On Autumn Leaves and Rootedness
It’s mid-October, and for the last couple of weeks I’ve been noticing leaves. Washington State is the Evergreen State, but there are many varieties of deciduous trees in the area that lose their leaves each fall. They turn glorious shades ranging from golden to russet. Autumn has definitely come to the Seattle area. Daylight is […]
WOTS on My Mind
For over fifteen years, I’ve been following the Write on the Sound (WOTS) conference sponsored by the City of Edmonds, Washington. I found WOTS when I searched online for conferences near the Olympic Peninsula where my parents lived at the time. I hoped to plan a trip to visit my parents, then stay an extra […]
What I Miss After a Year
My husband and I moved to a retirement community in Seattle a year ago this week. Every big move brings a lot of gains and losses and starts an adjustment process. Our move was no exception. Although we have had many positive outcomes from this move, I’ve been thinking recently about what I miss in […]
Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851
My new work-in-progress takes place in 1851. It is another story of emigrants traveling from the East to the Pacific Northwest on the Oregon Trail. My earlier series started in 1847 (Lead Me Home and Forever Mine), and as I do the research for my new book, I am surprised by how much changed along […]
On Being a Local Grandma
One of the biggest reasons my husband and I chose to move to Seattle was to be closer to family—especially to our granddaughter. I wanted to watch her grow up, and we had difficulties traveling as frequently as I wanted to see her. Just after we moved, we learned that a second granddaughter was on […]
Memories in a Car Wash
Yesterday I got my car washed. Mind you, many people in Seattle never get their cars washed. After all, it will rain. If not today, then tomorrow. Or later in the week. Soon. Is a car wash worth the money? But my car had been on a long road trip, and bugs had splattered the […]
A Fortune Cookie Revisited
Every once in a while, I save the fortune I received in a fortune cookie because it means something to me in the moment. Sometimes, when I later reread the fortune, I remember why it struck me as important. Other times, I have no idea why I kept it. Recently, I came across a fortune […]
Viking Alaska Cruise
My husband and I just returned from a Viking cruise on the Viking Orion through the Alaska Inside Passage. We started the cruise in Seward, Alaska, and ended in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was a beautiful trip, with breathtaking scenery every time I looked around. Much of the land looked the same as what I […]
Yellow Roses At Woodland Park
I’ve mentioned the park walks that our retirement community sponsors every Saturday morning. These walks let me explore Seattle’s city and county parks and get to know my new environment. Earlier this month, we went to the Woodland Park Rose Garden. Even though August is past the prime rose season, it was absolutely gorgeous. Roses. […]
How I Chose My Novels’ Titles
Many readers have picked up on the theme behind the titles of my historical novel series, which all come from the lyrics to “Amazing Grace.” But it wasn’t a straight-forward path to titling them. Originally, I intended to find the titles for the books (which originally was only one book) from the lyrics to “The […]