And since I’m awful at putting things off for no good reason (yes, I’m easy if I wanna be) I’m going to start tomorrow.
Oh, carp…I did say that yesterday, didn’t I? Which would make this…right.
Well, I’m stuffed on pizza and my head is spinning from a great movie (Secretariat, and wow did I enjoy it), but I made a commitment and here I am. So let’s see what day one is, hmm?
Get out a map or go to an international website like National Geographic. Look everywhere. Antarctica. Saudi Arabia. The rainforests of Brazil. The rainforests of Central California. Look at how the different climates behave and appear.
The first fifteen minute exercise is to write down all the different climates you can think of– if you need to just say a city name, do it. Sometimes “Seattle” is more evocative than “northern damp temperate climate.” Write these names down in a list.
Then, go through that list and write one or two words that describe how that climate, either the word itself or the way the place itself may have made you feel, if you’ve been there before. Try to stick to abstract adjectives; emotional words, if you can, but nouns are also okay.
Easy enough. I have this map right above my head, after all. (Isn’t it gorgeous?)
Okay, so. The Australian Outback. Indonesia. The Gobi Desert. Siberia. Japan’s mountains. China’s karst landscape. The fog desert in the Andes (I think, pretty sure it’s in Chile). The Amazon river and its jungle. The pampas of Argentina. Machu Picchu, high on a mountain. Vancouver (every planet in the Pegasus galaxy has a temperate rain forest on it, right?) Ice shelves of Antarctica. Sudden mountains in Utah. The Everglades. England. The Sahara.
The Outback. Dry. Bloom and bust. Treasures hidden.
Indonesia. Water and sky. Color and life.
The Gobi Desert: dry and cold. Bleak. Difficult and dreary.
Siberia: cold patience. Snow and trees (I am thinking of the taiga). Determination and slow-building power.
Japan’s mountains: ancient wisdom. Patience, contentment, and seeking of beauty. (I’m a bit biased.)
China’s karst landscape: sudden hills. Mystery. The exotic.
The fog desert: life finds a way. Tenacity and stubborn will.
The Amazon river and its jungle: life everywhere, and so death everywhere. Life feeds on life, and it all keeps growing.
The pampas of Argentina: high and dry. Huge sky, strange animals. The exotic mixed with the familiar.
Machu Picchu: persistence. Strength. Will. I might be missing the point here. Maybe I should go with the Andes?
The Andes: Sharp. Unbent. Proud.
Vancouver: Rain and growth. Gentle age.
Antarctica: life in white and blue. Cold sharp knives.
Sudden mountains (these would be the Rockies): Splendor so close. The gods are near. (Yeah, it’s late, all right?)
The Everglades: secret life. Wonders hidden. Humidity and bugs and so much to learn.
England: wet and grey. Sunshine is a gift. Solid and lasting strength.
The Sahara: shifting gold. Heat and death, but some can live there.
Okay, so…took me a lot longer than fifteen minutes, but I knew it would, and now I have the urge to go spend some quality time with Google Earth. And look what I found, checking out Indonesia!
What’d you come up with?