Poetry Friday

Poetry Friday: The Start of The Sealey Challenge and the End of the Parks and Libraries Challenge

August 4, 2023 /
Mary Lee Hahn is our Poetry Friday host today. Hop on over there for the roundup. 
 

SCBWI Intensive

I’m doing a presentation at a local SCBWI intensive on September 30 on researching your nonfiction or historical fiction project. The registration is live, if you’re local and want to attend.
 
 
 
 

Parks and Libraries

 
It’s official. I visited all 23 branches of the Fairfax County library system!!! My youngest is visiting my parents, and my husband has been at a work conference, so I’ve been soaking in lots of libraries and parks in an effort to get it done before school starts on August 14.
 

Burnside Farms

When we first moved to Northern Virginia in 2015, I visited this sunflower farm with my kids. I don’t remember it being huge, but this time, it was HUGE. I bought tickets for the 6:00am time slot. There were only about 20 people out there at that time and it was a lovely morning to be among the sunflowers. The deer have eaten all of our sunflowers this year, so I took home a bunch of flowers.
 
 
 
 

Riverbend Park

I went to find the dragonflies, and didn’t see a single one. But there were loads of other surprises.
 
 
 

Great Falls National Park

I like happy surprises. I didn’t intend to go to Great Falls National Park, but when I was walking in Riverbend, I realized the two parks connected. They are several miles apart by road (but on the same road). Another hiker assured me is wasn’t far and gave me a good description of what to expect and off I went. As someone who is used to having to hike to waterfalls (on the AT in the SW part of Virginia), this was a very easy walk.
 
 
Yes, that is a picture of the falls with kayakers attempting to lift their kayaks over those rocks.
 

Great Falls Library

I think this library wins the award for the quietest. Most libraries are buzzing with people. This one was extremely quiet. I’m guessing it’s was timing. There was no programming going on at the time. If I hadn’t been so grimey from the 6 miles I walked, I would have stayed to write. 
 
 
 

McLean Central Park

The Dolley Madison Library has a community park with playground equipment and easy trails next to it. Check out this damselfly I caught by the creek.
 
 
I also almost stepped on a snake, but my pictures of that aren’t very good (probably because I was shaking).
 

Dolley Madison Library

 
 
 

Herndon Fortnightly

I decided to take the Dulles Toll Road and just hit up some places in the Reston/Herndon area as well.
 
 

Walker Nature Center

The Walker Nature Center wasn’t the place I originally intended to visit, but the park I had planned to visit was having a carnival of sorts—I’m not a fan of crowded carnivals when I want to see nature, so I remembered this place. Pre-COVID, we had an SCBWI event here, so I went back to check out the trails.
 
 

Scrawl Books

I also stopped at the local indie–Scrawl Books. There was a coupon for Scrawl Books in my coupon packet from finishing the public library’s summer reading program. So, I stopped in and got these books.
 
 

Chantilly Library

The last time I was at this library was during a snowstorm. It wasn’t a bad storm because nothing shut down (surprising in this area). I attended an SCBWI critique session here. This one had an amazingly large quiet study room. I plopped down and worked on some poetry. I didn’t check out any books from here, but I did visit their library sale. I had a coupon for a free book (again, from the summer reading program coupons). So I got this one.
 
 
 
 

Occoquan Bay Wildlife Refuge

I’d been reading up on dragonflies and damselflies in our area and trying to figure out where to go. This wildlife refuge was one mentioned in this field guide.
 
 
 
 
It was teeming with dragonflies. But I’m still not great at capturing fast-moving things. Here is a golden-wing skimmer I managed to capture.
 
 
I also ran across this tiny turtle on the path.
 
 
 
This entire week has been cooler and less humid. It has made for some spectacular days to be outside.
 
Next week I’ll post a big roundup and reflections of all of the parks and libraries I’ve been to this summer.
 

The Sealey Challenge

If you want to know more about The Sealey Challenge, check out this post I did in preparation for this year’s challenge. 
 
Here’s what I read this week.
 
 
I’m reading the U.S. Poets Laureate, starting with Robert Hayden and working my way to the current one. You might notice that Richard Wilbur is in there this week, and he’s out of order. That’s because someone requested PIG IN THE SPIGOT from the library, and I had to return it. I’m also reading the biographies and selected poems from the Poets Laureate anthology.
 
 
So far, I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read. It’s a departure from my steady diet of Mary Oliver, but I’m excited about diving into some poets I’ve never read before.
 

Haiku of the Week

skipper sips
new-blooming milkweed
before monarchs
 
 
Photo Taken: June 11, 2023 at Huntley Meadows Park
Haiku Written: July 3, 2023
 
I have filled another journal of haiku and photos. It usually takes me about 6-7 months to fill one of these journals. My next step is to type up the haiku and tag them.
 
 

 
 

Haiku Moments Playlist

 
 
 
 

What I’m Noticing

 
I got lots of sunflowers and some were tiny buds not yet in bloom on the same stalk as some bigger blooms. I clipped them all off and put them in my windowsill last Saturday. They are all now in bloom and brightening up my windowsill.

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