Mount Rushmore

Finally! I made it to Mount Rushmore, the end of a journey I started in 1998. That original trip was interrupted by a motorcycle accident,  multiple surgeries, three years of recovery, and many changes in my life. Finally after all these years, Lulubelle, Daisy, and I made it to this magnificent place.

I visited a private museum about the sculptor Gutzon Borglum. Unfortunately for Lulubelle and Daisy, it wasn’t dog-friendly, so they had to stay in the cool shade of the truck. I had a wonderful visit learning about this fascinating man.

Maybe what impressed me most was that the sculptor didn’t start on the Mount Rushmore project until he was 60 years old. I didn’t start my writing career until age 60, so I identified with starting a dream late in life. Borglum’s son Lincoln worked with him supervising the 400-man crew, and Lincoln took over and brought the project to fruition when Gutzon died. The fact that he had this vision and finally got started with it at that age really impressed me.

Borglum had spent time in San Antonio before and during the work on Mount Rushmore, and there is a lot of his work in the Witte Museum here.

I loved the museum and the sculpture. The only thing that disappointed me a little was the commercialism of the surrounding area, but I guess that’s to be expected anywhere popular with tourists.

I bought a book about the sculptor: Six Wars at a Time: The Life of Gutzon Borglum, Sculptor of Mt. Rushmore by Howard and Audrey Shaff. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating man and this magnificent national treasure.

photo credit: raquell;

Next Book Announced at Galbreath-Mitchell Reunion

Lulubelle, Daisy, and I have been traveling. This past weekend we attended the 104th Galbreath-Mitchell reunion at Walnut Point State Park in Oakland, IL. Here is a group photo taken at the reunion. I really enjoyed visiting with these family members and talking about our common heritage.

On Sunday, July 18th, I made the big announcement that my next book will be Adam’s Sons, the story of  the exciting exploits of John Mitchell, along with his brothers William and Robert. The Galbreath-Mitchell Family are direct descendants of John Mitchell.

You may recall from earlier posts that my original plan was to write Rebeckah as the next and final book in the Westward Sagas. Rebeckah was my great great great grandmother and a strong and independent woman, and I will tell her story.

However, descendants of Adam Mitchell’s sons have asked me over and over again to tell their story, and as I learned more about them, I realized their story should be part of the Westward Sagas.

You can get an idea of what’s coming the book by reading the back of John Mitchell’s tombstone. You can click on the image for a larger image and then click on the larger image for a very large image.

Off the Shelf Radio Interview

Denise Turney of Blog Talk Radio interviewed me on Saturday, July 3. You can listen to the interview below. Denise is an enthusiastic and talented interviewer, and I think you will enjoy listening.

Home Again, Home Again

It’s great to be home after 21 days on the road with the girls—my 2 yellow Labs, Lulubelle and Daisy. We visited family in Lubbock and Sundown (yes, there really is a Sundown, Texas). Sundown, population 1505, offers real Texas hospitality. I give a 5-star rating to the FREE RV sites that the City of Sundown provides to visiting RV owners. The four sites adjoin the City swimming pool, and the Golf Course is just across the street in a rural setting smack dab in the middle of a working Texas oilfield. Sometimes the smell is a little offensive, but the folks that own the wells love that smell.

We then headed toward Ruidoso, New Mexico, for a two-week stay at the Rainbow Lake RV Park, a neat place on the road to The Inn of the Mountain Gods, just 3 miles away inside the Mescalero Indian Reservation. Rainbow Lake adjoins the Lincoln National Forest where the girls and I spent a lot of time exploring the woods and watching the wild game of the mountains.

We also found an old safe that had been cracked (see picture) on one of the trails. It looked like it had been stolen many years ago and cracked open in the forest and left where it was with an empty money box.

On the way back to Texas, we spent two nights at Davis Mountains State Park near Fort Davis, Texas. I witnessed a magnificent mountain thunderstorm from the veranda of the Indian Lodge that was quite a show. As it was overcast both evenings, we missed the usual stargazing party at the McDonald Observatory.

We met fellow RVers from all over the US and as close as Giddings, Texas. We’re back at home base for two presentations this week and then on to the North Country for the balance of the summer.

Adam’s Daughters Is Finalist in International Book Awards

The International Book Awards has announced the winners and finalists in its 2010 competition.

I’m excited to report that Adam’s Daughters, Book 2 in the Westward Sagas is a finalist in the Historical Fiction category. 

Entries from publishers around the world were judged by industry professionals to narrow down the finalists. I’m honored to have Adam’s Daughters recognized with this honor. You can find a complete list of winners and finalists on the International Book Awards Web site.

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