Over a series of 19 books (as of this post), the author Nevada Barr has guided the fictional character of National Park Service employee Anna Pigeon through various adventurous mysteries, each one of them set primarily within the boundaries of a national park, a national monument, etc. Rather than review one or more of the books (which … Continue reading Book Review: Anna Pigeon Series
National Park Service
Wednesday Words on the Wild: Pride
I regularly walk by the above banner posted all around the park in process (it looks like they are replacing some lawn with drought-resistant plants). The "Park Proud" phrase catches my eye every time. For one thing, I find it amusing/depressing that it's necessary to encourage people to take pride in our parks (substitute: city, … Continue reading Wednesday Words on the Wild: Pride
Wednesday Words on the Wild: Rivers
We have an unknown distance yet to run, an unknown river to explore. What falls there are, we know not; what rocks beset the channel, we know not; what walls ride over the river, we know not. Ah, well! we may conjecture many things. ~ John Wesley Powell The river is constantly turning and bending and you … Continue reading Wednesday Words on the Wild: Rivers
Wednesday Words on the Wild: Parks
The parks do not belong to one state or to one section.... The Yosemite, the Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon are national properties in which every citizen has a vested interest; they belong as much to the man of Massachusetts, of Michigan, of Florida, as they do to the people of California, of Wyoming, and of … Continue reading Wednesday Words on the Wild: Parks
Introduction Part II: My Cake Adventure
As family lore tells it, my mother's father's passion for baking started early. He dropped out of school around the 8th grade, then went to work on the family farm. During his free time he enjoyed baking blueberry muffins. (If he'd written a blog, would it have been called "The Muffin Man"?) After one of his brothers declined … Continue reading Introduction Part II: My Cake Adventure
Find Your Voice
Happy New Year! Although this blog is meant to include the National Park Service, there are many different topics to come (as will be foreshadowed in my as yet unposted Introduction Part II... Part III... and Part IV). That said, lately I am seeing the NPS everywhere. Yesterday, while viewing the Rose Parade floats in Sierra Madre, … Continue reading Find Your Voice
“America the Beautiful” Pass
Earlier this year, I purchased an “America the Beautiful” pass from the National Park Service, determined to make the most of the NPS Centennial. In March, a tardy visit to Death Valley still caught the tail end of the 2016 “Super Bloom.” (The very, very tail end.) Keeping with the “late to the party” theme, … Continue reading “America the Beautiful” Pass
Introduction Part I: Happy Centennial NPS
Throughout my childhood, my grandfather owned a bakery. Any time my mother needed to talk to her father, she’d drop in while he was at work, me and/or my older sister in tow. Usually, we’d find Papa K. decorating a cake. (All present day cake-centric reality programs aside, I now realize I lucked into a … Continue reading Introduction Part I: Happy Centennial NPS
Campfire Tales 