#a new mystery guest to the ranch

[thesconesyard]

Where the West Begins

13. Devil in Disguise

Fall came and went and winter arrived at the ranch. Christine was glad again for the warmth in the kitchen that she had loathed in the summer.

“How was town?” Uhura asked Jim as he came in. Christine set the last dish on the table for dinner.

Jim smiled but shrugged. “Same as ever. Captain Pike’s worried about a new woman. Said she came to town poor as a church mouse. She’s staying in the cheapest room she can find and offering to take in sewing jobs.”

“Poor gal,” Christine said.

“Right?” Jim agreed. “I did give it a bit of thought on the way home. But if she’s making money…”

“…it’d be quite aways for people to bring jobs,” Uhura finished understanding what Jim meant.

The sound of boots entering the house interrupted the conversation. Laughing followed the rustle of coats being hung up came down the hall.

Christine herself saw the woman a week later when she rode with Leonard to town. They collected the mail and had lunch with Dr. M’Benga. She and Uhura had made a little list, so she and Leonard headed to the general store.

The woman was sitting on an upturned box outside the store. She was wrapped in a dark, threadbare cloak, and her pale face was pinched with the cold. Dark hair was coiled at the base of her neck, but loose strands hung out around her face.

“Is that the new gal Captain Pike was worried about?” Christine asked the shop keeper.

“Miss Kati out there? Yes ma’am, I suppose so. Came out on the train a few weeks back. She’s taking what handwork she can, but no one’s got much.”

“Hasn’t she got anyone?” Leonard asked.

“No one’s gotten much out of her. Real close she is,” the shopkeeper said.

Christine glanced quickly at Leonard and saw on his face he felt the same as her.

“A few people’s have been helping as they can,” the shopkeeper said in reply to their expressions.

With a quiet sigh, Christine got on with the things she needed to purchase. Leonard looked around, but she could see his mind working.

“Where’s she staying?” he asked suddenly.

“One of Miss Gaila’s smallest rooms.”

Leonard nodded and strode out of the store.

Christine finished her shopping and paid. She carried her little package under one arm and left the store. Miss Kati was still sitting outside, rubbing her hands together. Christine smiled gently when their eyes met, and continued down to meet Leonard at Gaila’s.

Not that there was any problem with Gaila’s saloon, but the rooms she normally kept were for men making their way to find work. That this Miss Kati would stay there instead of the hotel, Christine knew how much the woman was hurting.

Leonard came out the door as she got close.

“How much did you pay?” Christine asked knowingly.

Leonard blushed a faint bit. “For the week. And with the message that if she wants to come to the ranch she’s welcome.”

“Look at that big heart Leo,” Christine grinned. Leonard took the package from her and led the way back to the horses.

“You would have done the same,” he said over his shoulder.

The week passed and a knock on the front door surprised Christine and Uhura where they were working in the sitting room.

“I’ll get it,” Christine said as she set down her sewing and waved a hand at Uhura.

“Oh!” Christine exclaimed as she opened the door. Miss Kati was standing on the front porch, trying to hide her shivering. “Hello!” Christine said quickly. “Please! Come in.”

The strange woman looked at her cautiously but stepped forward.

“Come in! Come in! Come get warm,” Christine said, gesturing towards the sitting room doorway.

“My name is Kati,” said the woman. “Is this where I can find Dr. McCoy?”

“Yes,” Christine smiled. “I’m Christine and this is Uhura.”

“Welcome,” Uhura said, standing up.

“Here, just come and have a seat,” Christine said. “Get warm and I’ll go find Dr. McCoy.”

“Can I get you something to drink?” she heard Uhura ask as she left the room.

Christine grabbed a warm shawl and made her way to the barn.

“Oh, aren’t you all just working so hard,” she said, lifting a brow at the men standing and sitting inside.

“We’re just taking a wee break Miss Christine,” Scotty smiled at her amiably. “What can we do for ye?”

“That Miss Kati turned up looking for you Leo,” Christine said, turning to address him. “Suppose you should probably come too, Jim.”

Back in the sitting room, Kati jumped to her feet as Christine and the two men came in.

“You’re Dr. McCoy,” she said at once, looking at Leonard.

“Yes ma’am.”

“You did me a kindness.” Kati looked at him and frowned. “Why? You don’t even know me.”

McCoy left out a huff of air. “Because it was the right thing to do ma’am. I’d do the same for anyone down on their luck, especially this time of the year in the cold.”

“Ma’am, I’m James Kirk,” Jim said, introducing himself. “This is my ranch and from what I’ve heard from the sheriff you seem to be needing a place to keep warm.”

“I’m Kati and I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t true,” Kati answered in a sad voice. “Things haven’t gone right for me in any way since my brother died. He was all I had left.”

“You poor dear,” Uhura said softly.

“We’re all kind of strays here,” Jim told Kati. “We’ve all had some kind of trouble or hardship in life, but we’ve all ended up here together and stronger for it. If you’d care to stay here a while we’d be glad to help.”

Tears sprang into Kati’s dark eyes. “I don’t even know what to say,” she cried. “No one’s ever been that nice to me. Especially only having just met me!”

“Say you’ll stay ma’am,” Leonard said warmly. “One of us can ride into Gaila’s and get your things.”

Kati laughed through her tears. “This is all I have,” she said as she gestured at herself and the very small satchel in her hand.

“Then you’re nearly already settled,” Christine declared. “It’s a bit until dinner, but we can rustle you up something if you’re hungry?”

Kati shook her head. “I can wait.”

“Let’s get you settled with a room then,” Uhura said.

“Stay as long as you need,” Jim confirmed.

“I- I can’t believe this!” Kati wiped at the tears on her face.

As Christine led her from the sitting room, no one saw the twisted smile cross Kati’s face.

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Bring on Autumn! Lacey Chabert, Jodie Sweetin and Ashley Williams Lead Hallmark Channel's Fall into Love Lineup

His & Hers, starring Chabert and Elliott, will premiere on Saturday, Sept. 7. According to the official synopsis, the movie will tell the story of "married couple Dana (Chabert) and Mark (Elliott)" who are "high-powered lawyers at two separate New York City law firms." "They soon find themselves on opposing sides of a messy divorce between two reality stars, Sammy and Brett. When both clients are unable to compromise, Dana and Mark are headed for a courtroom showdown that results in tensions infiltrating their otherwise happy household," the synopsis teases.

Jodie Sweetin and Corey Seiver lead The Heiress and The Handyman, premiering on Sept. 14. Per the network's description, "After losing her fortune, June Waltshire (Sweetin), an heiress moves to a rural farm where she mistakes her handsome neighbor Bart Hudson (Sevier) for the handyman. Bart and June form a friendship and work together to reclaim her family’s fall fair legacy, taking on apple pies and the livestock parade. As they prepare for state fair domination, they learn a lot about each other’s lives."

Extra note here, this movie is premiering August 29 on Hallmark Movies Now.

Falling Together — which is set to premiere Sept. 21 — brings together Ashley Williams and Paul Campbell. According to the movie's official logline, the movie will tell the story of Natalie (Williams) who "just relocated to Pittsburgh for work and is eager to become part of her new town." "While exploring her surroundings, she comes across the perfect opportunity for involvement and joins the Walk to End Alzheimer’s as a volunteer," the description continues. "Meanwhile at home, her efforts to bring the building residents together as a community have fallen flat, and Mark (Campbell), the prickly super, advises her to leave well enough alone. As the two spend time together while Natalie continues her quest to win over her neighbors, she and Mark become close and a spark begins to grow." Just when it seems like the two have built "harmony," the synopsis teases "things unexpectedly unravel. Disheartened, Natalie focuses her time and energy on the Walk which just may be the path to healing and happily ever after."

Premiering on Sept. 28, The Real West stars Kimberley Sustad, Lucas Bryant and James Denton. Per the network's synopsis, "A family vacation to a working Ranch introduces Professor Rebecca (Sustad) to Jake West (Bryant). Rebecca is a widowed mom of two and Jake is a handsome cowboy who never settled down. The only complication is that Jake’s not exactly the available type."

Erin Cahill and Wes Brown team up for Autumn at Apple Hill, premiering on Oct. 5. "Based on the book by Angie Ellington. Newly divorced, Elise (Cahill) is renovating an inn that she inherited from her grandparents," the synopsis reads. "When Luke (Brown), CFO of a major hotel chain, arrives in town, she does her best to scare him off… but Luke just might be the best person to help her restore the Inn at Apple Hill to its former glory."

The Fall into Love lineup concludes with Janel Parrish, Dominic Sherwood and Cassandra Potenza starring in Haunted Wedding, premiering on Oct. 12. Per the movie's logline, "Amateur ghost hunters Jane (Parrish) and Brian (Sherwood) are looking forward to their upcoming wedding at a famously haunted inn, until their plans are disrupted by unexpected polter-guest Angelique (Potenza) – a ghost in an 18th century wedding dress, who mistakes Brian for her long dead fiancé."

In addition to all the new fall feels, viewers will see the return of The Cases of Mystery Lane: Death is Listening on Sept. 13 on Hallmark Mystery. Fans will also be treated to A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mystery on Oct. 4.

To read the full article at people.com click this LINK.

[walker-extended-universe]

Walker Episode Bracket

Today is the last day of the bracket as 3x15 goes up against the season 3 finale, 3x18 "It's A Nice Day For A Ranger Wedding"! Let's see how this one plays out.

3x18 brings us the day of Larry James' remarriage to his wife, Kelly. With Cordell officiating, DJ as his best man, and the Walker ranch hosting, very little can go wrong. Cordell is determined to make this the best possible wedding for his friend and the whole family is pitching in. Liam and the rest of the famolu work on making an old barn into a beautiful venue, with the help of a few friends, and Cordell works on hammering out the finer details with Geri. But there's trouble afoot as an old colleague, detective David Luna out of Corpus Christi (played by guest star Justin Cortez) calls him with news relating to an old serial killer cold case. Cordell is also thrown for a loop when August tells him he plans to enlist in the military and asks for permission to go to basic training camp before his senior year. Thankfully, the wedding ceremony and reception go off without a hitch, including a surprise musical performance, and Cordell can mostly set those worries aside and just enjoy the time with his family. But there's trouble brewing as a mysterious figure has broken into Geri's house and made a mess of the place, only to run into Stella and Sadie. When the girls believe the intruder is dead, Stella goes running to Liam for help, only for the body to disappear later. In the meantime, Cordell gets confirmation that an old foe, the Jackal, is back in business right after he rekindles his romance with Geri. With a cliffhanger like this, season 4 has a lot of loose ends to tie up!

taglist: @ihavepointysticks

[audiofictionuk]

New Fiction Podcasts - 27th January

Space Train Audio Drama Punch your ticket for a laughter-filled journey that transcends the boundaries of time and space. Space Train is a full-cast audio sitcom for people who like shows like Community, Futurama, Arrested Development, and the Good Place, delivering a unique blend of humor, heart, and interstellar absurdity. Buckle up, because this space-faring ensemble cast is about to take you on the ride of a lifetime! https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240124-01 RSS: https://feeds.fireside.fm/spacetrain/rss

Tales of the Crossroads Audio RPG We're just a bunch of friends, sitting around a table, playing The Crossroads Interdimensional Tabletop RPG. We decided to start recording these because we have a lot of fun and to give others a chance to learn about The Crossroads ITRPG. Embark on thrilling adventures across The Crossroads, a realm woven with countless portals to diverse dimensions. In this captivating podcast, dive into the immersive tales spun by various groups using The Crossroads Interdimensional Tabletop RPG system. Join our intrepid adventurers as they navigate this multi-dimensional world, facing challenges, unraveling mysteries, and forging unforgettable bonds. The Tales of the Crossroads promises an exciting journey where exploration knows no bounds. Uncover the secrets, triumph over obstacles, and experience the magic of interconnected stories in every episode. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240122-01 RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/tales-of-the-crossroads

EAR CANDY Presents: The Next 5 Minutes Audio Drama It’s 2035… and things aren’t great Downunder. Mass homelessness, pollution ruining beaches, teenagers facing slave labour and everything, including euthanasing the elderly, has been privatised by a corrupt libertarian government in cahoots with Empyrean Industries, a shadowy corporation busy mining the moon. An underground terrorist movement called Swag Sting is mobilising but wracked by infighting. Crowd control measures include giant, deadly robot kangaroos. As our protagonists battle for humanity's essence, we uncover an alarming future that lurks uncomfortably close. THE NEXT 5 MINUTES is not just a podcast—it's a movement, a deep, dark, truthful mirror reflecting a future we must avoid. Every. Second. Counts. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240123-02 RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/654d9e4a07e8cd00124881f9

Stop, Drop & Roll Initiative Audio RPG Introducing Stop, Drop & Roll Initiative, an actual-play D&D podcast hosted by wrestler Martin MacAlistair, podcaster and content creator Satsunami, Twitch streamer RoboticBattleToaster, and Chatsunami Podcast co-host Andrew. Elran (Andrew), Morek (Toaster), and Tempest (Satsunami) form an adventuring party after seeing a local guild's wanted ad and set out to fix a broken world. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240123-03 RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f0c1659c/podcast/rss

A Feminist Romance Novel, Podcast! Temptations at Sweetwater Creek Audio Drama What if you were suddenly plunged into the world of a romance novel? Charlotte, April and Polly find out when their car breaks down in Texas during a cross country road trip. After taking refuge at the Sweetwater Creek Ranch Inn, they meet Jack, a brooding cowboy with a rough exterior, Luke, a sexy innkeeper searching for a friend, and Dylan, a mysterious guest who may or may not be a vampire. Driven by a narrator obsessed with romance and happy endings, our three friends are whipped into a frenzy of sex, doubt, and betrayal. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240124-02 RSS: https://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:923516737/sounds.rss

Science Fiction - Hörspiele Audio Drama Bereits heutzutage finden immer weniger Bürgerinnen und Bürger der offenen Gesellschaft zum gemeinsamen Verweilen zusammen. Wie mag sich dies erst in 140 Jahren verhalten, immer vorausgesetzt, dass die den drittnächsten Planeten zur Sonne beglückende Menschheit bis dahin durchhält ohne sich selbst chemisch, bakteriell, atomar oder klimatisch auszulöschen? Fragen über Fragen wie geschaffen für einen utopischen Seelenstriptease-Thriller ... https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240121-03 RSS: https://moderne21.de/science-fiction-hoerspiele.xml

S-O-A-P Audio RPG This is an actual-play podcast for the indie ttrpg Stories of Adventure! https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240120-01 RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2290034.rss

The Cellblock Scorch Writing Contest Audio Book A weekly short-story writing contest among a group of friends that started in 2018 and has continued unstopped since then. In this podcast the members of our group, the Stella Corps, share the winning pieces (aka "scorches") every week https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240123-04 RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/ebb17894/podcast/rss

Modern Gothic Audio Book An anthology of weird stories. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240124-03 RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/659d69ceeddc8100174ac30d

Harsh Static: A Fallout Actual Play Audio RPG What was just another day in the Mojave Wasteland gets interrupted by the pounding of metal feet and strange feedback through the radio. Rumors of odd robots and settlements going dark have people outside The Strip on edge, and things only seem to be getting worse when the Brotherhood of Steel is getting involved. Join our intrepid survivors as they brave the dangers of the wastes in search of the truth, encountering mechanical menaces along the way. Will they make their mark and conquer the day, or end up as another lyric in a sad old song? https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240116-04 RSS: https://feeds.castos.com/63ovm

[sonicasura]

Wolf Father and Werehog Son

More stuff based on this idea. Usually this stuff goes in my side blog but since I posted the first part here and it wasn't a full fledged idea...here we are. Basically this a summary of various changes that came with Sonic coming into Twilight's life.

Sonic- Adopted by Twilight around 13 years old and is about 16 when the Chain arrives. Stands around Time's height in normal form, around 7'1 in Werehog form. Helps the village by either herding goats, collecting herbs or deliver packages. Sonic tends to switch to his Werehog whenever he feels like it.

Can decently swim thanks to the combined efforts of Prince Ralis and Twilight, although he still prefers to stay on land or run on water. Quite well known around Hyrule for his incredible speed but only certain people know about his Werehog form(especially the Gorons as he wrestles them in Werehog form.) One of the few to considered an honorary Gerudo and Twili.

Due to his adaptability involving foreign energies and the positive view from Hyrule's Hero, Sonic becomes the new holder to the Triforce of Power. This grants him access to various transformations that his iterations underwent on their own journeys. It is mostly intertwined with Sonic's emotions similar to the how the Chaos Emeralds react before positive or negative emotions.

Transformations: Super, Hyper, Dark, Darkspine, Excalibur, Werehog and Colors(simplified term for every form)

Forms like Excalibur and Colors require mediums to properly channel. Colors ended up creating a Wisp of each color including White, which has no form, for Sonic to use. They usually stay in Ordon Village until Sonic calls them(or they act like ducklings around Twilight)

White Wisp- Gleam

Red Wisp- Flair

Orange Wisp- Pel

Yellow Wisp- Bee

Blue Wisp- Viva

Cyan Wisp- Link Jr

Green Wisp- Drift

Pink Wisp- Krash

Violet Wisp- Iris

Purple Wisp- Fang

Indigo Wisp- Orbit

Crimson Wisp- Frei

Magenta Wisp- Beat

Black Wisp- Bang

Jade Wisp- Flo

Ivory Wisp- Spark

Grey Wisp- Stele

Twilight- Ranch hand and Gardener currently raising one hedgehog son alongside eighteen Wisp kids. Has the dad bod plus adoption papers to prove it. Also has toe beams alongside paw pads after constant use of Wolf Link during his journey. Remodel his tree house abit to fit his new family and created a large garden(to provide more but also a good stress reliever)

Twilight acted as a temporary ambassador for the Twili when an incident with Darkspine Sonic had reopen a stable connection between both realms. His house has two guests, usually reserved for Midna and Ooccoo alongside her son Ooccoo Jr due to frequent visits.

Tends to roam around in Wolf form, something now known amongst the village alongside a select few. (This development is a result of constant encouragement from Sonic.) Has a special 'den' for alone times whenever things get too much.

Called the 'Rainbow Man' due to the Wisps' duckling habits which leaves speedy rainbows in their wake. Twilight hung up the Master Sword and uses a broadsword until the Chain appears.

Ordon Village- More lively and bigger village as some Twili join the population post Darkspine Sonic incident with a few Gerudo following after thanks to a certain blue blur. Ordon was made more suitable for everyone thanks to combined efforts of the villagers, Twilight's family and acquaintances. Plans are being discussed to turn the area surrounding the Arbiter's Grounds into a village or colony.

Darkspine Sonic incident- Not much is known about this occurrence as the only few witnesses prefer to keep their mouths shut. What can be said is the mysterious transformation, Darkspine Sonic, opened a stable connection between the Twilight Realm and Hyrule.

Warp Point- The Chain were definitely unprepared for the strange additions to their quest. Luckily these newcomers come with a much needed gift. Thanks to the combined work of Sonic, Midna, the Wisps and Ooccoo, a warp point to Twilight's Era is now available to them.

It leads to a personal house project jokingly called the Wolf's Den. This secret cabin located in a small alcove within Ordon Forest serves the purpose of a (temporary) hideout for the Chain. Plans about creating warp points in the other eras are being discussed with Wild's era as the next plausible target.

That's all I have for now! Figured I sum up some of the interesting stuff but save some goodies for later. Until next time folks, continue to reach for the stars and I'll see you back in Hyrule!

@hermitdrabbles56

[laffiteslanding]

BREAKING: Disneyland To Bring Back “Classic”California Adventure in a Brand New Way

In a surprise press conference this morning, Disney Parks and Resorts has announced the return of California Adventure’s original theme will be returning to the resort in a new form.

“We have always been committed to bringing our guests into incredibly immersive worlds,” said Josh D’Amaro. “Which is exactly why we’ve worked so hard to create lands like Avengers Campus, Pixar Pier, and Cars Land. Now, we want to take guest immersion even further.”

“Starting next month, Disneyland Park will be closed as we convert Walt’s original park into an all new California-themed adventure.”

Following the announcement, D’Amaro then went in depth about what changes guests could expect in this reimagining. “Classic attractions, lands, and even the park icon will be updated to reference iconic California imagery.” He noted that the park’s castle would be updated to resemble Hollywood’s Magic Castle, while other classic attractions would also be updated. Haunted Mansion will be updated to the Winchester Mystery House, and Peter Pan’s Flight will be altered into a screen-less version of Soarin’ Over California.

Still more changes will be seen as the park is changed over to its new theming. Autopia will have simulated traffic added to the track to better replicate a Los Angeles’ express way experience. Additionally, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln will be replaced with the classic California Adventure attraction Golden Dreams, and Tom Sawyer’s Island will become Alcatraz.

Some elements of the current park will remain. Toontown will remain thanks to its source film taking place in Los Angeles. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will also remain, albeit with a new Skywalker Ranch-inspired entrance.

The big highlight of the changeover, however, will be the replacement of Fantasyland with the land of Hollywood Hills. With the exception of the previously-mentioned Peter Pan/Soarin’ replacement, all other dark rides in the land will be replaced with the lost classic Superstar Limo. As D’Amaro put it, “We want as many guests to buy star maps from Drew Carey as possible.” D’Amaro followed this statement with a seemingly involuntary shudder.

The new version of Disneyland will close next month to reopen in time for Michael Eisner’s next birthday.

[dollycas]

Ellen Byron

New from Ellen Byron French Quarter Fright Night (Vintage Cookbook) Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series Setting - the Garden District of New Orleans Publisher ‏ : ‎ Severn House (September 3, 2024) The third in the fabulous cozy mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron. Welcome to the Bon Veeevil Festival of Fear! Prepare for the spookiest night of your life . . . It's Halloween in New Orleans, and the staff of Bon Vee Culinary House Museum is setting up a fantastic haunted house tour for their visitors. But when flashy movie star Blaine Taggart and his entourage move into the mansion next door, gift shop proprietor Ricki James-Diaz gets a fright of her own. While Ricki is excited about the potential business the tours will bring to her vintage cookbook shop, she's less thrilled by former friend Blaine's arrival in town. Then Bon Vee's prop tomb becomes a real tomb for Blaine's nasty assistant, and suddenly everyone at Bon Vee is a murder suspect. There isn't a ghost of a chance one of them committed the crime, but with NOPD busy tackling the mischief and mayhem generated by the spooky holiday, it falls on Ricki and her friends to catch the killer. As the Big Easy gears up for the Big Scary, it seems everyone has skeletons in their closets. Can Ricki reveal the shadowy killer before someone else becomes part of the Halloween horror show? Purchase Links Amazon - B&N - Bookshop.org Author Links Webpage – Facebook – Twitter – GoodReads – Instagram – BookBub – Newsletter The Rest of the Series Don't Miss A Very Woodsy Murder (A Golden Motel Mystery) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting - California Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington Cozies (July 23, 2024) From Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron, a hilarious new series featuring a sitcom writer who has checked out of the familiar comforts in Studio City and checked in to the quaint village of Foundgold to run a motel. Running a rustic getaway in the woods sure beats LA traffic—until murder ruins the peace and quiet . . . Down-on-her-luck sitcom writer Dee Stern is flipping the script. Twice divorced and wasting her talents on an obnoxious kids’ show, the lifelong Angeleno embraces the urge to jump in her car and keep driving. It's a road trip with no destination—until she pulls into a mid-century motel filled with cobwebs and retro charm. Nestled in the shadow of a national park, it’s a time capsule of a place that, like her, could use some work. So, in the most impulsive move of her life, Dee teams up with best friend, Jeff Cornetta—who happens to be her first ex-husband—to transform the aging ranch into the Golden Motel-of-the-Mountains, a hiker’s oasis on the edge of the wilderness . . . But Dee and Jeff soon realize there couldn’t be two people more unprepared for the hospitality business. There’s also the panic-inducing reality of prowling bears and a general store as the only shopping spot for miles. Living and working in the middle of nowhere takes some getting used to—especially when a disrespectful guest ends up murdered! Now, with the motel duo topping the suspect list, Dee must steer clear of a meddling park ranger, face her past in show biz, and determine if the killer is a local or tourist. Because as she quickly finds out, there are many things worse than a one-star review. Also written by Ellen Byron Written as Maria DiRico Click on the covers for more information or to order from Amazon. 9/30/2024 Read the full article

[dankusner]

Sarah Hepola can only write in 1st person...

High culture meets the wild

Restaurateur Shannon Wynne hosts an exclusive party on East Texas’ Caddo Lake to unveil a new Brad Oldham sculpture

On April 11, an email arrived in my inbox.

Subject line: “Caddo Lake Unveiling.” The email took me to a trailer that began on a dark screen, the shimmy of a tambourine like a rattlesnake tail as words appeared: Featuring the work of Brad Oldham Sculpture .

Well, this was different.

The trailer was short, but a far cry from your typical Evite: grainy footage of a scruffy musician at a recording session. “Snake Farm,” he sang, and I’d barely processed any of this before details scrolled into view: May 18, Johnson’s Ranch on Caddo Lake.

“You are invited to this event because you love good art, or because we owe you money,” read one screen, all of which gave me cult vibes in the best possible way.

The email was from Shannon Wynne, the fabled Dallas restaurateur behind the Flying Saucer, the Flying Fish and Rodeo Goat, home of my favorite burger (Royale with Cheese, medium rare).

I’d never met Wynne, but I knew about him: son of Angus Wynne, the man behind Wynnewood shopping center and Six Flags Over Texas.

What I did not realize is that Shannon Wynne owns a home on Caddo Lake, a magical and mysterious place in a state full of them, and that every once in a while, he hosts parties for an intimate roster of guests in order to unveil some new art acquisition. In 2022, he hosted a party so epic that the folks at The Dallas Morning News who’d gone told me there was only one answer to this summons. Yes .

Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in Texas, some have said, a swampy expanse of shallow water where bald cypress drips with Spanish moss.

Roughly three hours east of Dallas, it feels a bit like another planet, the kind of eerily remote spot where a person could disappear from the law.

Not that I would ever do that, officer.

I stayed in the nearby town of Jefferson, with its quaint downtown square, and I booked a room at the Historic Jefferson Hotel, where owners Jeromy and Pam Jones really lean into the spot’s reputation as “the most haunted hotel in the world.”

In the hallway outside my room, my companion and I passed googly-eyed baby dolls, clown paintings, a mannequin in an antique coffin.

“We don’t have to stay here,” I told him as we walked into our room to find an antique metal diving suit in the corner, like something out of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea .

“Oh, we’re staying here,” he replied, setting down our bags. Whatever ghosts happened to be sharing space with us, they were gentle that weekend.

On the afternoon of May 18, we drove 20 minutes through the Piney Woods toward the town of Uncertain (population 83), situated on the border with Louisiana.

We parked at Johnson’s Point and headed for the dock, where partygoers in floral sundresses and floppy straw hats were already loading onto pontoons and heading toward adventure.

I stepped inside a little wooden shack of a store where a brunette named Nikki worked the register, and a bearded fellow named Steve Smelley sat at the counter like a regular at the bar.

“What happens in Caddo stays on Caddo,” he told us, giving a cackle, which felt like the proper introduction.

The real city of Uncertain is little known to Dallas folk, who tend to prefer grand shopping malls and giant sports stadiums to the small-town quirk of a place that touts its reputation for Bigfoot sightings.

Uncertain is one of my favorite towns in Texas, filled with characters who could each hold down their own reality show.

Smelley told tales of partying with a young Matthew McConaughey back in the ’80s as Nikki showed me an iPhone video of local raccoons being hand-fed.

Outside on the dock, the crowd was country-club chic, silvered hair and trendy glasses. Shortly after 3 p.m., my companion and I boarded our own pontoon whose name was written in cursive on the side: Party Barge.

I don’t know if you’ve seen The Menu , the foodie thriller where a group of pampered sensualists travel to an island for the ultimate chef’s menu, but I was thinking of that 2022 movie as our group set out on the murky lake, the fumes of non-ethanol gas stinging the air (no emissions standards on boats).

“Have you seen True Blood ?” asked our guide Chaz Warren as we passed a sagging structure with peeling white paint at the water’s edge. Known as the Tea Room, the creepy shack is so steeped in atmosphere it was featured in the opening credits of the HBO vampire series. Warren plucked out a cigarette from his red pack, a brand called Eagle 20’s, as he steered us through yellow spatterdock and American lotus toward our destination.

I should mention that in The Menu , the bucket-list meal on the remote island turns out to be a revenge scheme concocted by a sadistic chef played by Ralph Fiennes.

Not to ruin the movie, but it gets dark. Fish in a barrel , I thought, as the pontoon docked near a big house situated atop a sloping green lawn.

But the tall and lanky man greeting us was a less sinister and more benevolent ringleader, in his khaki cargo shorts and white safari shirt, yellow scarf around his neck.

Shannon Wynne may be best known for his restaurants, including the era-defining 8.0 of the ’80s and ’90s, but he’s also one of the people who makes Dallas a better city, a philanthropist and an art collector who specializes in Texas names.

“I see you did not heed my warning,” he gently teased a beautiful blonde in a flowy white dress as she lightly stumbled in her wedge heels stepping onto the dock, and he reached out to steady her.

“You said dress comfortable,” she said, embracing him. “I’m wearing a hat.”

I’d been unclear on what to wear, too.

I was going for “fashionable but rugged” when I paired a cotton V-neck and black skirt with turquoise cowboy boots, but I felt a stab of envy as we walked toward the 140 or so partygoers, sipping craft brews and lime cocktails on a multitiered patio overlooking the lake.

These folks had dressed the part for an uncommon garden party — men in button-downs, women in chunky jewelry and sunglasses.

It felt more Los Angeles than Dallas: Everyone looked like they might own a tech company or a small corporation, and I suspect some of them did.

I recognized a few faces: Bud Kennedy, longtime Fort Worth Star-Telegram scribe. KERA arts editor Anne Bothwell, formerly of The News , and food maven Sarah Blaskovich, currently of The News .

I chatted with Nell Potasznik-Langford, a Dallas artist who curates Wynn’s collection, and she clued me in to a few more bold-faced names: Fort Worth sculptor/painter Nancy Lamb, Dallas photographer Kent Barker, John and Marlene Sughrue of the Dallas Art Fair.

It’s intimidating to face a group of people who recognize each other but not you, and I temporarily sought shelter in a shady spot that could have been plunked down from Fort Worth’s Japanese Gardens.

A tinkling pond of koi flanked by bamboo, the sculpture of a voluptuous woman lounging on the side, a sculpture that turned out to be by one-time University of Texas professor Charles Umlauf.

Marvin Gaye was playing on the sound system, followed by Frank Sinatra, and I tapped notes on my iPhone as a friendly mother and daughter joined me.

Rose Wright and her daughter Valeria Garcia came because Rose’s husband C. Jai Wright did landscaping on the property (business motto: “God’s living art”). We stood under a cypress tree so enormous I wondered how long it had been in that spot, and when C. Jai joined us, he explained cypress are naturally quite tall.

The ones sticking up from the lake were stunted by the water, and I will admit a second stab of envy for this vista that was somehow both natural and manicured at once.

In the distance, fat guineas and chickens pecked around the lawn near a large silver sculpture of a man with giant hands, a 2022 unveiling that was the centerpiece of the previous Caddo Lake party.

I was so focused on the crowd, I hadn’t noticed a giant white tarp at the center of the bustle. It was only when Wynne took the microphone to greet the crowd, the lake stretching behind him, that I realized it was our reason for gathering.

“What you see over my shoulder looks like a beautiful place, but it is not a nice place all the time,” he said. “This is not Cedar Creek Lake.” Wynne is the kind of skilled interlocutor who can talk about one thing but teach you about 10: Caddo is home to 216 species of birds, 47 animals and 90 reptiles, including snakes.

That last part was significant, but before we understood why, a few data points: Caddo has witnessed all six flags over Texas.

It was the site of the first offshore oil well, as well as the Pearl Rush of the early 20th century (had to Google that one). Wynne only spoke for 10 minutes, but he hopscotched from the 16th-century invasion of the Spaniards to the pragmatism of beaver pelts in pioneer days, how the port town of Jefferson became an entryway for this new thing called “ice.”

My head was spinning: There was the Louisiana Purchase, then a guy named Santa Anna murdering his way north, and somehow this resolved in the tale of Texas independence legend Harriet Potter Ames, whose story is told in the riveting 1959 book, Love Is a Wild Assault by Elithe Hamilton Kirkland.

Oh, and Lady Bird Johnson’s uncle owned this property and made ice for the general store.

“But we’re here to see the newest work by a Dallas artist,” Wynne said, as though reminding himself. Brad Oldham stood on the periphery in a blue baseball cap and khakis. I didn’t know Oldham, a friendly middle-aged guy who could pass for a sports fan at your local bar, but I knew his iconic Dallas work, The Traveling Man-Walking Tall , the whimsical and bendy silver statue I have described as “that big robot in Deep Ellum.” Wynne had been passing the statue on his way to the office, and it occurred to him that Oldham would be the right guy for his next commission.

“We tell stories through sculpture for a living,” Oldham told the crowd. He’d arrived via helicopter, a bit of theater thanks to fellow partygoers who commissioned this dramatic in-and-out (as the story was told at the event), so they could also attend a birthday party in Dallas that evening.

But Oldham had none of the flash that might accompany such a rock-star arrival.

He seemed soft-spoken and modest as he ceded the microphone to his wife and collaborator Christy Coltrin, a sunny blonde in a white button-up with a snake embroidered over one shoulder.

It was her job to find the story; it was Oldham’s job to build it.

“We gave a lot of options to Shannon,” she told the crowd, “and he said no to all of them.”

A laugh from the audience.

That was Wynne: a man who knew what he wanted. “What you’re going to see is his vision,” she explained, and with that, the reveal was here.

I heard the scrape of the plastic tarp before I knew what was happening, and I looked up toward the house to see a huge black rattlesnake coiled along one step, tongue flicking the air like a lightning split.

Oldham gave the fine-print details: The sculpture was 32 feet laid out, made in a bronze cast that weighed over 500 pounds. He didn’t want a lift on the property; instead, he enlisted seven friends to carry the snake to its new home.

Most sculpture eludes me.

I don’t “get” it, and I couldn’t tell you if the failure lies in me, or the work, but this Oldham sculpture — titled Rat Snake — could be so easily gotten.

What more did you need, exactly?

A cool black snake, poised to strike. Was he a good snake or a bad snake?

Was he a “he”?

Mysteries abounded.

Snakes are obvious villains (see Disney movies, or the Bible), but they are also secret protagonists.

As Wynne took the microphone again, he explained as much.

“Without snakes, we’re overrun with vermin,” he said. “So, the great thing about a rat snake is that it’s not aggressive. It just wants to do its job.” The sculpture had a personal meaning, too: The Wynne family divided itself into “snakes and mongooses,” the former being born into the family, the latter being bound by legal contract.

“If you’re married into the family, you’re a mongoose,” Wynne explained, before delivering the punchline: “The only thing that can kill a snake.”

There was applause, and a feast served buffet-style: crawfish and fried catfish and golden-brown hush puppies, and surely some delicious vegetables that I skipped.

I popped open a nonalcoholic Athletic brew (Wynne, being sober himself, accommodated those of us who no longer drink), and I took in the view as the sun sank and a cool breeze trickled across my back.

The deep history of the land, the light touch of the host, the casual cohabitation of art and nature, as though one didn’t have to choose between country and city, wildlife and culture.

I settled my feet on my companion’s lap as he went to town on some crawfish, and our table started to fill with the crumpled napkins of our dining companions, the sign of a successful party.

Shortly before 7 p.m., a helicopter descended onto the lawn again.

The mechanical beast hovered and skittered like a frustrated dragonfly, wind from the propeller blades rattling the tops of the cypress and oak trees like a monsoon was coming.

David Bowie sang on the sound system.

This was quite the exit, though both artist and host stuck around. No offense to the party over in Dallas, but the rest of us weren’t ready to leave yet.

[linneatanner]

Lynn Downey Dude or Die #DudeRanch #HistoricalFiction #WomensFiction #WesternWomen #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @WriterLynnD @cathiedunn

FEATURED AUTHOR: LYNN DOWNEY I am pleased to host Lynn Downey the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between February 12th — March 4th, 2024. Lynn Downey is the author of the Historical Fiction, Dude or Die (H Double Bar Dude Ranch series), released by Pronghorn Press on October 15 2023 (328 pages) Below are highlights of Dude or Die, Lynn Downey'a  author bio, and her fascinating guest post about the American dude ranch where you find the touch of a cowboy and the thrill of the West. Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2024/01/blog-tour-dude-or-die-by-lynn-downey.html HIGHLIGHTS: DUDE OR DIE   Dude or Die (H Double Bar Dude Ranch series) by Lynn Downey Blurb: It's 1954, and San Francisco writer Phoebe Kelley is enjoying the success of her first novel, Lady in the Desert. When Phoebe’s sister-in-law asks her to return to Tribulation, Arizona to help run the H Double Bar Dude Ranch, she doesn’t hesitate. There’s competition from a new dude ranch this year, so the H Double Bar puts on a rodeo featuring a trick rider with a mysterious past. When accidents begin to happen around the ranch, Phoebe jumps in to figure out why, and confronts an unexpected foe. And a man from her own past forces her to confront feelings long buried. Dude or Die is the second book in the award-winning H Double Bar Dude Ranch series. Buy Link: This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/b5BVwp AUTHOR BIO: LYNN DOWNEY   Lynn Downey is an award-winning novelist, short story writer, historian of the West, and native Californian. She was the Historian for Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco for 25 years. Her adventures as ambassador for company history took her around the world, where she spoke to television audiences, magazine editors, and university students, appeared in numerous documentaries, and on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She wrote many books and articles about the history of the company and the jeans, and her biography, Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World, won the Foreword Reviews silver INDIE award. Lynn got interested in dude ranches during her time at Levi’s. Her debut historical novel, Dudes Rush In, is set on an Arizona dude ranch in the 1950s; Arizona because she’s a desert rat at heart, and the 1950s because the clothes were fabulous. Dudes Rush In won a Will Rogers Medallion Award, and placed first in Arizona Historical Fiction at the New Mexico-Arizona book awards. The next book in this series, Dude or Die, was released in 2023. And just for fun, Lynn wrote a screenplay based on Dudes Rush In, which is currently making the rounds of reviewers and competitions. She pens short stories, as well. “The Wind and the Widow” took Honorable Mention in the History Through Fiction story contest, and “Incident at the Circle H” was a Finalist for the Longhorn Prize from Saddlebag Dispatches. The story “Goldie Hawn at the Good Karma Café,” won second place in The LAURA Short Fiction contest from Women Writing the West, and is based on her experiences in a San Francisco religious cult in the 1970s. (That will be another book one of these days.)   Lynn’s latest nonfiction book is American Dude Ranch: A Touch of the Cowboy and the Thrill of the West, a cultural history of the dude ranch. It was reviewed in The Wall Street Journal, True West, Cowgirl, and The Denver Post, and was a Finalist for the Next Generation INDIE Award in Nonfiction. Kirkus Reviews said the book is “…deeply engaging and balances accessible writing style with solid research.” When she’s not writing, Lynn works as a consulting archivist and historian for museums, libraries, cultural institutions, and businesses. She is the past president of Women Writing the West, a member of the Western Writers of America, and is on numerous boards devoted to archives and historic preservation. Lynn lives in Sonoma, California, where she sometimes makes wine from the Pinot Noir grapes in her back yard vineyard. Author Links: Website: https://www.lynndowney.com Tumblereads blog: https://tumblereadsblog.com/blog-sg/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriterLynnD Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lynndowney/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-downey-b82460249/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynn.downey.historian/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/westernhistorygal.bsky.social Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/WesternHistoryGal/ Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lynn-Downey/author/B001IXQ2N2 GUEST POST: DEBORAH SWIFT   My two historical novels, Dudes Rush In, and the new sequel, Dude or Die, are both set on a fictional Arizona dude ranch in the 1950s. Even my most recent work of history is about this topic, American Dude Ranch: A Touch of the Cowboy and the Thrill of the West.  I love the concept of the dude ranch: a place where you can go and live the cowboy life for a few days. This vacation destination began in the 1880s, and today you can do everything from helping the ranchers herd cattle, to getting a spa treatment in a room with views of cactus-studded mountains. Working as the company historian for Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco sparked my interest in dude ranching, because the company made clothing specifically for men and women to wear on ranches: the jeans and jackets, of course, but also gabardine riding pants, wildly patterned western shirts, and shiny satin rodeo shirts with embroidery on the yoke. Most people who visited dude ranches – especially early in their history – came from the eastern states or even countries across the oceans. So, everything from riding a horse with a western saddle, to wearing clothing they never wore at home, meant a dude ranch vacation made memories guests couldn’t get anywhere else. Dude ranches are an endless source of stories, including tales of the famous and infamous, who have also enjoyed going to ranches over the years. These include presidents and presidential family members (which seems appropriate for February, the month Americans celebrate President’s Day). Theodore Roosevelt is at the top of this list. In 1883 he was a rising political star, as well as an author and a well-known outdoorsman. In that year he decided to head West to shoot a buffalo, and a friend recommended going to Medora, North Dakota, a tiny town on the Little Missouri River, where he would find abundant game. He was so taken with the area that he bought a place called the Chimney Butte Ranch, known locally as the Maltese Cross for the design of its cattle brand. He went back home to New York and managed the ranch from afar. Also in the area were the Eaton brothers of Pittsburgh, who the year before had started up the very first dude ranch on their own cattle spread. Although they would move to Wyoming in 1903, they took in a lot of guests at their place near Medora. In 1884, Theodore Roosevelt’s world collapsed: his mother and wife died on the same day. To deal with his grief, Roosevelt went West, where he hoped to heal. He arrived at his ranch in June and met the Eaton brothers, and also spent time with other ranchers in the area. The locals liked him, but they branded him a “dude” for the way he dressed. In the 1880s, a “dude” was a man who was a little too fancy to be considered really masculine. Within just a couple of decades, as the dude ranch industry grew, the word would come to mean someone who came West from somewhere else, to spend time on a dude ranch. Anyway, Roosevelt apparently loved wearing buckskins, and Howard Eaton – the driving force behind the first dude ranch – knew that was not very practical. He once said of Roosevelt, “Buckskin shirts were all right as long as they didn’t get wet, but when they got wet they’d shrink up. I never did like that buckskin hunting shirt he had but he wouldn’t have anything else.” The future president kept his ranch until about 1887, and then he sold off his cattle interests. His Maltese Cross cabin is now part of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. But the Roosevelt dude ranch story doesn’t end there. His oldest daughter, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, inherited his love of the West, especially the Rocky Mountain region. In August of 1969 she arrived in Cody, Wyoming for her fourth dude ranch vacation. She was 85 years old, and stayed at the Sunlight Ranch, run by Faye and Don Snyder about 45 miles from Cody. Faye Snyder said Alice was a real character, which is not a surprise. She was famous for some version of this line, “If you don’t have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me.” One day during Alice’s time at the ranch, the Snyders’ daughter Sally answered the office phone. She then ran to her mother saying, “Mom, the president wants to talk to Mrs. Longworth, where is she?” They tracked Alice down, and she took the call on the phone in the staff dining room. Faye Snyder heard her say, “Oh, hi Dick! How are you? What do you want?” And who was Dick? President Richard Nixon. Instagram Handles: @thecoffeepotbookclub Bluesky Handles: @cathiedunn     Read the full article

[laresearchette]

Sunday, November 12, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: BEACON 23 (MGM+) A HEIDELBERG HOLIDAY (W Network) 8:00pm KIDS BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP: SWEETS-GIVING (Food Network Canada) 8:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT?: LAWMEN: BASS REEVES (CBS Feed) CANDACE PARKER: UNAPOLOGETIC (Premiering on November 16 on TSN5 at 8:00pm) AMERICAN MONSTER (TBD - Investigation Discovery) GOOD COP, BAD COP (TBD - Investigation Discovery)

2023 FIFA MEN'S U17 WORLD CUP (TSN3) 3:48am: Venezuela vs. New Zealand (TSN5) 3:48am: France vs. Burkina Faso (TSN3) 6:48am: Mexico vs. Germany (TSN5) 6:48am: Korea vs. U.S.

BILLIE JEAN KING CUP (SN1) 9:00am: FINAL: Canada vs. Italy

GRAND SLAM OF CURLING (SN) 10:00am: National - Men’s Final (SN) 2:30pm: National - Women’s Final

NFL FOOTBALL (TSN4) 9:30am: Colts vs. Patriots (TSN/TSN3/TSN4) 1:00pm: 49ers vs. Jaguars (TSN/TSN3/TSN4) 4:00pm: Lions vs. Chargers (TSN/TSN3/TSN4) 8:20pm: Jets vs. Raiders

NHL HOCKEY (SN360) 1:00pm: Chicago vs. Panthers (SN) 6:00pm: Stars vs. Wild (SNPacific/TSN2) 7:00pm: Canucks vs. Habs (TSN2) 7:00pm: Canucks vs. Habs (SN360) 8:00pm: Sharks vs. Ducks

NBA BASKETBALL (SN1) 7:00pm: Nuggets vs. Rockets (TSN5) 8:00pm: Thunder vs. Suns (SN Now) 8:30pm: Timberwolves vs. Warriors (SN1) 10:00pm: Trailblazers vs. Lakers

HEARTLAND (CBC) 7:00pm: Lou's forced to face the reason for her insomnia; Amy works with a new client who has a surprising connection to Katie; Jack wins over a prickly dude ranch guest….A GUEST HORSIE!

THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW (CBC) 8:00pm: The four remaining bakers get fancy for Patisserie Week and the last chance to make it to the finale.

THE CURSE OF OAK ISLAND: DRILLING DOWN (History Canada) 8:00pm: Matty Blake returns to Oak Island and gets an insider's look at the incredible challenges and triumphs the fellowship of the dig have experienced this year in their quest to finally solve the old Oak Island mystery.

BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN (Lifetime Canada) 8:00pm: Young mother Rachel frantically searches for her teen daughter, Hannah, after their car crashes outside a small town; people die mysteriously in Rachel's wake as she gets closer to finding out that the local doctor kidnapped her daughter.

ETERNAL SPRING (documentary) 8:00pm: Members of an outlawed spiritual group hack China's state TV to expose brutal repression; celebrated comic book artist Daxiong tells the story of resilient activists fighting for religious freedom.

CRIMES GONE VIRAL (Investigation Discovery) 8:00pm/8:30pm (SEASON PREMIERE): A defiant victim refuses to give up even when a thief runs him over; an unarmed security guard saves the day when a gunman storms in; brave homeowners tackle flames after an unprovoked car arson; a crossing guard risks her own life to save a child. In Episode Two, a quick-thinking employee outsmarts armed thieves; a mother jumps into action when her son gets snatched off the street; someone attacks a woman in her own driveway; a burglar literally gets stuck, with comedic results.

SKYMED (CBC) 9:00pm: A sick patient hits close to home, leaving Crystal reeling; Hayley struggles to face the consequences of her actions when Wheezer discovers her secret.

BOBI WINE: THE PEOPLE'S PRESIDENT (Nat Geo Canada) 9:00pm: Ugandan opposition leader, activist and musical star Bobi Wine uses his music to fight the regime led by Yoweri Museveni, who's led the country for 35 years, and runs in the 2021 presidential election.

THE CURSE OF OAK ISLAND (History Canada) 10:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): As Rick and Marty Lagina and their team relaunch their quest to solve the Oak Island mystery, they make a number of the most historic discoveries ever unearthed in North America.

[denimbex1986]

It’s one thing standing in line to watch the blockbuster film “Oppenheimer.” It’s another thing entirely queueing up in a remote desert to experience the location of the film’s most pivotal scene.

But if you’re a fan of atomic history and can swing central New Mexico this October, your pilgrimage through the Jornada del Muerto (Dead Man’s Journey) will be so worth the effort.

Saturday, October 21, presents a rare opportunity to visit not just one but two scientifically significant and movie-famous destinations on the same day – each occupying opposite ends of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Trinity Site is the national historic landmark that’s home to mankind’s first nuclear blast on July 16, 1945, where plutonium gamma rays lit up the night sky. It hosts only two open house events each year.

And while you’re in the area, an extraordinary bonus is a second, free-of-charge open house aimed specifically at Trinity Site adventurers who are willing to drive another 100 miles to take in a second mind-bending experience.

It’s the Very Large Array Radio Observatory (VLA), which was dramatized in the 1997 alien-life movie “Contact.” The VLA telescope can spread wider than New York City, able to capture the whispers of distant radio waves as they undulate across our cosmos.

Rare access to Trinity Site

Trinity Site opens only two Saturdays a year. Once in April, and lucky for “Oppenheimer” enthusiasts, again in October.

The exact dates are announced in advance each year by the US Army.

The site is a secure military installation within the forbidding White Sands Missile Range, where live weapons are regularly tested. The terrain is high desert plateau, dotted with creosote brush and not much else.

In our everyday crush of crowds, traffic and strip malls, the Land of Enchantment’s sheer miles of open landscape and soul-nourishing cobalt vistas inspire. Buzz Aldrin’s impression of the moon’s surface parallels Trinity Site, a “magnificent desolation.”

When J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist known as the “father of the atomic bomb,” led his Manhattan Project team to Trinity, it wasn’t just for the isolation. He had history with New Mexico, attending summer boys’ camps during his youth. Because of the popularity of the movie “Oppenheimer,” a surge of visitors is expected on October 21.

The open house event, hosted by the US Army, is free but limited to the first 5,000 guests, on a first-come, first-served basis.

How to get there

From Albuquerque International Sunport airport, your best bet is a rental car for the two-hour drive south. It’s easy to get disoriented while navigating, so stick to the Army’s directions, as GPS instructions can be wonky. Take screen photos of the route mapped on your phone – as you may lose cell service – and have an actual roadmap as backup.

Aim to arrive at Trinity’s Stallion Gate before 8 a.m., when the gate opens. There will already be a line. Be early, and you’ll still have plenty of time for the day’s second adventure. Army officials will check your ID at the gate, and from there it’s a 17-mile (27-kilometer) drive to a parking lot located a quarter-mile walk from the reason you came – Ground Zero.

Trinity Site’s atmosphere during an open house is reminiscent of a small-town carnival from a bygone era. Vendors selling souvenir trinkets. Kids in strollers. Dogs wagging tails. Porta Potties. That’s until you notice the pop-up tent displaying Geiger counters. And another with radioactive Trinitite, the mysterious green-glass rock that rained down from the bomb’s blast.

Ominous fence signs remind guests that it’s against the law to remove any pieces of Trinitite they spy on the ground because ingested fragments retain enough radioactivity to be dangerous.

The famed 1918 McDonald adobe ranch house, where the bomb’s critical plutonium core was assembled in the master bedroom, survived the shock wave two miles away mostly intact. Buses shuttle visitors back and forth free of charge from the Trinity parking lot to the McDonald house.

Venture in farther to stand next to a life-size replica of Fat Man, the nuclear bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945.

Visitors can pose for photos inside Jumbo, the 216-ton steel cylinder scientists contemplated detonating the bomb – nicknamed the Gadget – within to contain its plutonium core if the full detonation failed.

Experiencing Ground Zero

The moment arrives to approach Ground Zero, marked simply by a black stone obelisk that’s 12 feet (3.66 meters) high.

Step back in time to the pre-dawn of July 16, 1945. Glance north, west and south where Oppenheimer’s team hunkered down in three bunkers, five miles away. You stand where the course of humanity shifted. Where the boundaries of physics and possibility stretched.

Picture the 100-foot-high steel tower that stood where the obelisk stands now. A few feet away only nubs of the tower remain, the bulk annihilated in the blast.

See in your mind the mattresses hauled in and stacked high to cushion the fall should the chains snap as they winched the heavy Gadget high into the air. And young scientists rotated throughout the night babysitting the bomb as crackles of lightning threatened to strike.

Oppenheimer wrote the poem “Crossing” two decades before Trinity. His words contained the prophetic passage, “…in the dry hills down by the river, half withered, we had the hot winds against us.” He could not have imagined the heat to come.

Now close your eyes.

Ignore what you do see to imagine the history you cannot see.

The storms over the mountains. New Mexico Gov. John Dempsey is at home asleep, oblivious to when the blast will occur. Finally, the mists of rain clear. The countdown to fission begins. There’s a sense of dread, however remote, that Earth’s atmosphere might ignite in a cataclysmic chain reaction.

And finally, the detonation.

Man’s first nuclear genie shatters its bottle, unleashing the ferocity of the atom, with an explosion 10,000 times hotter than our sun. Thirty-seven minutes later, the wounded sky brightens again, to the dawn of man’s first atomic sunrise.

Reflect on the glaring omission that while the area surrounding Trinity was remote, it was not unpopulated.

Civilians termed “downwinders,” subjected to radioactive fallout fluttering down from the sky, were assured that the flash and fury some saw and heard was an ammunition explosion at nearby Alamogordo Air Base. After atomic bombs dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki the following month, they realized the stark truth.

Jim Eckles, an Army historian who oversaw decades of Trinity open house events, shared the site’s significance: “The ‘Oppenheimer’ movie resurrected concerns we’ve lost sight of. That thousands of nuclear warhead missiles are still out there, able to launch. We need clever intelligent people to deal with the sequence that began at Trinity.”...'

[whitneydaniell]

by: Jeneva Rose Published: Apr 25, 2023 Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction 350 Pages, AudioBook from Audible (HH:MM) 08:01

★★★

GoodReads Synopsis:

Grace Evans, an overworked New Yorker looking for a total escape from her busy life, books an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming. When she arrives, she's pleasantly surprised to find that the owner is a handsome man by the name of Calvin Wells. But there are things Grace discovers that she's not too pleased about: A lack of cell phone service. A missing woman. And a feeling that something isn't right with the town.

Despite her uneasiness and misgivings from Calvin's friends and family, the two grow close and start to fall for one another. However, as her departure date nears, things between them start to change for the worse. Grace grows wary of Calvin as his infatuation for her seems to turn into an obsession. Calvin fears that Grace is hiding something from him.

My Review:

gas·light (v): manipulate (someone) using psychological methods into questioning their own sanity or powers of reasoning

If Gaslighting were a fictional, murder mystery novel written by Jeneva Rose, it'd be this book.

Grace was aptly named because she gave Calvin and this whole town much more grace than she should have. Did she not read the reviews from other guests on this Airbnb? Even if she didn't, from Day 1 everything about Calvin and this home in the middle of nowhere was all the more reason for her to get out of there quick.

After a near, cross-country trip from New York City to the middle of Wyoming -- Google Maps says it's over 1,900 miles and about 30 hours to drive -- Grace finds herself on a beautiful ranch with a beautiful man, Calvin. Calvin is more than hospitable and willing to do and say anything for Grace to enjoy her stay and relax. From day 1, Calvin is drawn to Grace and we (as the reader) know that a romance is coming.

Grace is floating on cloud 9, enjoying her vacation and not even realizing that she has unplugged from her busy life -- she's done this inadvertently because there is no cell service or wifi on the ranch. It isn't until the Sheriff shows up to ask about a missing woman that Grace starts to question everything that Calvin is telling her. Every time, Calvin is saying all the right things. He's poised and collected, his body language doesn't tell what he's really thinking. Grace is starting to fall hard for Calvin but he's not telling her the truth and somehow, he's made her question everything that she's seen and heard. Grace, you in danger girl.

Final Thoughts: It's a lot going on and even with the twist in the end, it doesn't really explain anything; it's just... a twist. Grace is an unlikeable character, she's naive and blindly goes along with whatever these strangers say. There are a lot of characters around to throw you off the scent, which... okay, seems to be a Jeneva Rose thing. But eh, I wanted more from the 'why'. The lack of a good 'why' really made me rethink how I was feeling about the whole book.

One-Word Summary: Gaslighting

Other Jeneva Rose books I’ve reviewed: The Perfect Marriage One of Us Is Dead

[esoehh]

The Rancher's Sanctuary: An Uplifting Inspirational Romance (K-9 Companions Book 13) by Linda Goodnight

Book Details: 

Title: The Rancher's Sanctuary 

Series:K-9 Companions Book 13

Author: Linda Goodnight

Publisher: Love Inspired

Pages: 224

Release Date: April 25, 2023 

Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book Description:

Could facing her fears… Heal her damaged heart? Physically and emotionally scarred, reclusive cowgirl Monroe Matheson prefers rescue dogs over handsome men. But when Nathan Garrison arrives in town, determined to fix up the guest ranch next door, he needs all the help he can get. Before long, Monroe knows there’s more to this stranger than meets the eye. Can working with a man carrying tragic memories be the key to overcoming Monroe’s wounds—both inside and out? From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

My Thoughts: A Wow of a Story

It is no secret that one of the things I love about a book is when it grabs me from the start, and The Rancher's Sanctuary did just that. It sucked me in right from the very first page and did not let me go until I had read the very last word. Needless to say that was a huge wow factor for me. 

I was completely intrigued and captivated by Nathan's story. It had me turning pages as I tried to piece everything together. I was also captivated by the relationship that developed between Nathan and Monroe. I enjoyed how Nathan's mystery served as the thread that drew them together. It was so sweet to watch how their discoveries of pieces of the mystery led to conversations of discoveries about each other. Their conversations and their bantering back and forth were entertaining and kept me smiling. However, whenever the effects from the wounds of their pasts came to the forefront in their growing relationship, it had me holding my breath and wondering how they would overcome. 

The wonderful characters, which included some very special four legged friends, and the intrigue made this story of love, overcoming, trust and faith an absolutely beautiful read that I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.  All comments and opinions are voluntary and completely my own.

                            ------------------------------------------------

About the Author: Linda Goodnight

Winner of the RITA Award for excellence in inspirational fiction, Linda Goodnight has also won the Booksellers’ Best, ACFW Book of the Year (twice), and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times Magazine.

Linda has appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, Publisher's Weekly, and Christian bestseller lists, and her romance novels have been translated into more than a dozen languages. A  former nurse and teacher, Linda loves writing fiction that carries a message of hope and light in a sometimes dark world.

Linda enjoys cooking, reading, and travel. Next on her bucket list are Israel and Scotland. She lives in Oklahoma with husband, Gene, who, ironically, doesn't travel at all. 

Connect with Linda at www.lindagoodnight.com or https://www.facebook.com/LindaGoodnightAuthor

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

It’s Trevor Donovan’s turn. As everyone probably knows by now, Donovan also signed a two year contract with GAC Family. He was the second actor to do so, the first was Susie Abromeit. So let’s take a look back at his Hallmark tenure. 

2012 - Strawberry Summer (HC) 

2016 - JL Family Ranch (HM&M) 

2016 - Love on a Limb (HC/Fall Harvest)  

2017 - Marry Me at Christmas (HC/Countdown to Christmas) 

2018 - SnowComing (HC/Winterfest) 

2019 - Love, Fall & Order (HC/Fall Harvest) 

2019 - Nostalgic Christmas (HM&M/Miracles of Christmas) 

2020 - JL Family Ranch 2: The Wedding Gift (HM&M) 

2020 - Miracles of Christmas Preview Special (HM&M) 

2020 - USS Christmas (HM&M/Miracles of Christmas) 

2021 - Two for the Win (HC/New Year New Movies) 

2021 - Nantucket Noel (HC/Countdown to Christmas) 

Lets Break This Down 

11 total films 

7 films for the Hallmark Channel 

4 films for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries 

1 Preview Show 

2 Countdown to Christmas movies 

2 Miracles of Christmas movies 

2 Fall Harvest movies 

1 Winterfest movie 

1 New Year New Movies film 

3 non movie block themed movies 

Appeared as a guest twelve times on Hallmark’s former daytime talk show ‘Home & Family’ during its nine season run. As with Danica McKeller and Jen Lilley there’s a few Hallmark related events TD appeared at. I think he appeared on one of those Hero Dog Awards, I’m not sure. 

If I missed anything please let me know. Also I was thinking of doing a retrospect on other former Hallmark All Stars like Daniel Lissing or Lori Loughlin, any interest?  

[dollycas]

Cozy Wednesday featuring A Very Woodsy Murder (A Golden Motel Mystery) by Ellen Byron #Review / #Giveaway @ellenbyronla @KensingtonBooks

Welcome to Cozy Wednesday! I am delighted to share my thoughts about A Very Woodsy Murder by Ellen Byron today! Release Date - July 23, 2024 A Very Woodsy Murder (A Golden Motel Mystery) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting - California Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington Cozies (July 23, 2024) Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496745353 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496745354 Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CLZ541DZ Audiobook ASIN B0D92V77BZ Audio CD ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CZ7H4V97 From Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron, a hilarious new series featuring a sitcom writer who has checked out of the familiar comforts in Studio City and checked in to the quaint village of Foundgold to run a motel. Running a rustic getaway in the woods sure beats LA traffic—until murder ruins the peace and quiet . . . Down-on-her-luck sitcom writer Dee Stern is flipping the script. Twice divorced and wasting her talents on an obnoxious kids’ show, the lifelong Angeleno embraces the urge to jump in her car and keep driving. It's a road trip with no destination—until she pulls into a mid-century motel filled with cobwebs and retro charm. Nestled in the shadow of a national park, it’s a time capsule of a place that, like her, could use some work. So, in the most impulsive move of her life, Dee teams up with best friend, Jeff Cornetta—who happens to be her first ex-husband—to transform the aging ranch into the Golden Motel-of-the-Mountains, a hiker’s oasis on the edge of the wilderness . . . But Dee and Jeff soon realize there couldn’t be two people more unprepared for the hospitality business. There’s also the panic-inducing reality of prowling bears and a general store as the only shopping spot for miles. Living and working in the middle of nowhere takes some getting used to—especially when a disrespectful guest ends up murdered! Now, with the motel duo topping the suspect list, Dee must steer clear of a meddling park ranger, face her past in show biz, and determine if the killer is a local or tourist. Because as she quickly finds out, there are many things worse than a one-star review. Dollycas's Thoughts It was an impulsive decision but that doesn't make it the wrong decision. Sitcom writer Dee Stern has had enough of showbiz and decides to reboot her life. On a road trip with no particular destination, she finds a mid-century motel that needs a reboot too. She along with her best friend and first ex-husband, Jeff Cornetta come together to breathe new life into the Golden Motel-of-the-Mountains that is a virtual time capsule "nestled amidst a grove of pine trees at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains". It doesn't take long for them to realize that they don't know much about running a motel, especially one where a bear or other wildlife could just saunter up to the front door. But they do their best to get rooms and cabins ready for visitors. They are both excited when they get their first booking. Michael Adam Baker is a blast from the past and not a good one. Dee is curious why he would be booking a stay at their new venture. It doesn't take long for his true colors to show but he must have tweaked someone off royally because he ends up murdered. Chief District Ranger, Tom O'Bryant is looking at Dee and Jeff as his prime suspects so they know they need to find the real killer even if it means Dee has to go back to LA to get some answers. Is the killer from Hollywood or a local? What did the man do that got him killed? Who had the means, motive, and opportunity? Will they strike again? _____ Welcome to Foundgold, population 68. This is the closest town to the Golden Motel-of-the-Mountains. Goldsgone is not too far away but Dee and Jeff don't receive a warm welcome from its residents. Ms. Byron has created two unique little towns and filled them with complex characters. Her descriptions bring the towns, the motel and cabins, the nearby woods, and every place in between to life. The imagery is vivid. The characters we meet in this first Golden Motel Mystery are a quirky bunch. Each is unique and develops well over the course of the story. I liked Dee and Jeff immediately. Being married didn't work but the friendship is true and believable. Dee needs to earn her sleuthing chops because she is about as subtle as a Mack truck. Jeff isn't much better. But their talents for their first venture at solving a murder weren't too bad. The supporting cast is a hoot and a half, each with their own talents and interests. Ma'am and Mister Ma'am were my favorites. Two genuine people living their lives the way they wish with open hearts to help anyone in need.  There then is Stoney the Bear. Everyone knows Stoney and he shows up in some interesting places. Ms. Byron is a former writer of some well-known sitcoms so that gives credibility to Dee's former life in Hollywood working on a "cheesy sitcom". She writes what she knows. It also shows where she garnered her comedic timing. She throws in oodles of humor including physical comedy. The mystery was well-plotted and written with many facets.  Ms. Bryon set a pace that ebbs and flows in all the right places. The suspects were varied and connected in different ways. I was intrigued by every clue and didn't pin anyone down until the very end. I really enjoyed the set-up to catch the killer and the excitement that ensued. I also liked that there was a wrap-up to tie up any loose ends. I have been excited about this book since I first heard about it and the story lived up to all my expectations. A Very Woodsy Murder is a delightful start for this series. I loved the ending and I really want Dee and Jeff to succeed and bring the 1940s motel back to its glory and have it be filled with tourists. I know there will be bumps in the road and murders to investigate because that is what happens in cozy mysteries and that is why we love them. I can't wait to see what Ms. Byron has planned for her characters next. I am hooked and I want more! I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Kensington Cozies and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent About the Author Ellen Byron is the Agatha and Lefty Award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of the Golden Motel Mysteries, the Vintage Cookbook series, and the Cajun Country Mysteries, as well as the Catering Hall Mysteries written under the name Maria DiRico. She is also an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning writer of TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and The Fairly OddParents, but considers her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. A native New Yorker, Ellen is a graduate of Tulane University and lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, daughter, and a rotating crew of rescue pups. Author Links – Webpage – Facebook – Twitter – GoodReads – Instagram – BookBub – Newsletter You can pre-order your copy today! This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Escape With Dollycas. I am giving away an ARC review copy of A Very Woodsy Murder! The contest is open to anyone over 18 years old with a US or Canadian mailing address. Duplicate entries will be deleted. Void where prohibited. You do not have to be a follower to enter but I hope you will find something you like here and become a follower. Followers Will Receive 2 Bonus Entries For Each Way They Follow. Plus 2 Bonus Entries For Following My Facebook Fan Page. Add this book to your WANT TO READ shelf on GoodReads for 3 Bonus Entries. Follow Kensington Books on Twitter for 2 Bonus Entries! Follow Kensington Publishing on Facebook for 2 Bonus Entries!  Pin this giveaway to Pinterest for 3 Bonus Entries. If you share the giveaway on Threads, X, or Facebook or anywhere you will receive 5 Bonus Entries For Each Link. The  Contest Will End July 31, 2024, at 11:59 PM CST The Winner Will Be Chosen Using Random.org The Winner Will Be Notified By Email and Will Be Posted Here In The Sidebar. Click Here For Entry Form Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.” Read the full article

[scooby-dooaccountant]

"Scooby-Doo Where are You?" (1969)

S1 E4: "Mine Your Own Business"

Air Date: October 4th 1969.

"Scooby and the gang are called to investigate a deserted mining town that is possessed by the ghost of a 150 year-old miner."

While you know my dedication to this blog is forever, or until I find a more interesting time filler - I have to say, this is by far the most puzzle piece episode I have ever witnessed. Why did I never notice as a child that this episode sucked??

This episode doesn't even have a dollar amount in money spent because??? Nobody is injured?? I think the closest we came to damages is when the gang took the elevator, crashing it to the basement. But, the elevator was old and it's honestly their fault for putting so much trust into it. I don't think it was worth anything (personally) of you'd like to dispute this, I would love to hear it.

Damages:

-$250 in Floor Damage (if that - it was old)

-$25.99 (x2) for the 2 50lb bags of flour Fred broke.

Total:

$301.98 (2022) or $37.41 (1969)

I would like to point out the size of the "Guest Ranch" in this photo because if you actually watch the video, size does not exist. Very 1980's mystery machine. Or TARDIS status for you nerds. I don't have much to say about this episode other than it sucks. Did I mention that already? So why is HANK a classic Scooby-Doo villain???

Buuuut anyway, onto points for this episode! Because that's all you care about right? Are any of you keeping score?

-1 point for Shaggy for reading the map wrong and landing them in Gold City. (Which is a real place in Oregon)

- 1 for all the gang for breaking into a safe.

-1 Fred for breaking through the floor

+1 Scooby+Shaggy for Train Impression

( +1 to the writers for the poke at "Mind Your Own Business" by Hank Williams Sr. )

This means Scooby and Shaggy are technically our most helpful characters this episode with a total of 0.

Which, surprisingly explains a lot of what happens in the episode.

"Shaggy, that's dynamite!!" - Velma

📡This episode is available to stream for Free on Tubi! 📺

Villain Review Here!❤

🐶 New post weekend mornings at 7am to go with your cartoons! Thank you for your ongoing support as I remodel the blog in preparation for the new year! ✨