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A Mid-Year's Walking Trip  by GamgeeFest 2 Review(s)
Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 3 on 1/16/2005
This should be interesting with all of them sleeping outside of the tent. I wonder if the weather will hold out or if the food will be the only item to stay dry. I thought it was funny when Sam decided that keeping the food in the tent was not a proper use for a tent. He may just prove to be right on this one.

Author Reply: Well, if the heat waves in the Shire are anything like the heat waves in California, then the weather should be holding out just fine. They might still get wet though, hm...

LOL, you know Sam and "proper." He likes things the way they're supposed to be, for the most part anyway. My Sam has a teensy bit of a rebellious streak - hidden very deep down of course - and keeping to what's proper isn't always easy for him.

And thanks for the compliments on how I write Sam! I do identify with him most of all, so if you ever want any advice on how to write him, just give me a holler. I'll be glad to help in any way. :)

Thanks for reading!



DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 3 on 1/15/2005
Absolutely positively delightful!
I love Pippin's combination of curiousity and skepticism at the story of Earendil--just the kind of questions he'd come up with,too! (I'd never thought about the idea of the Silmaril blinding him, LOL!)

And the song was lovely, thank you very much! And quite appropriate, too. But then you know how I love for Pippin to sing.

I like the speculation about the Bindbale wood, and how there are stories about it like the Old Forest. When Pippin tries to reassure himself that it is just like the Woody End, it makes me wonder what stories a hobbit in another part of the Shire might have heard about *it*. (After all, we know it was frequented by Elves...)

And Merry's solution for the tent was just the kind of logical idea he would come up with.

Looking forward to more!!

Author Reply: Pippin's a bit like me when it comes to such stories: I need it to be logical and I pick them apart, lol. So glad you enjoyed the song. I'm trying to hone my poetry skills, and as I don't really have anyone to tell me if I'm doing it right or wrong, you all are going to have to suffer being my guinea pigs. :)

Bindbale always struck me as an odd name for a forest in the heart of the idyllic Shire. I started thinking about what the name might mean when I started outlining this story. "Bind" is to tie together, and "in a bind" means a difficult situation. "Bale" is a large bundle of straw bound together with cord. So I got the idea of Bindbale being full of large, impenetrable brush and
tangling bushes and such. And then it just seemed logical to me that if that's the case, hobbits wouldn't venture there too often and as such, rumors about it would be a given. Should be interesting to see what happens to our dear hobbits.

Thanks for reading!

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