Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Continuing the tale of how I spent my August...  Still in training for carrying serious packs with several days' gear and food, we took ourselves to the Bishop Creek area, found a campsite (sadly, this one had mosquitoes. Even in August of a dry year, a wet grassy meadow by a stream has mosquitoes), and did a couple more good hikes. Our first expedition was to the Tyee Lakes, located on the ridge between South Lake and Sabrina Lake. It was new to all of us, but the series of four lakes was touted as being worth the climb. The trail started right up.  More old trees The first lake, as we were warned in the guidebook, was pretty enough, but nothing really special. The best part for a photographer may have been the grasses at one end.     I loved the silvery lines of the grass reflecting the sun. Also as advertised, the fourth lake was the best.  While we sat on the shores of the fourth and highest Tyee Lake, I started studying the map--and found that I could make the hike into a one-

This question recently came up on the IWSG Facebook page: how do you keep momentum when you finish a project? Do you move right on to the next? Take a break? For how long? Since I just finished the draft of my new story it felt like a good time to consider the question, as I, um, flail around trying to figure out what I'm doing. The fact that I mentioned this last week and am still working on it is probably all you need to know! Drafting a novel is a pretty intense exercise for me. I write every day, aiming for anywhere from 1000 to 3000 words, and spend a lot of my time thinking about the story, what I've missed, what comes next, trying to live inside the heads of my characters. So no big surprise that finishing always leaves me feeling... flat. This time, it seems to have also left me with a lot of thoughts about everything that's wrong with the story. The first thing I did when I finished was take a day off. Instead of writing, I took care of business, even cleaned the h

Title: Two Roads Author: Joseph Bruchac Publication Info: 2018 Dial Books. 320 pages  Source: Library digital resources   Publisher’s Blurb: It's 1932, and twelve-year-old Cal Black and his Pop have been riding the rails for years after losing their farm in the Great Depression. Cal likes being a knight of the road with Pop, even if they're broke. But then Pop has to go to Washington, DC--some of his fellow veterans are marching for their government checks, and Pop wants to make sure he gets his due--and Cal can't go with him. So Pop tells Cal something he never knew before: Pop is actually a Creek Indian, which means Cal is too. And Pop has decided to send Cal to a government boarding school for Native Americans in Oklahoma called the Challagi School. At school, the other Creek boys quickly take Cal under their wings. Even in the harsh, miserable conditions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school, he begins to learn about his people's history and he

This week's photos aren't really a story--just a few that I liked of old trees both in the Sierra and across the Owens Valley among the bristlecone pines of the White Mountains. Maybe a big old Jeffrey pine? Bristlecone They do get struck by lightning and scorched, but I think in this case the black is from bacteria and/or fungi. Experts at clinging on in unlikely places. Much younger trees, but still probably older than they look, silhouetted in the smoky sunrise. Like bristlecones, Jeffrey pines and foxtail pines in the Sierra can remain standing long after they die, and the wood decays slowly in the dry environment. Given the ideal growing conditions, this big pine is probably about the youngest I've posted here. White bark pine This clump of short but old kumholtz won't get any bigger, though it may spread wider. The same winds that led me to tuck my tent in next to it will see to that, in this harsh alpine environment.     ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2021  As always, ple

Oops--I missed Monday's post! I'd like to claim it's because I was honoring the holiday, but the truth is, I'm out of the habit of writing regular posts. Given my schedule for the next few months, I may stay that way. My big writer news for the week: the draft of Seffi's story (title still in the works) is um, complete? It never feels like the glorious moment of triumph that it sounds--my first drafts tend to kind of drift off to the ending, maybe without even attempting the final resolution. I'm still not sure I've even got the right solution to the murder.  So yeah, the draft is done. I'll be back at it in December. In the mean time, I'm doing a beta read or two, applying to artist's residencies, trying to write some blog posts ahead, and ready to once again get serious about the shift to my new blog/author page. That's almost ready and waiting, I think? Oh, and when I finish all that, plus editing all those photos from the last trip, I can

After three weeks of teasers, it's time I got started on the real photo posts. Since those three weeks were absolutely jammed with hikes, I have about... 2500 images to sort and edit (the goal is to delete 1/3 to 1/2. A real photographer would make that about 3/4, but I'm not that tough-minded). Then I pick a few from each hike to share with you. For that reason, this is just the first couple of hikes. Our first effort at hiking was a quickly-aborted outing from Wright's Lake, across the mountains from Tahoe (this was before the current fire threatening South Lake Tahoe; there was another fire just south of the lake, as well as the Dixie fire to the north). There was a pretty bridge with reflection near the start of the hike. Within a mile, we could see that this was a bad idea. We had intended to spend several days in that area, where we could hike at moderate elevations, but instead, we moved on to the eastern Sierra, driving south until we got to some clear air. That put

  It's time once again for the Insecure Writer's Support Group monthly post!    The IWSG is a fantastic group of writers and bloggers who share posts the first Wednesday of each  month. 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! Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! The awesome co-hosts for the September 1 posting of the IWSG are Rebecca Douglass (me!), T. Powell Coltrin @Journaling Woman,   Natalie Aguirre,   Karen Lynn,  and  C. Lee McKenzie! Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.  Remember, the question is optional!

I had to pull it together at the last minute, but I couldn't pass up this week's #writephoto prompt from KL Caley at New2Writing.com , because the photo is mine!    Through the Portal It was just a walk in the park. Lady Wilhemina Anscott-Bartleby, known to her friends as Willie and to all the old biddies as “that dreadful daughter of Lord Bartleby, poor man,” snuck out of the house as soon as the rain stopped. Three days shut up with the family and her parents’ dreadful friends was more than enough. Fresh air was required. To avoid problems with servants and relations, she dressed in boy’s clothes and snuck out the back door, her outfit crowned by the most disreputable newsboy’s hat. Actually, Willie knew Tommy for a perfectly respectable newsboy with an excellent reputation. What’s more, he had a head for business. He’d driven a hard bargain about that hat. She’d ended up not only paying him full replacement costs but an extra charge for the time he’d spent breaking it in fo

  Title: 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste Author: Katheryn Kellog Publication Info: Countryman Press, 2019 Source: Library digital resources Publisher’s Blurb: We all know how important it is to reduce our environmental footprint, but it can be daunting to know where to begin. Enter Kathryn Kellogg, who can fit all her trash from the past two years into a 16-ounce mason jar. How? She starts by saying “no” to straws and grocery bags, and “yes” to a reusable water bottle and compostable dish scrubbers. In 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste , Kellogg shares these tips and more, along with DIY recipes for beauty and home; advice for responsible consumption and making better choices for home goods, fashion, and the office; and even secrets for how to go waste free at the airport. “It’s not about perfection,” she says. “It’s about making better choices.” This is a practical, friendly blueprint of realistic lifestyle changes for anyone who wants to reduce their waste.   My Review: I found the ton