IWSG - The Form of Stories

 

Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

You’re just in time for IWSG Day, which occurs the first Wednesday of every month in the form of a blog hop featuring all of the members of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Founded by Alex Cavanaugh and fostered by like-minded associates, IWSG is a place to share the awesome views and exciting news that occurs along our fascinating writing journeys. Pull up a chair and join us!

Our gracious co-hosts this month are:  PJ Colando, J Lenni Dorner, Deniz Bevan, Kim Lajevardi, Natalie Aguirre, and Louise - Fundy Blue!

Our Optional Question of the Month is:  If you could choose one author, living or dead, to be your beta partner, who would it be, and why?  Oh, this is easy. I would love to have Zilpha Keatley Snyder as my partner! From the very first sentence of her book The Velvet Room: “When the tire went flat for the third time that day, it went with a bang.” I was absolutely captivated by the familiar sincerity with which she crafted an atmospheric haven for an overcast life on a black and white page. To this day, I’m inspired by her work.

September is Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month, which is pretty much every day around here ;-) Happy September, everyone!

It’s also Shameless Promotion month! But I’ll save it for another day ;-)

At a time when we’re all looking for something to do besides screen time, movie binging and frequent trips to the fridge – by the way, this gospel singer delightfully nails it -

It’s good to see some of the “old” past times coming back. For instance, knitting, baking, jigsaw puzzles, and board games. And while many creative arts venues are temporarily shuttered, there are a surprising amount of ancient almost-lost arts finding their way back.

Such as Amezeiku – The Japanese art of candy sculpture for which a Takumi (craftsman) has barely five minutes to artfully form (with his fingers) a nearly 200-degree Fahrenheit dollop of candy into the realistic shape of say, a sea turtle, koi, or an octopus – on a stick before the confection hardens. Looks too pretty to eat, don’t you think?

Anyone out there helping out with homeschool?

“If history were told in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten,” ~ Rudyard Kipling

Happy Writing!

 

IWSG August 2020 – Just living is not enough

How is everyone keeping busy these days? I’ve discovered the worst thing about spring cleaning is figuring out what to do with all the stuff you don’t want any more when no one is open to take it. All the boxes and bags everywhere have the dogs convinced we're moving.

Can you believe it’s August already? Whether you’re just passing through, or looking for a comfortable online group in which to share your writing journey, you’ve come to the right place! The Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers resources, tips, timely news, how-to’s, and don’t do’s – all the support we writers can use to make the most of our craft.

We meet on the 1^st Wednesday of every month. Feel free to browse around and mingle. As in the words of IWSG founder and “Cassa Series,” author Alex Cavanaugh, “Your words may be the encouragement someone else needs” Join us!

Our awesome co-hosts for the July 1 posting of the IWSG are:  

Susan Baury Rouchard, Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane, Jennifer Hawes, Chemist Ken, and Chrys Fey!

The optional Question of the Month is:
 August 5 question - Quote: "Although I have written a short story collection, the form found me and not the other way around. Don't write short stories, novels or poems. Just write your truth and your stories will mold into the shapes they need to be."
Have you ever written a piece that became a form, or even a genre, you hadn't planned on writing in? Or do you choose a form/genre in advance?

My answer: Yes, and not usually ; -)

It’s International Pirate Month! Do you have a favorite Swashbuckler? Did you know they wore patches not to cover up eyeless sockets, but to always have one eye accustomed to darkness for quick trips below deck?

August is American Adventures Month! I once sold a motorhome in less than ten days with a simple phrase the buyer swore reached out and grabbed him: “See America from the comfort of your living room” Indeed, we saw a lot of it that way. While it might not be as easy an option these days, we still do. Except, these days, the kids and I also travel virtually, picking a different state each time.

Last month we chose Nebraska. Known as “The Tree Planters State,” it is home to America’s largest hand-planted forest.  Kool Aid and the Rueben Sandwich were invented there. We all got a kick out of CARHENGE, Omaha’s close equivalent to Stonehenge, and the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium featuring one of the world’s largest indoor rainforests, a coral reef, as well as an indoor desert in a dome (including meerkats!) has been placed on our MSIP (Must See in Person) list!  Anyone out there from Nebraska?

Among several excellent books I read last month was one entitled “Sold on a Monday,” by Kristina McMorris. I must say, the story sticks to your heart as peanut butter does to the roof of your mouth. Simply indelible.

As far as writing, I am brimming with excitement!

See you all sooner than later ; -)

 

“Just living is not enough, one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower,” Hans Christian Andersen

 

IWSG July 2020 - Choices and Changes

Hi there!

Whether you’re just passing through, or looking for a comfortable online group in which to share your writing journey, you’ve come to the right place! The Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers resources, tips, timely news, how-to’s, and don’t do’s – all the support we writers can use to make the most of our craft.

We meet on the 1^st Wednesday of every month. Feel free to browse around and mingle. As in the words of IWSG founder and “Cassa Series,” author Alex Cavanaugh, “Your words may be the encouragement someone else needs” Join us!

Our awesome co-hosts for the July 1 posting of the IWSG are Jenni Enzor, Beth Camp, Liesbet, Tyrean Martinson, and Sandra Cox!

My World:

We had one humdinger of a storm soon after last month’s post. It was one of those sneaky mid-night especially destructive Monsoons complete with window-rattling thunder and lightning bolts roughly the width of Parthenon columns. It was one of those massive electric bolts that started the Bighorn Fire in our beloved Santa Catalina Mountains – in an area just above our house.

Persistent winds whipped a fiery swath through the canyons with a fury that roared over each side of the range in a flaming rage. At times, there were upwards of 900 brave responders battling the blaze that could be seen clear across the city.  Many of the 114k-plus acres that ended up perishing over the course of 25 days hadn’t burned in over 1100 years. The sheer magnitude of displaced wildlife is appalling and beyond tragic.  Authorities are pinning the losses primarily on the invasion.

If this year, such as it’s been, has taught us anything, it’s that invasions come in many forms. The aggression that significantly impeded the Bighorn Fire battle was that of the omnipresent and highly-flammable Buffelgrass, a non-native grass initially peddled as erosion control and livestock forage. This historic fire has drastically changed the landscape, and possibly the entire ecosystem of our mountain range. Going forward, we can only hope that future promoters of lousy experiments aren’t as careless in their duties as desert sentries.

On Writing:

Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that the Bighorn Fire may have radically changed (in a good way!) the ending of a book I plan to release later this year.

As for the book I’d planned to release in July (still do, actually): I was at a point where all the pieces were coming together nicely. I’d even approved a cover. Yet, there remained a pervasive sense of – apathy. Why wasn’t I excited about this? It wasn’t until I showed the cover to a trusted friend who asked, “What’s the book about?” that the reason for my lack of enthusiasm was as plain as the words on the cover. Ugh, that title had to go. It was surprisingly painless and had the same effect as hanging a Suncatcher at my favorite window.

Speaking of titles, I read a startling YA tale called “Tsantas” by C. Lee McKenzie this month. It’s sure to become the next Best Campfire Story – ever!

In answer to the (optional) IWSG Question of the Month:

There have been many industry changes in the last decade, so what are some changes you would like to see happen in the next decade?

I’m almost afraid to contemplate the lengths to which the industry, as well as technology, may one day evolve. I’d like to see more emphasis on author talent; rather than affiliations in terms of publishing. I can’t fathom an interest in any mystery a computer might write. I’m quite content to write – and share, as I do with the technology available today.

Happy Writing!

 

See ya soon!

IWSG June Secrets and Cover-ups

Hello there!

Whether you’re just passing through, or looking for a comfortable online group in which to share your writing journey, you’ve come to the right place! The Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers resources, tips, timely news, how-to’s, and don’t do’s – all the support we writers can use to make the most of our craft.

We meet on the 1^st Wednesday of every month. Feel free to browse around and mingle. As in the words of IWSG founder and “Cassa Series,” author Alex Cavanaugh, “Your words may be the encouragement someone else needs” Join us!

This month’s gracious co-hosts are:   Pat Garcia, J.Q. Rose, and Natalie Aguirre!

This month’s Optional Question is:  Writers have secrets! What are one or two of yours, something readers would never know from your work?

bookriot.com

How’s everyone doing out there in Quarantine Land? I’ve begun to talk to hummingbirds, and occasionally, the refrigerator when it spits out ice cubes for no apparent reason. The wearing of masks by pretty much everybody everywhere these days presents a conundrum for me. Who are these people? I met a new Ortho surgeon last month, and all I can tell you is he seems nice and has blue eyes. A young friend of mine suggested we might be better able to identify the looters if they didn’t have to wear a mask (!) I got the strangest look when I explained that people like that always wear masks – because they’re not exactly proud of what they do.

And that thought lead to another:

I could give you a handful of examples of a writer’s dauntless ambition. They ‘re stacked neatly on a corner of my desk, full-length manuscripts in various stages of completion - awaiting final approval. So why haven’t I dressed them in their Sunday best and sent them out into the world? Oh, I’ve more excuses than manuscripts to submit. Up until, and even including this year, I’ve promised (myself) that this is The Year I will accomplish these goals. Then, with sudden shortness of breath, I drop another file on top of the stack, so I can’t see the manuscripts anymore. Way to go, right?

But then, a funny thing happened on my way to abject depression. I called my own bluff! Had I that little faith in myself to spend (or waste?) all those hours, years weaving thousands of words only to leave them listless in the shadowy realm of dust bunnies? Of course not.  My summer mantra is now officially “Publish or Perish” whatever it takes. But first, I’ll need a mask (grin).

“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen,” Brene’ Brown says in her book Daring Greatly. She has a lot more than that to say, and I recommend the book. Here’s a site that seems to agree: fourminutebooks.com

 

“Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June” ~ Al Bernstein

 

A to Z Historic Trivia - Z

Z

Growing up in Zanesville, Ohio, a city founded by his maternal grandfather, Zane Grey, enjoyed baseball, fishing, American history, and reading adventure stories like Robinson Caruso and dime novels featuring Buffalo Bill.  Zane wrote his first story when he was fifteen, but his father, a dentist, did not approve of Zane writing anything at all and tore the manuscript to bits.

After an embarrassing financial setback, the elder Grey moved the family to Columbus, where Zane and his brother helped rebuild their father’s dental practice. Before, after, and between work, fishing and baseball, Zane wrote every day, effectively bringing the rugged wild west to vivid life on paper.

After four consecutive rejections, Harper & Brothers finally published Heritage of the Desert in 1910, and two years later, the publication of Zane’s all-time best seller Riders of the Purple Sage put his books in the hands of readers everywhere. Harper accepted everything Zane submitted after that and continued releasing from a stockpile one story each year for more than twenty years after his death.

It’s estimated that Zane, one of the first authors to become a millionaire, wrote more than nine million words in his career. In all, he wrote more than ninety books, not only westerns but hunting and fishing guides and children’s stories as well. There were over a hundred story-based films produced, many of which were shot at locations described in Zane’s books.

∞

I can’t tell you exactly how many fictional characters are named “Zero” because I lost count at 30. Let’s see, there was one in “Holes,” a ghost dog in “Nightmare Before Christmas,” an assassin in “John Wick” as well as a thief in “Grand Theft Auto.” Can you think of any others?

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”  ~ Zig Ziglar

A to Z Historic Trivia - Y

Y

Arriving in usual splendor, the summer of 1816 held the promise of bountiful crops and the scent of spring flowers before making a sudden drastic return to winter. Temperatures dipped then plummeted. Hail hammered blossoms from the trees. The skies over Europe and the United States seemed permanently overcast. The lack of sunlight was so complete and lasted so long that crops began to fail during typical months of growth. Food shortages were reported on both sides of the pond. Thomas Jefferson, who had by then retired to his farm in Virginia, lost all his crops as well.  By mid-June, uneasy concessions appeared in newspapers such as this one in New Jersey:  

“On the night of 6th instant, after a cold day, Jack Frost paid another visit to this region of the country, and nipped the beans, cucumbers, and other tender plants. This surely is cold weather for summer.”

New England states were most affected as red suns rose rayless in skies obscured by fog. So much of our crops had failed that even the livestock went hungry. Understanding a need for alternative (horseless) transportation, inventor Karl Drais created a primitive version of the bicycle.  As strange and unsettling as things were, it would have been natural to wonder if there were peculiar occurrences elsewhere.

In London, prolonged twilight skies of brilliant orange or red were not enough to warm the chill of 120 days of cold rain.  Potato crops failed in Ireland, and famine ensued. Mary Shelly wrote “Frankenstein” while stranded with friends during Switzerland’s frigid summer.  Delayed monsoon and late torrential rains hastened the spread of Cholera in India. Overwhelming floods in the Yangtze Valley devastated rice production in Yunnan, China.

As winter came calmly in October, conversations about what had occurred turned to questions of why they’d just experienced what would be known as the infamous Year Without a Summer.

There was some speculation about the influence of sunspots. Still, it would be more than a year before the entire world knew that volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Tambora (in Indonesia), one of the largest ever recorded, had disrupted weather patterns across the globe.

∞

Dating back to 1940 – 45 (?), Yardbird is a term for a prisoner, an army recruit, or a soldier confined to camp for violation of rules.  

Yardbirds, on the other hand, is a British band from the sixties with a knack for picking outstanding guitarists.

A to Z Historic Trivia - X

X

The word “Xanadu” has fascinated me ever since I first heard the title of the 1980 film starring Olivia Newton-John.  For the most part, the name is a noun, a place, to be exact. And typically a very nice place, at that. For instance, a palace in an 1816 poem, a mansion featured in the 1941 film “Citizen Kane,” or the one owned – and named – by Bill Gates. There is the Xanadu Beach Resort in the Grand Bahamas, and a highly reflective area on the leading hemisphere of Saturn’s moon (Titan) also bears the name Xanadu.

∞

In Mayan mythology, Xibalba is “a place of fear” and considered the ultimate underworld ruled by the 16^th century Maya Death Gods and their helpers. One entrance to Xibalba was reputed to be a cave in central Guatemala, another in nearby Belize. Still, others believed that the Milky Way was a more direct route to (cosmic?) Xibalba. No matter the chosen path, willing visitors may have been hard to come by as long as the Twelve Lords of Xibalba, with names like “Flying Scab” and “Sweeping Demon,” were anxious greeters at the underworld gate.

∞

The earliest citation of the term: “X Marks the Spot” is in a letter written by Maria Edgeworth in 1813. The phrase was often used in romantic pirate stories denoting hidden treasure marked on a map.

∞

Thought to have originated in the late 1500s, the phrase X Factor means an outstanding or extraordinary ability, a variable in a given situation that could have the most significant impact on the outcome, or of any unpredictable and great influence.

∞

Inspired by the likes of Twilight Zone and Night Stalker, X-Files is an American science fiction television series, involving investigations of extraterrestrial and paranormal activity. The show aired between 1993 and 2002. While not exactly in the historic category – yet, several iconic items from the show have been placed in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. And the eerie theme sound heard at the start of every show came as a pleasant surprise to even the composer, Mark Snow, when in frustration he put his arm on the keyboard, turning on the delay effect which produced the iconic echo.

∞

Xcaret, Mexico

A to Z Historic Trivia - W

W

Ahead of tomorrow, I gather today

the wool of a thousand webs

Silvery threads with which to crochet

Hope, for despair must end.

Woolgather: to daydream

∞

Dubbed the “largest roadless wilderness in the lower 48 states,” it was well worth the time it took to get to Idaho by car. Besides, our dearest friends had recently moved there, and a trip to cooler, unknown territory sounded appealing. Talk of our having brought record-breaking heat along with us notwithstanding, it was a tremendously fun vacation. When we weren’t out sight-seeing, the kids enjoyed our hotel pool.  One of our all-day adventures led us to the Hell’s Canyon area of the Snake River for an unforgettable white-water rafting adventure. Four kids, four adults (5, including our guide), make at least eighty white knuckles, the way I see it. Compared to the heat of the day, the water was bracing, the views breathtaking. The resort village of McCall is every bit as beautiful as it looks in magazine pictures. However, we were convinced there must have been a special event going on that day as we never did find a place to park.

∞

Founded by F.W. Woolworth, the first Woolworth’s five-and-dime store in 1879. The fact that the store didn’t do so well at first didn’t bother Mr. Woolworth one bit. He brought his brother, who had an affinity for customer service, onboard and by the 100^th Anniversary (according to Guinness Book) Woolworth’s was the largest department store chain in the world. I used to think they served the best French fries in the world!

∞

Walgreens grew from 20 retail stores to nearly 400 during prohibition when the government allowed pharmacies to distribute whiskey.

 Popular video game designer Will Wright created “The Sims” after his house burned down during the Oakland Firestorm of 1991, and he needed to draw up new plans.

Arthur Wynne created the crossword puzzle in 1913 for the “Fun” section of the Sunday edition of the New York World Newspaper.  Remember the one in the TV Guide?

A to Z Historic Trivia - V

V

While the following subjects would have fit right in with yesterday’s underwater segment of the letter U, I purposely saved them for today’s letter, V.   

An extreme example of deep sea dwellers (as in lightless depths of 2 -3000 feet), the Vampire Squid resides in regions known as Oxygen Minimum Zones, where these small creatures are somehow able to breathe normally in 3% oxygen saturation situations. Characteristics such as black or dark red coloring combined with a unique webbing that connects all eight arms like a cloak, and those beady blood-red eyes, all contributed to the naming of the distinctive creature.  Not as one might imagine, a penchant for late-night snacks of blood. In reality, they feast exclusively on Marine Snow, which may explain the ability to (when agitated) eject clouds of bioluminescent mucus containing numerous orbs of blue light lasting long enough to dazzle the fins off of any would-be predators.

In contrast to the mild-mannered bottom-dwellers, predacious and teensy Violet Sea Snails float – upside down - on rafts of their own mucus and air bubbles, quite on the surface of tropical and subtropical oceans, feeding on hydrogens such as the deadly Man O’ War.

∞

I took a fascinating Virtual Tour of Venice, Italy, and learned that it is part of a cluster of 118 small islands separated by canals and connected by more than 400 bridges. Venice was built on a shallow lagoon sometime during the 9^th century. The city is considered to have been the first international financial center. It’s been a wealthy city throughout history. Lord Byron himself named “The Bridge of Sighs” for the last view convicts would have of Venice on their way from court to prison.  It’s one of the many highlights of Venice, which hosts as many tourists each day as people who live there year-round. Amazing. There are 417 bridges in Venice, 72 are private. There are at least 500 luxuriant gardens scattered around the “City of Water,” though as far as I can tell, only one near St. Mark’s square is open to the public.  There is talk that Venice may be nothing more than an amusement park by 2030 as the city is sinking at a rate of 1-2 millimeters per year, and the population decline (over half in the last 50 years) does not seem to be slowing down.

During his lifetime, Vincent Van Gogh sold only one painting. Though in less than ten years, he painted over 900 pieces. In addition, he wrote 800 letters, mostly to his brother.

So, if you had to choose a favorite sea creature…ah, just kidding. Have you taken any virtual tours lately?

A to Z Historic Trivia - U

U

In a world as fascinating and sometimes frustrating as ours, it’s refreshing to realize that beneath this wild and crazy place lie other, equally crazy, though often enchanting worlds. For instance, the underwater world is host to perhaps three million sunken ships, lost treasures, forgotten cities, and public parks like the one in Austria called Green Lake, which is not accessible during summer – due to flooding.  There are underwater waterfalls and rivers, such as the one flowing under the Black Sea through the Bosphorus Strait. Every so often, the sea offers up surprises we didn’t have to look for like the cobalt blue, grapefruit-sized eyeball that appeared on Florida’s Pompano Beach.  An expert’s best guess is that the eye once belonged to a 10 ft. long Swordfish.

∞

The underground world is a resting place for just about anything departed, discarded, or discreetly defended.  America’s oldest (1638) maintained cemetery is the Myles Standish Burial Ground, wherein lie a few of the original pilgrims who sailed here on the Mayflower. Underground storm shelters and panic rooms are a must for both weather events and war situations, though only the latter necessitates secrecy. There is an underground city in Derinkuyu, Turkey, built in the 14^th century BCE that can accommodate 20 thousand people with plenty of room left for stores and livestock. Arizona (U of A) operates an education facility called San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory, which boasts the only working vertical shaft in the United States. In addition to training, the facility offers health and safety programs and occasional public tours.

∞

In some circles, the Underworld is where folks without a ticket to Heaven go at closing time. Most Americans consider it the stomping grounds of organized crime, its members' purveyors of how to get around anything prohibited.  They were some of the best secret-keepers in the country. But they didn’t always escape justice. Vincente Gigante was a mob boss who, for 30 years, wandered around Greenwich Village (NY) wearing pajamas and mumbling incoherently, earning the nickname “The Oddfather” all for the purpose of appearing, as well as pleading insane to avoid prosecution for racketeering. He was eventually sentenced to 12 years.

∞

According to sources, Ulysses S. Grant had no idea what the middle S in his name stood for. It seems it was nothing more than a clerical error when a friend of Grant’s father nominated him for enrollment at West Point.

Upstaged

A to Z Historic Trivia - T

T

I love a good thunderstorm, the kind that rattles the windows, flickers the lights when raindrops sound like marbles on the roof. There’s typically a radical wind ahead of any storm system that sweeps the desert sand into funnels, whipped into sinewy strands of erratic motion. You never know which way it will go, and it’s not always safe to be still. But, we don’t call them Twisters. Here, they are Dust Devils.

Twenty-seven million years ago, a massive volcano eruption shook the Chiricahua Mountains, laying down two thousand feet of siliceous ash and pumice, which eventually fused into rock that, over time, eroded into spires and unusual stone formations in the area of Turkey Creek. We’d been kicking around up near Cochise Stronghold, taking in a few trailheads when we noticed thunderheads rapidly building above. Rain had just begun to fall at Turkey Creek as we hightailed it out of the mountains,  headed for blacktop. For a time, we drove against strong winds that threatened to rip the canvas top right off the little vehicle I call the Jeepy-thing. It’s actually a Tracker, first built by Chevrolet in 1988 or 1989. Ours was likely the first one to roll off the assembly line, but I digress.  

I had just remarked how like a kamikaze bug looking for a windshield, it felt to be racing down that backroad when Hubs said: “Look!”  Barreling straight toward us was the biggest tumbleweed I’d ever seen in my life! It was every bit as big as the Jeepy-thing and solid enough to do some damage if we hit head-on.  With oncoming traffic on the left, and boulders on the right, we braced ourselves for impact as a sudden violent gust yanked the terrifying jumble of shrub bones sideways so that it exploded off the right front fender. The rest of the drive was pleasantly uneventful ;-)

∞

No, we don’t usually have much more than dust devils here, but for the folks in the Midwest on a Wednesday in March of 1925, a terrifying tragedy took place in the form of The Tri-State Tornado. Documented as the deadliest tornado in United States history, and longest ever recorded, what was likely a combination of several tornados rolled into one, ripped across three states, including Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana that afternoon. Nearly 700 people were killed, thousands more injured, and over a billion (today’s dollars) in damages was caused. “To this day, there is no single meteorological factor that can explain the exceptional path length or duration of the Tri-State Tornado.”  FactsforKids

There is no specific timezone at the South Pole.

There is a hedgehog café in Tokyo.

Just so ya know ;- )

A to Z Historic Trivia - S

S

Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man for two years in order to serve as a continental soldier in the Revolutionary war.  Wounded in battle, she dug a bullet out of her own leg. Her true gender remained a secret to most until, many years later, when she was gravely ill, a necessary exam exposed the truth. She was honorably discharged from service, and her husband became the first man to receive a widow’s pension.

Located at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia is a chair that not only made but changed office furniture history. The chair once belonged to Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, who modified a Windsor chair into what we call a Swivel Chair – though without those handy wheels that have enabled many a clandestine chair race. It has been said that Thomas Jefferson sat in that very chair when he drafted the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776.

One evening in 1936, Sylvan Goldman, owner of the self-serve supermarket chain “Humpty Dumpty,” using a folding chair and two baskets wired together, came up with an idea to facilitate customer movement of (more) groceries. The idea, now known as the Shopping Cart, wasn’t widely accepted at first. Men thought it was too effeminate, while women thought it suggestive of a baby carriage. Nonetheless, savvy marketing paid off and made Goldman a millionaire. 

Carved by the waters of the mighty Snake River, Hell’s Canyon is the deepest gorge in the United States and the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Shoshone Falls, in southern Idaho, is sometimes called “Niagara of the west,” though it is 45 feet higher and flows over a rim almost a thousand feet wide. Sign language used by Native American Shoshones to represent swimming salmon was misinterpreted to mean snake, giving the river its name. There is much to see and do, and even more to learn along - and about - the Snake River. I’ll tell you more about our unforgettable visit when the letter W comes around ;-)

Happy Blogging!