Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

The final chapter! Days 14-16 The previous posts: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Day 14 After the fun splash ride through Lava Falls rapid, it was kind of nice to have a mostly calm drift down the river in the morning. A note on footwear: while bare feet in sandals is probably the most practical on the river, I didn't want to get sunburned. The Sealskinz socks I borrowed proved a good compromise, as they didn't get sodden and stretched out of shape the way normal socks would. They helped some with my cold feet, but I suspect bare feet would have been warmer, as having some hope of drying. As mentioned in Part 7, just above Lava Falls we entered the volcanic portion of the canyon. That made for some great geology, between the intrusions of lava and some beautiful columnar basalt. For those who aren't geology geeks, that's the postpiles of Devil's Postpile, or the pavers of the Giant's Causeway. The columns are formed as the lava cools and shrink

I just realized this week that I should have signed up for Camp NaNo. Oh well, the words are coming as well as--no, better than I could have hoped. I'm now up to 26,500+, and have sent in one application for an artist's residency. On the novel, I've finally gone back to the outline, realized some important things had gotten left out, and decided to write the missing scenes but worry later about working them in at the right place. Then I carry on from wherever I left off as though it had been that way all along. I suspect editing this one is going to be a tough project. I'm also getting up at 6 or earlier almost every day to hike/bike before it gets too hot, and I'm struggling with the side-effects of that. Napping morning and afternoon feels a bit decadent, but I find it impossible to keep writing when I'm that sleepy!  Finally, watch this space--the blog will be moving soon (probably in September) to a new home on my soon-to-be unveiled author web site! There w

 Well, maybe not exactly plastic-free, but I'm working on reducing my use of single-use plastics. I began by saving it all for about 10 days (was supposed to be a week but I lost track). I was pretty shocked at how much I accumulated, though it was higher than usual due to a couple of clean-out-the-cupboards projects and some on-line shopping. It's a little hard to see here, because the bags and wrappings are all stuffed into the big wrap that disappears off the top of the photo. But it's just over a pound, some recyclable, more of it not. Here's the breakdown: On the left, we have all the bags, wrappers, and some worn-out ziplocks. None of this is effectively recyclable in my community. Next to it the non-recylable hard bits. l'd been reusing the plastic spoon, but of course it gave up. The Amazon mailer is another that says it's recyclable but I have no place to do so. I reuse a lot of these, but I don't need that many. The other two bags would be nice, re

Rafting the Grand Canyon, Day 13. This trip was April 3-18, 2021, with AZRA--Arizona Raft Adventures. See previous reports: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Remember how back on the 3rd day I wondered if 16 days was going to be too long? By the morning of the 13th day, with only 3 more real river days to go, I knew it wasn't going to be long enough. It would have been wonderful to have spent more days moseying through the upper parts of the canyon, because now with ocatillo on the shores and lower walls, we could feel the beginning of the end. Still: I thought this would be a final report and cover the last 4 days, but when I looked at the photos... nope. There was still a lot going on, including the exciting passage through Lava Falls Rapid. A big day, it deserves a post of its own. Day 13 There may have been some who felt a little nervous about our 13th day being the one we would run Lava Falls Rapid, possibly the single most famous (after Crystal?). But for most of us,

 I'm pretty sure I'm trying to do too much. At least it keeps me busy! Current word count on the new novel, 15,435. That's not up to NaNo numbers, but I've beaten the 1000 words/day target I set myself as a minimum, even knowing it won't get me a complete draft before I head to the mountains. I'd love to up my game, but while I'm writing, it's still harder than it has been sometimes in the past. I'm also working on applications for Artist-in-Residence spots for next year. This is a new thing for me, so it's hard, and because I need to submit samples of my work I need to beat some stories into submission, in addition to coming up with semi-intelligent prose about what I want to do and why they should pick me to do it.   So: no submissions so far this month. I still want to get the paperback collected collections out, but haven't taken time to work on it yet. That one is probably going to have to wait until September. That's about it.  Here

 I missed Friday's post entirely. I noticed it late in the day, but didn't really feel like rushing something together even for a "photo Saturday" post. Instead, I'm skipping ahead, and getting a start on this week's posts. The thing is--I'm writing! Still, I have a review for today. Title: The Ice at the End of the World: An Epic Journey Into Greenland's Buried Past and Our Perilous Future Author: Jon Gertner; read by Fred Sanders Publication Info: Random House Audio, 2019. 13 hrs. Original hardback published 2019, Random House. 418 pages. Source: Library digital resources Publisher’s Blurb: Greenland: a remote, mysterious island five times the size of California but with a population of just 56,000. The ice sheet that covers it is 700 miles wide and 1,500 miles long, and is composed of nearly three quadrillion tons of ice. For the last 150 years, explorers and scientists have sought to understand Greenland--at first hoping that it would serve as

    Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Every month, the IWSG provides an optional question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!  The awesome co-hosts for the July 7 posting of the IWSG are Pat Garcia, Victori

  Rafting the Grand Canyon, Days 11 & 12. This trip was April 3-18, 2021, with AZRA--Arizona Raft Adventures. See previous reports: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Day 11 This was a lazy day--for we who merely rode the boats, as opposed to those who rowed the boats. Those of us who were recovering from Tapeats Creek-Deer Falls traverse were sorry we were unable to hike (due to other parties beating us to the possible hikes), but we maybe didn't break our hearts as we let our feet rest. Morning in the Canyon We drifted from rapid to rapid, none of them hair-raising, and got a few bonus moments along the way. Bighorn sheep ewe. Lunch was at Ledges Camp, as we had moved into the Inner Gorge, and instead of sand banks the camps were rock ledges. Some of the rock textures were fantastic. Then there was "pig rock". See the pig snout--the second rock? Our camp, 21 miles downstream from the previous camp, was dubbed "Bloody Ledges," as it was similar to The Ledge