Jamila, here's a bonus photo for your Spotlight. It's the photo I nearly went with (but my El Capitan obsession won out).
You mentioned liking the 1000% reference from "Redwoodian"; here's the window that jump-started that particular idea for me. It is at the Ahwahnee, a hotel not too far from El Capitan.
Make-believe swimming pools? I like to think about them. One in particular, actually: the Motel Fairwil pool.
Meaning real pools inspire me. This one, the supernaturally pretty Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle, is one of my very favorites. It is exquisite, yes, but here's what really intrigues me: It is not open to the general public. An inviting pool that you can't jump in? It's like the Motel Fairwil pool and pent-up heiress Fair Finley. All that pretty blue water, right there, so tempting, and yet.
And yet.
By the way, Hearst Castle, which is in San Simeon, California, is in the same area as the fictional Lodge Under Ocean from the "Wilfair" books. It is breathtaking country.
On another note, I wonder if Fair will ever jump in the Motel Fairwil pool? And, if she does, will she be alone?
What's the best vacation you've ever had? And why?
This is the Ahwahnee in Yosemite Valley. I love lodges, and the Ahwahnee was one of my "Redwoodian" inspirations, along with four other famous, woodsy, nature-close hotels. (I'll talk about them down the road; oh, and one actually isn't very near nature at all.)
The morning we checked out I saw climbers on the granite rockface behind the lodge. Kind of made my feet tingle, actually.
There were also bear signs in the driveway. Bears! The signs were not for the bears, I should clarify, but for the humans, and how we should act should we see a bear.
What would a sign intended solely for the bears look like? Now I'm wondering.
The Long Now Foundation inspires me.
The organization wants to construct a clock that can last for several thousand years. The reasons behind the strange timepiece are beautiful and mysterious, but what I like most about The 10,000-Year Clock is that it sends a strong message: Good things take time.
My favorite fact? The clock will tick once a year, not once a second.
I'm a fan of the slow build. But I promise it won't take 10,000 years for Wilfair's lovebirds to tick.
Clock prototype:
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