Topless on the Beach

        In France (my favorite place in the world) the women go topless. The men wear Speedos. Sometimes, visually, it's a scary place.

This is a photo from one of the towns I visited in France, on a trip
I took several years ago.

To celebrate the travel you might be doing this summer or later this year, I'm giving away a copy of Not Your Mother's Book...On Travel. Included in this anthology is my story "Half Right," and the tale answers the question everyone across the country has been asking (while they try to gouge out their mind's eye):

Did Sioux go topless when she was in France?

To get your name in the drawing, all you have to do is become a follower. If you're already a follower, all you have to do is leave a comment. (For you busy writers, to minimize the time you're spending away from the short story/article/novel you're working on, just say "Yo," or "Hey," or if you're a fan of the Lumineers, you can leave "Hey Ho" as a comment.)

Good luck--for all those who are brave enough to be willing to read these stories. (As an added bonus, there is a hilarious story about cruising by a fellow WWWP, Linda O'Connell. No, she's not a cruising cougar on the prowl in this story...at least not in this story. ;) I will draw a name on the last day of June...

 

 

Relaxing and Recharging

       Two weeks ago I went on a writing retreat to Conception, Missouri. The setting was Conception Abbey. Beautiful grounds, some sharp "editors" who gave great feedback, and no distractions. (No television, limited internet, and sketchy cell phone service.)

       The peace I felt reminded me of the tranquility that France brings me. It is a country that's lured me three times so far. I plan on returning someday with my daughter and granddaughter.

        Here are some pictures I took on my most recent trip, which was several years ago.

They say that if you can ski in the Pyrenees, you can
ski anywhere...Needless to say, due to my gawkiness, I
did not ski on any of my trips to France.
 

Architecture that is four or five or six centuries old is wonderful to explore. When I was in France,
I had to explore the possibility of going topless on the beach. Did I keep my swimsuit top on, or did
I embrace their customs with gusto and go sans top? You will have to buy Not Your Mother's Book...On Travel,
by the Publishing Syndicate, to find out...

 

 

This is a shop in the Basque region, an area that spans both France
and Spain. They have a distinctive culture--this shop, for example,
has strings of dried peppers hanging on the front exterior wall.

 

 

Okay, I know this is not indicative of what the scenery is like in France,
but it was one of the coolest sand sculptures I've ever seen.

 Everyone needs some time periods when they can relax and slow things down. Quiet times are especially needed if you're an artist (or a parent of young children, or if you have a stressful job or if...well, we all need serenity--NOW).

 

What do you do to relax? Or, where do you go (either mentally or physically)?