Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

I'm back with another set of photos from the Grand Canyon... thanks for your indulgence! (If you really like to drool over amazing rocks, the first two episodes are Into the Canyon and The Search for Chevaya Falls . The fourth is Back Out of the Canyon .). The attempt to see Chevaya Falls was our third day in the Canyon, and we followed it with a second night at Clear Creek. The fourth day, we moved camp to the Bright Angel Campground, next to Phantom Ranch.  Temperatures were heating up, so I made as early a start as possible, remembering both the 3-400' climb out of Clear Creek canyon and the long, fully exposed traverse back to the North Kaibab. Already up the big climb before first sun. Camp was down in the bottom where the cottonwoods are. Morning light. Collared lizard. Prickly pear in bloom. I was back in sight of the trail bridges by mid-morning. The Kaibab bridge--the Black Bridge--is clearly visible. The Silver Bridge (Bright Angel Trail) is barely discernible if you

  I've been a wee bit distracted and almost missed the party, but fellow IWSG Anthology writer C.D. Gallant-King has just launched book two of his funny, goofy, YA Gale Harbour horror series. But better late than never, especially to a series with such great titles. Remember Book One? Psycho Hose Beast From Outer Space now has company in the strangest little town in Canada. Newfoundland, Canada, 1993.   It's been a year since a handful of kids defeated the Psycho Hose Beast in the sleepy town of Gale Harbour, Newfoundland. Our heroes have entered into the era of rollerblades, Super Nintendo and oversized plaid shirts… unless you’re a goth, then it’s the era of Maybelline eyeliner, boots with too many buckles, and infected safety-pin piercings.   Thirteen-year-old Niall O'Neil is navigating a blossoming relationship with his crush, Harper Jeddore. Unfortunately, the power that allowed them to defeat the monster from the deep is still within them, a

  What is the IWSG? Read on! 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! Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG. The awesome co-hosts for the May 4 posting of the IWSG are Kim Elliott, Melissa Maygrove, Chemist Ken, Lee Lowery, and Nancy Gideon! Be sure you stop in and vis

What, is it Thursday again already? Time to share the thrilling tale of the search for Chevaya Falls, which many have sought and few have found. In our last, we had arrived at Clear Creek campsites for our second & third nights in the Canyon. Our layover was to be devoted to a search up the creek for Chevaya Falls, which is understood to be quite spectacular when it is running. Regardless of the status of the falls, which we considered should be running at that time of year, the canyon was pretty, intriguing, and worth exploring. Dawn start Lighting up the Canyon One of the most beautiful things anywhere--cottonwood trees in a red canyon. There was a trail, of sorts, sometimes... We all got a bit more familiar than we really wanted to with the pointy bits of yucca and agave. I still love the way they look. Agave, aka century plant, with the flower stalk just starting to shoot up. Last year's flower stalk Yucca has equally pointy leaves, but a different sort of flower head. Yucc

Title: We Also Served: The Forgotten Women of the First World War Author: Vivien Newman Publication Info: Pen and Sword Books, 2014. 224 pages Source: Library digital resources Publisher's Blurb: We Also Served is a social history of women s involvement in the First World War. Dr Vivien Newman disturbs myths and preconceptions surrounding women's war work and seeks to inform contemporary readers of countless acts of derring-do, determination, and quiet heroism by British women, that went on behind the scenes from 1914-1918. In August 1914 a mere 640 women had a clearly defined wartime role. Ignoring early War Office advice to 'go home and sit still', by 1918 hundreds of thousands of women from all corners of the world had lent their individual wills and collective strength to the Allied cause. As well as becoming nurses, munitions workers, and members of the Land Army, women were also ambulance drivers and surgeons; they served with the Armed Forces; funded a

Last month when I needed to get out of my house so the realtor could show it, I went a little farther than was required--I went to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with four backpacking buddies. I have lots of nice pictures, so I'm going to do more than one post on it. (That's a lie. I'm doing the first two days because that's all the farther I've gotten in editing the photos.) The route was down the South Kaibab trail, then out to Clear Creek and back to Phantom Ranch before going out via the Bright Angel trail. We did a couple of dayhikes on layover days (being unclear on the meaning of "rest day"). The South Kaibab descends 4740' in about 7 miles to cross the river and land at Phantom Ranch. Weather was more than cool, so we didn't make any extraordinary efforts to get to the TH early, starting down about 8:45. Ready to drop off the edge. The trail descends aggressively through the cliff bands, then traverses through the eroded slopes of less clif