Pottsboro, Texas 75076 - Saturday Snapshots

I haven't participated in Saturday Snapshots recently because I've been visiting my I.O.U. Sex co-author (and friend) in Pottsboro, Texas. Here are a few pictures I took on that trip. FYI: Pottsboro was my inspiration for the setting of Bluebonnets for Elly.
(Click on photos to enlarge.)

Pottsboro has doubled in size since my parents
had a cabin on nearby Lake Texoma

The nearby towns of Sherman and Denison boast many
charming old houses, some in better repair than others

We took a few road trips around the area, even venturing as far away as Terrell, TX,
and Durant, OK (see map below). Because of all the rain Texas received this spring
and summer, the countryside was lush green instead of yellow. 

Plenty of water for livestock.

We even saw buffalo hanging out with a herd of cattle.

And, of course, oil wells.

No visit to the area would be complete without a meal of fried catfish at Huck's in Denison

The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty - Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56

Every once in a while I'll open this collection of short stories and read a treasure from Eudora Welty. I hope you enjoy today's excerpts.

Book Beginning (from "Lily Daw and The Three Ladies"):
     Mrs. Watts and Mrs. Carson were both in the post office in Victory when the letter came from the Ellisville Institute for the Feeble-Minded of Mississippi. Aimee Slocum, with her hand still full of mail, ran out in front and handed it straight to Mrs. Watts, and they all three read it together. Mrs. Watts held it taut between her pink hands, and Mrs. Carson underscored each line slowly with her thimbled finger. Everybody else in the post office wondered what was up now.

Friday 56 (from "Why I Live at The P.O."):
     So then Uncle Rondo says, "I'll thank you from now on to stop reading all the orders I get on postcards and telling everybody in China Grove what you think is the matter with them," but I says, "I draw my own conclusions and will continue in the future to draw them." I says, "If people want to write their inmost secrets on penny postcards, there's nothing in the wide world you can do about it, Uncle Rondo."

Genre: Literature / Short Stories
Length: 622 Pages
Amazon Link: Eudora Welty Short Stories
Note: This collection was published in hardback by Barnes & Noble in 2001 

About the Author (from Wikipedia):
Eudora Alice Welty (April 13, 1909 – July 23, 2001) was an American author of short stories and novels about the American South. Her novel The Optimist's Daughter won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Welty was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among numerous awards including the Order of the South. She was the first living author to have her works published by the Library of America. Her house in Jackson, Mississippi, has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as a house museum.

                 

Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56.
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TEXAS ROOTS

I'm over at Smart Girls Read Romance today with pictures from my recent trip to Grayson County, Texas. Stop by to see the setting for BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY - cows, cafes, and more.

Here's the link:

Texas Roots by Sandra Nachlinger

Camp Berachah at Buck Creek - Saturday Snapshots

I didn't post last Saturday because I was enjoying a weekend in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest near Mount Rainier National Park. My writing group took advantage of a retreat at Camp Berachah at Buck Creek and had a great time (and did a lot of writing and brainstorming too). I'm ready to escape there again!
[click on photos to enlarge]

I took lots of pictures, but I think this one gives
the best "feel" of the camp's setting.
Tall trees, rustic cabins, peace and quiet.

Here's our cabin. Buck Creek provided soothing
background music and was just a short walk away.

Our rooms were austere but comfortable
enough. We brought our own linens and a few snacks, 
but sumptuous meals were provided by the camp's hosts.

Trails right outside our door led to the
creek -- a great place to sit, enjoy nature,
and brainstorm new plot ideas.

The writing group is comprised of authors who write mysteries, romance, historical family sagas, fantasy, memoir, and more. We all found inspiration during our Buck Creek retreat and came away with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.

To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, 

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To participate in Saturday Snapshots: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) 

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