Armchair Travel

Weekly Photo Challenge: Color

/ Tara Taft / 3 Comments

My love of color is evidenced by the colors of the home in which I live. My house is red, my car is green, my bedroom is lilac, my bath is aqua.

As I travel, my eye is drawn to color. I found red in a hibiscus in Central Park, in the comb of a rooster in South Africa, in the shirt of a man on the 4th of July in Boston, in the strawberries and radishes at a farmers’ market in California. I found orange in the flames of a campfire in New England, in the wings of a butterfly on Cape Cod, in a tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, in a handpainted sign on the Brooklyn Bridge.

I found yellow in a meadow in the Sierras, on a New York taxi cab, in a candle in Frankfurt, and in bubbling macaroni and cheese. I found green in the leaves and on the wings of a bird, and on a girl’s sunglasses on the beach.

I found purple in the lilacs in front of Louisa May Alcott’s house and inside a hot air balloon. I found blue in the skies everywhere I went.

Hibiscus in Central Park
Above Stow
S’Mac in New York
Emigrant Wilderness
Red Admiral butterfly on the Cape
Hot Air Balloon

The Next Big Thing

/ Tara Taft / 7 Comments

When I’m not traveling and not blogging, I’m writing and editing a book about travel. In “The Next Big Thing Blog Hop,” writers tag other writers with blogs to answer 10 questions about their work, then they tag more writers and so on. Readers can then discover what will be coming their way. I was tagged to participate in the blog hop by the poet, Donna Johnson, whose first collection of poetry, “Selvage,” was recently published by Carnegie Mellon Press. So, here are my answers to the 10 questions.

What is the working title of your book? 

The Tucker Tyler Adventure.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The idea came from a trip my mother, Marialyce Tyler, and her friend, Katherine Tucker, took in their early 20s. In 1954, the two women traveled by ship, train, ferry, and car throughout Europe, visiting 14 countries and staying in 42 cities in 3 months. On little more, and sometimes less, than $5 a day, they stayed in hotels, bed and breakfasts, and private homes, met Americans and Europeans, toured museums, and ate the local cuisine.

PostcardsWhat genre does your book fall under?

Travel memoir.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

From the 1950s: Deborah Kerr and Grace Kelly. Current day: Amy Adams and Reese Witherspoon.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A glimpse into the lives of two young women and the 1954 world in which they traveled.

Will your book be self-published or by a press?

Self-published.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

About 2 years. As Kit’s daughter, Nancy, and I wrote the book, we cut and pasted the best or most interesting descriptions and tidbits from over 60 letters, plus postcards, a journal, and many slides.

Rusty's letters

What other books would you compare this to within your genre?

I don’t know of any nonfiction book quite like it. 

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Besides the fact that the letters were kept by both women and their families for over 50 years, I love reading them. The two young women both wrote with such enthusiasm and personality. In 2010, we decided to put the letters into a book. 

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Marialyce and Kit sailed on the Queen Mary, bought a car in Paris, broke a window near Stratford, ran out of gas near Oxford, were robbed in Luxembourg, and were sung to in Venice.  They were young and impressionable and their writing reflects their wonder at the sights they see.

Queen Mary

Adventure in an Armchair

/ Tara Taft / 2 Comments

My heart raced and my fingers tingled as I cross country skied across Antartica, white water kayaked in New Zealand, and rock climbed up Yosemite’s El Capitan with and without all four limbs last week at the Somerville Theater in Massachusetts.

Chunky Monkey Productions brings the best of the Banff Mountain Film Festival to the Boston area every February, which also happens to be school vacation week. For that reason alone, I have not gone every year. But this February, when we decided to stay local, I knew what I wanted to do: travel in an armchair (or movie theater seat) and vicariously experience a few adventures around the world.

The best films from the Banff Mountain Film Festival, held annually in Banff, Canada, are chosen for the World Tour where they are viewed in 32 countries and across the U.S. Local organizers choose which films to screen in their home town. In Somerville, 19 films were shown over three nights. On Thursday night, February 21, I watched nine of those films, including “Industrial Revolutions,” the “Gimp Monkeys” and “Crossing the Ice,” for a total of 131 wilderness inspiring and adrenaline rushing minutes.

Chunky Monkey Productions describes the variety of the films on its website: “Rocks and Rockers, Boards and Boulders, Bikes, Boyz, and the Last Great Unknown. Afghans, Brits, Australians, Norwegians, Canadians, Switzerlanders, Frenchlanders, and American Flatlanders leavin’ the urbs for that nourishing taste of up high. Skiers, Paragliders, Paraclimbers, Highliners, Steep Water, Fast Water, Huckers, Flyers, Mountains, Highways, Canyons, Big Crazy Adventure, the Moon, and Lily. . .”

Though the film festival has already left New England, it will be screened in other states in March and April. Check out the festival’s website to watch video clips and to see when and where it’s playing and be sure to sign up for an email reminder so you can experience the films next year.