Midge Raymond's Blog, page 2

When being a naturalist (or a filmmaker) means letting nature take its course

I am not a scientist, but I play one on the page. Because my own background is so very not scientific, I needed a lot of research and experiences in order to write (authentically) the character of Deb Gardner in My Last Continent, including traveling to Antarctica and witnessing the continent through the eyes of  … Read more

Surviving Antarctica the modern way

The stories of the twentieth-century explorers of Antarctica are harrowing — Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance being eaten by the ice-choked Weddell Sea; Robert Falcon Scott reaching the South Pole after Norwegian Roald Amundsen and then losing his life and his entire party to the elements upon their return. And yet, despite history’s harsh lessons —  … Read more

Penguins & Patagonia: Exploring Península Valdés

The day after our rainy arrival on Península Valdés, the skies still held remnants of the rain of the day before, which only made the views more spectacular as we explored the 16 kilometers of coastline at Rincón Chico. Estancia Rincón Chico is a privately owned parcel of about 100 square kilometers (a UNESCO World  … Read more

Penguins & Patagonia: Rainy afternoon happy hour book club

On the afternoon we arrived at the gorgeous Estancia Rincón Chico on Península Valdés, it was pouring rain, windy, and cold. So, we decided to have our author talks and book signing that afternoon, with the timing just perfect for cocktail hour. It was beyond wonderful to talk about My Last Continent with readers who  … Read more

Penguins & Patagonia: Back at Punta Tombo

John and I volunteered at Punta Tombo with the University of Washington’s Penguin Project (now the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels) back in 2006. We’d always dreamed of returning to the colony, though we were also a little worried about what we might find. We know that the penguin population is down by 45 percent at  … Read more

Penguins & Patagonia: Puerto Madryn

After a couple of sunny days in Buenos Aires, the next stop on our Penguins & Patagonia Adventure was the much cooler, windswept oceanside city of Puerto Madryn in Patagonia. The amazing two days we spent here were arranged by Carol Mackie de Passera of Causana Viajes (indeed all the Argentinian details of the trip  … Read more

Penguins & Patagonia: Buenos Aires

It was more than a year and a half ago that Susan McBeth and I began planning our Penguins & Patagonia Adventure by the Book, and when we found ourselves in Buenos Aires at last, we could hardly believe the trip was finally happening (and a small part of our group would be headed to  … Read more

An eerie and wonderful soundtrack: Ice in Antarctica

Antarctica is sometimes misunderstood as a plain, vast, white place — which, of course, it is — but it’s also a continent brimming with amazing colors (among them: sunsets, the aurora australis, algae, and the myriad shades of blue and white that make up icebergs), and its sounds are just as vibrant. Scientists have recently recorded the  … Read more

Bookstore Geek: Book ‘N’ Brush

Book ‘N’ Brush is a bookstore in downtown Chehalis, Washington, that I never had a chance to visit but got to know because it was the official bookstore of the Southwest Washington Writers Conference. The display tables Book ‘N’ Brush set up at the conference so beautifully showcased the presenters’ books, with flowing fabric, flowers,  … Read more

Bookstore Geek: Shakespeare & Co in Chehalis, Washington

When I was in Chehalis, Washington, for the Southwest Washington Writers Conference, it was a delight to stop in at one of its fabulous local bookstores, Shakespeare & Co, for a drink and a browse. The bookstore is located in a lovely historic area filled with gorgeous old buildings, like the former Victorian of the  … Read more