The rules are simple – find a quote about the topic, and write or photograph something that relates to it.
“I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself.”
Marlene Dietrich
Benefits of Joining #WQWWC Community
- Showcase your writing and photography.
- Tell the stories that matter to you.
- Create more divergent posts by weaving in the words of others.
- Flex your mental muscles by matching your interests to a prompt theme.
- Make new friends.
- Build a blogger community.
Featured Bloggers
Let’s Explore Exploration
“THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS TO LIVE IT, TO TASTE IT, TO EXPERIENCE TO THE UTMOST, TO REACH OUT EAGERLY AND WITHOUT FEAR FOR NEWER AND RICHER EXPERIENCE.”
– ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
Summer is perfect for exploration. People explore caves, attics, museums, trails, mountains, cities, countries, seas. People travel to explore nature: rocks, trees, shells, plants, birds. They go on safaris, drive unfamiliar roads, learn new hobbies. They read books, write books, take pictures, make movies, record songs, paint pictures.
There is so much to explore this week. What are you up to?
“A JOURNEY IS LIKE MARRIAGE. THE CERTAIN WAY TO BE WRONG IS TO THINK YOU CONTROL IT.”
– JOHN STEINBECK
Here’s my story.
In 2014 Arcadia books commissioned me to write a picture book about the history of Woodlake, CA. So I spent time exploring the town where I had moved in 2001. I visited homes and scanned their old pictures. I drove around the countryside with some of the people who lived there all their lives so I could get acquainted with the lay of the land. It was a great five months of exploration.
Here are some of the pictures I took that also go with Becky B.’s #TreeSquares. Like Natalie the Explorer, I plan to explore the rest of my life.
Woodlake and the Woodlake Valley is primarily agricultural. These fruit trees had to be protected in their early lives from frost by these little coats. The orange trees next to them are fine uncovered. They like a little cold weather. If it gets too cold, farmers turn on wind machines that howl all night until the sun warms the air to at least 33 degrees.
The other day I showed you a row of palm trees. This is another area of the countryside I explored with my friend Robert Edmiston. He wanted to show me ranches where there used to be dances and places that held special memories for him. This was one of the ranches. You can see what happens to palm trees after more than 100 years. They blow their tops.
Each year Elda School deteriorates a little more but in the twenty years we drove by it on nearly a daily basis, wind, rain, drought, or earthquakes did not bring it entirely to the ground. When I was there in May, it still stood.
“WE SHALL NOT CEASE FROM EXPLORATION, AND THE END OF ALL OUR EXPLORING WILL BE TO ARRIVE WHERE WE STARTED AND KNOW THE PLACE FOR THE FIRST TIME.”
– T. S. ELIOT
I’m also linking this up to Natalie the Explorer’s Weekend Coffee Share. You’ll want to see the wonderful photos she took while standing on water!
Coming Up
I’m so excited to announce that Cathy Cade will be hosting her friend Wendy Fletcher for August Story Chat. Wendy Fletcher is the leader of Cathy’s u3a writing group. For more information about Story Chat and how you can contribute, see my Story Chat page. Don’t forget that Gary A. Wilson’s story, “Sometimes a Miracle” is still open for comments.
The Photographing Public Art Challenge (PPAC) is already coming up on our fifth post right here on my blog at 9:00 am on Friday. I can’t believe it’s been over a month! Thank you all for your many interesting responses. It’s been fun to travel all over the world through your posts. Please post on Cee’s blog until Friday.
What’s your exploration story? I’d love to hear about it.
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
60 responses to “#WQWWC # 33: Exploration”
[…] past few months you have shared about freedom, hope, healing, summer, vacations, exploring and relaxing, all of which can trigger this week’s topic – […]
LikeLike
Your explorations are so interesting and informative. I have been exploring my own expression of my impressions
https://lightwritelife.wordpress.com/2021/07/21/wqwwc-33-exploration-the-expression-of-an-impression/
LikeLike
Thanks for the link, Liana. I’m out to see what you’ve been exploring. I’m so glad you joined in.
LikeLike
[…] https://alwayswrite.blog/2021/07/14/wqwwc-33-exploration/ […]
LikeLike
[…] Adventure and exploration fill my dreams. This past year I have had many lucid dreams. These dreams have been so strong and vivid leaving me with a deep longing to go explore. […]
LikeLike
Thanks for linking. 🙂
LikeLike
Fabulous post, Mimi! Thanks for linking. 🙂
LikeLike
Such a moving collection of photos. I had to go back to the top and study them again. The fruit trees look like apparitions. Very eerie to me. And that one room school house. I wonder how many buildings built with better materials in modern day would withstand the elements and years like it has. Beautiful, haunting capture.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for your thoughtful comments! It’s very rural. The school building is on private property and lost its usefulness nearly 100 years ago. I’m sure it’s builders had no intention of a long term prospects. With no maintenance, I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did.
LikeLike
I went ahead and combined a few quotes with my Sunday stills post.
https://troyerslovinglife.blogspot.com/2021/07/taking-in-life-around_18.html
LikeLike
You are amazing. I love all your photos and your finds. 🙂
LikeLike
Woodlake!? I knew that sounded familiar.
Do you recall, just north of there, a Christian Camp known as Heartland? Our church often sends a bus load of kids there for a week of camp stuff. The reason it is memorable to us, even today (about 10 years later) is that our oldest son was there, having a paint ball battle down in some small canyon when, during a particularly high pitched battle he carried his weapon into a small covering of brush. He was covered with small red welts from the game and happened to look down to see, oh no!, he was standing on a rattle snake. He immediately jumped back out and while being pelted with even more paint balls realized that a rattle snake would not take kindly to be stood on so he checked himself out and sure enough, he found two fang marks on his hand which must have happened as he stepped under the bush, but he was too busy to notice.
He’s an Eagle scout so knew that he was in trouble so he made his way out of the battle to report what happened and thus triggered an ambulance ride to Visailia and then up to Fresno where we caught up with him and oversaw his recovery from a nasty bite. The Heartland management was great but they did not look forward to any more kids from our church because they could not get through any full group orientation without our crowd asking “what if we see a rattle snake” which was oddly not what they wanted to focus on.
And yes, he still has the rattle from that snake because the Heartland folks tracked it down and dis-invited it from all future camp events. They understood boys well enough to know that our boy might like to keep it as a souvenir.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, now that is a life and death story. Those bites can be very serious, and your son was so smart. You can’t ignore that, and to think if he hadn’t looked down, he might not have even realized. WOW! And yes, that is close to where we lived. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] week Marsha invites us to explore “exploration!” I can’t think of too many places to explore locally that doesn’t include seeing evergreens! […]
LikeLike
We should all keep exploring for the rest of our lives! Great post!
LikeLike
Hi Marsha, I love your E. Roosevelt quote. Your exploration story and photos of Woodlake are amazing. The one-teacher school that is still there, so interesting. Thank you for the mention and for linking with #weekendcoffeeshare. Have a great weekend!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You, too, Natalie. 🙂
LikeLike
As I said earlier, your theme is brilliant. Sharing my contribution
https://sheetalthinksaloud.wordpress.com/2021/07/17/memories-of-the-golden-temple-amritsar/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much for joining in, Sheetal. 🙂 I’m off to take a look. 🙂
LikeLike
[…] WQWWC: Exploration […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the link, Sheetal. 🙂
LikeLike
Popping over from Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share to say “Hello”.
Explore. Interesting word. I enjoyed reading your post. This past week, we have become more restricted from leaving the house, other than one person per day by car, for essentials. So, I had a day “off” leaving as husband had gone out and went for a walk less than 300 metres from home. There is protected area of wetlands and treed areas nearby and I noticed (explored!) much more than I had ever done driving past in a car.
Denyse
LikeLiked by 1 person
That sounds like a blessing in disguise, Denyse! 🙂 Glad you had some fun.
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] My ID Card https://alwayswrite.blog/2021/07/14/wqwwc-33-exploration/ […]
LikeLike
Love your this week’s theme Marsha and your post took us all on a fine trip. I’m still imagining the wind machines farmers use to keep the plants warm.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Sheetal, Thank you so much. Here is an old post with a couple of pictures of them. I was lying in the middle of an orange grove when I took them. 🙂 https://alwayswrite.blog/2016/04/12/out-of-the-blue-this-is-not-a-white-lie/
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just checked out your post and the wind machine is really a sight to behold . Thank you . Now I can imagine it better . 😊Also the blue – white theme was fantastic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, is it close to what you imagined, Sheetal?
LikeLike
Honestly, no ! I didn’t realise they would be so tall or have blades like those. So definitely a revelation!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, good. I love windmills and wind machines. I like what they do for the environment, and how cool they look while they are working. They are very noisy as they run throughout the night and tend to keep people awake, but it’s all good. The oranges can survive two or three days of freezing temperatures. After that they dry up and are ruined for anything but orange juice.
LikeLike
I remember studying in school about it vaguely so it’s all coming back. Looks like I’m living up to your theme of exploration-who knew the glorious wind machines would take me all the way to delicious orange juice . Thank you Marsha. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL, Sheetal. I wish I had some to share. Some of our friends have 100+ year-old-trees on their five acres that were planted by her great-uncle before the sweetness was hybridized out of the fruit. They are amazing and spoil you for commercial orange juice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] written in response to Writer’s Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge (#WQWWC) now hosted by Marsha Ingrao at Always […]
LikeLike
[…] For: #WQWWC # 33: Exploration – Marsha Ingrao – Always Write […]
LikeLike
[…] Marsha explores more of her destination and features more ponderings. […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for linking, Amanda. 🙂
LikeLike
[…] WQWWC # 33: Exploration — That is what its all about! LIFE! […]
LikeLike
[…] Marsha is the host of WQWWC […]
LikeLike
Great post Marsha. I’m hoping to get a post up, but not sure I’m going to make it this week. Too much going on and not enough time to sit and write any blog posts. Which is hard because I’ve been doing good keeping on a roll. But I also don’t want to overwhelm myself too much.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No worries, Kirstin, this is supposed to be for fun. You are so sweet to write. I’ll look forward to your next post when you can make it. Relax. I think that’s next week’s topic! LOL
LikeLike
Haha…perfect topic for me then….lol!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So take a well-earned break and share about it next week. 🙂
LikeLike
Ah, some great exploring….
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was a lot of fun researching the book and learning about my community. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a beautiful place! Should have been an awarding job to write and explore all those places. Here in Canada, we cover some of the plants too if some frost is on the way.
Here is my link: https://teandpaper.ca/2021/07/14/tanka-tuesday-and-wqwwc-exploration/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely form of poetry. You could almost link to Becky B’s Squares if you paste it to a square picture. The topic is trees.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Marsha! Yes, I thought abou it, but I I love the Becky’s challenge, I’ve joined a few times, not yet this month.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would put that poem on some kind of a square photo, or even on a square color in CANVA and post it for one of the days. I haven’t seen anyone else do that, and it’s so unique. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll do it! Thanks for the idea! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] WQWWC theme is Exploration – There are so many stuff to be explored around us, but I decided to go inwards, the exploration of feelings, the mind and body getting together in an explosion of uncertainties in the middle of the night. […]
LikeLike
Great topic Marsha. Thanks for the mention
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you are enjoying it. I can’t wait to read your newest post. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’ll be posted in a couple of days. Thanks
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 No rush. I just enjoy your posts. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks my dear
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great theme for WQWWC this week, Marsha! It will work nicely with my evergreen color challenge! It was fun hosting for you last week and I met some new bloggers, too! Love the shot with the Sierra’s in the background…those trees to the left may be oak?
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s what I thought, but why plant a field of oak, or even a border. They are everywhere. 🙂 You are probably right, though.
LikeLiked by 1 person