Inspiration

It is the spark that makes a blog (or any other form of writing) work. "When you're hot you're hot", as the old song goes, but when inspiration wanes sometimes you have to borrow a little. I'll "borrow" inspiration from almost anyone if it moves me- even if it moves me indirectly or counter-intuitively. Of course sometimes (like yesterday) I'm out there on my own without a net or anyone else to blame for my excesses.

But there are several blogs that I keep returning to- they're in my links, most of them I've followed for years; some of them have nearly stopped posting, while others have evolved over time- slowly changing as they explore new areas.

From the very start Flippism Is The Key has had an Icelandic component. Like a fiend with his dope, and a drunkard his wine, I need my Iceland "fix". One of them has, by her constancy, influenced and inspired me; only recently have I begun to realize just how many of my posts were unconsciously modeled on hers. Maria Roff, at Iceland Eyes has steadfastly given the world a photo and a paragraph or two about Iceland nearly every week for the last four years.

Think of a regular travel book. By its nature, it is usually a commercial or semi-commercial endeavor; none have the kind of depth that this blog has, and few have such clear examples of Icelandic life- it's as if you had your own personal guide. the other blogs listed each have their own approach- some very informal, others more personal, all of them are a treasure.

Occasionally I'll run into people who can't see the worth of blogging, or even understand what a blog is. I'll direct them to these blogs, and to Maria's in particular. Some old co-workers of mine recently traveled to Iceland and used these blogs for ideas- they had a wonderful time, and in a way that would have been hard to duplicate by going on a package tour.

So, when Maria recently called for stories and photos from people who had visited Iceland, I was more than glad to send her mine.

Thanks Maria, for keeping your window into Iceland open so wide, and for so long...