Sandra Nachlinger's Blog, page 34

Garden Inspiration - Saturday Snapshots

If you want to be inspired to create a beautiful garden, then the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle is the place you need to be. My daughter-in-law and I attended two of the five days of this annual event, and we both came away full of renewed commitment to beautify our gardens. Here are some of the displays that fired our enthusiasm. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

I would love to have this in my backyard. I love the orange pots with the blue doors.
This design could actually be duplicated. Just add a good book and a glass of wine The garden show also included designs
for balconies and other smaller urban settings I like the wall of plants and the overhead lights. Practical tips for raised-bed gardening too.
These pallets are lined with burlap bags. Beauty everywhere we looked!I hope you enjoyed today's gardening post and that I inspired you to plant something at your home (weather permitting)!



Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, click HERE or on the box below. 
To participate in Saturday Snapshots: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky on the host blogsite. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

Bikes! - Saturday Snapshots

When I was a kid - shortly after the invention of the wheel - one year my Christmas list had "bicycle" as the top item. So I was thrilled when Santa left a bright blue two-wheeler under the tree. I rode that bike everywhere--to Weiss Park for free swim on summer mornings, to my friends' houses, and all around Oak Cliff, Texas. Memories of my first means of transportation inspired today's Saturday Snapshots post.

My mom, proud to have a bicycle
of her own (circa 1940) Santa brought bikes for both my brother
and me that year.
All my friends had bicycles, of course. My son with his treasured Big Wheel.
Do you remember your first bicycle? What color was it? Where did you ride it?


Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, click HERE or on the box below. 
To participate in Saturday Snapshots: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky on the host blogsite. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

Rose's Gift - The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings on Friday

       I enjoy books that feature mature women, and Rose's Gift definitely falls into that category since Rose is a sixty-year-old widow. The book's tagline says: "Some say life is a cycle, but it’s really a spiral. Seasons come and go, but when they return, it’s to a new place." I like the way the author takes us inside Rose's head, revealing her thoughts and feelings as she contemplates romance late in life. She really brings the character to life.
     Rose's Gift takes place at the turn of the last century and brings together characters from Rain Trueax's other Arizona historical books.

Book Beginning:
It was the year of our Lord, 1900, a year that Rose had begun without any feeling it would be different than the years before it, all the years since her husband had died in 1896. An old woman, Rose had thought she would end her life sooner than she had. What was with that? Can't a body even die when it's the right time? At sixty, she was feeling far less old than she'd been expecting. She shook her head. Silly old woman.

Friday 56 (from 56% on my Kindle):
Rose had seen people die, too many through her lifetime. She wished she believed it would be otherwise for Alexa. In her heart, she knew the young woman had come to them to find a place for her son. She was now ready to release her hold on life.

Genre: Women's Fiction / Western Romance
Book Length: 66 Pages
Amazon Link: Rose's Gift
Other Books by Rain Trueax: Rain Trueax Blog

Rather than post a synopsis, I'm including a video where Rain Trueax talks about Rose's Gift.

                             

Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56.
Click HERE to connect to other Book Beginnings posts (sponsored by Rose City Reader)
Click HERE to join other Friday 56 bloggers (sponsored by Freda's Voice)

Six Strings - Teaser Tuesday and First Chapter / First Paragraph

A story about a 17-year-old who travels through time doesn't sound like the kind of book I'd like, but I really enjoyed Six Strings. The reason? The characters. Jen Sanya Williamson did an excellent job of going deep into the protagonist's head--showing her insecurities, hopes, fears, and strengths. Williamson's bio says she teaches junior high school, and that comes across in her realistic dialogue. I could easily hear those high school kids talking. Her descriptions brought the settings to life too, both in present day and back in 1973. Although I'm not the genre's target audience, I was drawn into the plot. This was an enjoyable, nicely edited read.

FYI: Six Strings is the first book in a series, and although the story is complete, lots of issues were not resolved in this volume. 

First Paragraph:
I am running out of time. That thought tugs at the corner of my mind a lot these days, but right now, as I speed somewhat erratically toward downtown Tucson, I am definitely running out of time. If I don't make it back home before my mother, I'm dead.

Teaser (from 15% on my Kindle): 
My mom thinks there is something wrong with me. I can tell by the way she studies me sometimes. Like she's wondering, where did you come from?

Genre: Young Adult (Time Travel)
Length: 216 pages
Amazon Link: Six Strings

Synopsis from Goodreads:
      Riley Witt is running out of time.
      Battling Alzheimer’s disease, Riley’s grandmother Mary suffers from memory loss, mood swings, and a tendency to wander off.
      As senior year approaches, Riley has to face the reality that the one person she depends on most is slowly fading. Making matters worse, when Mary does remember the past, she tells tales of time travel and visions. As Mary’s version of the past gets more confused, Riley knows they are running out of time together.
      But when Riley discovers a guitar belonging to a famous rock star at Mary’s house, the truth behind the crazy tales finally comes out.
      SIX STRINGS tells the story of Riley’s journey back to 1973 where she enters a world of music, long-lost family, and first love. Her adventure is all about discovering her past, understanding her present, and figuring out how to step into her future. 


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Seattle's 12th Man - Saturday Snapshots

I'm not a football fanatic, but a person would have to be blind to avoid the 12th Man Fever* that has hit the Seattle area! So on a sunshiny Thursday afternoon I thought it would be fun to drive around my part of King County, Washington, to capture images of fan support for the Seattle Seahawks team. I found boosters in some unlikely places! Whether you're rooting for the Hawks or the Patriots (or completely indifferent), I hope you'll appreciate the community spirit I found and that you enjoy the game.

*From Wikipedia: The 12th man or 12th player is a term for fans of teams playing American football or association football. As most football leagues allow a maximum of eleven players per team on the playing field at a time, referring to a team's fans as the 12th man implies that they have a potentially helpful role in the game.
Enumclaw, WA Small Shops Some places are even closing on Super Bowl Sunday This one made me smile. Even the animals are getting into the spirit And so is a nearby casino My neighborhood fabric store has what you need
for your Seahawks fan wardrobe I'm sure divine intervention would
be welcomed too!
Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, click HERE or on the box below. 
To participate in Saturday Snapshots: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky on the host blogsite. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

A Dark & Stormy Knight - Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56

I'm not very far into A DARK & STORMY KNIGHT (21% on my Kindle) but I'm enjoying the story and the characters. Part of the attraction is that the book takes place in Texas where I was born and raised. I love this author's voice! The hero of this story is a bull rider and since I once had a roommate who was a barrel racer, I've been to more than a few rodeos. I've got to tell you that bull riders are a crazy bunch of cowboys!

A DARK & STORMY KNIGHT is #3 in the McKnight Romance Series.

Book Beginning:
     "Promise me."
     "I promise." Even though her sister couldn't see it, Georgia shifted the phone to her other hand, so she could sketch an X over her left breast. "We're leaving in the morning." Then she hedged. If the past eleven years of motherhood had taught her nothing else, life was never one hundred percent predictable. "Nothing short of a trip to the hospital for broken bones or copious bleeding will keep us inside Houston city limits one minute past eight o'clock. Eight thirty at the latest." 

Friday 56 (at 56% on my Kindle):
(FYI: Colonel Mustard is a bull)
Colonel Mustard, nearly one ton of muscle, bone, and attitude covered by a hide the color of Grey Poupon, passed through a railed alley and into a nine-foot-long, three-foot-wide chute. When the gate clanged shut behind him, he rammed a shoulder into the heavy metal of the arena gate on his left, testing it for weaknesses. Ornery bastard.

Genre: Contemporary Western Romance
Book Length: 450 Pages
Amazon Link: A DARK & STORMY KNIGHT
More Books by This Author: Suzie Quint Website

Synopsis (Goodreads):
      Young and stupid go together like peanut butter and jelly.
      Sol McKnight, rancher and rodeo bull rider, married Georgia Carston, the love of his life, at eighteen. So maybe they were too young and maybe he was stupid to believe it would last forever because six weeks later, she left him. Now she’s back in Hero Creek for the summer. This is his chance to win her back. Little does he know, this may be his last chance because Georgia has her eye on the divorced father of their daughter’s best friend. If Sol ever wants to feel whole again, he’s going to have to figure out what went wrong so many years ago and fix it. If he doesn’t, he’ll lose her forever.

                             

Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56.
Click HERE to connect to other Book Beginnings posts (sponsored by Rose City Reader)
Click HERE to join other Friday 56 bloggers (sponsored by Freda's Voice)

Three Lakes Trail, Colorado - Saturday Snapshots

I'm looking through old photo albums again and came across these pictures from Colorado. In August, 1989, my son and I spent a week camping with my parents near Crested Butte/Gunnison, CO, and one of our day trips was to Lost Lake Slough. Here are pictures from that excursion. (Click on photos to enlarge.)
"Easy" is a relative term.
(Note the switchbacks in red.) Wildflowers blooming along the shores of
Lost Lake Slough Aspen lined portions of the trail Other areas were shaded by evergreens Occasionally we'd come to a clearing and get a glimpse of
Lost Lake Slough below We stopped for a rest at Dollar Lake,
then began our trek back to the sloughSomeday I'll post about the time my mom and I got lost and encountered a bear on this trail. But that's another story!

To see a brochure (PDF file) about this trail from the U.S. Forest Service (including directions), click HERE.

Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, click HERE or on the box below. 
To participate in Saturday Snapshots: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky on the host blogsite. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

Finding Southern Comfort - Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56

Harper Kirkpatrick, the heroine of FINDING SOUTHERN COMFORT, is one of those characters that I immediately liked. She plows ahead as if she knows what she's doing, even when she clearly doesn't, and I hoped she'd succeed as a nanny to a child with an eating disorder. There were times when I wanted to shake her and tell her to get her act together, but then I remembered that she's in her early twenties and is trying to be independent. I enjoyed the book's characters, plot, and humor, and loved the Savannah setting of this Southern romance. (I've been to that lovely city and seen the Forsyth Park Fountain pictured on the book's cover.)

FYI: FINDING SOUTHERN COMFORT is FREE on Amazon right now! 

Book Beginning:
[FYI: As the book opens, Harper works as an entertainer at children's parties, but her boss has scheduled her for something quite different. This is a sweet romance, so nothing naughty is going on with the whip. ]
Harper Kirkpatrick shoved her Catwoman mask into place and rang the doorbell. Hard to look casual with a whip under her arm. A late evening breeze ruffled the Spanish moss overhead. Didn't matter. She was sweating big time under the black spandex costume. Savannah in February was a lot warmer than Chicago.

Friday 56 (from 56% on my Kindle):
McKenna's eyebrows rose, but she didn't make a comment. Harper loved that about her sister. She took life as it came.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Book Length: 316 Pages
Amazon Link:
FINDING SOUTHERN COMFORT: A Heartwarming Prequel (Windy City Romance Series)

                             

Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56.
Click HERE to connect to other Book Beginnings posts (sponsored by Rose City Reader)
Click HERE to join other Friday 56 bloggers (sponsored by Freda's Voice)

Smart Girls Read Romance - And Play Dress-Up!

Just a note to let you know that I've been invited to join the wonderful writers on the Smart Girls Read Romance blog. In my first post (today!) I write about how much fun it is to "dress" characters when writing fiction. 

I hope you'll stop by and say "hi!" Here's the link: Playing Dress-Up

Yosemite National Park - Saturday Snapshots

While looking through photo albums a couple of days ago, I came across pictures from our trip to Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park (California) in July, 1990. The area is breathtakingly beautiful, so I decided to scan a few Yosemite photos and share with you. These pictures were taken with a 35mm film camera. (FYI: The park will celebrate its 125th anniversary on October 1, 2015.)


Rising more than 3,000 feet above the
valley floor, El Capitan is the largest
monolith of granite in the world.
Half Dome is perhaps the most recognized
symbol of Yosemite, rising nearly 5,000 feet
above the valley floor. Here's another view of Half Dome,
taken from the valley floor. Yosemite Falls (2,425 ft) flows approximately from
November through July. Since we were there in July,
the water flow was lighter but still impressive. At the base of the lower portion
of Yosemite Falls, just one of many
beautiful waterfalls in the park.You'll find more information about this magnificent national park here: Yosemite National Park

You should be able to zoom in and out on this map.


Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, click HERE or on the box below. 
To participate in Saturday Snapshots: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky on the host blogsite. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.