MikeL

Thanks, Steve. You demonstrate great insight and integrity.

Goats are either clever or devious. Please note the following deceitful wording of Cliff James' entry in this forum. He quotes his own innocuous last paragraph of Chapter 41 to prove there is no cliffhanger. All readers know from earlier chapters that there is a bomb aboard Atlantis which cliffhanger remains unresolved at the end of Chapter 41. Trevor's good vibes about Egyptian people and spices used in nearby restaurants does not eliminate the cliffhanger. The goat goes further, impugning the integrity of frogs by a seemingly scientific subterfuge. He provides a link to a Wikipedia article about the "Cliff Chirping Frog". The article clearly states that the creature is found only in central and western Texas. He then spent untold hours creating a fake "Wikipedia" acrticle on the "Tennessee Cliffhanger Chirping Frog". There is no such creature anywhere on earth, certainly not in Tennessee. The article is located at http://www.cjames.ga...precipitous.htm. Please note that the ersatz article is located in C James' own GA forum, not in Wikipedia. As further proof that this is a scurrilous article, the "scientific" name of the fictitious creature appears three times in the article spelled three different ways: Eleutherodactylus precipitous, E. Precipitious, and Eleutherodactylus Precipicious. This is an example of a common C James error...misspelling. Wikipedia would never publish an article so poorly written and edited. Readers should give due consideration to these facts before wasting their time on a response to this bogus forum thread. The truth is out there. Don't be fooled.

Here's another inexpert recommendation. I agree with Cia on Canon being the best for the money. I've used several brands of film and digital cameras over the past 48 years, and Canon has always been the best in my opinion. I use and recommend the Canon PowerShot SX120IS. It has 10 megapixels and a 10x optical zoom. That's about as good a combination as you can get in your price range. It is available through Amazon for $195. It takes great pictures. Fellow GA member Lacey uses the same camera and he takes excellent pictures. I suggest using rechargeable AA batteries.

Cooper may be just a little dense, not recognizing Mich's interest in him. Why would someone he barely knows take him to his (Mich's) home and feed him dinner? And then there's Vern. Did she recognize that Mich would be more interested in Cooper than in her? A great story, John. Glad I caught up and I am looking forward to the next chapter.

He does have a wicked sense of humor.

Adam, forget all that nonsense (I suspect you already have). Crosscurrents is a great story. Just because it's different doesn't mean it's "lame". To the extent it reveals your own experiences, thanks for sharing those with us. Right on and write on.

Happy Birthday, Robert!

If I remember correctly, Trevor's mother would have an Australian passport. She could have issued the mayday call, then set sail for Australia on the Ares. I believe Trevor's parents have committed insurance fraud and are waiting for the statute of limitations to expire in December before they reveal that his mother is still alive. Trevor's mother is probably running charters in Australia on the renamed Ares. Trevor will sail on to his home and friends in Florida thereby completing his circumnavigation.

I agree that Trevor will have all his questions about Ares answered in Australia, but I think it will be his mother who answers them.

No, Mari. Jason lives in California. State law requires that you hate something.

Of course not. This is James Savik.

The very title of chapter 42 confirms that the previous chapter of Circumnavigation ended with a cliffhanger. Enjoy reading.

Frogs are not snails (although I've heard some "frogs" eat snails).

Spotting cliffhangers is easy for frogs. Where ever you see a goat, there's a cliffhanger nearby. it's easy; it's foolproof. Irrationality is a goat ailment.

Duncan Ryder has released Chapter 18 of How the Light Gets In. We learn more in this chapter about Matt and his relationship with his brother, Brandon. And Brandon has one telling observation about Laura: And that seems to me to be a microcosm of the whole story. Most of the characters are in hiding, not in their rooms but in their own heads. They have secrets and dark experiences that they are reluctant to share with others, memories that they hope will stop haunting them. None has completely opened up to allow the light in. Thanks for another great chapter, Duncan. (By the way, the chapter doesn't seem to be formatted properly; there are no line breaks between paragraphs. That made it a little difficult to read.)

Happy Birthday, Andrew! (A quarter century old )

Cliff James has released Jake, Chapter 12, "Hurting"

Britain's Got Talent? Judge for yourself: Yep. Blew me away too.

Easily done... cool it to 40 to 50 degrees F at which point it - the nitroglycerin - freezes and becomes very stable. If you have a power failure, run like hell.

My Mattress and I by Richard Armour Night after night, for years on end, My mattress has been my closest friend. My mattress and I are cozy and pally; There are hills on the sides

As if it's not bad enough that Cliff James has left us with a big cliffhanger, one of his readers has added another layer of cliffhangery on top of that. Benji, I predict you will pay a price for this.

Cliff James has posted Chapter 41 of Circumnavigation, "A Volitile Passenger".

Perhaps it's one who is not incontinent.

The comments about the casual nature of the forums has some merit. However, this is not the same as a chat room. If you are posting in a forum you should make some effort to write comprehensible, grammatically correct sentences to the best of your ability. I simply would not volunteer to help an "author" who cannot do so. Make all the allowances you wish for English being the second language or for math being the best school subject, I won't waste time trying to understand anything that is poorly written. I'll say again: Life's too short (especially mine).

My theme song is The Blessing as sung by Maura O'Connell. I find it to be very encouraging. Maura is a native of Ennis, County Clare, Ireland who now lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee.