Our house was a recreation building in a former life. A two-story cement-block building built into the bank of a man-made lake, the entire upstairs is one big room. If I pulled back the carpet - you'd see shuffleboard courts.

With no walls upstairs, the room has been separated and divided through different methods. Bookshelves are backed against one side of my desk, separating the office in the back corner. Shelves and dressers separate the "junk corner" and a long, deep counter runs across the opposite end to provide much-needed storage space.

Then, there is the sectional-couch-entertainment-center section, facing opposite the middle of the room, where I have, on one side a reading table and recliners; and on the other side is another desk that actually now serves as the laundry folding station.

There are books and magazines everywhere.

The reading table is piled with "how to travel write" books - nine of them I ordered used in an amazon.com frenzy last week sometime around 1:30 a.m. The footrest has become the home of the 2006 Writer's Market, which has been open to one page or another since its arrival five days ago.

The couch is piled with magazines - borrowed, bought or swiped - like "West Virginia Field and Stream," "Outdoors," "Sierra," and "Women's Day." On the end table lies the 2006 Magazine Market, with index cards peeking out at the top marking certain pages.

The book here at my desk "Newspaper Markets for Travel Writers" also arrived today, and I must say, it will likely end up in the trash.

On the coffee table is the newest arrival, "West Virginia - A Guide to Backcountry Travel & Adventure" which both Frank and I will enjoy - and and read again and again.


I suppose that book should go in the bathroom.






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