Writing

Something I have neglected for the past couple of years.
This therapy, this outlet, writing.
I still love to read! I read fiction, non-fiction and everything in between. Currently reading an Elton John bio as well as a political book sub-titled "How the republicans went crazy, the democrats became useless and the middle
class got shafted".
Recently, my 'since childhood' friend and current Facebook buddy David Baker asked several of us to post our top ten favorite books.
This was a difficult assignment for me. There's so many, how does a person choose their top 10 favorites?
In my early years, I wasn't a big reader of books. I did love to read, but it was always of the magazine variety. The monthly Playboy interview, Reader's Digest, Popular Science, National Geographic and the like. It wasn't until my friend and co-blogger Larry Durham introduced me to Ayn Rand that I began to dive into books. The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged had me rooting for the pure businessman and true capitalist. Unbelievable for a socialist such as I was at the time!
Matter of fact, most of my early book reading were those lent to me by Larry D.
He introduced me to Kurt Vonnegut, Mark Twain and Richard Adams. Since those introductions, I have devoured Twain, even going so far as visiting his home in Connecticut. I have re-read Vonnegut time and again. I have rented and thoroughly enjoyed Adam's 'Watership Down', which I highly recommend!
Those early days of picking up a book revived my interest in history. Before going to London a few years ago, I read about the history of London which steered me to some of the historical sites that I would visit during my short time there. After my visit to St. Maarten, I read about the island and why it was a dual
colony owned by the French and the Dutch. And a visit to Massachusetts had me boning up on it's storied past.
Several years back my mother-in-law had reason to be admitted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. This was just prior to Mr Durham's lesson on picking up a book. There was so much I could have learned about the area! The history of that famous institution was lost to me because I didn't take the time to pick up a book.
Since then I have learned that, before I travel anywhere, I will research the area for a couple of days. It gives me a unique insight into the history and makeup of the place before I visit. I have discovered several gems by first going through this process.
Case in point:
Visiting the Richmond, Virginia area to visit friends, I discovered the Civil War battlefields of Cold Harbor and Petersburg. Amazing stories were told in the books I read and I certainly felt their historic importance more by understanding beforehand how the crater was made at Petersburg (a South Carolina connection), or why so many perished at Cold Harbor. These battlefield visits led me to Fredericksburg, VA. and one of the bloodiest, one-sided battles of the war.
This led me to Manassas and how Stonewall Jackson got his nickname.
Years earlier, my good friend Tony Durham and I traveled to Gettysburg to videotape the anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
We were taping the exploits of the 1st New York Light Artillery Division and were led around the battlefield by a 'living historian' (as some re-enactors prefer to be called). The information about this division that this gentleman bestowed upon us was fascinating! He took us, site by site, through all three day's battles and what this division was doing on each day. Had I read more about the battle before our visit, I could have certainly kept up with their exploits much better and probably turned out a better video.
Read, read, read…study, study, study!
By reading, I also learned that, not too far from my house, a battle for the revolution occurred. While in and of itself it was a mere skirmish,  the chain of events that it set in motion led directly to King's Mountain and Cowpens - two strategic victories which caused Cornwallis to abandon the south and head toward Yorktown, Virginia. And we all know what happened there!
I encourage everyone with an interest in travel, or history, to dive into a book before your next road trip. Hell, take it along with you.
That's the beauty of a book.
It needs no electricity to operate.
Read on!
And don't forget to write!