Autumn in the Northwest by Zina Abbott

I barely rolled in my driveway 24 hours ago after spending the past weekend at the Women Writing the West conference in Walla Walla, Washington. With everything I need to catch up on, there was no time for a well-researched blog post. Instead, I am sharing some of my photos of the lovely autumn colors I saw as I drove to the conference and home.

Mount Shasta technically is not in the Northwest states since it is in the very northern part of California. However, I cannot pass up sharing with you some of the lovely colors surrounding it. I'm used to seeing a lot more snow on this mountain. Maybe later this year...

We stopped at a rest stop in Oregon's Rogue River Valley, and discovered there is a state campground on one end. Pay a cheap rate to be in a beautiful campground, or search for a Walmart parking lot. Hmm...let me think about this. We opted for the campground.

We stop often when we travel. The next morning, a little farther up the road, we had company sharing the rest stop, and I'm not talking about the truckers.

We headed towards McMinnville, the home of the Spruce Goose, the WWII airplane made of about 95% wood. Along the way we enjoyed some beautiful country in the Willamette Valley.

The next day we survived traveling through Portland, and were very grateful we were not there when the truck blew a radiator hose. We limped to a Target parking lot where we bought water and anti-freeze. While hubby reattached the hose and made our radiator cool and happy, I took pictures of the horse trail next door. Those traveling along the Columbia River by wagon train may have seen the same kind of sight, but they would not have gotten off so easy with a vehicle breakdown as we did.

The banks of the Columbia River were stunning, but grew more desolate and treeless as we drove east. Much of the trip along the river to Walla Walla we drove in the dark, so we were unable to see it until the return trip.

Usually this particular conference is earlier in October. One advantage of it being held the last weekend of the month was we were able to enjoy the colors around the city. Here is a scene from the old Fort Walla Walla.

Here is the railroad bridge near Celilo Village to the east. The terrain across the river shows it is mostly grassland, but there were still some pretty trees along the Oregon side of the Columbia River.

This view of the dam at The Dalles where we turned off also sported some pretty autumn colors.

We avoided Portland by going home the back way through Bend and Klamath Falls. It was more high desert, but here at the turn-off we saw some pretty color. More striking, I bet those early pioneers who traveld the Barlow Road over 150 years ago would have welcomed the offerings on the blue signs. 

The eastern landscape in Oregon is a little dryer, but still displayed some lovely autumn colors. After Klamath Falls, we found ourselves in high mountains and evergreen trees. They provide year-round beauty, but the colors we enjoyed on this trip can only be found a few weeks each year.

My novel in The Widows of Wildcat Ridge series titled Nissa is now available. To reach the book description and purchase link, please CLICK HERE.

THE DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS by Cheryl Pierson

There’s an old saying that “the devil’s in the details” that’s true in many circumstances in life, but I think it’s especially true in all forms of art.

Of course, it’s obvious to us in visual art—paintings, drawings, photography—and tactile art such as a beautiful quilt or piece of pottery, or a woven basket.

Hexagon Quilt--selling for over $6000! But look at the work and the detail that went into this "work of art"!

But what about books? Are you a reader who loves lots of descriptive details? Or do those bog you down and leave you frustrated and impatient?

I have to admit, as I’ve gotten older, there are many kinds of stories that I feel could do with less detail in some areas. A lot of my "changes" come from looking at the way details and descriptions are presented more closely when I read. I’ve evolved into this kind of reader.

As a younger reader, I needed those details to help me create images in my mind. The descriptions were beautiful to me because I knew less of the world, and everything I read was a learning experience! Have you ever thought about it like that?

When I was a YA reader, whether reading sci-fi books (during the flying saucer craze) or historical fiction, I needed those descriptions and details to feed my hunger for learning about—well, everything!

I loved this series by John Christopher--read it when I was about 12 or 13, and it stayed with me all through the years so that when my own kids were young, I went searching and found it for them! The descriptions of the aliens that were determined to take over earth, the bravery of the young people that fought against them, and wondering what in the world was going to happen kept me reading far into the night!


“Back in the day” I think authors engaged readers with a different type of writing style, too. Ours had not yet become a world of technology such as it is now. Life “took longer”—and happened at a much more unhurried pace. It was important for writers to create pictures in the readers’ minds—because there was no way to already have a pre-conceived idea of the things the author was trying to describe.

Here’s what I mean: In today’s world, we are inundated with images of all kinds, from instant pictures on our phones that we take ourselves, to movies, to ads on television, to video on Youtube. And so much more—this is just the tip of the iceberg.

One of my very favorite paintings by the very fabulous Jack Sorenson. This one is called "Horse With Christmas Spirit"--love the "details" in this one!

Can you see how this de-values art? When a beautiful picture can be photoshopped together in minutes and seen by millions, or even mass produced in ways that hadn’t been thought of fifty years ago, the artist who painstakingly delivers every brush stroke “the old-fashioned way” can be under-appreciated in a hurry!

Some writers suffer this same twist of fate in a different way. Because our lives are so rushed, and our society has been geared toward “quick reads” we’ve lost the pleasure of savoring those descriptions of the setting, the characters, even the emotions of the “players” in the books we read. It seems that finishing a book is more important than, as we once did, lingering over certain passages and re-reading them for the sheer joy of the way the words came together, the image they created for our hungry minds—and souls.

I realize, for my part, not needing as much detail and description in my reading of some material is because I’m older. I’ve read more, seen more, and (hopefully) know more—so certain things don’t have to be described to me in as much detail every time.

My confession—and you may all think this is weird—I do not ever skim. Even when I don’t feel the need for the minutiae that may be included, I read every word. What if I miss something? Deep down, I believe the author must have thought it important or he/she wouldn’t have included it!

What’s your pet peeve? Too much description? Not enough? More description needed of the characters? Or do you want some things left to your own imagination?

One does a whole painting for one peach and people think just the opposite - that particular peach is but a detail.
--Pablo Picasso

I learned no detail was too small. It was all about the details.
--Brad Grey

Sometimes when you start losing detail, whether it's in music or in life, something as small as failing to be polite, you start to lose substance.
--Benny Goodman

Do you remember a book you’ve read that you thought was too detailed? IS there such a thing? I think many of the authors from the earlier days wrote in that style—it was just how it was done—and there was no mass media to show instant pictures, so there was even so much more to learn through reading.

As one who wrote very descriptive passages, James Fenimore Cooper comes to mind, but Diana Gabaldon’s books are full of wonderful descriptions of the landscape, the characters, and so on, and that skill she displays for description makes her stories and characters come to life!

For modern-day books that show a complete mastery of adding wonderful detail and pulling you into the story, there is no better author than Kathleen Eagle. I've never read a story by her that I didn't love and one of the main reasons is the adept talent she has for adding the smallest details as the story moves along and drawing the reader right into each and every scene, as if you are truly there with her characters, experiencing their pain, loss, worry, and love.

Do you have a favorite author who gives just the right amount of description? More about this next time on CHARACTER descriptions--I've been doing a lot of thinking on this subject!

MAN WITH A THOUSAND FACES #SweetheartsoftheWest #history #theater

I'm taking a short break from writing about early women performers to focus on a man who was born in my adopted town. He started in theater here and went on to be known as the 'man with a thousand faces'. It seemed appropriate with the coming of Halloween. For those who are wondering the man is Lon Chaney. That is Lon Chaney Sr. not his son who was also an actor.

So who was Lon Chaney and why do I love his story and work?

From Wikipedia - Lon Chaney during production of
The Miracle Man - 1919

Lon (Leonidas Frank) Chaney was born April 1, 1883 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His maternal Grandfather founded the Colorado School for the Education of Mutes (now the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind) in 1874. His daughter Emma Alice Kennedy, was was deaf. She met Frank H Chaney, also deaf, at the school. The couple had four children, John, Lon, George and Carolin.

The story is Chaney went through fourth grade,then due to family hardship, Lon quit school to find a job and help out. News articles after his death claim he worked as a guide on Pikes Peak. He got a taste of the theater when he worked as a stage hand at the Colorado Springs Opera House in the 1890s after his brother John helped him land the job. The review for his first appearance in front of the curtain read "As a comedian he is irresistible and it would be hard to find his equal in the dancing among many first class vaudeville performers."

Lon Chaney - date unknown

It was after moving to California that Chaney started working in film. He was an actor, writer and director, but it is an an actor we know him.

Elza Schallert, magazine writer and radio host, in her article "Behind Lon Chaney's Mask" had this to say:

Lon Chaney, [as an actor] I believe, is writing his signature on the page whose ink is not yet dry. And I believe it will be in years to come a bold, vigorous impression, easy to read and remember.

Chaney is an actor who, once seen, is never forgotten. He may not win your unqualified approval, with his extreme characterizations. He may annoy you more than inspire, with his hideous makeups of clouded eyes, twisted limbs or dangling teeth and a formless head. But you remember him!

His mask may be to some a nightmare but the force of his acting is strong enough to make itself felt through a disguise of putty and false hair and iron clamps that would annihilate the most potent of actors.

And in the end, no matter how repulsive the characters he plays, no matter how implacably villainous, he always becomes a hero — a tragic one, perhaps — who gains your sympathy and touches the heart.

.Lon himself had this to say, according to the article "My Darkest Hour":

"When I saw my first picture on the screen, a comedy, I wept!" And Lon Chaney grinned cheerfully, now that it was all safely in the past. "I had been playing a musical comedy and naturally supposed I could get over in pictures. In fact, I recall thinking how I would knock Ford Sterling — cold. As I considered Sterling a great artist, you see, I was aiming high.

"Instead of dealing him a blow, I gave it to myself, I was crushed, motor mortified, discouraged — oh, desperately discourage. I thought if this is screen comedy I'll go back to cold and dill, for at least my humor was welcomed on the stage.

"Positively, I did the most unfunny things imaginable before the camera, and for the life of me I couldn't get the idea. Well, I made three attempts, each worse than the last. Then one day, disgusted with my failure, I gritted my teeth and determined I'd win or die in the attempt.

"That very afternoon I ran into Jack O'Brian out on the lot: he was directing Jeannie MacPherson who wrote this scenarios and was being featured. Harry Van Meter was the lead. O'Brian told me he was looking for a heavy. I felt so discouraged with my comedy, however, that I thought I might as well take a chance, so went at it.

"Well, I made good, and Jeannie then wrote two stories expressly for me, one had a weird hunchback role — great! This was when I began the study of makeup. In musical comedies you can paste green whiskers on your chin, do a funny little dance along with your song and get away with it, so I knew nothing about makeup, but having embarked as a heavy in motion pictures I went at it heart and soul.

That story with the weird hunchback is what launched Chaney into the stratosphere. As part of his method, Chaney wore a pack of steel on his back, a steel vice which distorted his legs and of course the heavy on his face to portray the doomed man.

Lon Chaney died August 26, 1930.

For those who only know Chaney from his drama roles, you miss so much of what made him a great silent film star. If your ever in the mood, or one of the movie stations play some of his work, go yourself a favor and watch the master at work. For those who can't wait, here's the link to Phantom:
 Phantom of the Opera (silent film 1925)

For more intense reading, I recomment the books, both by Michael F. Blake. "The Man Behind the Thousand Faces" and "A Thousand Faces: Lon Chaney's Unique Artistry in Motion Pictures"

Until next time, enjoy the remains of fall, don't eat too much Halloween candy and keep those eyes reading and those fingers writing.

For those who like the supernatural, you might enjoy the novella, "Angel of Salvation Valley". Below is an excerpt of the story of Drew and Lizzie:

Drew tried to remember the quote he used to say to get him through the days in solitary. He wanted to stop the noise, but every time he tried to recite it in his mind, his head began to sear with pain. It was an effort to hold the thought, but hold it he would. "You have power over your mind, not outside events. The choice you make defines you. Gra....". He did it, he held the thought, but the rest of the quote wouldn't come. Trying as much as he could, the rest was just out of reach. The pain was so overpowering he let it go.

Still, the conversation looped through Drew's brain over and over growing louder with each telling. Drew tried to close out the sound, but some part of his brain told him that would be useless. Between the moments of clarity, where the smell of dust and pine intruded on his memories, Drew's world twisted around the arrest, the trial, Harold, the prison break, on and on. Then his dead mother's words interrupted his thoughts.

"Andrew, what have you done?" she asked.

Drew saw her, felt he could reach out and touch her, looking just like he remembered her before she was killed in an accident..

"I didn't kill that man," Drew cried, reaching a hand toward her. After three years in prison, all in solitary, he stopped trying to make people believe. Now, he had to make sure his mother knew, but the pain in his head throbbed harder. He reached up, grabbing his head. He almost missed her words.

"I know you didn't, I'm sorry you had to suffer," she said reaching out to touch his face, abating the throbbing in his head for just a moment.

ebook- Amazon- purchase here

Doris Gardner-McCraw -

Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History

Member of National League of American Pen Women,

Women Writing the West,

Pikes Peak Posse of the Westerners

Angela Raines - author: Where Love & History Meet

For a list of Angela Raines Books: Here 

Photo and Poem: Click Here 

Angela Raines FaceBook: Click Here

The Tallest Cowboy in Texas

The State Fair of Texas ends tomorrow, October 21, at Fair Park in Dallas. The last couple weeks have been rainy, no doubt affecting Fair attendance, but not to worry. The country’s largest state fair will be back just as big as ever next year, and visitors will be greeted by Big Tex, the giant cowboy.

Texas State Fair; photo by Mang9; creative commons 3.0

For nearly 65 years, Big Tex has stood over the fair, waving and welcoming guests in a deep Texas drawl.

Tex began life in 1949 as the world’s largest Santa Claus in Kerens, a small town about an hour south of Dallas. The huge figure was intended to attract Christmas shoppers. Almost everyone in town helped build him – welders, garment factory workers, and farmers who served as models.

Big Santa was a hit, drawing shoppers and newspaper coverage from other towns. However, the novelty soon wore off and Santa's owner, Howell Brister, decided to sell his creation. The State Fair bought Santa for $750.

The State Fair initially planned to place Santa in Fair Park for the holidays but then decided to turn him into a cowboy. The fair asked artist Jack Bridges to create Big Tex. Working quickly, Bridges transformed the figure, giving it a bigger head and broader shoulders.

Big Tex; photo by David R. Tribble;creative commons 3.0

Big Tex stood tall for the first time at the 1952 State Fair and the crowds swarmed around him, posing for photos. One boy even dressed up like Tex, waving at folks just like the big cowboy.

The only problem was Big Tex looked kind of scary. His nose was long and hooked. One eye was shut, as if he was winking. So, Big Tex got a nose job and Bridges opened his eye. Other changes were made over the ensuing years.

Big Tex spoke for the first time in 1953, his second year at the fair. Jim Lowe was the voice of Big Tex for almost 40 years and did a lot to develop the cowboy's personality. Bill Bragg was the voice for about a decade, until after Big Tex burned down in 2012. The fair has kept the name of the current voice a secret.

An electrical short in Tex’s wiring sparked the fire. The flames shot up his body, consuming his clothes and his face within minutes. His charred remains stood for a couple of hours at Big Tex Circle. People stared and cried, taking pictures. Eventually his steel skeleton was taken down, covered by canvas and taken away – with a police escort.

The fair wanted Tex rebuilt in time for the 2013 fair and it wanted him built in Texas – and it had to be kept a big secret. SRO Associates in Boerne (pronounced Bernie) Texas, near San Antonio, accomplished the job.

The company modeled the new Big Tex after old pictures and created 3D computer images. Working with Texas Scenic, a San Antonio company, to program the big cowboy’s arm and face movements, they made them more fluid. His face is made of silicone skin.

Big Tex symbolizes Texas. He’s a larger than life cowboy character, a little sunburned and always welcoming. He greets you with a deep, friendly “Howdy Folks,” making you want to grab a corny dog, some funnel cake and take in all the shows and exhibits. For the braver among you, there’s the big ferris wheel and a bunch of other rides. And don’t forget to take a picture with Big Tex!

Quick note: I published A Mighty Chieftain (Romancing the Guardians, Book 8) today on Amazon. This is the final book in the series. It  may not be available for a day or two on all Amazon sites.

Lyn Horner is a multi-published, award-winning author of western historical romance and romantic suspense novels, all spiced with paranormal elements. She is a former fashion illustrator and art instructor who resides in Fort Worth, Texas – “Where the West Begins” - with her husband and a pair of very spoiled cats. As well as crafting passionate love stories, Lyn enjoys reading, gardening, genealogy, visiting with family and friends, and cuddling her furry, four-legged children.

Amazon Author Page: viewAuthor.at/LynHornerAmazon (universal link)

Newsletter:  Lyn’s Romance Gazette http://eepurl.com/bMYkeX

Website:  Lyn Horner’s Corner 

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Frank Canton, Outlaw Sheriff

Last month, I wrote about Nate Champion, one of the casualties of the Johnson County War in Wyoming. One of the men involved with killing Champion was Frank Canton.

Canton was born Josiah Horner on September 15, 1849, in Harrison Township, Henry County, Indiana. He drifted to Texas and worked as a cowboy. By 1871, frustrated with not having the money he wanted, Horner/Canton started robbing banks and rustling cattle. Cattle rustling was a capital offense. On October 10, 1874, Horner got into a gunfight with some Buffalo Soldiers, killing one and wounding the other. Somehow, he eluded justice for that. In 1877, he was arrested for robbing a bank in Comanche, Texas. He escaped from Texas Ranger custody and moved to Ogallala, Nebraska, and tried raising cattle, again. While in Nebraska, he officially changed his name to Frank M. Canton and vowed to give up his outlaw ways.

By the early 1880s, Canton was in the Wyoming Territory. He hired on as a stock detective for the Wyoming Stock Growers Association and with their backing, was elected sheriff of Johnson County, Wyoming.

During the Johnson County War, Canton signed on as one of Frank Wolcott's Regulators. On April 9, 1892, Canton led the Regulators to the "KC Ranch", where Nate Champion and Nick Ray were staying. Two other men at the ranch that day were captured as they emerged shortly after the Regulators arrived. Ray was shot and killed in the opening minutes of the ensuing gun battle. Champion, a one-time friend of Canton's, held off the Regulators for most of the day, killing at least four of the Regulators and wounding others. At 5:00 p.m., Canton set the house on fire. Champion soon burst out of the house firing his Winchester rifle and was shot 28 times.

Later in life, Canton said he regretted the incident with Champion. While continuing to work for the WSGA, Canton was also involved with the hanging of Ellen Watson (aka Cattle Kate), the woman painted with the blackest of brushes by the WSGA and the newspapers in Wyoming the wealthy cattlemen controlled. It was these incidents that made Canton leave the WSGA.

Canton then traveled to Oklahoma, and became a respected Deputy U.S. Marshal under Judge Isaac Parker, based out of Fort Smith, Arkansas. He worked with other famous lawmen such as Heck Thomas, Chris Madsen, Bass Reeves and Bill Tilghman during that time.

In 1897, Canton went to Alaska to follow the gold rush but instead became a Deputy U.S. Marshal. He returned to the states in 1907 and became Adjutant General for the Oklahoma National Guard. At some point during this time, Canton arranged a meeting with the Governor of Texas. He confessed that he was secretly Josiah “Joe” Horner, and the governor took his law enforcement service into consideration and granted him a pardon. He chose to be known as Frank Canton for the remainder of his lifetime. Canton died on September 27, 1927, in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Thanks for reading. 

New Mexico’s Rio Grande Gorge Bridge by Kaye Spencer #NewMexicoHistory #OldWestHistory #SweetheartsoftheWest

Taos, New Mexico Plaza

By I, Zeality, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2379639

The Taos, New Mexico area is one of my favorite places to visit. From where I live in the southeastern corner of Colorado, it's a long day trip The history of the area draws me. With each visit, I make sure to find a new and different place to see.

'X' marks the Taos-spot.

At any given time of the year in Taos, you'll find "artsy" activities going on around town, which are always entertaining experiences. During the summer and early autumn, especially in the early morning, the skyline will be dotted with hot air balloons.












Taos of the 1880s is one of the settings in my western historical romance novel, The Gunfighter's Woman. A block from the Taos Plaza is an old church, Our Lady of Guadalupe, which plays a significant role in the story. I will write about this church at a later time.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taos,_New_Mexico_USA_-_panoramio_(98).jpg
MARELBU [CC BY 3.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Now, on to the real topic of this article: The Rio Grande Gorge.

The last time I visited Taos, my destination was the Rio Grande Gorge, which is roughly 12 miles northwest of town. Having never been there nor having researched anything about the gorge, it was quite a surprise to be driving over nondescript, flat prairie with the San Juan Mountain range off to the northwest and the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range on the east and the next thing I knew, there was a bridge out in the middle of what is a deceptively flat prairie that runs right up to the foot of the surrounding mountains.

Rio Grande Gorge flat prairie view

Kaye Spencer's photo

Rio Grande Gorge Bridge - south side looking northerly

Kaye Spencer's photo

The website Taos.org (Rio Grand Bridge Gorge) explains about the bridge:
.
…the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge is the second highest bridge on the U.S. Highway System. The bridge is a three-span steel continuous-deck-truss structure with a concrete-filled steel-grid deck. It was called the "bridge to nowhere" while it was being built because the funding did not exist to continue the road on the other side.

Rio Grande Gorge - west side looking westerly

Kaye Spencer's photo

At 650 feet (200 m) above the Rio Grande, it is the fifth highest bridge in the United States. The span is 1,280 feet; two 300-foot-long approach spans with a 600-foot-long main center span. The bridge was dedicated on September 10, 1965 and is a part of U.S. Route 64, a major east-west road.

In 1966 the American Institute of Steel Construction awarded the bridge "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge" in the "Long Span" category. The bridge has appeared in several films, including Natural Born Killers, Twins, She's Having a Baby, Wild Hogs, and Terminator Salvation.

Kaye Spencer at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge (Autumn 2015)

There is raised concrete walking path along both sides of the bridge. A four-foot-high steel railing keeps the observer from toppling over the edge, but if you have vertigo, a dislike of looking down from a high vantage point, or you don't particularly care for feeling the bridge move under your feet from the traffic (especially trucks) crossing the bridge, you won't be a happy camper here.

There are "look-out points" on both sides that allow you to step farther out over the edge of nothingness. From these places, you get a good view of the gorge floor. Even without binoculars or a zoom lens on your camera, you can see the white water rapids. Apparently over the years, these lookout stations have been the jump off point for suicides.

Rio Grande Gorge rapids

Kaye Spencer's photo

On the west end of the bridge you'll find a dirt parking area and a plethora of roadside vendors, who have touristy wares to sell. A state park rest area, with additional parking, is a short walk up a slight slope. In March 2013, President Obama designated 242,455 acres, which includes the Rio Grande Gorge, as the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.

Rio Grande Gorge from the bridge looking southerly

Kaye Spencer's image

The website Discover New Mexico explains the geology of the gorge.

• The Rio Grande Gorge is a "rift valley", which is a separation in the earth's crust due to fault activity some 29 million years ago.
• The valley appeared before the river, which is not typical as rivers tend to create valleys, canyons, gorges, and similar geologic features.
• The gorge has many ancient petroglyphs along its walls.
• There are hidden hot springs and ancient ruins along the river.
• The river and immediate surrounding area offers camping, fishing (brown and rainbow trout and northern pike), boating, and rafting opportunities (Class II to Class V white water rapids).
• The gorge is approximately 50 miles long running northwest to southeast of Taos.

Rio Grande Gorge from the bridge looking northerly

Kaye Spencer's photo

Having had more than my fill of the bridge trembling under my feet, I wandered away from the highway and walked along the canyon rim as far as the safety fence allowed.

As the highway noises faded, and I took in the sight of the vast, wide-open scenery, I imagined standing here a hundred and fifty years ago. I thought of cowboys searching for cattle and wild horses or outlaws hiding from the law. From the petroglyphs and ancient ruins that tell their tales 650 feet below, it wasn't difficult to imagine Native Americans engaged in spiritual prayer and ritual in this hidden sanctuary. I thought of the animals that sought shelter, food and water, and protection from predators down in the bottom of the gorge.

My husband tells stories of a favorite fishing spot in the southern end of the gorge. He also says there are places that have a reverence about them—places where ancient memories still linger. Maybe it was the coming dusk, and maybe it was just my writer's imagination, but there was a mystical feel in the air as I stood there in the quiet descending upon the canyon's rim as I watched the shadows lengthen and obliterate all traces of the gorge.

Perhaps Mother Nature was drawing the blanket of serenity over the secrets that lay between the canyon's walls.

Until next time,

Kaye Spencer
Writing through history one romance upon a time

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