Holly Michael's Writing Straight

~ Connecting and Inspiring Along Life's Crooked Lines by Author Holly Michael

Holly Michael's Writing Straight

Tag Archives: Yercaud

Adventures in India

27 Saturday Jul 2013

Posted by Holly Michael in Holy Catholic Church - Anglican Rite, India, Photography

≈ 37 Comments

Tags

Anglican, Bangalore, Bishop Leo Michael, Blog, cows in india, Holly Michael, Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite, India, india hill station, jackfruit, Karnataka, monkeys, photography, South India, St. Mark's Cathedral Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu weddings, www.writingstraight.com, Yercaud

Just returned from a recent trip to India and after more than a week, I think I’ve recovered from jet lag and the time change issues and am ready to blog again. The trip, or what I prefer to call, “an adventure,” was a whirlwind of activities:

Visited a vestment factory in South India…IMG_7109

My husband, Bishop Leo Michael, (Holy Catholic Church, Anglican Rite) celebrated Mass and preached at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Bangalore. St. Mark’s Cathedral, more than 200 years old, is a beautiful colonial structure with roman archers along the walls and lovely stained glass windows. IMG_7222st-marks-cathedralIMG_7236IMG_7237 Spent time with a newly formed mission in Erode, Tamil Nadu, South India…

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Visited the hill station of Yercaud, in the state of Tamil Nadu, to check out the family’s coffee plantation…

IMG_7270

IMG_7310…coffee plants look great…IMG_7307…pepper plants vining around the trees…

IMG_7292 had a picnic on the plantation…photo (9)More Yercaud scenes…photo (10)photo (12)

photo (2) mist on the mountains

photo (11)Monkeys on the roadside

photo (8)And hanging around the hotel

photo (2)

In town, a jackfruit vendor
photo (23)

And, a trip to Tiruppattur to see our good friend Father Michael, (who is a character in my novel, Crooked Lines) and next to me, Amma, my beautiful saintly mother-in-law.

photo (7) on the way back to the state of Karnataka, we saw goat crossings and…

photo (13)a roadside barber shop…

photo (4)a lot of temples…photo (14)

and back in the bustling city of Bangalore, in the state of Karnataka, we saw cows…

photo (15)

photo 1

photo (5)
photo (26)…and this lovely auto body parts store on the top of a roof. Picture taken from the third story window from where we were staying. One evening, from 9 pm until 3 am, they hauled the auto parts up onto the rooftop. Interesting and obnoxiously noisy.

photo (3)And niece Shilpa during some pre-wedding customs…IMG_6430
and, I’m so glad I didn’t know about this custom when I got married…

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Weddings…

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and niece Sandhya’s wedding pic:

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IMG_6990

IMG_6941I’ll miss everyone and the fresh coconut drinks I had for breakfast…photo (18)

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M is for Monkeys and Lucky 7 Meme

14 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by Holly Michael in A to Z Challenge

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

Blog, Crooked Lines, Holly Michael, India, Monkey, Novel, Tamil Nadu, Writing, www.writingstraight.com, Yercaud

M is for Monkeys because I have about two thousand pictures of monkeys. I just think it’s cool to see a monkey on the roadside (Tamil Nadu, India)…

…or wake up in the morning to a monkey outside your hotel window.

The only monkeys I ever saw, growing up on the farm in Northern Wisconsin,  were ones like this:

And M is also for Lucky 7 Meme. One of my really cool Author/blogger friends, Edith Parzefall, tagged me on her blog and sent me a Lucky 7 Meme Invitation.

The rules: ■Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP ■Go to line 7 ■Copy down the next 7 lines–sentences or paragraphs–and post them as they’re written. No cheating. ■Tag 7 authors ■Let them know.

Sorry Edith, I’m a rule breaker. I cheated. Hope the Lucky Meme police don’t arrest me. I decided to post a short section from Crooked Lines that I just added a couple of days ago. And it mentions…tada…a MONKEY:

Sagai knelt and picked up a small round stone and rolled it in his hands. Perfect ammunition. Those pesky monkeys, now awake and watchful, were known thieves. Would knocking one of those screeching troublemakers out of a tree be a sin? Before he could ponder further, a young novice approached, smiling, and handed him a package. An entire loaf of bread. Enough to share with all at home.

Sagai smiled. “Thank you Sister.”

The novice bowed her head, nodded, and walked away. Before Sagai could run, Sister Mercy marched toward him. She eyed the loaf under his arm. Her nostrils flared. Smack. Her palm cracked against his cheek.

“Thief!”

“No, Sister.” Sagai pointed, blinking back tears. “That novice gave it to me.”

Sister Mercy wagged her finger. “Even so, you know that I usually give you the bread. You should not have accepted it from her.” She snatched the loaf from Sagai’s hands and thrust her two slices toward him.”

Sagai reluctantly took it, then ran all the way to Little Lake without stopping. On the grass beside the water, he stared at the bread. He didn’t come to church to get free bread. He came to serve the Lord. He rubbed his cheek. A monkey stared at him from the rock. Sagai tossed the bread at him. “Have it. I don’t want it.”

****

If you’re still with me cool. Thanks!

And I’ll list seven A to Z bloggers that I visited and liked today: (You can Lucky Meme if you want. No pressure.)

1. Our Life in a Caravan A mesmeric blog about living life in a caravan in the UK.

2. Anna Smith, also from the UK at Universal Gibberish blogs about dreams, movies, writing, and all that’s in between. Mighty fine!

3. The Anglers Rest is a blog about the ramblings & obsessions of a fisherman’s wife! ~ a real assortment, with snippets of genealogy, books, cross stitching, scrapbooking, collectables,our travels and photographs,web pages and general ramblings. A Masterpiece!

4.  A Heart 4 Heaven by Elaine Bride is Magnificent. She blogs devotions of hope and encouragement for those who are longing for Home. Nice post today about motherhood: A Mother’s Prayers

5.Elaine Smith’s blog: Not Exactly Blogging has a memorable blog about living, learning, and writing.

6. Amanda Saint has a blog worth mentioning. Saintly Writer blogs about reading, writing, food and life.

7. Small World Big Dreams is a Marvelous blog by Alyssia, an Award-winning aspiring romance author who loves Animals, Junior Mints, Harry Potter, Sneaker Pimps, and doing stuff with her fabulous hubby.

Tomorrow is a Sunday break..See you on Monday for N.. Never can tell what I’ll think of next.

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Journeys: Tamil Nadu and Of Dust and Kings

30 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by Holly Michael in Guest Blogging, India, Inspiration, Journeys: In Writing and Life, Photography

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Blog, Down Syndrome, Holly Michael, India, Love, Matt Patterson, My Emily, Of Dust and Kings, photography, T.E. Hanna, Tamil Nadu, wisdom, www.writingstraight.com, Yercaud

Today, I journey over to the blog: Of Dust and Kings. TE Hanna, a Master of Divinity student at Asbury Theological Seminary, recently asked this question on his blog Of Dust and Kings: “What pieces of wisdom have you picked up from unlikely sources?” I responded in his comments and he asked me to share more.

And speaking of journeys…

A couple of photos I shot in Yercaud, a hillstation in Tamil Nadu, India. Below: Yes, that’s a road. Yes, we really traveled on it. (with a 4 wheel drive Jeep.)

Now journey over to TE Hanna’s site (one of my favorite blogs) where I share about the lessons of love I learned from an unlikely source.

May all of your journeys be blessed!

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Location. Location. Location. Description. Description. Description.

23 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by Holly Michael in Best Web Sites for Writers, Inspiration

≈ 30 Comments

Tags

Arabian Sea, Connecticut, England, Goa, God, Himalaya, India, Kent, Shilpa Joshi, Tamil Nadu, The Bookshelf Muse, Walsingham, Wind River Canyon, Wyoming, Yercaud

Frothy whitecaps shimmer under a pale disc of a moon as waves crash onto the shoreline and cascade like thunder over my ankles. A continuous oceanic roar swallows my acclamations of awe.

Words can hardly describe the majestic beauty of many places I’ve been blessed to visit, but as a writer, I wrest the best sensory descriptions from my mind onto pages. The scene described above was in Goa, India at midnight on the shore of the Arabian Sea.

Consider another beach scene. Crystal blue water merges into snow-white sands while sheep rest under rocky outcrops. Iona, Scotland, one of the most beautiful places in the world. Below photos by me.

Come away from the sea to ancient ruins in Walsingham, England. Breath musky fragrances along ivy-lined paths and twiggy thickets. (see my photo in my header. That’s from Walsingham. I also took this photo there.

I can’t even find words to describe the vivid colors of nature in Kent, Connecticut in Autumn.  Here’s a photo I snapped.

The Wind River Canyon in Wyoming must have been carved by the breath of God. You can’t just drive through it. You have to stop at the turn-outs, let go of the air in your lungs, and whisper, “wow!”

Thanks to God and to my wonderful husband I’ve been able to visit these and many other incredible places. Sometimes the grandeur of the locale laughs at my words that dare to describe it’s beauty.

Even photographs can’t do justice to what the eye sees. From Tiger Hills, India, watching the sun appear over the Kanchenjunga-one of the highest peaks of the Himalayas-and turn the white snow-capped mountains to gold is well…sorry no words. But I can tell you a place that helps me find words when I’m at a loss. The Bookshelf Muse.

I’ve incorporated a lot of my visits all around India in my novel, Crooked Lines. Look at this picture.

It’s mist falling on a Tamil Nadu hill-station around my husband and our nieces and nephews. Isn’t my niece Shilpa, cute? She’s a sweetheart.

Hazy whiteness and curls of smoky air currents obscure the surroundings. Muted light and color can hide movement. Cool dewy sensation to the skin.

The words above are lifted from The Bookshelf Muse Blog. The website is chock-full of inspiration. I can replace the word “surroundings” with my own words. I can play with the words, using my own creativity.

I’m a stalker at The Bookshelf Muse. I peek at the Settings Thesaurus, check out the Weather Thesaurus, linger at the Symbolism Thesaurus, creep around the Color Texture and Shape Thesaurus, and park myself at the Emotion Thesaurus until I cry in amazement at the words the site inspires me to string together. The Bookshelf Muse provides a plethora of help for any writer.

So, if you travel or even if you don’t, take The Bookshelf Muse wherever your journey takes you. And journey back to www.writingstraight.com too. It’s a great place to visit. One of my favorites.

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Holly Michael

Holly Michael

Done this: Regular freelance ghostwriter and online editor for Guideposts for Teens/Sweet 16 Magazine, creator/editor of a magazine for Wal-Mart Corp., journalist, newspaper features writer, published in a variety of national magazines and local newspapers, script writing/editing for corporations. Doing this now: author of fiction and nonfiction, blogger, and editor of Koinonia Magazine. I’m the wife of Rt. Rev. Leo Michael, an Anglican Bishop in the Holy Catholic Church-Anglican Rite. Mom to three great kids: Nick (#81 Rajin Cajuns), Betsy (Super cute professor) and Jake (T1D & NFL player) Also, enjoy my travels extensively across the United States and internationally.

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