Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Way back about a million years ago (that would be the start of April), I did that little trip to the Grand Canyon (see previous photo posts). On the way back, I met up with some other friends for a day and a bit, and we visited the Crowley Lake columns. I almost didn't write this up, because I'm not sure I want to call more attention and draw more traffic to the area. I will trust that my readers are not yahoos and will treat the Earth with kindness. For a good explanation of the columns, check out this article . I know enough geology to have sussed out that they are volcanic in origin in some part, and must have had something to do with water. They are also available for study thanks to water--specifically, to the erosive action of waves on the shore of Crowley Lake, a man-made reservoir. Access to the columns is by boat, by a 4- or 5-mile hike, or by 4WD, high-clearance vehicle (yes, this is one that really means it, not a road you can fudge with a Prius). Lucky for us, one o

  Something Shady at Sunshine Haven (The Accidental Detective) by Kris Bock About Something Shady at Sunshine Haven   Something Shady at Sunshine Haven (The Accidental Detective)   Cozy Mystery, 1st in Series Setting  Arizona Tule Publishing (April 7, 2022)   Paperback ‏ : ‎ 324 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 195489449X ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1954894495 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B097WJYYBZ Publisher's Blurb : She’s pursued the most dangerous news stories around the world. But can she survive going home? Injured in a bombing, war correspondent Kate Tessler returns to her hometown in Arizona to recover. For the first time in her life, she's starting to feel her age of nearly fifty despite living like a teenager again: staying in her childhood bedroom with only a cat for company, trying to understand why her sister resents her so much, and running into people who still refer to her as Kitty. The hardest part? Seeing her once-sharp and witty mother stuck in an Alzheimer's unit. When

  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 June 1 posting of the IWSG are SE White, Cathrina Constantine, Natalie Aguire, Joylene Nowell Butler, and Jacqui Murray! The Optional Ju

Today I have for you... a few shots of a the giant driving marathon I've been on this past week. I was sad to have to leave my new home almost as soon as the truck was unloaded, but Eldest Son needed help moving home with his newly-minted MA, and we needed to be in CA for my father-in-law's memorial gathering. So since last Saturday I have driven from Seattle to Boulder, CO, and back to California (still have to finish the loop back to Seattle). Along the (2500-mile) way I have managed to get in 2 things I could call a hike and a couple of walks. Here are a few highlights. This was either Montana or Wyoming. A roadside rest stop with full facilities for all users. One walk was at Vedauwoo Climbing Area in Wyoming. I meant to camp there, but the place wasn't open yet for the season. I did camp nearby, and woke to snow and then hail. I 80 was heavily fogged in. This shot is from my breakfast stop, after the fog thinned a bit. Managed to break away from the packing up (haven&#

Just wanted to let you all know I am still here! I am in the depths of moving into my new home and have no internet yet, so no big posts.  The big news is, I finished my redraft and am ready to start revising! No further explanation needed for my silence, right?

Title: Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by one of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII Author: Chester Nez with Judith Schiess Avila Publication Info: Paperback: Dutton Caliber, 2011, 296 pages. Original hardcover, 2011, Berkley Source: Purchased at the Grand Canyon! Publisher's Blurb: Although more than 400 Navajos served in the military during World War II as top-secret code talkers, even those fighting shoulder to shoulder with them were not told of their covert function. And, after the war, the Navajos were forbidden to speak of their service until 1968, when the code was finally declassified. Of the original twenty-nine Navajo code talkers, only two are still alive. Chester Nez is one of them. [Note: this was true as off 2011]. In this memoir, the eighty-nine-year-old Nez chronicles both his war years and his life growing up on the Checkerboard Area of the Navajo Reservation-the hard life that gave him the strength, both physical and mental, to become a Mar

I'm back with the final set of photos from the Grand Canyon... thanks for your indulgence! (If you really like to drool over amazing rocks, the first three episodes are Into the Canyon , The Search for Chevaya Falls , and Rainbow Falls ). Our final day was the hike back out of the Canyon on the Bright Angel Trail, probably the most heavily traveled route in the whole canyon, and also probably the most engineered. There's a reason it's almost three miles farther than the South Kaibab, down which we came to start the trip. I was pleasantly surprised by both the easy grade and the morning shade over most of the route. Fearing a hot and exposed climb, I made another early start. Each of us left on our own schedules, so I hiked alone again. Heading to the Silver Bridge--the Bright Angel bridge--in the early light. This bridge also carried the pipe that moves water to the South Rim.  The same bridge from below, one year earlier. Taken on my raft trip April 2021 Once across the