.
Have you ever wondered what the staircase to a writer's office looks like? Well, wonder no more. Pictured above is the Dragon Staircase, which leads to my own office. It's typical for a writer's abode. You'll note that it has the standard bottle of champagne on every other step. With, you'll note, a bottle of Perrier substituting for one champagne bottle, just in case a teetotal should ever come to visit.
Okay, yes, I'm being whimsical. What happened was that Marianne decided to refinish the stairs the other day and, since they were still being used, varnished every other step using champagne bottles to mark those that were safe to step on and then, when the first set were dry, shifted the bottles and varnished the rest.
And why do we have so much champagne on hand? Well . . . when you're doing as well as Marianne and I are, we find that it's useful to stock up for the inevitable celebrations.
And if you knew Dr. Jenkins . . .
The English Department of W & M is having a memorial to Dr. David Clay Jenkins on December 1 in the Great Hall of the Wren Building, at 7:00 p.m. From Philadelphia, that's a 75-hour drive. But I will be there. I owe him that much and more. If you knew him and thought well of him, I'm sure you'd be welcome too.
If, however, you didn't know him but had a teacher once to whom you owe a lot, consider this: A few years ago, belatedly realizing that Dr. Jenkins was, like the rest of us, mortal, I got in touch with him and set a date to see him and thank him for all he'd done. Now I don't have to experience the regret of not having done so.
It was, in the final analysis, a gift to myself.
And why, you ask, is it called the Dragon Staircase?
Actually, you didn't ask. But if anybody does ask, I'll tell you on Monday.
*
One of the sadder moments of my post college experience was returning to my alma mater and finding my writing professor. I walked into her office and thanked her for all she'd taught me, and how much I'd loved her latest book.
ReplyDeleteShe cocked her head a bit and asked me who I was.
C'est la vie!
Now you have teased my imagination about this dragon staircase, I can hardly wait until monday
ReplyDeleteBut let me guess, I bet it has something to do with a story you shared with your son when he was a child. I am sure that upstairs somewhere there is the dragon lair.
I was very careful to write ahead to Dr. Jenkins, telling him who I was. But then, I have a terrible memory for names and faces, and so it's always a delightful surprise to me when anyone -- even one of my sisters -- remembers me.
ReplyDeleteBut that's a heartbreaker of a story.
ReplyDeleteMy college writing prof is still annoyed that I didn't win an Atlantic First. I don't dare tell her about the science fiction.
ReplyDeleteP.S. As usual, I am overcome with admiration for Marianne's ingenuity. Is there champagne in those bottles, or a series of short-shorts?
ReplyDeleteYour books are your treasure hoard; your books are probably hoarded in your office/library; office = dragon den, so the staircase is the dragon staircase.
ReplyDeleteOh,there was wine in the bottles. We had an anniversary party, and our guests drank far less than I expected. Darn. Leftover wine.
ReplyDeleteMCP, I applaud your use of the past tense....
ReplyDelete