Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW…

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

That’s where you’d have found us on a recent midsummer’s Sunday.
Although, since the pre-requisite tornado was off wreaking havoc somewhere else in the world, my sister, niece, a friend and I had to find another magical form of transportation to take us there. Fortunately, ‘the Bean’ was just sitting in the driveway twiddling its tires so we jumped in and hit the street – following the black asphalt road up, over, and back down Divisidero like a scene from “Bullitt” until we arrived at the place we’d heard of once in a tourist’s brochure – a true pot of gold – the Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, CHILDHOOD, EVENTS, FAMILY, HUMOR | Tagged adventure, author, blog, Castro Theater, Donna Weidner, Mighty Wurlitzer, San Francisco, The Wizard Of Oz, the wizard of oz sing a long | 17 Comments

CURIOUS INCIDENT WITH MY DOGS IN THE DAYTIME

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

On the heels of National Dog Day I’d like to shared this update on a former post:

The disgruntled residents of Tibroningham may rest easier tonight knowing that Self Appointed Pooper-scooper Sherri M. is hard at work making our world a cleaner place to live. Earlier this week, quite unexpectedly, the girls and I chanced upon a sizable plump plastic sack resting on the side of the trail. Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, AWESOME PEOPLE, HUMOR, LUCY and JAZZIE, VIEW FROM MY SOAP BOX | Tagged adventure, blog, Donna Weidner, humor, National Dog Day, small town parody, Tiburon, writer | 15 Comments

SHAZBOT

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

It’s been over a week since shrill sirens screamed their way around the back end of the peninsula. Did you hear them too? Or were you already gone – spirited away on a breath of wind? Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, AWESOME PEOPLE | Tagged adventure, Donna Weidner, Mount Tamalpais, shazbot, tribute to Robin Williams, What Dreams May Come | 17 Comments

MENDOCINO MEMOIR

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

I seldom leave the confines of my home. Since the fever, I’ve lost all sense of time—minutes slip into hours, day turns to night, summer to autumn. Oftentimes, I’m too weak to open a window on my own. Occasionally, the help does it for me, but I’ve noticed that I can’t feel the breeze that rustles the curtain. Nor do I detect even a hint of salt or pine that typically clings to the wisps of the morning’s mist and drifts about the room. The village carpenter, whose name somehow escapes me but shouldn’t, smelled of both. I long for the love I felt for him when he’d sit at my bedside, combing my hair with his slim, sap spotted fingers. Invariably, they would catch a strand and I would try my hardest not to wince. He doesn’t visit anymore. Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, ROAD TRIP, SHORT STORIES, WRITING CHALLENGES | Tagged adventure, angel, author, cemetery, death, Donna Weidner, DPchallenge, ghosts, Memoir, Mendocino, Mendocino Mason's Temple, writer | 9 Comments

ON BEING YACCARINO’D

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

‘Twas the first day of class, suspense flooded the room,
Yet, my stomach gurgled a wee sense of doom.
For I’ve been to enough workshops to know what to expect:
A roller coaster of emotions, which inevitably reflect
Anxiety, frustration, embarrassment and fear,
Joy, pride, and laughter, with an occasional tear.

And so there I sat, one beaming face amongst twelve, Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, HUMOR, POEMS, ROAD TRIP, TRAVEL/PHOTO Themes, WRITING CHALLENGES | Tagged 'twas poem, beach, children's book writing, Dan Yaccarino, Donna Lambo Gwinnell Weidner, DPchallenge, page, poetry, roller, Shinnecock Museum, Southampton Writer's Conference 2014, strike, sunset | 27 Comments

NOT FA NUTTIN’ – BUT BROOKLYN ROCKS

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

I’m finally on my way to the Southampton Writer’s Conference. Since this event is back East, I decided to stop and visit family and friends along the way. First stop, Brooklyn. Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, FAMILY, HUMOR, ROAD TRIP, TRAVEL/PHOTO Themes | Tagged 2014 Southampton Writer's Conference, author, blog, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Museum, Donna Weidner, Elyse Weidner, Kiki Smith, Swoon, writer | 14 Comments

AROUND THE ALPS IN EIGHTY MINUTES

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

photo source

When Mr. Man was given the gift of a balloon ride by his co-workers for his 50th birthday I was immediately transported back in time to my eleven-year-old bedroom. I saw myself lying in bed, pillow fluffed behind my head reading Jules Verne’s “Around the World in Eighty Days.” Captivated by Phileas Fogg’s flight in a hot air balloon with his valet Passpartout, the dream of one day circumnavigating the earth with my manservant took root.

Nearly forty-five years later my fantasy materialized – maybe not the part traveling completely around the world, but certainly living the rest of the dream… Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, CHILDHOOD, FAMILY, HUMOR, ROAD TRIP, TRAVEL/PHOTO Themes | Tagged adventure, Around The World In Eighty Days, author, blog, childhood dream, Donna Weidner, hot air balloon ride, Jules Verne, writer | 24 Comments

FIFTEEN YEARS A SLAVE

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

It’s 5:10 a.m.
The race is on.

Who will be the first to announce the dawn of a new day? Mother Nature slashing a blaze of dazzling light across the horizon just before she catapults that blinding orb into the sky? No. She’s not scheduled to wake up for another thirty-six minutes.

The birds lilting twitters, tweets, and peeps shaking off nighttime dreams of worm breakfasts and gnat snacks? No. With their wee heads tucked under their wings, they’re still snoring – snuggled in tree cavities and dense vegetation, waiting for Mother to flip on the lights. Oh, and yes, birds do indeed snore… Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, FAMILY, HUMOR, LUCY and JAZZIE | Tagged adventure, author, blog, Donna Weidner, fifteen years a slave, humor, pets, torture | 11 Comments

TAG, YOU’RE IT!

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

If you’ve ever played RED ROVER, SIMON SAYS, or RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT, then you are not a stranger to TAG – a fast and furious game where one kid in a group is deemed IT and runs around the yard trying to touch someone else thereby dubbing them IT until it gets dark and the fireflies come out signaling it’s time to go home, or in Stephen King’s case, to write a horror story whose evil character, IT, still prompts a rain of heebie-jeebies down my back when I see a clown.

Now that I’m grown, well sort of, and Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, EVENTS, HUMOR | Tagged adventure, author, blog, Donna Weidner, Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency, Mina Witteman, Stephen Fraser, The Writing Process Blog Tour, writing process | 14 Comments

Six ways to 65 years; Relationship Advice from a Platinum Couple

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

With so many weddings and anniversaries coming up, I’d like to share Red’s grandparents’ advice. My favorite is number 6 1/2…

Red Said What?

At my grandparents’ golden wedding anniversary party, my new fiancé, Mac gave an impromptu toast to the happy couple. Fifteen years later, we never imagined we would once again be celebrating with Joe and Dot for their 65^th anniversary. Last month, we were lucky enough to do just that.

My grandparents are part of The Greatest Generation.

He, a World War II Navy veteran saw The Battle of Normandy in the Atlantic, Okinawa in the Pacific, and lost his parents and almost his own life in a tragic accident all before the age of twenty-one. A devoted husband and well-meaning father with a strong work ethic who can fix anything, Joe greets life with a smile. My grandfather is a youthful, spirited song and dance man, musician and opera lover who has serenaded and entertained generations of children.

She, a family and community matriarch who experienced divorce, fierce sibling…

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