott Donaldson's long personal essay on the challenges of writing literary biography.  (Donaldson wrote landmark books on Fitzgerald and Hemingway, among others.)

It was interesting to compare that genre with the problems of writing fiction, which are surprisingly similar.  (If your characters' descendants could sue you!)

The sun has come up on Chester, a town with a lot of medieval ruins that still has an intact Roman wall.  Hope to have some spots of clear weather for a watercolor.  The town looked pretty picturesque in the darkness last night.

Joe