One of the things I love about winter is peppermint ice cream. I’m not a big fan of ice cream generally, but I do have a few favorite flavors—peach in the summer, peppermint in the winter, and rich chocolate any time. These days, I typically buy the low-fat versions, but […]
Continue readingTag Archives: Oregon
Wintering in Oregon: Using Research, Reality, and Imagination
The emigrants who traveled the Oregon Trail arrived in the Willamette Valley in late fall, or even after the first snowfall of winter. What did they do then? They were relieved the long journey was over, I’m sure, but how did they go about building a new life? Beginning with […]
Continue readingMaking a List and Checking It Twice
I’ve been making lists since long before I could write. When I was a toddler, my mother, brother and I spent a winter living with my maternal grandparents in Klamath Falls, Oregon. There’s a lot of snow in the winter in Klamath Falls. “Hat, coat, boots,” I announced to whichever […]
Continue readingFort Vancouver: Establishing Commercial Enterprise on the West Coast
I’ve written about Dr. John McLaughlin in an earlier post. Although British by birth, he was called the “Father of Oregon” because he helped so many American settlers who arrived via the Oregon Trail. He was able to help the Americans because he was chief factor of Fort Vancouver, which […]
Continue readingThe Times, They’re Not A-Changin’
For those of you who want an update on my writing about the Oregon Trail, I just started delving into the first draft of my second novel in that series. Writers recognize this as a very dangerous point—will I hate every page or will I think it is all wonderful? […]
Continue readingHaunting Book: Wild, by Cheryl Strayed
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed, is the only non-fiction book I’m reviewing in my haunting books this year. I almost didn’t review this book, because I was disgusted with the author throughout most of the time I was reading her memoir. But […]
Continue readingBarlow Road to Foster Farm: Civilization At Last
I’ve mentioned the grueling Barlow Road around the south slope of Mt. Hood before. Barlow Road was the last leg of the Oregon Trail for the emigrants who decided against floating down the Columbia River. The descent down Laurel Hill on Barlow Road past the summit, a 60 degree slope […]
Continue readingStepping Back To See the Big Picture: Exhibits at the National Archives
When I researched the 1840s for my Oregon Trail novels, I started with the big picture—the general route the emigrants took, their modes of transportation, what was going on in the East at the time, etc. Much of this research never made its way into my early drafts, but I […]
Continue readingFort Nez Perce to The Dalles: By Water or By Land?
In 1817, the North West Company established Fort Nez Perce where the Walla Walla River met the mighty Columbia. In 1821, that fur trading company merged with Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821, which then operated the fort. Fort Nez Perce remained active until 1857, when the U.S. Army built a […]
Continue readingHusbands, History, Trivia, and Corsets
My husband has always been a student of military and naval history. He spouts off bits of arcane knowledge – types of cannon, length of ships, dates of battles – which really don’t matter to anything or anyone (at least, they don’t matter to me). On our recent visit to […]
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