OK, kids, here’s the scoop.
I am taking a blogging vacation.
But it’s not really a vacation.
It’s more like–a change of plans.
It’s more like–doing something different for a while.
It’s more like–shaking up the old blogging pattern and trying something new.
For at least a month.
And it’s gonna be hard on me, kids. (OK, maybe it will be a breeze.)
Here’s the New Plan.
I am going to post only photos for the next month or so.
No words, no stories, no exciting adventures, no blah-blah-blah.
Instead, you will supply your own stories to the photos. Make ’em up. OK, don’t make ’em up.
But photos are going to rule this blog for the month of July and scootin’ into August.
Kathy is swearing off words. (And if you believe this one, she’ll tell you another one…)
OK, she’s swearing off words on this blog for a while. Except for captions under the pictures. (And no, she won’t be writing novellas under each photo.) And the headline. Headlines and captions are allowed.
She also won’t be responding to individual comments–although she may respond via email if you have a stunning question which demands a response. Responding to comments would involve words, and too many words are taboo this next month. (That is going to be challenging. Have tried to do this before. Have failed. I like writing essays in response to comments.)
Thank you in advance for all comments.
Hey, if any of you regular commenters would like a commenting break, that’s OK too. You can think your comments in your mind, if you like, instead of typing them beneath the photos. Or you can continue to comment. Just wanted to let you know I won’t be sobbing into my pillow if you decide to take a commenting break, too.
I might post a photo daily. Maybe 19 photos daily (you know, like the 4th of July parade photos–19 pics, can you believe it? Mostly because my WordPress space upgrade expires the first of August and I have to buy more space by then, anyway.) Or I might post a photo a week. No plans in cement except–not too many words. I will not leave you totally in the lurch and post zero photos. No. That is not likely.
Besides, you want to glimpse a little bit of mid-summer in Baraga County, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, near the shores of Lake Superior from the Little House in the Big Woods, don’t you?
Takin’ a word vacation. Lettin’ the photos do all the work. Not hangin’ around the computer too many minutes in a day…seein’ who has stopped by and who has commented. Nope. I’m outa here. Except for those photos.
Will be talkin’ to you again in August. Until we chit-chat again… Let the Photos speak.
Sometimes we learn more in silence than in words
Barry just walks by and I announce–I’m only going to post pictures on the blog for a month.
“You are not,” he replies.
“I am so,” I insist. “Because I just wrote a blog saying so.”
“You better say you’re going to TRY,” he advises.
OK, reader. That’s the scoop. I am going to TRY to just post photos until August 10th.
And that is this blogger’s “vacation”. Smile! (OK, I’ll respond to the comments in THIS blog. Because there are still words. But next blog, we’ll communicate silently, shall we?)
Lake Superior Spirit 
have you read the book by a woman who regularly takes a period of time and does not speak? I can’t remember her name or the book name…It’s probably in my good reads list though…
I READ that book, Dawn! Can’t remember the name of it, but I read and admired her commitment. Don’t know if I could go an entire day without speaking, but it is an incredible spiritual practice.
Okay, you guys–I HAVE to know what this book is! ???
Perhaps it is Speak;
Review here…http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/0374371520.asp
It’s an amazing YA novel!
The name of the book that I read–just Googled it–was Listening Below the Noise: a Meditation on the Practice of Silence by Anne D. LeClaire. She has been practicing silence on the first and third Mondays for the past seventeen years. Gigi, haven’t heard of the book that you mentioned. Pamela, you’ll have to get this one at your book store!
giggling and laughing!! I wonder what Barry is like in person…
I like the thing about not commenting. Online, it seems though, that the other doesn’t know you’ve been, which may translate for some into them thinking they are not enough!! Can you IMAGINE IT?!?!
I hope you are enjoying all of your experiementation–and if not, that you are coming to a point, one that has value for you. 🙂
Elisa, I am having a blast with blog-experimentation. Heavens, we wouldn’t want to get in a blog rut, would we? One of the reason that I always reply to comments is the reason you described. We wouldn’t want to make people feel like not enough. When each and every one of their comments IS valuable. However…we shall see…
It’s a wonderful idea, maybe because I’m “there” myself. I may or may not comment depending on what feels right at any particular time. I love your photo today – the hues, the peace, the stillness. Makes me want to take a gentle swim out to the boat (though I know that water is cold). Blessings on letting the photos speak, dear friend and Lady of the Lake….
Susan D, I bet you will appreciate some more silence, a little less speaking. Feel free to call–errr, I mean email, any time you want to get together. Softly tiptoeing away…
Summer is a great time and reason to spend less time on the computer. I mean if it was now February with 6 hours of bloody daylight I’d be asking “Why?”. But it’s July. It’s warm and the sun is shining (usually). Go outside and play Kathy. Just don’t forget your camera.
Happy summer !
Sybil, yep, it’s a busy time of year with lots of daylight hours. It’s time to do something a tad bit different for a while. (Although I have been known to hibernate in February, too…)
I love this idea. Sometimes it seems like silence can be difficult to come by these days. Enjoy your word-less time, Kathy. I look forward to enjoying your practice of silence through photography. 🙂
Robin, I am glad you will enjoy the slower pace with just photographs. I’m actually getting more excited about doing this just thinking about it. 🙂
Allowing your photographs to speak words for you, allows others to speak for themselves.
Whether you live up to your wordless blogs is yet to be seen. But I admire you for trying, for giving yourself permission to do so.
enjoy!
Jeff, what a good way to describe photograph-viewing: allowing others to speak for themselves. It remains to be seen about my silence, that is for sure…
FANTASTIC idea!
Perhaps you’ll consider something like this, too, Laurie for yourself?
I totally understand the need to do this. I have been doing a lot less to nil on Twitter and FB. I don’t post on my blog every single day, but the reason I try to keep up is so I at least keep “writing” something which was my purpose in starting my blog in September last year.
I am trying to keep the TV OFF a lot more (not doing as good as i would like yet). And, I need to get better at reducing my time sitting at the computer, except when doing for the “writing” and researching jobs.
Some years ago, when I was a lot more socially involved with friends who lived around here, I would occasionally take a month’s sabbatical from all socializing including social phone calls so I could devote more quiet time to prayer, meditation, writing. Some friends did not like it when I did that, but I figure if they are true friends they understand 🙂
Our world is way too noisy with all the social media, and TV, etc. and we need to become more disciplined to take quiet time for ourselves in order to quiet all that chatter (spoken, written, audio/visual), to clear out the maze within our brain. We need to rest and be quiet in order to get rid of the junk and be refreshed to be and give our best.
Ann, that is lovely that you would often take a month off to move deeper into yourself and deepen your relationship with the sacred. It is a good idea for all of us to rejuvenate at different times–we bring back more when we refresh ourselves. Fortunately, we don’t have TV service here in the woods so that isn’t an issue, but I can spend way too much time at the computer at times.
Where I live my TV and computer are my major means of entertainment. I am trying to reduce how much I have the TV on, but sometimes it is just for the noise while I do other things…like now 🙂
Yes I also spend too much time on my computer. I really need to schedule only certain times on the computer…ha ha ha!
So pretty and peaceful! And so perfect right now, as I’m sitting in the hotel room, with the balcony door open, listening to the waves 🙂
I felt peaceful just reading your comment, Michaela. I can almost imagine the sound of the waves and the smells…enjoy the rest of your trip!
Wow – no words huh? Brave! We’ll see… I’m already trying to think of a really good question so you’ll have to answer.
You can ask me ANY question and I’ll email, Barb. Like “How are the mosquitoes?” “Black flies biting?” “Did you pick any strawberries yesterday up in da Copper Country?” LOL!
Hmm, I’ll have to think of a stunning question 🙂
dancinganteloped, OK, I’ll be waitin’. I like stunning questions. I like trying to make up stunning answers. 🙂
How can we reply in kind? (pictures)
Ha ha, good one, John~~in which the photos speak (to one another…)
Good luck with that! I’ve thought I’d try that, but then I come up with some inane something that just must be said, and there it goes. Oh well, experiments are always good.
We’ll see how it goes, Carol. I am still in the honeymoon phase, loving this idea. I also have a determined heart that doesn’t want to be embarrassed by announcing one thing and doing something else.
This post had me laughing out loud! Good luck with your experiment and I look forward to your photos.
Rapidcityrecess, I laughed out loud reading your comment. OK, I smiled really wide. Looking forward to exploring your blog more…and commenting…but maybe not until August. Thanks for visiting.
Funny, just as I was starting to get back into Facebook and being more in touch with friends… Looking forward to communing silently with you, Kathy. Have a wonderful vacation, whatever form it takes.
Go figure, Nicole! Darn it, too bad we aren’t in talking-sync right now, although maybe we should shoot for a phone call one of these days again? I have memories of talking to you on the phone at this time of year.
I’ll be looking forward to seeing what you come up with Kathy. Ironically, I saw a blog post from a professional photographer that said if you want to become a better photographer, become a better writer! I guess that creative part of our brains is strengthened by writing. If you have any Rebel questions during your month of photos, please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to see if I can be of help.
There we have it, Karma! I agree 160% with what your photographer wrote. Stimulating the creative parts of our brain has got to spill over into all the other creative parts. Am always glad to have you as one of my fine photography resources.
If Barry giving an Under/Over on the number of posts it takes before you either reply to a comment on line or write a caption of more than 25 words. 🙂
BTW, did you get my email? It’s okay, you can answer here.
That should be “Is Barry giving an Under/Over…”
What if one of your wordless posts makes Freshly Pressed and you get dozens of comments from new people seeing your blog for the very first time? What would you do?
You made “Freshly Pressed”!!! How cool, Scott. (I only knew this because at least four of your readers must have clicked on Lake Superior Spirit and the inner sleuth questioned “Hey, what’s up with that?” and I scurried over to discover that LAKE ONTARIO is famous! Delighted for you! That is always so much fun and a big boost for the blog.
Thanks, Kathy. It got me to thinking what you would do if… I could almost see you watching the hit and comment counts climb and going nuts trying not to hit the reply buttons. 🙂
tee hee…
I am going to email you separately. Have been reading your kind reply a couple of times and pondering. Back atcha really soon!
Hello Kathy, I’m catching up, reading backward. It’s raining here on the Island. Agreeing, silence can be a beautiful time. Blessings to you in your silent moments this summer XXOO
I’m having SO much fun, Colleen. It’s so relaxing. Let the pictures yak!
Enjoy your respite Kathy…I love your idea of using “picture speak”. A pictures speaks a thousand words…that should cover you for a good long while! 🙂 Thank you for the very peaceful shot of the boat on the lake..and by the way..I agree with your caption…there is much to learn from silence. Quiet, gentle hugs coming to you from MN.
Brenda, part of me is missing sharing with words on this blog very much. It’s a discipline to be quiet here until August 10th. I have discovered that when I want to share some words I scurry to Facebook even more, which kinda defeats the purpose. I think I am going to try to be quiet even on Facebook for a little while now. Silence is such a gift we can give ourselves.