Oregon Trail to Century Ranches – Part 1
I’m working on a new series set in Portland about a wealthy extended family who are descendants of founding settlers of Oregon. Immersing myself in the history and lore to better define my characters has been fun, particularly since it allows me to learn more about my (relatively new) home. I ran across two inspirations…
Always a Rock Jock – John Day Fossil Beds – Part 3
Driving through this country is a lesson in history by itself. The Oregon Trail ran through here. From the diaries of those emigrants, the area didn’t look too much different than today, except for the current lack of trees. Settlers needed wood for structures and fuel. If they followed a river, though, they had water. …
Always a Rock Jock – John Day Fossil Beds – Part 2
Who was John Day? Why was a National Monument named after him? The story is more titillating than exciting. A trapper by trade, John Day’s claim to fame was being attacked and stripped naked by Indians as he hunted on the Columbia River in the early 1800’s. A major water system in the area is…
Always a Rock Jock – John Day Fossil Beds – Part 1
Back in time, I wanted to be a geologist. Alas, chemistry was not my friend for reasons I now understand but at that disappointing time, did not. I’m still a sucker for a good fossil. Give me an ancient creature that became part of a rock, and I’m held captive for hours. When we decided…
“Golden Flower of Prosperity” – Kam Wah Chung
I love learning new things. Sometimes it turns into a factor in a fiction novel I’m writing. Others are just plain interesting. Take the town of John Day, Oregon, for example. Intrigued by a little museum’s unique story, we had to stop. Kam Wah Chung & Co., an Oregon State Parks heritage site and National…
Summer Road Trip Reminiscing
The summer after first grade, my family began a new annual tradition. A day after school let out, we’d pile into the car and hit the highway. ‘Road trip’ became synonymous with the adventure of new states, new license plates, and new sights. Years later as an adult, when the heat of summer first pressed…
