Foundering Upon Norman's Woe
CREDIT: © Daniel Smith/Dansm's Kayaking Journal
WHERE: Magnolia, Massachusetts, USA. WHAT: the Norman's Woe reef.
MAP: Manchester-Gloucester. Thumbnail pops-up larger image on source web site.

One of the sites we visit regularly is the RLP [Real Live Preacher] who is just what the name says. The preacher's site is a safe island of doubt in an otherwise drowning sea of religious certainty. As a writer the preacher takes care to finely craft his pieces, unlike our own 'umble efforts, which are cobbled together in a desperate dash before closing time.

The preacher's latest piece, 'Mark Twain Came Unraveled Last Night', an event we experienced ourselves on the same day we read the sad tale. We thought the story of Twain's nom de plume was known as widely as the name itself. On a day when our own current work in progress unraveled dramatically, and a tech support job foundered on the rock of an unwarranted assumption, we experienced slumping of the shoulders and exasperated exhalation. Regular readers of RLP will know that such thwarted travails are good for the soul, no matter how discomforting.

So, with today's feature looking like the 'Wreck of the Hesperus', we decided as an alternative to show you a picture of Norman's Woe, the reef upon which the vessel foundered in Longfellow's poem. Daniel Smith was the photographer, on a kayak trip off the coast of Massachusetts, a round trip from Manchester to Gloucester and back. The building in the background is Hammond Castle, but that is an item for another day. The area is named Magnolia, where a less sing-song poet, T.S. Elliot, once lived.

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