Living as an Author and a Photographer

After editing a short essay more times than I want to remember, I have sent it to the Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. This is a fun step in getting my writing out there. Trees and Memories is the title of my essay. I’ve thought about these trees for a long time, and finally have them committed to paper (rather, to the computer). It is posted in the Short Stories section of this site.

Presenting my Kenya Safari Power Point Show to a group at church one evening recently was rewarding. In June I’ll share an Ecuador Cloud Forest Power Point with our local Audubon group. Since I’ve been privileged to make these trips, I do enjoy sharing them with folks. Here are the four people I was with on the recent Kenya trip: Nora, Mary, Dave Richards and Warren

A Pioneer Love Story

A living history of the Texas Panhandle was disclosed when we examined letters our grandmother had written to her mother in Vermont about life in Texas. Spanning the years 1888-1908, the letters were filled with stories of family and community. A Pioneer Love Story: The Letters of Minnie Hobart shares the stories of my grandmother's life. It received a warm welcome at the White Deer Land Museum in Pampa, Texas when the town celebrated the opening of the new Museum Annex. The trip to Canyon, Texas for a Panhandle Plains Historical Museum book signing culminated with fun hiking in the Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

Curious Cooper's

Spring is in the air and Cooper's Hawks build a nest across the street and then raise three young hawks in my back yard. Papa hawk appears at first, but then leaves Mama to guide her young to use their wings to leave the nest. She then trains them in the hunting skills necessary to be successful hawks. Catching them being reprimanded by Mama as they periodically pause for naptime like kindergarten kids adds humor to the story. By mid-summer they explore the wonders of their broader territory. Curious Cooper’s Hawks, a non-fiction children’s book is intended for readers ages 9-12. My next step is to find a publisher for these hawks.