G. Eldon Smith's Blog: My Thoughts, page 6
May 4, 2015
Thoughts and Opinions
Quotes
The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean; not to affect your reader, but to affect him precisely as you wish. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
The jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.~Robert Frost
Colorado Authors
William Kumpai Hosokawa (January 30, 1915 – November 9, 2007) was a Japanese American writer and journalist who worked for 38 years at The Denver Post as a writer and long time editorial page editor.
Hosokawa was also a prolific author. His 1969 book Nisei: The Quiet Americans chronicles the experiences of second-generation Japanese-Americans, including the World War II internment experience. Other books include Colorado's Japanese Americans from 1886 to the Present, which was published in 2005, Out of the Frying Pan, Thirty-Five Years in the Frying Pan, Thunder in the Rockies, The Two Worlds of Jim Yoshida, and The Uranium Age.
Hosokawa was a recipient of the 2007 Civil Rights Award from the Anti-Defamation League.
Clive Eric Cussler (born July 15, 1931) is an American novelist and marine archaeologist. His novels, have reached The New York Times fiction best-seller list more than 20 times. Cussler is the founder and chairman of the real-life National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) which has discovered more than sixty shipwreck sites and numerous other notable sunken underwater wreckages. He is the sole author or lead author of more than 50 books.
Underwater Thrillers - an odd topic for an author who lives in Golden, Colorado in the foothills west of Denver.
Sandra Dallas was dubbed “a quintessential American voice” by Jane Smiley, in Vogue Magazine. She is the author of The Bride’s House, Whiter Than Snow, Prayers for Sale and Tallgrass, among others. She is the recipient of the Women Writing the West Willa Award and the two-time winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award. For 25 years, Dallas worked as a reporter covering the Rocky Mountain region for Business Week, and started writing fiction in 1990. She lives with her husband in Denver, Colorado. They also own a home in Georgetown, Colorado. The house was the subject of Dallas' The Bride's House.
Sandra Dallas is also one of three finalists for the Colorado Book Awards 2015 in the category of Historical Fiction.Lifetime Achievement AwardAt the Colorado Authors' League annual banquet, May 8, CAL will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Clive Cussler and the guest speaker will be Sandra Dallas. Both award winning authors have been best sellers.Holmes TrialJames Holmes is accused of killing twelve people and wounding seventy others in the Aurora Theater Shooting. Aurora, Colorado is in Arapahoe County, and Arapahoe County District Court is in Centennial, Colorado (my hometown.) The trial opened this week. We, the residents of Centennial, are uneasy because all of the national news coverage of the trial comes out of Centennial and what the stories do to our city's reputation as the safest town in the state.
There is no doubt that Holmes did the shooting. His defense is Innocent by Reason of Insanity. This case may have repercussions in numerous other trials where insanity is the defense. The plea and the chance that a death penalty may or may not be imposed are the main issues of the trial.
The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean; not to affect your reader, but to affect him precisely as you wish. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
The jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.~Robert Frost
Colorado Authors
William Kumpai Hosokawa (January 30, 1915 – November 9, 2007) was a Japanese American writer and journalist who worked for 38 years at The Denver Post as a writer and long time editorial page editor.
Hosokawa was also a prolific author. His 1969 book Nisei: The Quiet Americans chronicles the experiences of second-generation Japanese-Americans, including the World War II internment experience. Other books include Colorado's Japanese Americans from 1886 to the Present, which was published in 2005, Out of the Frying Pan, Thirty-Five Years in the Frying Pan, Thunder in the Rockies, The Two Worlds of Jim Yoshida, and The Uranium Age.
Hosokawa was a recipient of the 2007 Civil Rights Award from the Anti-Defamation League.
Clive Eric Cussler (born July 15, 1931) is an American novelist and marine archaeologist. His novels, have reached The New York Times fiction best-seller list more than 20 times. Cussler is the founder and chairman of the real-life National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) which has discovered more than sixty shipwreck sites and numerous other notable sunken underwater wreckages. He is the sole author or lead author of more than 50 books.
Underwater Thrillers - an odd topic for an author who lives in Golden, Colorado in the foothills west of Denver.
Sandra Dallas was dubbed “a quintessential American voice” by Jane Smiley, in Vogue Magazine. She is the author of The Bride’s House, Whiter Than Snow, Prayers for Sale and Tallgrass, among others. She is the recipient of the Women Writing the West Willa Award and the two-time winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award. For 25 years, Dallas worked as a reporter covering the Rocky Mountain region for Business Week, and started writing fiction in 1990. She lives with her husband in Denver, Colorado. They also own a home in Georgetown, Colorado. The house was the subject of Dallas' The Bride's House.
Sandra Dallas is also one of three finalists for the Colorado Book Awards 2015 in the category of Historical Fiction.Lifetime Achievement AwardAt the Colorado Authors' League annual banquet, May 8, CAL will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Clive Cussler and the guest speaker will be Sandra Dallas. Both award winning authors have been best sellers.Holmes TrialJames Holmes is accused of killing twelve people and wounding seventy others in the Aurora Theater Shooting. Aurora, Colorado is in Arapahoe County, and Arapahoe County District Court is in Centennial, Colorado (my hometown.) The trial opened this week. We, the residents of Centennial, are uneasy because all of the national news coverage of the trial comes out of Centennial and what the stories do to our city's reputation as the safest town in the state.
There is no doubt that Holmes did the shooting. His defense is Innocent by Reason of Insanity. This case may have repercussions in numerous other trials where insanity is the defense. The plea and the chance that a death penalty may or may not be imposed are the main issues of the trial.
April 26, 2015
Thoughts and Opinions
Quotes
“Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you must be" - she always called me Elwood - "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.” Mary Chase ~ Harvey
Colorado Authors...Mary Chase
Mary Agnes McDonough Coyle was born in Denver, Colorado to Irish immigrants, February 25, 1906. Chase was raised in a working class neighborhood of Denver. She remained in Denver her whole life.
(It is worth noting here that Mary Agnes Coyle and her family were NOT related to Andrew Coyle, the protagonist in Murder in the Rockies which is available where good books are sold,)
After graduating from Denver's West High School, she attended Denver University and Colorado University (Boulder) but did not earn a degree. She became a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News. She covered hard news in a Model T Ford and she worked as the society editor and wrote a society column. She married another reporter, Bob Chase. Soon after that she quit her reporting job to raise three sons and write plays. The theater was her first love in writing, although she did write two widely acclaimed children's books.
In 1936, her first play, Me Third was produced in Denver. In the spring of 1937, the play under a new title Now You’ve Done It opened on Broadway, but it failed to attract positive reviews and closed down after three weeks. In 1938, Mary wrote Chi House, which was made into a Hollywood film called Sorority House (1939).
Her greatest writing achievement came in 1944 with the production of Harvey which was a smash hit on Broadway. Chase wanted to give the nation a reason to laugh in spite of the throes of WWII. She wrote and reworked Harvey for more than two years and fifty rewrites. Chase won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1945. The movie Harvey starring James Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd is a must-see. His companion, an invisible 6'3" rabbit, is a can't-see, but he is lovable nevertheless.
On a personal note, many actors have played Elwood, including my good friend Ken Seaman. He played Elwood P. Dowd in Doylestown PA and in Denver years ago, but he still remembers the lines.
Mary Chase wrote fourteen plays, three that were made into movies (Harvey, Sorority Girl, and Bernardine.)
She died October 25, 1981 while working on a musical version of Harvey.
Dysfunctional Words The batteries were given out free of charge.
A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.
A will is a dead giveaway.
To write with a broken pencil is pointless.
Comments
“Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you must be" - she always called me Elwood - "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.” Mary Chase ~ Harvey
Colorado Authors...Mary Chase
Mary Agnes McDonough Coyle was born in Denver, Colorado to Irish immigrants, February 25, 1906. Chase was raised in a working class neighborhood of Denver. She remained in Denver her whole life.
(It is worth noting here that Mary Agnes Coyle and her family were NOT related to Andrew Coyle, the protagonist in Murder in the Rockies which is available where good books are sold,)
After graduating from Denver's West High School, she attended Denver University and Colorado University (Boulder) but did not earn a degree. She became a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News. She covered hard news in a Model T Ford and she worked as the society editor and wrote a society column. She married another reporter, Bob Chase. Soon after that she quit her reporting job to raise three sons and write plays. The theater was her first love in writing, although she did write two widely acclaimed children's books.
In 1936, her first play, Me Third was produced in Denver. In the spring of 1937, the play under a new title Now You’ve Done It opened on Broadway, but it failed to attract positive reviews and closed down after three weeks. In 1938, Mary wrote Chi House, which was made into a Hollywood film called Sorority House (1939).
Her greatest writing achievement came in 1944 with the production of Harvey which was a smash hit on Broadway. Chase wanted to give the nation a reason to laugh in spite of the throes of WWII. She wrote and reworked Harvey for more than two years and fifty rewrites. Chase won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1945. The movie Harvey starring James Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd is a must-see. His companion, an invisible 6'3" rabbit, is a can't-see, but he is lovable nevertheless.
On a personal note, many actors have played Elwood, including my good friend Ken Seaman. He played Elwood P. Dowd in Doylestown PA and in Denver years ago, but he still remembers the lines.
Mary Chase wrote fourteen plays, three that were made into movies (Harvey, Sorority Girl, and Bernardine.)
She died October 25, 1981 while working on a musical version of Harvey.
Dysfunctional Words The batteries were given out free of charge.
A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.
A will is a dead giveaway.
To write with a broken pencil is pointless.
Comments
April 20, 2015
Thoughts and Opinions
Mobile Options
Header Images
PREVIEW:
G. Eldon Smith, Author
Like us on facebook
Home
About the Author
Books
Excerpts
Contact Us
Weekly Blog
Thoughts and Opinions
04/19/2015
0 Comments
Quote
The race is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong -- but that's the way to bet ~Damon Runyon
Colorado Writer
This week's blog is about a writer who most people do not associate with Colorado.
Perpetually linked to New York City by his writing, Alfred Damon Runyon was actually born in Manhattan, Kansas, October 5, 1880. His family moved to Pueblo, Colorado when he was seven. He grew up there, working in his father's newspaper. After military service, he got his first reporterjob as a with the Pueblo Star. He spent the next ten years as the Sports editor of the Denver Daily News. Through his sports writing days he became friends with former Western gun fighter turned sports writer, Bat Masterson.
In 1911 Runyon moved to New York where he caught on with Hearst Newspapers as a baseball columnist. He was a notorious gambler, and craps and horse racing are common themes in his stories. While he was a sports writer, he was producing mountains of fiction on the side.
Eventually, Runyon gave up sports writing to concentrate on fiction, He wrote 32 books and over 40 short stories, and additional sketches and skits. Many if not most, were about Broadway and characters like Sky Masterson, Nathan Detroit, and Nicely Nicely Johnson. Guys and Dolls. Guys and Dolls was made into a musical and a movie (starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.) Another Runyon story, The Lemon Drop Kid, was also made into a movie (starring Bob Hope.) His writing style was dubbed Runyonese. Most often first person and always present tense.
Damon Runyon, 66, died of throat cancer, unable to speak, and broke. Illegally one of his three sons and Runyon's friend Captain Eddie Rickenbacker took Runyon's ashes up in an airplane and scattered them over Manhattan...Manhattan, New York that is.
Book News
Beta readers are reporting, and it looks like I have a lot of writing to do on Two Miles High and Six Feet Under. In the meantime, Murder in the Rockies is still available in many bookstores or they can order it from Koehler Books. Also look for Murder in the Rockies from electronic retailers.
Header Images
PREVIEW:
G. Eldon Smith, Author
Like us on facebook
Home
About the Author
Books
Excerpts
Contact Us
Weekly Blog
Thoughts and Opinions
04/19/2015
0 Comments
Quote
The race is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong -- but that's the way to bet ~Damon Runyon
Colorado Writer
This week's blog is about a writer who most people do not associate with Colorado.
Perpetually linked to New York City by his writing, Alfred Damon Runyon was actually born in Manhattan, Kansas, October 5, 1880. His family moved to Pueblo, Colorado when he was seven. He grew up there, working in his father's newspaper. After military service, he got his first reporterjob as a with the Pueblo Star. He spent the next ten years as the Sports editor of the Denver Daily News. Through his sports writing days he became friends with former Western gun fighter turned sports writer, Bat Masterson.
In 1911 Runyon moved to New York where he caught on with Hearst Newspapers as a baseball columnist. He was a notorious gambler, and craps and horse racing are common themes in his stories. While he was a sports writer, he was producing mountains of fiction on the side.
Eventually, Runyon gave up sports writing to concentrate on fiction, He wrote 32 books and over 40 short stories, and additional sketches and skits. Many if not most, were about Broadway and characters like Sky Masterson, Nathan Detroit, and Nicely Nicely Johnson. Guys and Dolls. Guys and Dolls was made into a musical and a movie (starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.) Another Runyon story, The Lemon Drop Kid, was also made into a movie (starring Bob Hope.) His writing style was dubbed Runyonese. Most often first person and always present tense.
Damon Runyon, 66, died of throat cancer, unable to speak, and broke. Illegally one of his three sons and Runyon's friend Captain Eddie Rickenbacker took Runyon's ashes up in an airplane and scattered them over Manhattan...Manhattan, New York that is.
Book News
Beta readers are reporting, and it looks like I have a lot of writing to do on Two Miles High and Six Feet Under. In the meantime, Murder in the Rockies is still available in many bookstores or they can order it from Koehler Books. Also look for Murder in the Rockies from electronic retailers.
April 12, 2015
Thoughts and Opinions
Quote
Weather forecast for tonight: dark.~George Carlin Did you know?
Fraser, Colorado at 8880 feet above sea level is often the coldest spot in the country. Fraser and International Falls, Minn. both claim to be "The Ice Box of the Nation." Fraser has a recorded low temperature of -57 degrees and a growing season of 4 days, and year around frost.
Women Doctors Who Made a Difference
Susan Anderson was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The family move to Cripple
Creek, Colorado for the gold rush. She went to medical school at University of Michigan. Susan contracted tuberculosis while at medical school. She returned to Colorado whose climate was thought to be helpful for easing the symptoms of TB.
Susan Anderson, M.D. set up practices in Denver, and later Greeley, but patients were reluctant to visit. She worked as a nurse for six years, but her tuberculosis got worse.
She felt a colder drier climate would help. She chose to move to Fraser, Colorado, which meant a train trip that required crossing Corona Pass, 11,500 feet. (As a personal note, I have fished near the foundation of the hotel on top of Corona Pass where train passengers spent the night. The size of the foundation led me to believe that the hotel was very small indeed.)
In Fraser, Anderson's reputation spread and she became known as Doc Susie. She began treating ranchers, and occasionally one of their cows, not an unknown practice at the time. During the many years that "Doc Susie” practiced in the high mountains of Grand County, one of her busiest times was during the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19. Like people all over the world, Fraser locals also became sick in great numbers, and Dr. Anderson found herself rushing from one deathbed to the next.
Another busy time for her was when the six-mile Moffat Tunnel was being built through the Rocky Mountains. Not long after construction began, she found herself treating numerous men who were injured during construction. During this time, she was also asked to become the Grand County Coroner, a position that enabled her to confront the Tunnel Commission regarding working conditions and accidents. In the five years it took to complete the tunnel, there were an estimated 19 who died and hundreds injured.
Susan Anderson, M.D., who had been Grand County's main medical resource for decades, died in Denver in 1960. She was a doctor who made a difference.
Nonsense
What do you get when you cross poison ivy with a 4-leaf clover?
A rash of good luck.
What happens when frogs park illegally?
They get toad.
What has 6 eyes but can't see?
3 blind mice.
Book News
I have sent Two Miles High and Six Feet Under to five Beta readers. Their Thoughts and Opinions will be one more step in finishing the writing and getting to the marketing phase.
Weather forecast for tonight: dark.~George Carlin Did you know?
Fraser, Colorado at 8880 feet above sea level is often the coldest spot in the country. Fraser and International Falls, Minn. both claim to be "The Ice Box of the Nation." Fraser has a recorded low temperature of -57 degrees and a growing season of 4 days, and year around frost.
Women Doctors Who Made a Difference
Susan Anderson was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The family move to Cripple
Creek, Colorado for the gold rush. She went to medical school at University of Michigan. Susan contracted tuberculosis while at medical school. She returned to Colorado whose climate was thought to be helpful for easing the symptoms of TB.
Susan Anderson, M.D. set up practices in Denver, and later Greeley, but patients were reluctant to visit. She worked as a nurse for six years, but her tuberculosis got worse.
She felt a colder drier climate would help. She chose to move to Fraser, Colorado, which meant a train trip that required crossing Corona Pass, 11,500 feet. (As a personal note, I have fished near the foundation of the hotel on top of Corona Pass where train passengers spent the night. The size of the foundation led me to believe that the hotel was very small indeed.)
In Fraser, Anderson's reputation spread and she became known as Doc Susie. She began treating ranchers, and occasionally one of their cows, not an unknown practice at the time. During the many years that "Doc Susie” practiced in the high mountains of Grand County, one of her busiest times was during the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19. Like people all over the world, Fraser locals also became sick in great numbers, and Dr. Anderson found herself rushing from one deathbed to the next.
Another busy time for her was when the six-mile Moffat Tunnel was being built through the Rocky Mountains. Not long after construction began, she found herself treating numerous men who were injured during construction. During this time, she was also asked to become the Grand County Coroner, a position that enabled her to confront the Tunnel Commission regarding working conditions and accidents. In the five years it took to complete the tunnel, there were an estimated 19 who died and hundreds injured.
Susan Anderson, M.D., who had been Grand County's main medical resource for decades, died in Denver in 1960. She was a doctor who made a difference.
Nonsense
What do you get when you cross poison ivy with a 4-leaf clover?
A rash of good luck.
What happens when frogs park illegally?
They get toad.
What has 6 eyes but can't see?
3 blind mice.
Book News
I have sent Two Miles High and Six Feet Under to five Beta readers. Their Thoughts and Opinions will be one more step in finishing the writing and getting to the marketing phase.
April 5, 2015
Thoughts and Opinions
Quotes
I think it's wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly. ~ Steven Wright
Did you know?
Denver is known as the Mile High City because its elevation is 5,280 feet above sea level.
Leadville, Colorado is nicknamed The Two Mile High City because it is at 10,152 feet above sea level and it is the site of the next Andrew Coyle mystery, Two Miles High and Six Feet Under.
Central City, Colorado where Florence Sabin was born is at 8,510 feet. You may ask, "Who was Florence Sabin?" Read on and you will find out.
Colorado Doctors who made a difference
Colorado's eminent physician, anatomist, medical researcher, writer, was born on November 9, 1871, in Central City, Colorado. Florence Sabin was a pioneering medical researcher, best known for her work on blood cells and the lymphatic system. She also broke new ground for women in the sciences. Sabin was the first woman to graduate from Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1900
While at Johns Hopkins, Florence Sabin conducted research on the structure of the brain.Sabin's work also shed light on the bacteria that causes tuberculosis.In 1925, Florence Sabin left John Hopkins to work at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. Continuing her work on tuberculosis,Sabin retired from the institute in 1938 and returned to her home state of Colorado. While living in Denver, she became involved in public health issues.
Sabin, an eminent 75-year-old research scientist who after she retired from the Rockefeller Institute in New York City — began travelling around the state of Colorado, paying her own way, asking the women of the state to pressure the legislature to reform the state's corrupt public health system. In the end, the legislature was left with no choice but to pass the laws that Dr. Sabin had drafted herself, because she had personally explained the problems and her proposed solutions to women all over Colorado.
Florence Sabin was probably the finest scientist ever born in Colorado, and she was unquestionably the most effective healthcare reformer we've had so far. In her 70s she worked single-mindedly to give us the state and city public health systems that we needed. In 1959, the State of Colorado placed a statue of Dr. Florence Sabin in National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol.
Palindromes
Gnu dung.
Goddamn mad dog!
Egad! No bondage?
Murder in the Rockies
Actually Murder in the Rockies is not a palindrome, but it is a good read.
As his first case after graduating from an east coast law school, Andrew Coyle travels west to defend a rancher accused of murdering a miner. Public opinion and all the circumstantial evidence are against the accused and his tenderfoot lawyer.
Comments
Please leave your comments, questions, or suggestions in the questions section.
I think it's wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly. ~ Steven Wright
Did you know?
Denver is known as the Mile High City because its elevation is 5,280 feet above sea level.
Leadville, Colorado is nicknamed The Two Mile High City because it is at 10,152 feet above sea level and it is the site of the next Andrew Coyle mystery, Two Miles High and Six Feet Under.
Central City, Colorado where Florence Sabin was born is at 8,510 feet. You may ask, "Who was Florence Sabin?" Read on and you will find out.
Colorado Doctors who made a difference
Colorado's eminent physician, anatomist, medical researcher, writer, was born on November 9, 1871, in Central City, Colorado. Florence Sabin was a pioneering medical researcher, best known for her work on blood cells and the lymphatic system. She also broke new ground for women in the sciences. Sabin was the first woman to graduate from Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1900
While at Johns Hopkins, Florence Sabin conducted research on the structure of the brain.Sabin's work also shed light on the bacteria that causes tuberculosis.In 1925, Florence Sabin left John Hopkins to work at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. Continuing her work on tuberculosis,Sabin retired from the institute in 1938 and returned to her home state of Colorado. While living in Denver, she became involved in public health issues.
Sabin, an eminent 75-year-old research scientist who after she retired from the Rockefeller Institute in New York City — began travelling around the state of Colorado, paying her own way, asking the women of the state to pressure the legislature to reform the state's corrupt public health system. In the end, the legislature was left with no choice but to pass the laws that Dr. Sabin had drafted herself, because she had personally explained the problems and her proposed solutions to women all over Colorado.
Florence Sabin was probably the finest scientist ever born in Colorado, and she was unquestionably the most effective healthcare reformer we've had so far. In her 70s she worked single-mindedly to give us the state and city public health systems that we needed. In 1959, the State of Colorado placed a statue of Dr. Florence Sabin in National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol.
Palindromes
Gnu dung.
Goddamn mad dog!
Egad! No bondage?
Murder in the Rockies
Actually Murder in the Rockies is not a palindrome, but it is a good read.
As his first case after graduating from an east coast law school, Andrew Coyle travels west to defend a rancher accused of murdering a miner. Public opinion and all the circumstantial evidence are against the accused and his tenderfoot lawyer.
Comments
Please leave your comments, questions, or suggestions in the questions section.
April 2, 2015
Thoughts and Opinions
This week's fun and games
Quotes
I rant, therefore I am.~ Dennis Miller
I blog, therefore I think I am ~ G. Eldon Smith
Quiz
Colorado related questions and answers, but anyone can play. Multiple choice, you have a one out of three chance of being right - 30%. Better than winning the lottery.
1. What famous rabbit was born and lived Denver?
a. Oswald
b. Bugs Bunny
c. Harvey
2. Who is Colorado's most famous woman swimmer?
a. Esther Williams
b. Missy Franklin
c. Lindsey Vonn
3. What is Colorado's designated State Animal?
a. Big Horn Sheep
b. Mountain Goat
c. Denver Bronco
4.. Who is the Governor of Colorado?
a. Governor Ben Looney
b. Governor Mark Hickey
c, Governor John Hickenlooper
5. Which three state boundaries all touch together with Colorado's border at the point called the
Four Corners?
a. Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico
b, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Kansas
c. California, Texas, and Oklahoma
Riddles
1. Take off my skin - I won't cry, but you will! What am I?
2. A beggar's brother died, but the man who died had no brother. How can this be?
3. What letter comes next in this sequence? M, A, M, J, J, A, S, O, ____
Answers to the Quiz
1. c. Harvey the six foot tall, invisible rabbit was created by Denverite, Mary Chase. Elwood P. Dowd, the only person to ever see Harvey, also lived in Denver.
2. b. Olympian Missy Franklin grew up in Centennial, Colorado where her parents still live.
3. a. Although Big Horn Sheep and Mountain Goats both live in the mountains of Colorado, only the Big Horn Sheep is the official state animal.
4. c. Governor John Hickenlooper is known for his comical, non-negative campaign ads.
5. a. A person with big feet can theoretically stand in four states at the same time.
Answers to the Riddles
1. An onion
2. The beggar was the dead man's sister
3. N. The letters represent the first letter of the months starting with March. After N for November is D
for December.
Palindromes
Evil, a sin, is alive.
Never odd or even
Never odd or even.Comments
Quotes
I rant, therefore I am.~ Dennis Miller
I blog, therefore I think I am ~ G. Eldon Smith
Quiz
Colorado related questions and answers, but anyone can play. Multiple choice, you have a one out of three chance of being right - 30%. Better than winning the lottery.
1. What famous rabbit was born and lived Denver?
a. Oswald
b. Bugs Bunny
c. Harvey
2. Who is Colorado's most famous woman swimmer?
a. Esther Williams
b. Missy Franklin
c. Lindsey Vonn
3. What is Colorado's designated State Animal?
a. Big Horn Sheep
b. Mountain Goat
c. Denver Bronco
4.. Who is the Governor of Colorado?
a. Governor Ben Looney
b. Governor Mark Hickey
c, Governor John Hickenlooper
5. Which three state boundaries all touch together with Colorado's border at the point called the
Four Corners?
a. Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico
b, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Kansas
c. California, Texas, and Oklahoma
Riddles
1. Take off my skin - I won't cry, but you will! What am I?
2. A beggar's brother died, but the man who died had no brother. How can this be?
3. What letter comes next in this sequence? M, A, M, J, J, A, S, O, ____
Answers to the Quiz
1. c. Harvey the six foot tall, invisible rabbit was created by Denverite, Mary Chase. Elwood P. Dowd, the only person to ever see Harvey, also lived in Denver.
2. b. Olympian Missy Franklin grew up in Centennial, Colorado where her parents still live.
3. a. Although Big Horn Sheep and Mountain Goats both live in the mountains of Colorado, only the Big Horn Sheep is the official state animal.
4. c. Governor John Hickenlooper is known for his comical, non-negative campaign ads.
5. a. A person with big feet can theoretically stand in four states at the same time.
Answers to the Riddles
1. An onion
2. The beggar was the dead man's sister
3. N. The letters represent the first letter of the months starting with March. After N for November is D
for December.
Palindromes
Evil, a sin, is alive.
Never odd or even
Never odd or even.Comments
March 22, 2015
Thoughts and Opinions
Quote
Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. ~ Mark Twain
Health is not valued till sickness comes. ~Thomas Fuller
Palindrome
Acrobats stab orca
.Women Skiers
In World Cup Skiing two woman skiers from Vail, Colorado have done it again. Lindsey Vonn won the downhill championship and the super-G for the most overall points for those two events in this year's World Cup tour. Mikaela Shiffrin, 20, won the slolom championship for the third year in a row.
A big Congratulations to both, Mikaela and Lind!
Colorado Characters
Woman physician who made a difference
Justina Ford followed her Practical Nurse Mother, Malisia Warren, around when she was making home visits in the neighborhood. From that experience Justina decided she wanted to be a doctor. Her family helped and supported her financially while she went to Chicago’s Hering Medical College.
Justina married the Rev. Dr. John Elijah Ford in 1892 while still in school. When he got the call to go to Denver's Zion Baptist Church in 1900 she followed him to Denver two years later.
As a woman and an African-American she was denied a medical license. When she did obtain a license, her patients were not accepted in hospitals. She was denied membership in the Denver Medical Society, the Colorado Medical Society, and the American Medical Association. As a result she treated her patients in her home office or their homes. In 1910, 1920, and 1930, census records indicate she was the only African-American and the only woman physician in Denver.
Over the years, Dr. Ford estimated: 7,000 babies she delivered , and countless other patients seen and treated. She was known as a good-hearted woman who never pressed for payments, and often bought food and coal for those who needed it.
In 1950 she was invited to join the Colorado Medical Society. At age 81, "Denver's Baby Doctor" died in 1952. After years of rejecting her application for membership, the Colorado Medical Society in 1989 declared Dr. Ford to be one of Colorado's medical pioneers.
Riddle
I'm where yesterday follows today, and tomorrow's in the middle. What am I?
Popular mystery novelist
Having stepped over the line into geezerdom a while ago (I don't remember how many years) I can appreciate Mike Befeler's geezer mystery series.
Mike Befeler writes the humorous Paul Jacobson "Geezer Lit" mystery series featuring an octogenarian protagonist with short-term memory loss. The series includes: Retirement Homes Are Murder, Living With Your Kids Is Murder, Senior Moments Are Murder, Cruising in Your Eighties Is Murder, Care Homes Are Murder and Nursing Homes Are Murder.
His latest book is Mystery of the Dinner Playhouse, with a whole new cast of characters. Mike has another mystery coming out in September, titled, Murder on the Switzerland Trail.
A Sunday excursion in the mountains above Boulder, Colorado, in 1919 leads to murder as intertwined lives play out a mystery on the Switzerland Trail railroad. Policeman Harry McBride must figure out who the murderer is before the train reaches the Boulder station on the return trip.
Mike's novels can be found on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. They can also be ordered from the publisher, Five Star.
Riddle Answer
the Dictionary
Comments
We would like to hear from you. Comments or questions about the blog or about Murder in the Rockies leave them in the "Comments" box below or the "Contact Us" section in the menu above.
Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. ~ Mark Twain
Health is not valued till sickness comes. ~Thomas Fuller
Palindrome
Acrobats stab orca
.Women Skiers
In World Cup Skiing two woman skiers from Vail, Colorado have done it again. Lindsey Vonn won the downhill championship and the super-G for the most overall points for those two events in this year's World Cup tour. Mikaela Shiffrin, 20, won the slolom championship for the third year in a row.
A big Congratulations to both, Mikaela and Lind!
Colorado Characters
Woman physician who made a difference
Justina Ford followed her Practical Nurse Mother, Malisia Warren, around when she was making home visits in the neighborhood. From that experience Justina decided she wanted to be a doctor. Her family helped and supported her financially while she went to Chicago’s Hering Medical College.
Justina married the Rev. Dr. John Elijah Ford in 1892 while still in school. When he got the call to go to Denver's Zion Baptist Church in 1900 she followed him to Denver two years later.
As a woman and an African-American she was denied a medical license. When she did obtain a license, her patients were not accepted in hospitals. She was denied membership in the Denver Medical Society, the Colorado Medical Society, and the American Medical Association. As a result she treated her patients in her home office or their homes. In 1910, 1920, and 1930, census records indicate she was the only African-American and the only woman physician in Denver.
Over the years, Dr. Ford estimated: 7,000 babies she delivered , and countless other patients seen and treated. She was known as a good-hearted woman who never pressed for payments, and often bought food and coal for those who needed it.
In 1950 she was invited to join the Colorado Medical Society. At age 81, "Denver's Baby Doctor" died in 1952. After years of rejecting her application for membership, the Colorado Medical Society in 1989 declared Dr. Ford to be one of Colorado's medical pioneers.
Riddle
I'm where yesterday follows today, and tomorrow's in the middle. What am I?
Popular mystery novelist
Having stepped over the line into geezerdom a while ago (I don't remember how many years) I can appreciate Mike Befeler's geezer mystery series.
Mike Befeler writes the humorous Paul Jacobson "Geezer Lit" mystery series featuring an octogenarian protagonist with short-term memory loss. The series includes: Retirement Homes Are Murder, Living With Your Kids Is Murder, Senior Moments Are Murder, Cruising in Your Eighties Is Murder, Care Homes Are Murder and Nursing Homes Are Murder.
His latest book is Mystery of the Dinner Playhouse, with a whole new cast of characters. Mike has another mystery coming out in September, titled, Murder on the Switzerland Trail.
A Sunday excursion in the mountains above Boulder, Colorado, in 1919 leads to murder as intertwined lives play out a mystery on the Switzerland Trail railroad. Policeman Harry McBride must figure out who the murderer is before the train reaches the Boulder station on the return trip.
Mike's novels can be found on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. They can also be ordered from the publisher, Five Star.
Riddle Answer
the Dictionary
Comments
We would like to hear from you. Comments or questions about the blog or about Murder in the Rockies leave them in the "Comments" box below or the "Contact Us" section in the menu above.
March 21, 2015
Thoughts and Opinions
Mobile Options
Header Images
PREVIEW:
G. Eldon Smith, Author
Like us on facebook
Home
About the Author
Books
Excerpts
Contact Us
Weekly Blog
03/15/2015
0 Comments
Quote
If God did not intend for us to eat animals, then why did he make them out of meat? ~John Cleese
Not eating meat is a decision, eating meat is an instinct. ~Denis Leary
Colorado Characters
At my Alma Mater, the University of Colorado, the campus cafeteria is named the Alfred Packard Memorial Cafeteria.
In late 1873, Alfred Packer and a group of 20 other prospectors left Bingham Canyon, Utah and headed east, intent on going prospecting in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. They only made it to Chief Ouray's camp in the vicinity of what is now Montrose and Delta, Colorado. It was an extremely severe winter and the Ute Indians urged the party of prospectors not to go into the mountains.
Five of the men had gold fever so bad they just couldn't wait. Their plan was to hire Alfred Packer as their guide and go to the Los Piños Indian Agency on Cochetopa Creek The mountain passes were treacherous, the avalanche danger was high and, in places, there could be enough snowfall to simply bury the men.
February 9, 1874, Alferd Packer, Israel Swan, James Humphrey, Wilson Bell, Frank Miller, and George Noon ventured into the San Juan Mountains from Chief Ouray's camp. In the best of times it was a 75-mile trip but they started out thinking it was only 40 miles and they carried only 10-days supply of food (according to one of Packer's versions of the story). They found themselves trapped in snow up to their shoulders with more snow accumulating. If only they'd gone left instead of right, and descended the Lake Fork instead of ascending it... but Packer was their guide.
Only one man emerged on the other side of the mountains that next April. Packer staggered another 50 miles to the Los Piños Indian Agency, arriving there on April 16, 1874, but he was looking pretty healthy for someone who said he'd been struggling through heavy snow for ten weeks.
Packer was tried and convicted of murdering the other five members of his party. In several conflicting versions of his story, he was away from camp,gathering wood, looking for game, etc, and each time when he returned the survivors were sitting around the campfire eating parts of the most recent victim. What could he do but join in? Finally it came down to Wilson Bell and Packer. Bell decided to finish off Packer, but in the ensuing fight Packer killed Bell.
The judge said, "I sentence you to hang by the neck until you die, die, die. There was only seven democrats in Hinsdale county and you killed five of them." Through legal wrangling, Packer was convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter and was sent to jail. After a few years he was paroled, and died of natural causes in Denver in 1907.
bon appétit
Murder in the Rockies
The fictional tale of Murder in the Rockies has some violence, but it is all off-scene and is not as grisly as the real life story of Alfred Packer. In fact, Murder in the Rockies is a borderline "cozy mystery." Check it out and see if you agree.
Comments
Please leave your questions and comments in the "Comments" section below.
Header Images
PREVIEW:
G. Eldon Smith, Author
Like us on facebook
Home
About the Author
Books
Excerpts
Contact Us
Weekly Blog
03/15/2015
0 Comments
Quote
If God did not intend for us to eat animals, then why did he make them out of meat? ~John Cleese
Not eating meat is a decision, eating meat is an instinct. ~Denis Leary
Colorado Characters
At my Alma Mater, the University of Colorado, the campus cafeteria is named the Alfred Packard Memorial Cafeteria.
In late 1873, Alfred Packer and a group of 20 other prospectors left Bingham Canyon, Utah and headed east, intent on going prospecting in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. They only made it to Chief Ouray's camp in the vicinity of what is now Montrose and Delta, Colorado. It was an extremely severe winter and the Ute Indians urged the party of prospectors not to go into the mountains.
Five of the men had gold fever so bad they just couldn't wait. Their plan was to hire Alfred Packer as their guide and go to the Los Piños Indian Agency on Cochetopa Creek The mountain passes were treacherous, the avalanche danger was high and, in places, there could be enough snowfall to simply bury the men.
February 9, 1874, Alferd Packer, Israel Swan, James Humphrey, Wilson Bell, Frank Miller, and George Noon ventured into the San Juan Mountains from Chief Ouray's camp. In the best of times it was a 75-mile trip but they started out thinking it was only 40 miles and they carried only 10-days supply of food (according to one of Packer's versions of the story). They found themselves trapped in snow up to their shoulders with more snow accumulating. If only they'd gone left instead of right, and descended the Lake Fork instead of ascending it... but Packer was their guide.
Only one man emerged on the other side of the mountains that next April. Packer staggered another 50 miles to the Los Piños Indian Agency, arriving there on April 16, 1874, but he was looking pretty healthy for someone who said he'd been struggling through heavy snow for ten weeks.
Packer was tried and convicted of murdering the other five members of his party. In several conflicting versions of his story, he was away from camp,gathering wood, looking for game, etc, and each time when he returned the survivors were sitting around the campfire eating parts of the most recent victim. What could he do but join in? Finally it came down to Wilson Bell and Packer. Bell decided to finish off Packer, but in the ensuing fight Packer killed Bell.
The judge said, "I sentence you to hang by the neck until you die, die, die. There was only seven democrats in Hinsdale county and you killed five of them." Through legal wrangling, Packer was convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter and was sent to jail. After a few years he was paroled, and died of natural causes in Denver in 1907.
bon appétit
Murder in the Rockies
The fictional tale of Murder in the Rockies has some violence, but it is all off-scene and is not as grisly as the real life story of Alfred Packer. In fact, Murder in the Rockies is a borderline "cozy mystery." Check it out and see if you agree.
Comments
Please leave your questions and comments in the "Comments" section below.
February 21, 2015
Thoughts and Opinions
Quotes
We would like to live as we once lived, but history will not permit it. ~ John F. Kennedy
History doesn't look like history when we live though it. ~ John W. Gardner
Murder in the Rockies
History of Colorado and the tale of Murder in the Rockies are intertwined as the characters Horace Tabor (historical) and Andrew Coyle (fictional) or Mattie Silks (historical) and Sarah Meyer (fictional) are intertwined. Actual events of history make a good fictional story. Denver in 1893 makes a colorful and exciting setting.
Writer's Block
Writer's Block is a psychological condition in which the writer thinks they have no new ideas. To those who have experienced it, it is very real and has a tendency to grow on itself; each hour and day of paralysis feeding the inactivity of the time that follows. The causes and degree of writers block vary from person to person.
Some examples of causes:
* Bad reviews or lack of sales of previous work
* Lack of focus, too many distractions
* More important things need to be done, that can't be put off (mowing the lawn)
* Technical problems in getting words on the paper. If you write with a
computer, and who doesn't, you know the frustration when you can't set
the margins or set the line spacing and how it curbs your desire to write.
* You have put the protagonist of your story in a hopeless situation that you can't find
a way out of
Suggestions for cures:
# First in most lists of suggested cures is to establish a schedule of hours devoted
to writing and stick to it
# Write or scribble an outline, no matter how sketchy, to know where you are going
Do more research than you think you will need in advance
# Use picture prompts, magazines, calendar pictures etc. and make up a short
paragraph story about what is happening in the picture
# Work with a writing partner. Most people do better when someone is expecting
results from them. Keep the other person on track without pressuring them
# Examine your writing space. Are there distractions that can be moved or removed?
Is it possible to find another place with fewer distractions?
# Think about a time when you were successful in writing, an essay in school,
a report at work, etc. Write a short paragraph about how you felt. Rekindle the
reason why you have to write
New novel just out
Susanne Freeman has just published a novel about Southwest Colorado and Denver in the 1890s called Any Train to Somewhere. Historically accurate and intriguing mystery. http://www.amazon.com/Any-Train-Somew...
We would like to live as we once lived, but history will not permit it. ~ John F. Kennedy
History doesn't look like history when we live though it. ~ John W. Gardner
Murder in the Rockies
History of Colorado and the tale of Murder in the Rockies are intertwined as the characters Horace Tabor (historical) and Andrew Coyle (fictional) or Mattie Silks (historical) and Sarah Meyer (fictional) are intertwined. Actual events of history make a good fictional story. Denver in 1893 makes a colorful and exciting setting.
Writer's Block
Writer's Block is a psychological condition in which the writer thinks they have no new ideas. To those who have experienced it, it is very real and has a tendency to grow on itself; each hour and day of paralysis feeding the inactivity of the time that follows. The causes and degree of writers block vary from person to person.
Some examples of causes:
* Bad reviews or lack of sales of previous work
* Lack of focus, too many distractions
* More important things need to be done, that can't be put off (mowing the lawn)
* Technical problems in getting words on the paper. If you write with a
computer, and who doesn't, you know the frustration when you can't set
the margins or set the line spacing and how it curbs your desire to write.
* You have put the protagonist of your story in a hopeless situation that you can't find
a way out of
Suggestions for cures:
# First in most lists of suggested cures is to establish a schedule of hours devoted
to writing and stick to it
# Write or scribble an outline, no matter how sketchy, to know where you are going
Do more research than you think you will need in advance
# Use picture prompts, magazines, calendar pictures etc. and make up a short
paragraph story about what is happening in the picture
# Work with a writing partner. Most people do better when someone is expecting
results from them. Keep the other person on track without pressuring them
# Examine your writing space. Are there distractions that can be moved or removed?
Is it possible to find another place with fewer distractions?
# Think about a time when you were successful in writing, an essay in school,
a report at work, etc. Write a short paragraph about how you felt. Rekindle the
reason why you have to write
New novel just out
Susanne Freeman has just published a novel about Southwest Colorado and Denver in the 1890s called Any Train to Somewhere. Historically accurate and intriguing mystery. http://www.amazon.com/Any-Train-Somew...
February 15, 2015
Thoughts and Opinions
02/15/2015
0 Comments
Quotes
Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts. ~ Dan Gable
Presidential Quiz (In honor of Presidents' Day)
1. Who was the tallest President? Who was the shortest?
2. Which Presidents were assassinated while in office?
3. Which was the oldest President at his inauguration ?
4. Who was the first president inaugurated in Washington, D. C.
(Answers below)
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
Mikaela Shifferin won the Womans' Slalom at Beaver Creek, Colorado, and she is only 19 years old. She won in front of her hometown crowd of family and friends.
A Gold Medal was won by Todd Ligety of Park City, Utah in the Men's Giant Slalom. It was the first Gold Medal for the U.S. in this World Championships and set off thunderous applause from the crowd.
Lindsey Vonn won a bronze medal in the Super G, finished fifth in the downhill, her specialty, and finished fourteenth in the slalom. Vonn lives in Vail-Beaver Creek, but did not feel any hometown pressure. She said, "Even though I didn't get as many medals as everyone expected me to, I am still happy with my performance."
We have no word on Bode Miller's condition after his accident in the downhill.
Colorado History
If Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shifferin are among the best of Colorado woman, perhaps one of the worst was Mattie Silks. She was born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania in 1846. She became one of the most famous Madams in the west, having brothel's in Dodge City, Kansas and Denver, Colorado, where demand for women was high due to the Colorado gold rushes.
Silks moved from Kansas to Georgetown, Colorado. From there she opened a brothel in Denver which she expanded to about half a dozen brothels at the same time. Nobody is exactly sure which brothels were hers, but she was a smart business woman and owned multiple "houses."
In 1877 to 1897 her brothel was the most successful in Denver. In 1898, Madam Jennie Rogers opened the House of Mirrors in Denver, and quickly became more successful than any of the competition. Jennie Rogers died in 1909, after which Silks purchased the House of Mirrors for $14,000. She continued to work as a madam, traveled, and invested in real estate, making her a very wealthy woman.
She died in 1929 from complications due to a fall. Very few people attended her funeral. She was buried, under the name Martha Ready, beside Cortez Thomson, her longtime lover, in block 12-lot 31, of Fairmount Cemetery.
Answers
1. The tallest president was Lincoln at 6'4"; Madison at 5'4" was the shortest.
2. Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy were assassinated in office.
3. At 69, Reagan was the oldest at his inauguration.
4. Thomas Jefferson was the first president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C.
0 Comments
Quotes
Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts. ~ Dan Gable
Presidential Quiz (In honor of Presidents' Day)
1. Who was the tallest President? Who was the shortest?
2. Which Presidents were assassinated while in office?
3. Which was the oldest President at his inauguration ?
4. Who was the first president inaugurated in Washington, D. C.
(Answers below)
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
Mikaela Shifferin won the Womans' Slalom at Beaver Creek, Colorado, and she is only 19 years old. She won in front of her hometown crowd of family and friends.
A Gold Medal was won by Todd Ligety of Park City, Utah in the Men's Giant Slalom. It was the first Gold Medal for the U.S. in this World Championships and set off thunderous applause from the crowd.
Lindsey Vonn won a bronze medal in the Super G, finished fifth in the downhill, her specialty, and finished fourteenth in the slalom. Vonn lives in Vail-Beaver Creek, but did not feel any hometown pressure. She said, "Even though I didn't get as many medals as everyone expected me to, I am still happy with my performance."
We have no word on Bode Miller's condition after his accident in the downhill.
Colorado History
If Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shifferin are among the best of Colorado woman, perhaps one of the worst was Mattie Silks. She was born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania in 1846. She became one of the most famous Madams in the west, having brothel's in Dodge City, Kansas and Denver, Colorado, where demand for women was high due to the Colorado gold rushes.
Silks moved from Kansas to Georgetown, Colorado. From there she opened a brothel in Denver which she expanded to about half a dozen brothels at the same time. Nobody is exactly sure which brothels were hers, but she was a smart business woman and owned multiple "houses."
In 1877 to 1897 her brothel was the most successful in Denver. In 1898, Madam Jennie Rogers opened the House of Mirrors in Denver, and quickly became more successful than any of the competition. Jennie Rogers died in 1909, after which Silks purchased the House of Mirrors for $14,000. She continued to work as a madam, traveled, and invested in real estate, making her a very wealthy woman.
She died in 1929 from complications due to a fall. Very few people attended her funeral. She was buried, under the name Martha Ready, beside Cortez Thomson, her longtime lover, in block 12-lot 31, of Fairmount Cemetery.
Answers
1. The tallest president was Lincoln at 6'4"; Madison at 5'4" was the shortest.
2. Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy were assassinated in office.
3. At 69, Reagan was the oldest at his inauguration.
4. Thomas Jefferson was the first president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C.
My Thoughts
Insults with class
"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?" -Earnest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)
“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I app ...more
"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?" -Earnest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)
“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I app ...more
- G. Eldon Smith's profile
- 54 followers
