Another Roadtrip Photo

On the road trip from Boise to Rockaway Beach, Oregon, we stopped to fill up the gas tank and grab some cold drinks. (We'd gone through all the caffeinated beverages in the Suburban's mini-fridge. It was going to be a 100+ degree day in Boise when we left.)

This was my best shot of Mt. Hood. The smaller mountain to the right is the remnants of Mt. St. Helens.

I'd studied the eruption of St. Helens while writing Resurrected. That's the book where I blew up Mt. Rainier and turned it into a crater lake due to a god fight.

However, seeing St. Helens in person was a little unnerving. I asked my companions how they felt living so close to an active volcano. It didn't seem to bother them, but then, they hadn't written a novel about the effects of a major eruption and the desperate attempts of the supernaturals to save the Normals who weren't able to evacuate. Not to mention, my main character's moral dilemma from her involvement in the natural disaster.

And as I snapped several shots, I could see in my mind's eye the initial column of smoke and dust rising into the air from the 1980 eruption. Both Idaho and Oregon have beautiful scenery, but I'd probably think twice before I moved there in real life.

Leaving On a Jet Plane

If you read this on Monday or Tuesday, I'm packing right now. Yep, for the first time in nearly three and a half years, I'll be on a commercial airliner Wednesday. And yes, I'm still wearing a N95 mask, regardless of what any idiot says.

I may be cancer-free (Yee-Haw!), but I'm still immuno-compromised thanks to my defective endocrine system. I'll be hanging out with some friends who have their own health issues, so I'm very conscious of not spreading germs to them.

So what's going on? I'm attending a week-long private writers retreat in Oregon. There's also days padding the beginning and ending of the retreat so I can visit friends in Idaho and Oregon. I am so looking forward to this trip!