A Painted Boat Upon a Painted Sea

[mallorys_camera]

So.

We have Our Hero who for plot purposes is about to embark on a train to San Francisco where he will meet up with Secondary Shady Millionaire who knows Stuff About the Plot that Our Hero doesn’t.

Some kind of social event – Charity ball? Opera premier?

Some kind of tête-à-tête: For some reason I am envisioning this taking place on a rooftop with a fabulous view of nighttime San Francisco which in the 1930s would mostly be Coit Tower and the topography of the hills themselves. Painted moon hangs in the painted sky, etcetera.

Oh, yeah – before he goes to San Francisco, Our Hero must have poignant conversation with Our Heroine with whom he would be in love if he did not have the ability to turn off his emotions at will.

Information flow must include conversation about Primary Shady Millionaire’s land purchases up and down the California coast, and possibly some amusing conversation about old money versus new money.

No obvious entry into this. Writing will be a bit like chiseling rock, I'm afraid.

###

It took me 2 hours to shovel my car out. Towards the end of it, B wandered by to offer me help – I was grateful but at the same time resentful, thinking, why couldn’t you have come two hours ago? Still, the exercise was good for me because it completely snapped me out of my bad mood. I felt sprightly and invigorated for the rest of the day.

Woke up in a terrible mood again though and there’s only about 15 minutes worth of shoveling to do this morning.

Not sure what I do about that.

I miss my tribe…

Comments

[anais-pf.livejournal.com]

Allan likes long vigorous walks when he's feeling unhappy, or just to sort things out in his mind. Your mileage may vary. And I know there's all that snow on the ground where you are. That makes it difficult to walk.

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

Winter is hard for me that way because I am definitely the type of person who needs to blow off physical energy and I don't like gyms.

During the warmer months, I ride my bike about 20 miles a day.

[anais-pf.livejournal.com]

I don't suppose mall-walking has any appeal for you. It sure doesn't for me.

[robby.livejournal.com]

Admiral Richard Byrd was lecturing on his exploration of Antarctica in the 1930's. Maybe that sort of event would work in your story. My father drove from San Francisco to San Jose in the late 1930's and recounted that Bayshore highway was in terrible shape. (It may not have been completely paved yet) and it took forever to get there and back. The only landmark was the huge dirigible hanger at Moffett Field.

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

The unpaved Bayshore highway's a great suggestion. The other thing that was happening that year (1932) is that the Bixby Creek Bridge was being constructed so Monterey was teaming with lumber and cement trucks heading south.

This story has been challenging to write because usually I start with characters and the action kind of follows that. This story is quite the opposite though.

Wikipedia Research

[robby.livejournal.com]

Bayshore Highway only went as far as Redwood City in 1932, and then, I suppose, you could continue south on El Camino. Moffett Field was called "Airbase Sunnyvale CAL" and did house navy airships, so presumably, those huge hangers were brand new then.

Re: Wikipedia Research

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

Our Hero is going to take the train, I think.

Which is problematic in its own way. :-) Can't locate any train tables for Monterey in 1932. Common sense dictates that the coastal route was impossible due to the San Cruz mountains so probably the route was Monterey -> Salinas -> San Jose -> San Francisco. But I don't really know. Guess I'm gonna have to do some research before I start the rewrite; for now it's just important to get something down.

Re: Wikipedia Research

[robby.livejournal.com]

I found some online scans of 1936 CA highway maps. Highway 1 would have taken him to SF, but it would have been a difficult journey. http://www.cosmos-monitor.com/ca/map1936/index.html

Re: Wikipedia Research

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you! Very nice of you!

[robby.livejournal.com]

In 1932, there was a direct train from Monterey to SF, called the Del Monte Express. This train killed Ed Ricketts in 1948, as he was driving across the tracks. Here is a timetable from 1940:

http://www.wx4.org/to/foam/sp/assorted/monterey/mont_br1940pubtt.jpg

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

Wow! Very useful, this. Thank you so much!