Dan Antion

Special Thanks Thursday – #ThursdayDoors

The Filter By Pass Indicator might be the smallest door I’ve ever seen.

If you’ve come for the doors, you should know two things, 1) Norm is taking the day off, but 2) of course there will be doors. But first, I want to take a few moments to thank two special people in the universe that is WordPress – Norm Frampton, and Linda G. Hill.

Norm, of course, brings us the weekly blogfest that is Thursday Doors. I think it goes without saying that I enjoy Thursday Doors. In fact, I haven’t looked at buildings the same way since I published my first door (yes, singular) post back in 2015.

I also have some experience managing a blogfest (Cherished Blogfest) and I’ve had the pleasure or filling in for Norm on a couple of occasions, so I know how much work is involved in running a blogfest. Scheduling the start and end time, marketing, visiting the individual contributions, commenting on those posts and sharing them in social media, all require time. Every time we click on the little blue frog, it works because Norm has ‘made it so’ (to quote another favorite leader of mine).

Bracketing Thursday Doors on No Facilities are two challenge prompts that have become very important to me. “One-Liner Wednesday” and “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” were once periodic endeavors and are now fixtures on this blog. Before I elaborate, let me add that both of these challenges are managed by author, editor, and all-around-good-girl Linda G. Hill, and both require a similar amount of planning and effort that I described above.

I started participating in One-Liner Wednesday almost exactly three years ago. Believe it or not, that first one-liner consisted of 38 words. From there, my one-liners grew to 42, 94 and 156 words before I completely lost the one-line concept. What can I say, I believe in the importance of the backstory. Another thing to remember about my one-liners is that they are not edited. So, if you notice typos or violations of the rules of grammar, they are my fault, not The Editor’s.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is the most curious bit of writing on No Facilities. I started with #SoCS in October 2014. I continued, but not consistently. I enjoyed the challenge of stream of consciousness writing, but I often had already done more than the “minimal planning” that Linda suggests should be completed. I also enjoyed another series on this blog, “If We Were Having a Beer.” Apparently, I’ve been visiting the bar longer than any of these prompts – that sounds like me. My first post from the bar was in January of 2015, but like #SoCS, bar posts were a periodic thing. It wasn’t until 2017 that I attempted to merge the two categories.

I credit Linda with driving that merger. Her prompts were always interesting, often made compelling with the addition of bonus points. The merger was complete sometime in the fall of 2017. Since then, I have attempted to write dialog from the bar while addressing the #SoCS prompt. It doesn’t always work. Sometimes I fix it (and acknowledge that I failed by having to edit) and sometimes, the dialog wanders and we don’t know who’s speaking.

While thanking Linda for encouraging me to think faster on my feet, as it were, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank two others. At some point in the summer of 2015, John W. Howell suggested that I should attempt to lose the introductory paragraphs and focus on tagless dialog. The idea scared me, but I tried. In many ways, I am still trying, but I do thank him for his encouragement, because I enjoy this style of writing very much. I apologize when I lose you in the conversation, I guess sometimes, you have to be there.

Speaking of being there, I also want to thank our bartender, Cheryl K. Pennington. Cheryl stepped behind the bar one Saturday in 2015 and decided to keep the job. She has only missed a few days, when I wanted to tell a story where the bartender was a problem – Brad, a.k.a. Skippy fills in for her on those days. Cheryl is a good sport, and she’s been quick to clarify some points where her opinion is important.

I’m almost done, just two more people to thank. Thanks to The Editor for reading three posts each week, sometimes twice, and for having paid attention in the classes I found boring. You know, the ones on spelling and grammar. Last, but most important, thank you! Thanks for reading. Thanks for your comments and a special thank you to those of you who have inspired posts at this place – you know who you are.

Today’s gallery features the favorite doors that didn’t make the cut last week.

Something tells me Verizon didn’t choose this door.
“Free Poetry” – My kind of free small library.
I love the two little doors.
A firehouse in the 1800’s. Still a beautiful building.
The door needs some work, but the sign is perfect.
Another central Pennsylvania farm. I love barns.
Exiting Grand Central
Good to know there’s still a fallout shelter near DC.
I know, it’s only a garage door, but I had to include that sign, and that window.
The Tudor arch has a “squashed” (symbolizing weight) appearance vs. the Pointed arch of the window.
Lots of lumber in here
I had to include this one – Joey will like those lamps.
This is a side entrance to the Post Office and Courthouse.
Powder Hollow Brewery
I do like letter-boxes, and since they al have a door, I can share them here. This was in my hotel.
The entrance to St. Joseph’s Church in San Antonio is inviting.
Side doors to the back of the sanctuary.

76 comments

  2. I’m not part of the challenges, but I enjoy what you do with them and of course after having been a bartender myself for many years – I definitely enjoy “If We Were Having a Beer”! You may have skipped over these door pictures before, but I can not choose a favorite, they’re all good!

    Liked by 2 people

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  6. My daughter introduced me to Judy’s blog. Your comments there intrigued me so I checked you out and became an instant follower. You pointed me in Pam’s direction, and so on. I wasn’t sure if my comments would be welcome since I do not blog myself. But I needn’t have worried. Everyone I follow has welcomed me with open arms.

    Thank YOU Dan for your interesting, funny, informative and insightful posts. I have learned more history, seen more places, and had more laughs reading your posts than I could have ever imagined. It’s been wonderful meeting you, The Editor, Faith, Maddie, MiMi and MuMu and your assortment of chunky squirrels!!

    I’m not a traveler, but this has been one hell of a trip!!

    Oh! Yeah. Great collection of doors today. Love the doors, windows and brickwork on that old firehouse. What a beauty! Of course the mailbox and the free library and although not a door, the sign on #321.

    Glad you’re retiring, but I hope that never includes retiring from blogging!!
    🔹 Ginger 🔹

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    • Thanks Ginger. The connections from various blogs has been very interesting and rewarding for me as well. I can chart a similar course, and I have found many friends along the way. I remember looking for your blog, because I felt bad that I wasn’t following you. Then you explained, and I felt much less guilty. I enjoy your comments very much!

      I am so glad you enjoy the various posts over here. While I look forward to retiring, I have no plans to stop writing. I also have no plans to increase the frequency. It’s funny, I liked posting three days a week, and I told myself that I could add Wednesday, since it’s only one line! Ha – I should have known.

      By the way, that firehouse was for sale – you know, if you ever wanted to live in an old firehouse – I’d buy it in a heartbeat if I could.

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  7. Such a great tribute to everyone, Dan. I do like the tagless dialogue. I sometimes get lost as to who is saying what but the lines are so snappy–not to be confused with Skippy–which was a brilliant character to bring into play. Always great posts!

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    • Thanks Lois. Traveling exposes me to a lot of bartenders, and sometimes I run into an idiot. I couldn’t let Cheryl have a bad day, so we had to have Skippy.

      I’m glad you enjoy those posts, and I’m glad we connected. I love the twisted responses you bring to your photo challenges.

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  8. Thank YOU, Dan, for your dedication and diligence in sharing so many experiences and places with us. I was never good at history and was absolutely idiotic about geography. I know how to get where I need to by instinct and memory but not by any method of calculation. I leave that to men like you and my hubby. I have loved my ‘moonlighting’ job and hope to continue serving up those drinks and enjoying your conversations for a long time to come. Ditto on all counts for those mentioned above. And thank you for introducing me to so many talented and beautiful people through your blogging experiences. We have Damyanti to thank for the connection through FB ultimately, if memory serves. Life is so intertwined and rich. Oh! My favorite door today is that barn against the hills. So pastoral….

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  11. Dan it is always a pleasure to read your posts. You bring us in because it’s interesting and you keep us here because you’re good. And who doesn’t love the mystery of the door. Every door has a story attached and sometimes they write themselves.

    Liked by 2 people

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  14. Nice holiday recap and nice doors. I particularly like the dangerous one with the door, gate, and garden hose aka portal to unplanned adventure and or accident. And no I have nothing to do with the insurance industry. Can a garden hose function as a primitive Tardis ? The outbound trip is easy. The return trip may be more of a challenge.

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  15. There must be some bonus points coming your way for mentioning three blogfests and their hosts, conversations at the bar, thanking the bartender and including door photos in the absence of Thursday doors. Love the 1800’s firehouse. Do you know how it’s being used now?

    However…5,000 bonus points to the Editor for being the Super Duper Editor. She does a fabulous job of keeping your writing on track and in line.

    Happy Thursday, Dan. I would have been here sooner, but being on vacation, I have turned into a cat: Sleeping, eating, not moving fast unless someone is opening a can…

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Ha ha – I should have opened the post with “Whirrrrrrrrr”

      The firehouse was for sale in September. It’s walking distance to Heinz Field and PNC Park, in case you’re interested. I would love to live there.

      The Editor does make me look more capable with the English language than I am. I like to think I’m improving, but she still turns up some “oh, that would have looked bad” items.

      Enjoy the rest of your holiday break. I’m working this week, and 1/2 day on Monday.

      Liked by 1 person

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  17. Dan, I never picked up on the challenges, however I love reading your posts. Your passion for doors comes through, and I’ve paid more attention to doors since seeing your many doors in different locations. Nice to read your thanks to coordinators of the challenges, and to know more about them and your history of participation. I agree with John about the tag-less dialogue! Easy to follow in your writing! I’ve used tag-less dialogue for most of my book, and the story flow is much smoother. Enjoy the rest of the week, and the New Year holiday. 📚Christine

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  21. Hi Dan, Happy New Year. I’d visit more often but for some reason my browser enters a cycle of loading and re-loading the menu page. I’m sure its a setting on my end and I’ll get it figured out. I was able to catch the link to this post just before the page re-loaded. :) I hope you have a safe and Happy New Year. :)

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  27. I always enjoy your Thursday Doors post. In fact, I associate you with doors in my mind. Whenever I see a unique door, I think of you. Oh! that is a door Dan would love to write about. Or it could be a question – will this door intrigue Dan?

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    • Thanks! I have come to have a strong interest in doors since I started participating here. I’ve always been intrigued by door construction, particularly older doors that have held up over long periods of time. You must literally see hundreds of these in your travels.

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      • I wonder how many door pictures you would click if you ever visit India. I think you can start an entire blog dedicated to Indian doors. :) Yeah, I do see doors that are decades old. My own home (where I was born and lived earlier) had a 50 year old door. It still has the same door (my neighbor bought that house but didn’t replace the door).

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