Writing things down
 

So you're riding along an unfamiliar road and you come to the most astounding thing, it's amazing really, and you want to be able to tell people about it, to remember it later. No simple picture will do for this -- you need description, you need context.

What do you do? Do you keep a pen and a small notebook in a pocket? Carry a tape recorder? Whip out your blackberry and start clicking away?

For a sunset, a tricky turn in the road, a conversation, an unexpected animal, a license plate -- what do you do?

I use my mind, my heart and my memory. To be able to paint a picture or invoke a feeling with words is the ultimate in written expression.

Take a picture with the cell phone!

I take a picture of the item, and any "surrounding context" ... and then as I continue to ride, I "write" the story surrounding that picture in my head.

For example, if I just took the following photo and posted it, it wouldn't mean anything to anyone:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2566/...8eac33e752.jpg

So I also took this photo, which explains what the photo above is all about:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2472/...1fd8f02189.jpg


In other cases, I might take a picture of a nearby road sign or something else that will remind me exactly where the photo was taken. And then I might be able to look up whatever it was I saw on the internet and would be able to include some background information in the story if I decide to write it up.