Sunday, July 29, 2018

Crescent Moon...

...Paradise...my next novella...got a pretty good start on it this weekend....and as always when I start a new story, I'm excited about the potential...we'll see how I feel as I get further into it.

One of the things I'm looking forward to writing is the road trip along Route 66...
...the Mother Road as John Steinbeck named it in his classic, The Grapes of Wrath.

Now mostly just a memory, during the '30's, '40's and '50's...
...Route 66 was "the main street of America", a series of roads linking small towns and providing a commercial route for farmers and industry to get goods to market all across the nation.

All kinds of motels and tourist attractions sprung up along its snaking route from Chicago to Santa Monica, and some remain even today.

Most however met their end with the creation of the interstate highway systems.  Like plants deprived of water when a river dries up, they closed up shop and disappeared.

But they'll live again in Crescent Moon Paradise...don't miss it while you can.

Got on the links this morning...
no, I did not create all those divots...
...and enjoyed a pretty good round...one par, some bogeys, a couple of double bogeys, and even scored a birdie on the short par 4 #6...
...long putt for a birdie, proof that miracles still do happen even in this cynical age.

Of course I spent a little more time practicing in my back yard this past week...

cool shorts, hey?
...and consequently hit my cleek a little better...when I can get 170 to 180 yards out of a shot it shortens the hole a bit.  Big fun.

Here's a shock...Karen turned on the Senior Open Golf championship being played over in Scotland...was probably hoping to catch a glimpse of Jamie from Outlander...
...pretty sure he wasn't playing today...

...but while she had it on I happened to see the eventual winner, Miguel Jimenez

When asked what the secret is to his many years of excellence on the golf course, he replied:  There is no secret...it's good food, good wine, good cigars, and some exercise...
...now there's a man after my own heart (assuming you substitute "whiskey" for "wine"...)

Got a pic of life on the road, so it  must be time for another edition of...

Rodger's Ramblings...
...that's the man himself standing beside his trusty steed, a 2018 Kenworth, somewhere just over the Wisconsin line, parked at a TA Truck stop...
...not all bad, right?

Well...with the trucking industry the way it is today, there are strict regulations about how many hours drivers can log before they have mandatory layovers of 36 hours.

Yep...that's 36 hours, as in a day and a half...and with everything being computerized today, they can't start and move the truck during that time without it being recorded.

So what do you do for a day and a half when your "house" is the cab of your truck?  There are only so many hours you can sleep, so many meals you can eat...and while today's truck stops have many more amenities than in days gone by, it's still a very long time to be forced into idleness when you're by yourself on the road, away from home, and itching to get back at it.

No one wants sleep starved drivers racing to make unreasonable deadlines in massive big rigs...
...but it seems like pendulum may have swung a little too far the other way on this subject.

Rodger is currently "enjoying" sitting in his truck today, waiting for 9 am tomorrow when he's able to get back to work.

Tough way to go if you ask me...

This weekend Karen and I watched a sobering retelling of the attack on Pearl Harbor that took place on December 7th, 1941...
...the 1970 movie told from both the Japanese and American perspective, and claiming complete historical accuracy.

The title was the Japanese signal to begin the attack...Tora means "tiger", and like an enraged tiger they ripped the US Navy to shreds that day.

And the movie pulls no punches on how unprepared the Navy was, and how we had no excuse...we were intercepting the Japanese transmissions and so had warning something was brewing...but it was a case of not being able to believe the obvious...that they really were ready, willing and able to launch a devastating attack on the most powerful nation in the world.

The movie is methodical, even plodding at times, but the subject matter makes it riveting...and the attack itself is stunning...no cgi magic here...when you see planes exploding and men running from the deadly flames, that's really happening...the movie recreation of that awful day is amazingly realistic.

Should be required viewing for every American, but especially for today's millenials who are as detached from actual reality as any group of people I've ever seen.  Hey look!  There goes a legendary Pokemon!

Last night we took a break from harsh reality and sat outside by the fire for awhile...
...and gave thanks for the safety and security of our current estate due to the sacrifice and bravery of generations who have gone before.

God bless America, y'all...

later, mcm fans...

* Crass Commercialism Corner *

In the "so convenient you can't stand it" department, you can purchase my books here and on Amazon.com!

Get your paperback books here:



Get your ebooks here:


Monday, July 16, 2018

Don't Look Now...

...but it's officially time to panic...we've now passed the midpoint of meteorological summer...i.e., June-July-August.

What this means to you: winter and all its diabolical trappings (snow and ice and ice and snow) are currently sneaking up on us, even as I write this.

There!  Behind you!
No...no, sorry...that was a train...my mistake...but that doesn't change the fact that summer is retreating like a coward before the schoolyard bully of Ol' Man Winter.

What you should do about it:  well, as indicated above, panicking is always the first order of business during any crisis.

Right after that little bit of ugliness is out of the way, you need to make a solemn vow that you will not go silently into the cold, dark night of winter!
...well, that doesn't seem so bad...but the problem is, once Christmas is over, Winter just doesn't know when to leave...he's like that drunken house guest that won't take the hint that the party's over...
...and eventually you have to call the cops and have him forcibly removed.

I mean this year he hung around until mid-April for crying out loud...how rude...

Now I can't speak for you (well, actually I can if you'll send me your power of attorney, your social security number and a valid credit card number) but in my world this vow includes, but is not limited to...

...hickory golf...

...campfires...



...enjoying the beauty of nature in all its summer glory all around us...

...visiting exotic tropical islands on beer bottles...and leave us not forget...

...cigars and whiskey...

Ok, not strictly a summer thing but much more enjoyable then bc you can sit outside and luxuriate in the warmth of summer...

What's on your list?  Beaching, boating, hiking, biking, baseball, motorcycling...whatever it is, get after it now...don't wait...sieze the summer day my friends...

The sermon has ended...let us go now and live the truth...
[translation: I'm done preachin' at ya...get off your butt and go do somethin'...]

On the writing front, I just re-edited TAT and turned it into a novella, around 35,000 words now, down from 58,000.

Did the same thing with Loved Of My Father, but technically it still qualifies as a novel.  I cut it to around 57,000 words, down from over 85,000.

I've republished TAT...
...but not LOMF yet...
...will do so by the weekend if all goes well.

Personally I think they're tighter stories now and much improved, especially LOMF.

There's a story of how it grew to be 85,000 words originally, and it involves trying to please an agent who ended up taking a pass on it anyway.

At that point I was too exhausted to mess with it, so I put it aside and eventually self-published it on Amazon "as is".

Was never really satisfied with how it ended up, but now that I managed to get Timmy out of the well,  I like it a lot better.

later, mcm fans...

* Crass Commercialism Corner *

In the "so convenient you can't stand it" department, you can purchase my books here and on Amazon.com!

Get your paperback books here:



Get your ebooks here:

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Happy 242nd...

...Birthday, America!  On this most important day we stop and give thanks for both the brilliance and the bravery of our founding fathers.

They understood the fundamental importance of freedom and they honored our Creator as the source of our unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Those early struggles to break free from tyranny and strike out on their own as a new and independent country have yielded the innumerable blessings we enjoy today.

May we pause amidst the cookouts and family gatherings and fireworks and truly be thankful in our souls for the wonderful privilege to live in the land of the free, because of the brave.

Here's a pic sent to me by my MORA racing friend, Larry...he's up in TC this week for the Cherry Festival...
...part of the week long festivities over the 4th of July holiday.

Here's one of a beautiful sunset on the bay where he is:
Larry has often talked about moving back to the TC area and pics like this show you why.

Speaking of moving, got some more pictures of life on the road which can only mean it's time for an installment of...

Rodger's Ramblings
Rodger was recently traveling through my home state of Texas and as he passed through Amarillo he stopped into an icon of the past along old Route 66 that's still going strong today...
...none other than The Big Texan Steak Ranch, famous for it's 72 ounce steak challenge.

Don't ask; you can't and you shouldn't even attempt to eat 4 and half pounds of steak at one sitting within one hour...and the meal also includes shrimp cocktail, baked potato, salad, roll with butter, and of course the 72 ounces of steak...that costs $72 by the way.

BUT...if by some miracle you do actually eat THE ENTIRE MEAL within an hour, it's free and you get your name entered into the Big Texan Hall of Fame.

Incredibly, there are actually some human beings who have done this...the world champ did it in 8 minutes and 52 seconds believe it or not...do not understand how that's even physically possible.

In any event, Rodger was there on his travels and thankfully did not attempt the 72 ounce steak challenge, but he did take a few photos...including this one of him sitting in Big Tex's chair:
...gotta appreciate a man with a sense of humor and you gotta love a Route 66 landmark like the Big Texan Steak house.
do NOT try to eat the whole steer...
If you're ever passing through Amarillo, stop in and enjoy a good steak...just not 4 and half pounds of it.

Had a veterinary emergency for this poor beakless bird...
...an egret with regrets...stuck his nose someplace he shouldn't have, apparently...or else the victim of an aggressive rust infection.

Fortunately I'm one of the few lay practitioners capable of performing animal metallurgy and reconstructive surgery.

I rushed him into my makeshift operating room and am happy to report the delicate operation known as ajouter une pince à linge pour un nez (from the Latin addabeaktome) was successful:
Another satisfied customer...my work is done here.

Dug a new firepit to go with the chairs and umbrella Karen set up in the backyard...and enjoyed our first fire there last night...
just getting started...
...almost done for the night...
...and the morning after...where is everybody?
Well, it's only 7 am and already approaching 80 degrees, headed up to 90 today...if I wanted to swelter I'd move to Dixie from whence I hail...oh well, at least it's not snowing.

We wound up the day sitting by the fire again, and as we did our neighbors were kind enough to provide us with a fireworks display...



Happy Independence Day, mcm fans...