Wilderness is not a Luxury but Necessity of the Human Spirit

Hey all,

We've had a great week. The weather's been pretty good, and I'm caught up work wise. I'm hoping to go wander La Recoleta Cemetery tomorrow for a while, then maybe head out to Chinatown to pick up some Chinese food for our dinner.

But this last week we spent some time at one of the places we'd visited before... Costanera Ecological Reserve.  It's a huge chunk of land with all kinds of wilderness grasslands and some pretty cool flora and fauna.  It's interesting to wander through, quiet enough to enjoy your solitude in and beautiful enough to take copious amounts of pictures.

Jonathon and I wandered, then took a break to eat a picnic lunch. We enjoyed the sun (it was freaking 14C that day so the sunshine felt awesome) and watched the sailboats out on the water. It was relaxing and rejuvenating for us both.  Jonathon had been working almost two weeks straight setting up the circus, and sometimes I just need to get away from the city and all the people. The title of this blog, a quote by Edward Abbey, says it all...getting away from everything is sometimes necessary to keep living. At least living sanely.  *sigh*

This time of year there weren't many birds around--too cold--but it was still a lovely, quiet afternoon for us.  I'm glad we went--we almost didn't since it was so breezy--and we can now check it off our list for this visit to Buenos Aires.

Want some pics?  Here they are...  Enjoy!!!

Until next time...

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams

http://cjengland.com/dragongames/truthordragon.htm

http://cjengland.com

Bloody Hell!!! Is the World Ending???

Hey all,

When you’re overseas, you don’t get the news as quickly as when you’re back in the states. Here in Buenos Aires, our hotel has NO English channels, which isn’t the norm, but something we have to deal with every once in a while.

But when something happens, like a natural disaster, presidential election or special sports event—since I don’t surf the web for stuff like that—we often don’t hear about it for days afterwards.

Such is the case about the horrible flooding in Texas.  We had NO idea it was going on until I saw it on Facebook. What makes it worse is we have family in Texas, living near San Antonio.  So we were doubly worried. (Note: They are okay. No worries for any of them.)

Some of the pictures I’ve seen online were pretty amazing. That’s a great deal of water to come down out of the sky. Seems a lot like the flooding that we've seen down here in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  When you can’t see the tops of the cars, you begin to wonder if there is another Biblical flood in the making.  :-)

I have to say all these natural disasters are a bit worrisome. I don’t know whether it’s global warming, weird weather patterns caused by aliens from another planet (could be a good Syfy movie here) or just normal evolutionary change, but I just don’t remember this type of weather when I was a kid.

If it’s not flooding, it’s horrific earthquakes, mudslides, tornados or forest fires. There always seems to be something going on.

I have an acquaintance in Tennessee who dealt with forest fire this last week.  Scary stuff, that.  I’ve fought a fire nearby my house a couple times myself, so I know it can be terrifying. I’ve been in tornados, blizzards, and hurricanes as well, so I’ve done my share of natural disasters. Would prefer not to do any more.

Maybe I should do a series of romances involving natural disasters. After all, all my books take place in places I’ve visited or lived, so I might as well do a series on disasters I’ve been in, too!  LOL

What do you think about the odd weather and natural disasters that seem to be happening? Have you ever been in one yourself? If so, which kind?  Tell us all in the comments below. 

I’ll be back on Friday with some pictures and fun from around Buenos Aires. Until then, have a great week!!!

Until next time...

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams

http://cjengland.com/dragongames/truthordragon.htm

http://cjengland.com

It's New Release Friday!!!

Hey all,

It’s NEW RELEASE Friday, and today I have a brand new book out. Dragon Games II: Truth or Dragon is the sequel to my Christmas release, Snip! Snap! Dragon! This is the second book in the Dragon Games series and takes us back to the world of dragon shapeshifters and their forever mates.

This series is available from Changeling Press, and I love the book cover that Bryan Keller did for me.  I’ve never had a Poser cover before, and wasn’t sure if I’d like it, but I’m impressed with what Bryan put together.

It’s the second of a five book (I think) series and takes place just outside London at the Drakehaven estate first introduced in Snip! Snap! Dragon! If you read the first book (and if you haven’t, why not??? :->), you’ll recognize the principles in this story. Lucina and Ryuu had a bit of chemistry in the first book, and it only flares hotter in Truth or Dragon.

I have to say I love, love, love these two characters. Ryuu is mysterious and sexy, and Lucina is a firecracker--bright and sassy with attitude that doesn’t quit.  The way they deal with each other is hilarious, and like I said…the passion between them burns as hot as dragon fire.

I’ve already heard back from a couple of readers.  They both loved the book and can’t wait for more.  I think words like Great Story and Awesome were used!

Anyway, if you’d like to know more about this story as well as the series, check it out at http://cjengland.com/dragongames/truthordragon.htm.  You can read an excerpt there as well.

Plus, you can get a quick look at the beginning of the book by going to Changeling Press at http://changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=2477. And when you’re there you can take a look at the first book, Snip! Snap! Dragon! as well.

And please let me know what you think!!!  I love to hear from my readers.

Enjoy!!!!

Until next time...

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams

http://cjengland.com/peter/herecomespeter.htm

http://cjengland.com

Just a Bit of The Boring

Hey all,

Well, the good news and the bad news.  :-)  After that amazing blog I'd pre-done for last Friday, we wound up not going on our road trip.  :-(  

No one was sick or in trouble, it was a decision we made because we had some personal stuff that had to be done.  

It was irritating, but in a way, we felt it perfect timing.  We had the time to deal with it and God held what needed to be done back until we had that time.  So it all worked out perfectly.

It's all good things, so no worries. More on what actually happened later.

So, instead of going on a road trip we stuck around Buenos Aires. Wandered about the city, went to the Sunday craft fair and let Jonathon rest a bit.

I do like this city.  It's got plenty to do and see, even if you've been here before. We'd have gone out more, but the weather hasn't been the best. In fact, I think it's rained more than it hasn't.  And that's NOT fun for setting up a circus tent.  I feel so sorry for all the Cirque people when that happens.

One of the things I'm going to do this time around is spend more time in Caminito area. I love it.  So bright and colorful, cheerful and filled with artists, dancers and music.  Tango dancers wander the streets, there are excellent restaurants and bars and all kinds of funky shops to enjoy. I've been there two or three times already and can't wait to go back.

Anyway, I'm sorry I won't have pictures from the road trip for you. At least not right now. Hopefully we will still be able to go on another long weekend. When we do, I'll let you know.

Until next time...

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams

http://cjengland.com/peter/herecomespeter.htm

http://cjengland.com

It's ROAD TRIP time!!!!

Hey all,

Another Friday, another blog.  We are now settled in Buenos Aires, Argentina and are enjoying a few days off before Jonathon goes back to work.  We're going to take a trip out of town, and we've decided to visit Mar del Plata Beaches, and if we have time, the Valdes Peninsula. One will be a fun vacation town and the other a little slice of out-of-the-way paradise.

You can google each of these if you want to know more, but I'll stop back with a blog on our trip later on. I actually googled the top ten places to visit, but I had to stay within a day drive of Buenos Aires. And I found we've actually done most of those "day trips".  So this time we'll have to go a little bit farther afield. That's okay.  We do love our road trips and since we have the time, we'll take it.

We figure we'll just wander the east coast of Argentina. There are a few roads that hug the coast, once you get south a bit. It just depends on how long it actually takes to get where we're going.  Argentina is a BIG BLOODY COUNTRY. And there are very few, if any, freeway-type roads where we're going, so you kinda have to add a few minutes to the time.

We're looking forward to it. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and it won't be too gloomy. Luckily, if it is, we'll put it off until one of our weekends.

We probably will do a few other day trips.  One of our favorite places we went to before was the Tigre Delta. We went by ourselves on an all day rafting trip and LOVED it. This time we're hoping to take a few friends and take a different trip.  We can't wait.  A beautiful ride through the rivers and sloughs, a trip to the city and a wonderful steak dinner prepared by our pilot.  If it's half as good as it was last time, I'm going to be so jazzed.

There's also a park just down the street from where we'll be staying this time. It's huge and another great place to wander.  We only did part of it last time and can't wait to do more on this trip.

And of course there is the big street fair that happens every Sunday. I always enjoy that one and will probably wind up going every time.  If not to shop then to people watch.  Sitting at the Plaza Dorrego and watching the street artists and dancers is a great way to spend an afternoon.

So we're looking forward to Buenos Aires and since our hotel is right downtown this time, we'll be able to spend a lot more time doing what we enjoy doing.

Adventuring!

Until next time...

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams

http://cjengland.com/peter/herecomespeter.htm

http://cjengland.com

Dreaming For the Future

Hey all,

I know I've been teasing you with the idea of some great news lately, so I thought I'd tease you a bit more today.  Not in words, but in pictures.  Maybe you can figure out what we're doing with these visual clues.  :-)

I still can't tell you everything, but this blog might at least point you in the right direction.  :-)

Until next time...

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams

http://cjengland.com/peter/herecomespeter.htm

http://cjengland.com

A Little Bit of Weird

Hey all,

Sometimes when I've got a blog due, I have to go wander the internet to find something to jabber about.  I don't have to do it often, just when my brain stalls. But you know it's going to be a strange blog when you have trouble finding ANYTHING to talk about.

Seriously...even my usual Huffington Post site had slim pickin's this time.  I could rant about the stupid article where it talks about females promoting Donald Trump by writing his name on their boobs.  (yeah...that set feminism back about two centuries).  Or, I could talk about the even dumber article about where eye boogers come from. (who even asks about this stuff?)

But I think the weirdest article of all was the one I read in the Mirror with the title of Vagina Beer To Hit the Shelves.  

Yep.  You read that right. If you read the article, you'll find that a group of businessmen have decided that the best beer can be made from the bacteria of...you guessed it...a woman's vagina.

I'm not even sure what to think about that.

Now I know that many people consider that area a "sweet spot", and I'm okay with that, but NOT in a beer bottle. I'm a beer drinker, and all I can say to that is bleah.  I mean, just bleah! 

Have you read a weird story any time lately? If so, let us know in the comments below.

Until next time...

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams

http://cjengland.com/peter/herecomespeter.htm

http://cjengland.com

Don't Forget To Dance!

Hey all,

As you read this, I'm getting ready to move back To Buenos Aires, Argentina. We were there in 2014 and it's one of the South American cities I really enjoyed. Not only are there great museums, parks and shopping, but there is a lot to see in the surrounding areas.  We're hoping to do a lot of traveling around the country this time.

We're in Argentina for almost two months, so we'll have plenty of time to do what we want to do. Especially since we've done so much last time.

One of the things we didn't get to do last time, was go to a Tango show.  We've seen one before in Barcelona, but since they say Buenos Aires is the birthplace of the tango (although a few other places claim the honor) we wanted to go to one there. But circumstances prevented us in 2014, so we've promised ourselves we're going to make it happen this time around.

And even though we celebrate our anniversary in March, we're waiting to celebrate until we get to Buenos Aires in April.  That way it's a good excuse to spend the money and have some fun!!!!  :-)

The tango can be found just about anywhere in the city.  You pretty much can't walk down one of the main streets without running into a street artist or two dancing their hearts out. And if you go to Caminito/La Boca area, you'll find it in spades.

Caminito is one of my favorite parts of Buenos Aires.  There is so much to see and there is so much energy there.  It's very touristy and that's part of it's charm.  If you can get around that, you'll enjoy yourself. My favorite thing to do is find a sidewalk cafe and just people watch. And if you can find one near where the dancers do their thing, it's even better.  You can't beat watching a dancer pull a tourist out of the crowd and be taught the intricacies of the tango.

Anyway, I know I'll have a great time in Buenos Aires.  Then it's on to Santiago, Chili. Another one of my favorite places!

Until Friday.

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams

http://cjengland.com/peter/herecomespeter.htm

http://cjengland.com

Hey Ho, A Packing I Go

Hey all,

I'm packing today...my least favorite part about being on tour. I swear, things breed in our suitcases, and I always have more than I thought I did, even when I haven't done any shopping.

Over the next couple weeks, I'll be on and offline. Doing our usual moving from one city to another. I really hate this part, and I sometimes wonder if I'm close to being done with this lifestyle.  I love seeing new things, but I miss having my own place.

So how was everyone's Easter?  Ours was quiet since Jonathon had to work.  The Easter Bunny came in the morning and left me some treats, then came back later that night and left a bunny trail of surprises for Jonathon.

Down here in Montevideo it's very different than in the states. Both Good Friday and Easter everything pretty much shuts down completely.  I swear the streets echo they're so empty. And don't plan on going to the store. EVERYTHING is closed.

I haven't done much here in Montevideo. As I think I've mentioned before, too busy with work and to be honest, there isn't a lot to do once you've seen the high points.  I did a few fun hours of museum hopping yesterday and finished up a bit of my souvenir shopping, but the three day trip we wanted to take didn't happen since they had our passports to get ready for entering Argentina.  THAT was a real disappointment. We really wanted to see more of Uruguay.

We'll be taking the ferry across to Buenos Aires. It's a fun trip we've done before and pretty easy custom's wise.  And since we're going with the group, we don't have to worry about luggage or transportation. That's the nice part of doing it this way.

Anyway, I should have some interesting news for everyone in the next week or so.  Keep your eyes on the blog to find out why I'm a tad excited for the future!

Until next time...

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams

http://cjengland.com/peter/herecomespeter.htm

http://cjengland.com