SABBATICAL

Published August 3, 2019 by rochellewisoff

This week Pegman takes us to the Black Hills in South Dakota in the West-Midwest, United States. Your mission is to write up to 150 words inspired by the prompt. Once your piece is polished, share it with others using the linkup below. Reading and commenting on others’ work is part of the fun!

It has been a while since I’ve participated in What Pegman Saw. Busy times lately and not a lot of extra headspace. However the location is hard to avoid since my husband is currently in South Dakota for Bike Week in Sturgis.

Thanks to Karen and Josh for facilitating the challenge. 😀

Spearfish Canyon SD Copyright Jan Wayne Fields

Genre: Personal Musing

Word Count: 150

SABBATICAL

He spent months plotting and planning his annual trip to Sturgis, the Mecca of motorcycle enthusiasts. He hadn’t missed Bike Week in years.

“Should I take my big tent? Where are the sheets to fit my cot?”

She peered at him around her easel. “Linen closet.”

Silence ensued until…

“Hey Honey?”

She rinsed out her brush. “Hey what-y”

The daily exchange continued until departure time arrived. He’d repacked his trailer no less than three times, arranging necessary items.

Clad in leathers and helmet, he struck a pose. “Take my picture.”

After mounting his two-wheeled stallion, he kissed her goodbye. She stood in the driveway and waved as he motored down the street. He would return refreshed in two weeks with stories and photos of South Dakota.

Friends often asked her, “Why don’t you go with him?”

She typed a new chapter to her latest work-in-progress. “To each their own vacation.”

All things considered I’d rather be swimming.

THUMBNAIL SKETCH

Published June 8, 2019 by rochellewisoff

This week Pegman takes us to the capital of England, a modern city with a history going back to Roman times.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to write up to 150 words inspired by the week’s location. You can use the photo supplied with the prompt, or find your own view from the virtually endless supply of streetview or photospheres throughout the city.

Once your piece is polished, share it with others at the link up below. Reading and commenting is part of the fun!

Thanks to Karen and Josh for facilitating the challenge.

Click the Frog to Join the Fun!

The following is an excerpt from two of my books FROM SILT AND ASHES, the second novel in my Havah Cohen Trilogy and from A STONE FOR THE JOURNEY, the coffee table companion book. The art store was established in London in 1855 and still is a successful business today.

I couldn’t decide between the two photos so I’m including them both. 😉 The second is lifted from a film shot in 1903. I used it as a visual to write the scene.

Genre: Historical Fiction Excerpt

Word Count: 150

THUMBNAIL SKETCH

With a leather portfolio under his arm and his medical bag in his hand, Nikolai wandered London’s streets. Since his chief errand was accomplished, he had no particular destination, so he seized the opportunity for an afternoon of sightseeing.

Passengers crowded themselves into square compartments atop coaches whose side and back banners advertised such necessities as Lipton’s Teas and Nestlé’s Milk. Above all else, London’s churches fascinated him with their clock towers. A man never needed to ask the time in Britain.

Now and then, he paused to read shop signs. One particular shop caught his interest with its display of paints and drawing papers. He read the sign aloud, “L. Cornelisson and Son. Artist Colourman.”

Suddenly, a flagrant dervish of henna hair and purple feathers in chartreuse skirts swirled past him. Curious to know what a woman of her ilk would want in an artist’s shop, he followed her.

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REDEMPTION

Published April 30, 2019 by rochellewisoff

Today Pegman travels to Lod, Israel. The town takes its name from the biblical City of Lod, significant Judean town from the Maccabean Period to the early Christian period.

Click on the photo above and feel free to wander around. When you find inspiration, write 150 words on your blog and link it to the other entries via the blue frog below. Remember that reading and commenting is part of the fun!

Do your best and have a good time learning about a new place and the people who may live there.

I am ~~shamefully~~ shamelessly late for the party this week. It was a crazy busy weekend, but when I saw the location, of course, I couldn’t resist. As always…thanks to Karen and Josh for the challenge that takes us around the globe.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Word Count: 150

REDEMPTION

I’m Tirzah, a warrior beside Judah Maccabee, the Hammer. We resist the Greeks and we will prevail.

I’ll never forget the day Antiochus’ men defiled our sacred altar. They sacrificed a pig. Then they slaughtered my baby brother Ezra and forced my mother carry his body, tied around her neck. I still hear Abba’s tortured cries when they beat him. His blood splattered my face.

My feet turned to stone until a soldier cast his lethal glare on me. “Pretty little Judean creature.” My gorge rose when he stroked my cheek with his filthy paws. He licked his lips and reached for my breast.

I spit in his face and ran.

***

Tirzah Rabinovitz skimmed her fingertips across the rough stones of an ancient building in Lod. “1949 in the Promised Land.” She hugged her infant son Ezra. “Antiochus could not destroy us. Nor could that German pig. We will prevail.”

GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT

Published April 14, 2019 by rochellewisoff

This week Pegman is in Portland, Oregon. Your mission is to write up to 150 words inspired by the location. Feel free to use the image supplied with the prompt, or choose your own view of Portland in streetview or photosphere.

Once your piece is polished, share it with others at the link up below. Reading and commenting on others’ work is part of the fun.

Congratulations to Karen for passing her certification test. Did we have any doubts? Thanks to Josh for holding down the fort in her absence.

Below is the photo I chose from Google.

Click Mr. Froggie to join the fun!

Genre: Wishful Fantasy

Word Count: 150

GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT

“Portland is amazing.” Dale snapped a photo. “Especially at night.”

Rochelle breathed in the rain-soaked air, relishing the salty aroma. “What a fabulous way to celebrate Karen’s certification and Dale’s birthday.”

Lish ruffled her fingers through her auburn hair. “Let’s find a place to sit, shall we?”

The ladies found a table at a local tavern. Karen popped the cork of a bottle of champagne.

Rochelle raised her glass, shifting her gaze from face to face, etching the details of each one into her memory. “To writing challenges and great friends.”

Without warning, the floor rumbled beneath them. Glass shattered.

The bartender screamed. “Earthquake!”

Karen, Lish and Dale vanished amid the rubble.

“No!” Rochelle cried. “The party’s just starting.”

“Honey, wake up.”

Rochelle rolled over and looked up at her husband. “What day is it?”

“Sunday. Why?”

“Oh crap. It’s April 14^th. I forgot to send a card to Dale.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DALE!

SANCTUARY

Published April 7, 2019 by rochellewisoff

Today Pegman takes a trip to Tbilisi, Georgia

This ancient cobblestoned city has a complicated history of Persian and Russian rule. Its diverse architecture encompasses Eastern Orthodox churches, ornate art nouveau buildings, and Soviet Modernist structures. Walk around and see what strikes your fancy.

The purpose of this prompt is to inspire you to write 150 words about this place. You can use the Google link to stroll around until you see something that strikes your fancy. When you’re done, remember to link your story to the others using the InLinkz frog below. Reading and commenting is half the fun.

Enjoy yourself and do good work!

CLICK ME! PLEASE!

I considered not participating this week. But as it often happens I found an historical nugget that couldn’t be ignored. Thank Josh for the prompt this week.

The Great Synagogue in Tbilisi, Georgia

SANCTUARY

Aaron prepared his Torah reading for his special day. “Tell me about your Bar Mitzvah, Didi Babua. Wasn’t it during terrible times?”

“No.” Aaron’s great grandfather stroked his thick white beard. “It was a beautiful time—in this very synagogue.”

“But you were thirteen in 1943. What about the camps? What about Hitler?”

“May wheels run over his skull for eternity. Before me, my father read from the holy scroll in this same place in 1905.” Didi Babua’s faded brown eyes brimmed. “His family escaped from Kishinev.” He kissed the cover of his threadbare prayer book. “This has been our safe haven for five generations.”

“Were there never any pogroms?”

“According to our rabbis, anti-Semitism has been unknown here in Tbilisi for twenty-six centuries. Enough questions already. Study hard and make me proud.”

Grinning, the boy read, “Hodu L’adoshem ki tov, give thanks to Adoshem for He is good!”

YOU CAN GET ANYTHING YOU WANT

Published March 30, 2019 by rochellewisoff

The purpose of this prompt is to inspire you to write 150 words about this place. You can use the Google photo above or stroll around until you see something that strikes your fancy. When you’re done, remember to link your story to the others using the InLinkz frog below. Reading and commenting is half the fun.

Enjoy yourself and do good work!

Click the Frog to join the Party!

Thanks to Josh and Karen for hosting the challenge.

When I saw the name of the place, I was hooked. I love it when the muse takes it and just runs with it.

Genre: Realistic (?) Fiction

Word Count: 150

YOU CAN GET ANYTHING YOU WANT

After forty-five years Alice still missed Johnny who had been drafted and died in Vietnam, leaving her to raise their twins Phoenix and Sunshine.

Sunshine, a successful lawyer in Manhattan, had children of her own. They, in turn were forging their own careers in Corporate America.

Phoenix had enlisted in the Marine Corps a few years back. After his fateful tour in Afghanistan, he’d taken up residence in Arlington.

“Leaving for Australia,” she texted Sunshine. “Going to open a restaurant.”

“Right. Alice’s Restaurant. Mom, are you smoking weed again?”

“I’m serious.”

“Big case. Call you later.”

***

Pushing a lock of long white hair from her forehead, Alice flipped veggie burgers on the grill in her thriving café. She gazed at the mountains kissing the cerulean sky outside the window. Her town—peaceful Alice Springs—three hours or less from anywhere in Australia and thousands of miles from the Divided States.

Just for fun (if you have 18 minutes to spare) Click Here for the original “Alice’s Restaurant”

A DAY IN THE LIFE

Published March 9, 2019 by rochellewisoff

This week Pegman is still wandering around in the Northern Hemisphere. However this time Pegman visits Greenland for the first time.

Your mission is to write up to 150 words inspired by this week’s location. Feel free to use the photo supplied with the prompt or search for your own. Be warned–you won’t find much in the way of streetview or photospheres here.

Once your piece is polished, share it with others using the Linkup below. Reading and commenting on others’ work is part of the fun!

Thanks to Karen and Josh for hosting the challenge.

A DAY IN THE LIFE

So, it’s Saturday morning. Like every Saturday morning for the past two years, there’s an email in my inbox from Karen or Josh with the location of this week’s What Pegman Saw Blog Challenge.

I laugh at a picture of a flock of penguins on the ice preparing to swim. Surely there’s a story in that. I could write an amusing tale of anthropomorphic birds at a royal ball in black and white tuxedos. After all, talking cerebral animals worked well for Deborah Howe in her hilarious children’s book, “Bunnicula.”

After thinking it over I decide against penguins. Magnificent landscapes aren’t inspiriting me. In the end, I’ve decided to go with my first thought. I couldn’t help myself.

In the movie “A Hard Day’s Night,” which followed a fictitious day in the life of the Beatles, an interviewer asked John Lennon, “How did you find America.”

“Turn left at Greenland.”

*

THE GOLDEN LOTUS

Published February 16, 2019 by rochellewisoff

This week Pegman is in the Jaingxi province of China. There are a few more photosheres available than the last time I went searching in this area. Hopefully you can find something that inspires you. I had trouble getting to this area through the main Google maps, but you are free to try for yourself.

Your mission is to write up to 150 words inspired by the prompt. Whether you write fiction, poetry, sonnet, limerick or essay is completely up to you. Once your piece is polished, share it with others using the linkup below. Reading and commenting is part of the fun!

Thanks to Karen and Josh for hosting this weekly cruise.

During China’s Song Dynasty (970 – 1260), seen as property, a woman’s sole purpose was to please her husband. Officially sanctioned, foot-binding became the essence of feminine beauty. The smaller a woman’s foot, the better her chances of marrying well. The practice continued into the 20th century until China came under Communist rule.

To learn more CLICK HERE

It’s always fun to take on oldie out of mothballs and give it a fresh look. I first posted a version of this story in January 2013 for Friday Fictioneers.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Word Count: 150

THE GOLDEN LOTUS

Bones bound and crushed in childhood, Zhen Xi’s feet fit a man’s palm. Such prized feet represented wealth and social status. Although the pain was often unbearable, she enjoyed the attention she garnered from the young men.

It came as no surprise when her youthful beauty caught wizened warlord Han Donhai’s eye.

She begged her father. “Please don’t make me marry him. Chan Ho is my true love.”

“We are poor. It is not for you to love.”

Every night she endured beatings following Han Donhai’s inadequacy. She feared she would ultimately suffer the same fate as three past wives who died under his sword for their failure to conceive.

Seven months after the wedding, fireworks spangled the sky in celebration of Donhai’s nine pound heir.

Hours later he wielded his blade over her head. “You faithless whore!”

She smiled. Her child would live while her unbound spirit ran free.

PHOTOGRAPHS AND MEMORIES

Published February 10, 2019 by rochellewisoff

This week Karen has invited us to take a cruise to the British Virgin Islands for WHAT PEGMAN SAW. As I’ve been in quite the reflective mood lately, I’m sharing a memory. Here in the frozen Midwest the skies have been dreary and the roads icy. A trip to a tropical island is just the ticket for this sleety Sunday morning.

Genre: Memoir

Word Count: 150

PHOTOGRAPHS AND MEMORIES

Lush hills and tree-studded mountains surround St. Thomas like an imperial crown. Is it any wonder my son and his bride fell in love with the area? They exchanged their vows there and invited their parents to share the honeymoon.

Later, my son told me they had planned to have the ceremony on a mountaintop so his mother wouldn’t be tempted to swim away. Who would do something so utterly rude on such a grand occasion?

However nothing compared to the thrill of snorkeling along the underwater nature trail in Magen’s Bay in St. Thomas or exploring Water Lemon Cay in St. John.

I feasted my gaze on purple fan coral, yellow tangs and crimson starfish. As water takes on the shape of its container, I took on the shape of the water in an indescribable oneness. Unfettered by the mundane, I embraced the sea and it welcomed me home.

“When we’re in the water, we’re not of this world.”
……Gertrude Ederle

NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM?

Published December 30, 2018 by rochellewisoff

After being MIA from Pegman for a while, the muse struck. 😉 Now that the dust is settling a bit from the holidays. In any event, the Google trail took to an irresistible place in Zimbabwe History. The year is 1894 and Zimbabwe was known as Rhodesia. The following year a small band of Jewish refugees would build a synagogue in Harare.

As always, thank yous to Karen and Josh for hosting. Follow the link below to read other stories or to add your own. Remember reciprocation is half the fun.

Harare Synagogue

Genre: Historical Fiction

Word Count: 150

NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM?

“An adventure he says,” whispered Fayga to her three-month-old Yankel. “Your papa is a meshuggeneh vants.”

She missed the synagogue in Lithuania, with its beautiful woodwork and intricate carvings on the Holy Ark.

More than anything, she missed her family. But, if she were back at home she would still miss them. Murdered. What difference did it make from where she mourned?

Yankel sneezed and squirmed on her lap. She waved a fly away from his nose. “Such a shayna punim.”

The tent juddered. A warm breeze wafted over her as the cantor sang, “Here oh Israel, Adonoi our God, Adoni is one.”

“Don’t you see? We’re no longer safe here, my beloved?” He packed his books into a trunk next to her Sabbath candlesticks. “The Messiah will find us no matter where we go.”

Who knew their journey would take them from Eastern Europe to Bulawayo in faraway Africa?

*meshuggeneh vantz – crazy bedbug

*shayna punim – pretty face (It was one of my mother’s nicknames for me 🙂 )