iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

What have I been up to in the last six months? Starting a fresh new chapter of Art in my life by taking up #watercolor #painting. Here are some examples of the dozens of canvases I've completed since I started in January.

A watercolor painting of a barn at the edge of a field.

A watercolor painting of a black cat holding a bouquet of what look like popped balloons (but are really just streaks of paint) in various rainbow colors.

Two watercolor paintings in side-by-side watercolor sketchbooks depict a large blue ball about to crush a small red house, and the silhouette of a cat in various wet-washes of blue.

A watercolor painting depicting a map of the United States painted in blood-red, with "250" faintly showing through in the solid color. At the tip of Florida, a single drop of blood falls into the blue water below, setting up a series of concentric rings.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

The snow beat in a soft flurry against the windowpanes. It made a whispery, uneasy sound. ~"Three Blind Mice," Agatha Christie #SundaySentence

The first-edition cover of "Three Blind Mice and Other Stories" by Agatha Christie shows a sprung mousetrap with a scrap of something unidentified bleeding out of the trap wire with the book's title printed across it.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

One doesn't recognise in one's life the really important moments—not until it's too late. "Endless Night," Agatha Christie My #SundaySentence comes from my annual "Christie-mas" read. What was YOUR favorite sentence of the week? Share with us, using the hashtag!

A library hardcover edition of "Endless Night" by Agatha Christie showing the title in a white band in the upper portion of the jacket design, while the rest is in a blood-red color with Agatha Christie's name prominently displayed. In the lower right-hand corner, there is the black silhouette of a bird being stabbed by a knife.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

I loved “Seven Stories About Tammy” by @elizmccrack.bsky.social so much, I couldn’t pick just one #SundaySentence so here are two: Tammy's breath was as soft and insubstantial as health food. They'd given her a glass of white wine that tasted green as a tree, with an aftertaste of violin.

A blue Buddha statue sits next to a copy of “The Best American Short Stories 2025” with other copies of previous Best American Short Stories in the background on the shelf.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

The land wears her corset of cement. My #SundaySentence comes from “Ruin Song (Number 8)” from SWEET HUSK by Corrie Williamson Readers, what was YOUR favorite sentence of the week? Join the weekly celebration of language and literature at the hashtag!

The cover of SWEET HUSK by Corrie Williamson

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

The fact is, Mr. Dickens writes too often and too fast….If he persists much longer in this course, it requires no gift of prophecy to foretell his fate—he has risen like a rocket, and he will come down like the stick. —Abraham Hayward on Charles Dickens in The Quarterly Review, 1837 #SundaySentence

A grey cat does a "face palm" ("face paw"?) as he sits next to a copy of The Annotate Christmas Carol. Today's #SundaySentence comes from the Introduction to this W.W. Norton annotated edition.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

What if I told you the most beautiful novel I read this year was about a mass shooting at a school? Read the full review of BLOOMLAND by John Englehardt at Van-ishing America: davidabrams.substack.com/p/what-im-re... #FridayReads #bookreview #bestbooks

A copy of "Bloomland" by John Englehardt

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

The latest installment in "The Month in Photos" at Van-ishing America features Kindle the #cat, #witches, #zombies and the #Halloween residents of #EurekaSprings, #Arkansas (along with a sidetrip to #Montana to pick up our household goods). See the pics here: davidabrams.substack.com/p/the-month-...

A man in full makeup (green hair, white face makeup) and dress (purple jacket, green vest and tie) as The Joker from "Batman" smiles at the camera.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

My #SundaySentence is from the remarkable, unforgettable BLOOMLAND by John Englehardt: Other than telling her your name is Eddie, you won't remember what exactly you say. But you will remember how unique this moment feels, like two swimmers from separate shores meeting in the open water.

The cover of “Bloomland” by John Englehardt, winner of the Dzanc Prize for Fiction

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

So go ahead, pray to whichever god Makes you the most happy Me? I'll take that chevron of geese Just now, over your left shoulder Crossing in front of the moon. #SundaySentence from "We All Have Our Gods" by Charles Finn #todayspoem What was YOUR favorite sentence of the week? Share with us!

The cover of "A Mountain's Idea of Time: poems" by Charles Finn lies on a porch deck surrounded by crisp, dry fallen leaves.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

I am accomplishing quite a lot in my own nice quiet noisy way. ~May Sarton, "As We Are Now" #SundaySentence (I don't say this frequently or lightly, but THIS IS A PERFECT BOOK. It can be read in one sitting but I stretched my time with it over a week, savoring it like a piece of candy in my mouth.)

An old paperback copy of "As We Are Now" by May Sarton rests on top of a vintage scale.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

September's installment of The Month in Photos is very Eureka Springs-centric. Pics include the Jeep parade, the Run Unicorn Run, and Hillbilly Jim taking a bath. Oh, and #cats, of course. See the photos at Van-ishing America: davidabrams.substack.com/p/the-month-...

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

"Unlike its French namesake, Paris, Texas, should probably be called the City of Darkness." New post up at Van-ishing America: davidabrams.substack.com/p/one-night-... This was a hard one to write, and a hard one to read, but once I learned the facts about Paris' history, I couldn't look away.

A replica of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Texas, is seen illuminated at night. On top of the tower is a giant, cherry-red cowboy hat.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

#Readers, what's the best sentence you read this week? Share at #SundaySentence! Mine was an easy pick--but also hard since there were so many to choose from in HOPE IN THE DARK by @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social: We write history with our feet and with our presence and our collective voice and vision.

A paperback copy of HOPE IN THE DARK by Rebecca Solnit, with sunlight beaming across the black and white cover.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

The U.S. Constitution, made from the hides of fleeced sheep, the feathers of molting geese, and sunbeams and shafts of light, is not perfect and never was perfect and never will be perfect. ~Jill Lepore, "We the People" That's my #SundaySentence for the week. What's YOUR favorite sentence you read?

The cover image of "We the People: a History of the U.S. Constitution" by JIll Lepore is shown on the screen of a Kobo e-reader.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

My #SundaySentence is all about my new town: Eureka Springs, Arkansas, is an accidental town that owes its existence to a chance encounter in the woods. 1/2

Bright green moss covers a limestone wall at one of Eureka Springs, Arkansas’ many natural springs.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

My #SundaySentence is from Helen Keller's The Story of My Life: Teacher had been with me nearly two weeks, and I had learned eighteen or twenty words, before that thought flashed into my mind, as the sun breaks upon the sleeping world; 1/2

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

This much is granted for an hour: That we are young and tender, That I am bee and you are flower, Honey-mouthed and swaying slender. ~Countee Cullen from “To One Who Said Me Nay” That’s my poetic #SundaySentence for this week—what was YOUR favorite sentence?

A cover of a book of Countee Cullen’s selected poems. Shows a photographic portrait of Cullen on the cover.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

New blog post at Van-ishing America: The Wild Residents of City of Rocks, New Mexico davidabrams.substack.com/p/the-wild-r... Thanks to all who read and subscribe to Van-ishing America!

A man pretends to push a car-sized boulder up a hill--a Sisyphean task.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

After a year of living full time in our #Winnebago #van with our three #cats, I guess you could say we’ve gone through some changes: davidabrams.substack.com/p/we-survive... Happy #Caturday to all those who are blending their lives together!

A man and a woman wear black cat masks while holding one of their cats. The grey cat looks mightily confused.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

The Bad Lands grade all the way from those that are almost rolling in character to those that are so fantastically broken in form and so bizarre in color as to seem hardly properly to belong to this earth. —Theodore Roosevelt, Hunting Trips of a Ranchman #SundaySentence

A near-perfectly rounded boulder sits at the base of a cliff. This is known as a Concretion Cannonball. The photo was taken in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

Last month in photos: davidabrams.substack.com/p/the-month-... Apparently, this was our month for Big Sculptures (yes, we found all the Thomas Dambo trolls). Other subjects: sunsets, spherical rocks, lakes, and dogs who deliver flowers). Thanks to all those who subscribe to Van-ishing America!

Two women stand in a yard, smiling up at the orange sunset overhead.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

At the beginning, I was only a little mass of possibilities. ~Helen Keller, “The Story of My Life” #SundaySentence

A vintage photo shows a young girl, Helen Keller, seated in a chair while her adult teacher, Anne Sullivan, reclines on the ground next to her. Both women are dressed in white. Helen holds a doll in her lap.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 27/07/2025

I feel the twinkle of his eye in his handshake. ~Helen Keller on Mark Twain in “The Story of My Life” That’s my #SundaySentence for this week—what was YOUR favorite sentence of the week? #HelenKeller #MarkTwain

A vintage photo showing a woman (Helen Keller) in a high-collared white shirt seated next to a tall man with a bushy mustache and twinkling eyes (Mark Twain).

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

Happy #Caturday from this great cat touring the Great Lakes.

A grey cat, wearing a bright red harness and leash, stands on a sandy shore and looks out at Lake Michigan.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 20/07/2025

Our breakfast was before us, but our teeth were idle. —Mark Twain, “Roughing It” What was YOUR favorite sentence you read this past week? Share with us at #SundaySentence

A brightly colored cover of Roughing It by Mark Twain, showing miners digging in a rocky landscape.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

Our month in photos, featuring #cats, cactus and clouds: davidabrams.substack.com/p/the-month-... Happy #Caturday, everyone!

A grey cat stands on a table and gives his human a fist bump (paw pound?). It’s adorable and happens all the time in our vanlife close quarters.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

The Bluebird of Happiness, and other photos from our previous month of #vanlife #travel: davidabrams.substack.com/p/the-month-...

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

Then he poured for us a beverage which he called “Slumgullion,” and it was hard to think he was not inspired when he named it. ~Mark Twain, ROUGHING IT #SundaySentence What was the single-best sentence YOU read this week? Share with us at the hashtag!

A Penguin Classics edition of Roughing It by Mark Twain showing a colorful painting of men mining back in the 1800s

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

July 3. Butte, Montana. #Sunset. Let the annual neighborhood #fireworks wars begin.

A person sets off sparklers on a street while the sky burns with a sunset.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

I've blogged about #vanlife for a few months, but it just occurred to me I haven’t talked much about the #van in our life. Meet Sugar: our one and only, our all in all, and—to get all Barry White on you—our first, our last, our everything. davidabrams.substack.com/p/meet-sugar...

A white 17-foot Winnebago Solis Pocket campervan is parked by the side of the road overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Monterey, California. The sky is a brilliant shade of sunset.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

One must travel, to learn. —Mark Twain, “The Innocents Abroad” That’s my #SundaySentence for this week—what was the single-best sentence YOU read in the last seven days?

A paperback edition of THE INNOCENTS ABROAD by Mark Twain

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

In the late-afternoon, mid-winter light, the red rocks of Ghost Ranch north of Abiquiu, New Mexico, shine bold and bright...Set under the turquoise-blue sky, they dominate your attention. You cannot turn away from their light. The Ghost of Georgia O'Keeffe, Part 2: open.substack.com/pub/davidabr...

Sandstone cliffs shine under a turquoise-blue sky, rising above sagebrush in the foreground.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

Ember read the headlines this morning and decided to stay in bed. Some days are like that (so many days these past six months…). Happy #Caturday, no matter how you choose to celebrate. #cat #cats

A grey cat snuggles under a blanket next to a window in the back of a van. The blanket is a rich, royal blue.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Last month in photos: The Badlands, vanlife, Wyoming reservoirs, cats, cats and more cats! davidabrams.substack.com/p/the-month-... #cats #BlueSkyCats #CatsofBlueSky #vanlife #travel

A grey cat sits in a statuesque pose, staring directly at the camera in a half-hearted, menacing way, while dramatically underlit like one of those evil mad scientists you used to see in those classic horror movies. This grey cat thinks he's All That, but really he's just a sweetheart deep down in his soul.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

We came to the New Mexico desert to make art: Jean for a silversmithing class, and me to start ghostwriting a memoir for a man whose first name, fittingly, was Art. The Ghost of Georgia O'Keeffe, Part One open.substack.com/pub/davidabr...

A copy of "Georgia O'Keeffe: a Life" by Roxana Robinson on an e-reading device is perched on a rock overlooking Ghost Ranch in New Mexico. There is a glimpse of the desert behind the book and a swath of blue sky.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

A sunset to soothe your day. (Shot two nights ago near Villa Grove, CO) #nofilter #Colorado #sunset

A Colorado sunset behind silhouetted mountains.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

The next stop in our vanlife journey is Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s been decades since we’ve been here, so we’re looking for tips on the best places to see and hike in the park. Thanks in advance for your suggestions! #Colorado

A vintage poster from Rocky Mountain National Park showing an icy stream with mountains in the near background.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

Great Sand Dunes National Park is just what it advertises. We spent about twenty minutes in the sandbox then drove on. If we were younger and cooler (temperature-wise), we’d have summited that peak you see before you. But no, we’re in our 60s and we’re HOT. #NationalPark #Colorado #SandDunes

North America’s tallest sand dune rises up into a clear blue sky at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. There are thousands of footprints in the sand in the foreground.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

Kindle is now a cowcat, I suppose. We parked for the night at a Forest Service dispersed site in Colorado and found ourselves smack dab in the middle of a herd of cattle. Kindle handled it like a pro—kept them moooving along.

A grey cat wearing a red harness and leash sits in tall green grass while a herd of cattle walks past him. He is unblinking and courageous.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

Last night’s stay—dispersed Forest Service camping along Granite Creek Road near Hoback Junction, Wyoming—couldn’t have been more refreshing; even the #vancats would agree. We went to sleep with the radio-static hiss of the creek in our ears. Ah, Nature! It’s good to be back in your arms. #vanlife

A silhouetted cloud floats toward a sharp mountain peak near sunset.

A creek meanders through a sunlit valley lined with trees and bushes while snow-capped mountains shine in the distance.

A white van is parked in a dirt pullout in the Wyoming backcountry.

A grey cat on a red leash walks through chest-high green grass. In the background, we see a woman standing with another cat in front of a white van.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

My #FridayReads is BE A MAN, the memoir of Western male masculinity myths by @rrowrow.bsky.social I’m in Pinedale, Wyoming, just down the street from The Cowboy Bar & The Cowboy Shop where you can buy a complete cowpuncher costume if you want to fit in. Seems like a fitting place to read this book.

A copy of “Be a Man” by Russell Rowland is perched on a large rock, bathed in sunshine.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

We’re heading back out on the road (after a month in Montana) for a two-week jaunt thru Colorado’s National Parks. But first, a mandatory stop at The Bus in Dillon, MT for a Mexican lunch.

A big red arrow on the right with the words Mexican Food points to a white bus and a portico for diners at Fiesta Mexicana in Dillon, Montana

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

Ash, our oldest (15 this year!), just had five infected teeth removed. He’s back home with us in the van and is enjoying the good drugs the vet gave him. He’s in good spirits but every now and then he takes short trips to the dry food bowl and stares at it like a quarantined lover. #blackcats #cat

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 07/06/2025

Happy #Caturday from the #vanlife cat crew: Ember, Ash and Kindle. Currently in: Butte, Montana

Two cats lay on top of a tabletop while a third cat sleeps underneath the table on a blue cushion. To the left of the cats in the picture is a pink round pillow with a smiley face on it.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

“Wither goest thou, America, in thy shiny car in the night?” ~Jack Kerouac, On the Road #SundaySentence #cat #cats #BlueSkyReaders #BookSky

A grey cat sits on a bed next to a paperback copy of ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 24/05/2025

My #Caturday has turned to #Raturday. I’m reading James Herbert’s THE RATS for the first time in, yes, 50 years (read on a trip to London). I picked up this new copy this week from @chelsia.bsky.social at the always wonderful Montana Book Co. in Helena. My assistant approves of my #reading choice.

A hand holds out a paperback copy of THE RATS by James Herbert to a grey cat. He’s having none of it.

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David Abrams @imdavidabrams.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

My #FridayReads (among others): The #poetry of Marie Howe. Oh, my my! This was my first encounter with her—far from the last. Her words are electricity, her poems are lamps. See especially “The Star Market” in The Kingdom of Ordinary Time.

Two books of poetry by Marie Howe lie on a white, cloudlike comforter: The Kingdom of Ordinary Time and The Good Thief.

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