Creative Outing, Lake County California-style: John Frary and Nan’s Hopland Grade Journey to buy a copy of “Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary”—and to see what they could see

One of my greatest pleasures in being an author and having my book “Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary” out in the world is hearing from readers. This note and two beautiful photos of one of my homeplaces, Lake County, Northern California, arrived from John Frary recently. I was so touched that I wanted to share it.—JGR
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Dear Janet,

My sweetheart, Nan, and I drove around Clear Lake to take photos of Mount Konocti and buy a copy of your wonderful book “Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary” at the Lakeport bookstore.

On a whim, we went over the Hopland grade to Lakeport. As we reached the summit, we could see Konocti off in the distance. The top was bathed in morning sunlight, the foothills were dark green, and the base was in shadow—three levels of heaven. The photograph came out great and captured the “supine form” of the Konocti Princess.

View of Konocti from the Hopland Grade by John Frary

I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary.” It is beautifully written. I clearly identified with the toil and tribulations you underwent and endured in losing your loved ones. I was a caregiver for my wife who passed on six years ago. A warm, loving relationship can endure and be strengthened by difficulties that are not even imaginable in the beginning.

I especially liked ASHES WASHED CLEAN. Your poem reminded me of a crazy experience I had helping my best friend scatter his mother’s ashes over the S.F. Bay. The Neptune Society’s boat broke down before we could leave the harbor, and so we took on the task of finding a suitable place to release her beautiful soul. We carried the urn and walked for hours, beyond the marina and all the way to Fort Point under the Golden Gate, where we finally released her to the outgoing tide.

This is the hour o’ soul,
Thy free flight into the wordless
And there fully forth emerging,
Silent, gazing
Pondering the themes
thou lovest best
—Walt Whitman

Please let me know when you will be in Lakeport again for the signing of, hopefully, a new book? I’ll be there!

In friendship,

John Frary

P.S. In this photo taken from Lakeport, Mt. Konocti has a cuter “nose” and seems to have “pitch poled” to the bottom of her bed in Clear Lake.

John H. Frary’s “View of Konocti from Lakeport”