It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged and I’ve missed the WordPress community and all the wonderful blogs written by all of you. Where have I been? Back in time! I suddenly felt inspired to return to my research and writing on historical Calgary and when the inspiration hits me, I run with it.
I had to make a choice; blogging or research/novel writing. With work (8 hrs a day on computer), family commitments and life in general, there are only so many hours available in a day and my eyes can only handle so much computer time. I wish I could designate a little bit of time to each simultaneously, but for whatever reason I can’t seem to juggle both balls at the same time, so its one ball, and then the other. Now that I’ve finished a lot of the research it might be a little easier to balance both, but if I suddenly disappear; now you know why!
Last weekend involved hours of walking around the beautiful, tranquil Calgary Union Cemetery in search of some unmarked graves and looking at old headstones. I came across one head stone that was very unique!
A few years back, I set out to complete a project about my husbands great-grand parents William and Louisa Golding, who were very wealthy ranchers and hotel owners during the Calgary boom of 1909 -1914. There has been a long standing family mystery surrounding William’s possible murder and Louisa’s suspect death that suggested the lawyers ran off with the fortunes having taken custody of the children who ended up with nothing at all. I promised my husbands grand father thirty years ago that I would do my best to solve the mystery of what happened to the family fortunes. Finally with my children grown and the internet, I set off on a journey to keep my promise and I discovered so much more than I could have possibly imagined!
While my intention is to write a historical fiction novel loosely based on the life of William and Louisa, I also came across an unrelated story about a spunky twenty-five-year-old female private investor that worked for a local Calgary detective firm in 1912 and found herself suddenly embroiled in a case that involved scandals, violence, murder, suicide and false identities; unwittingly she takes heroic actions but pays the ultimate price.
It was suggested to me that the story would make a great theater production, TV episode or film, so I decided to give script-writing a try. Initially, it was a bit foreign and daunting to consider the implications of how to convey a story without the liberties of a novel where characters can reflect on situations or circumstances can unfold in varying forms to give the reader greater insights. Script writing, relies on dialogue to do the heavy lifting, so you have to really make it count and that’s been a challenge I’ve thoroughly enjoyed; I may just have found my new love!
What else have I been up to other than hiking around cemeteries trying to find unmarked graves and swimming in research? Well, the privacy wall on the back deck is finally done. Did you notice the peep hole for our little dog Henry? Watch for my ‘How To Make A Privacy Wall’ blog coming some day soon!
I’ve been working on a few DIY projects including this little table combination made with a vintage thrift store patio table and a canvas picture. I coated the canvas in several coats of Modpodge HARD and waterproofing spray and it worked great. I can technically use it indoors or out. I added foam board to the back inside of the canvas frame to give it strength and make the back flush for easier attachment to the table. Initially I intended it to be a bedside table for a bedroom I’m eventually going to get around to doing a make-over on, but I can also see it on the patio too, so the end location is yet to be determined! I’m interested how well the canvas does outside with the protective coatings so I’m inclined to put it outdoors for curiosities sake. Watch for an upcoming blog with the How To and progress report on how it fairs if left out in the weather.
It was a long, cold winter and we’ve had an on again off again spring weather that has been messing with my lake time! It seems every time I’m free to get out there, the weather isn’t co-operating. Hopefully with summer fast approaching we’ll get some more sunshine that isn’t accompanied by smoke haze from forest fires. I’m hoping to do a few blogs this summer on some great products, recipes and ideas for your RV or lake lot.
It’s great to be back, although I still have one ACT to finish on the script and I’m hoping to be at the lake (with no wifi) over the summer as much as I can so I might not be too active on WordPress until fall but I’m going to do my best! This week I’m just looking forward to dedicating some quality time to catching up with WordPress folks and seeing what everyone has been up to!
Starrcreative.ca 