It felt like I was a liar. All my life I had been telling people I was half German, possibly more. After all, my mother’s family and ancestors were all German for hundreds of years, and there was also German on my father’s side of the family. The other side of my family was mainly English and French. When my…
More Childhood Photos
I’ve spent months going through my late father’s boxes and boxes of photos, slides, and negatives. There were so many that it was overwhelming to even consider trying to scan them and convert to digital media myself. We sent them out in groups of about 1000 each to be professionally scanned and, in some cases, restored. I found a few…
Radio Waves
Recently I had the pleasure of doing an interview with Greg Thomas S., Public Affairs Host of “Conversations” which airs Sunday mornings at 6:00 a.m. on KNDD, KISW, KKWF, KHTP in the Seattle, Washington area. We talked about one of my favorite subjects, genealogy, and how it impacted the story line in Braha. Greg was so delightful to speak with, and…
Braha Book Trailer
The book trailer for Braha is here! Click on the link below to go directly to the trailer on YouTube. Braha Book Trailer
Balm for the Soul
I was very excited to receive two, new, very positive reviews for Braha over the last couple of weeks. Positive reviews never get old and are always encouraging for authors. If you’ve ever read a book you’ve loved, I strongly urge you to send the author a note on Twitter, Facebook or via the author’s website, letting him or her…
Journey to the Countryside
A few weeks ago, my husband and I had the pleasure of visiting relatives in New York. It was a trip like none other for me, for it gave this city and suburb girl a taste of living on a historic farm. The house was more than 150 years old, and the barns were even older. The visit also triggered my creative juices and I came home ready to do some writing!
My favorite photos are those of the barns. Majestically rising from the hills of the Genesee Valley, they are the crown jewels of this part of the countryside. Despite the fact that it was the middle of September, there were still many blooming flowers. I think we missed the beginning of the fall color by about 10 days.
Here are some of my favorite photos. Click on each photo to see a larger version of it.
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- Beautiful barn with a cupola and stone foundation.
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- Different angle of the barn with the cupola.
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- This beauty stands proudly in the field near the farmhouse.
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- This barn has a face.
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- I love the textures on this barn.
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- This is the backside of the barn with the face.
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- This barn looks intriguing no matter where you stand.
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- There was a small bridge that connected the farmhouse to the barns over a small creek running through the property.
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- This was a smaller barn higher on the hill from the other structures.
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- No farm would be complete without a pitchfork.
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- The view in the waning afternoon. Love the old fence.
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- The farmhouse was immaculately restored, complete with a lovely covered porch.
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- The property was filled with gorgeous blooming flowers, including this hydrangea.
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- This daisy-like flowers were spread out along the banks of a pond on the property.
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- Beautiful, large sunflower.
An Anniversary
September 11 is always a difficult day because of the horrific attack on the twin towers in New York City, the Pentagon, and on the United Airlines flight that ended in a Pennsylvania field. Adding to the chaos of the day, it is also the anniversary of my father’s death. I like to think he chose this specific date to…
New Cover, Just in Time for the Holidays
I’ve been busy working on a new cover for Braha, just in time for the holiday season. The design is more literal than figurative and definitely conveys an air of mystery and intrigue. Take a look and see what you think. I hope you’ll consider buying a copy for your friends who like to read and enjoy a good tale.…
Where in the World
I recently had a DNA testing done through Ancestry.com. As an avid genealogist and the family historian, it seemed like something I should do to validate my research, proving—as much as that’s possible—my roots. When I first thought about it, it didn’t seem seem like there would be much variety in the results. I am half German from my mom’s side of the…
Down the Rabbit Hole
Genealogy research is a messy endeavor. I started out with the mantra that my research would be thorough and complete, and that my pedigree chart would only contain the most accurate information available. Somewhere down the road the latter part changed to probably mostly accurate information available. Now, if it looks like it could be good information but needs to be…