Writer On the Move, Part 2 by Diane Bator

 

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I have a lot in common with my main character, Laken, in All That Shimmers. 

No, I didn't find my ex-husband dead.

No, I'm not exactly a former model either.

I do love a good mystery AND I did leave my old life behind and trek across thousands of miles to start over.

Laken, however, didn't have two cats.

The cats definitely made the 5 day trip more interesting. First of all, there was our very first hotel stop in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The hotel was a bit creepy on the outside. And the kitties and I were on the second floor. No elevator. I got exercise. Everyone else in the hotel got entertainment.

We were fine until I checked in and went to get the kitties who were both secure in their carriers. Or so I thought.

Jazz was fine. Snug as a furry bug.

Ash, my 22 pound ball of fur, fell to the gravel when her carrier fell apart in my hands!

My skittish, fur baby proceeded to run UNDER my car and across the parking lot without me. I dropped everyhing and chased after her. Around two trucks that were parked - thank goodness no one else was checking in right then! - and found my girl sprawled on the gravel near the ditch SUNBATHING!! Of course she scrambled under cover of the nearest truck the second I stepped toward her. Try as I might. She refused to come out. Lucky for me there was a man nearby and I asked him to please keep an eye on her so I could get some treats. 

Back to the car. Put Jazz back inside for safety. Grab some treats and put the bits of carrier back into sort of one piece. Try to lure Ash who goes beneath the second truck. This time, I can reach her. I get on hands and knees in the gravel and pull her out. We're both dusty and have nasty rock bites, but she's wrapped in my arms. I unceremoniously plunk her back into the wobbly carrier and carry her up the stairs and halfway down the hall to our room before...It falls apart again! 

More entertainment for people coming and going from their rooms. Including the guy who checked me in who had no idea what to say when I asked where the nearest pet store was. I meant for a new carrier, but at that point...

Did I mention she weighs 22 pounds?

I leave the carrier in the hallway and carry my terrified cat down the hall and into our room where I lock her in the bathroom. Thankfully, the rest of the haul went smoothly! With both cats in the hotel room, fed, watered, and litterboxes ready, I searched online for a nearby pet supply store. Miraculously, one is 5 minutes away! I get the luxury model with extra screws and bolts to hold her in securely and plunk down $85. Ouch! But, it has one great feature Ash loves for the rest of the trip:  a sunroof! She can see everything and doze in the sunshine.

I should've picked up two. 

Jazz was jealous, owly, and wanted nothing more than to gouge my eyes out for the entire trip! Until we got to a hotel where he could come on the bed with me and cuddle. That seemed to help. At least until the next morning.

The trip wasn't all about cranky cats. I saw scenery that made me gasp and some amazing wildlife. A black bear, two moose, two sandhill cranes walking in the ditch, 2 coyotes, dozens of pronghorn antelope across the southern prairies, and a pair of hawks - male and female - out hunting. I truly felt blessed.

Happy to report the kitties are settled into our new home and somewhat contented.

Ash getting a back rub.

Jazz on the new couch.

  
Now that the nightmare is behind them, they're both back to soaking up the sunshine and fresh air and hogging my bed at night!

And I can get settled and back to writing.

Have a Happy Summer!

Diane Bator

https://dianebator.ca/

https://bwlpublishing.ca/bator-diane/

Road Trips

 

All my books are available at  http://www.bookswelove.com/baldwin-barbara/

            And we’re off. Whether everyone’s piled in the car or in a mobile RV; whether it’s just you, or you and a friend riding bikes or motorcycles, taking a road trip is one of the greatest adventures you can have. If you mapped out your trip beforehand, did you leave time for unexpected stops? Did you plan to specifically stop at tourist attractions along the way to your destination? Whatever you plan, DO NOT get in the car, buckle up and not stop until you get to your destination.

Lavender fields in Ontario, Canada

          

The very best road trips are those times you find unexpected treasures along the way. Sure, there are a whole lot of “The World’s Largest”…whatever. There are even towns that have very creatively turned themselves into a travel/tourist stop.

 One such place is Casey, Illinois, where throughout the town you will find the world’s largest golf tee, the world’s largest wind chimes, the world’s largest knitting needles (which actually work!), and the world’s largest rocking chair – all in one town!

            Yet the very best “finds” are sometimes “hidden in plain view”. Have you ever seen barn quilts while driving through the Midwest? What about a long, long row of fence with old cowboy boots upside-down on each of the fence posts? When we were kids traveling to grandma’s house in the summer, there were no interstates and we could find all sorts of things as we drove two lane highways. (Remember travel bingo?) Finding Burma Shave signs was always a great treat.

            

One of the most intriguing finds recently was during a drive from Niagara Falls, Canada to Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The highway was cut through rocky hills and suddenly we began seeing rock statues high along the tops of rock outcroppings. These weren’t carved out of rock, but were rather what looked like statues of people made out of rocks. We were seeing them from the ground and they were anywhere from a foot to more than eighteen inches tall.

Further research when we had the time and we discovered they were “Inukshuk”, used by the Inuit in the north as directional markers. They are in the shape of a person to signify safety, hope and friendship. These stone sculptures were important for navigation, as a marker for hunting grounds, or possibly to denote a food cache. And we found them totally by accident!

Once upon a time I took a trip across Missouri into Kentucky to eventually end up in Tennessee. I loved the estates I saw in Kentucky, given romantic names such as “Misty Farms”. Large brick homes with tall white columns across the front were surrounded by white wooden fence, and many had green pastures full of thoroughbred horses. On the interstate, I drove by a uniquely built barn; so unique I pulled off the interstate at the next exit, turned across the overpass and returned the opposite way to get another look at the structure. Going the proper speed, I missed it again. The second time I exited the interstate, I took a back road and found a piece of history – an old tobacco barn with open slats on the sides and a totally unique interior. At that moment, I decided the rest of my trip would be made on back roads and two lane highways. As a writer, road trips such as this are invaluable for everything from collecting strange and unique names to use in my writing, to imagining scenes as real life slides by the windows.

I’ve posted covers from two books this month – “Love in Disguise” and “Hold on to the Past” because both of these are about traveling. The first takes place along and aboard the first transcontinental railroad, and the second is about a trip on the Missouri River aboard the Steamboat Arabia. Both are great “road trip” stories of a different sort, full of mystery and romance and can easily be ordered at http://www.bookswelove.com/baldwin-barbara/.

Taking a road trip is something we can begin to do as we emerge from the pandemic because it doesn’t involve large groups of people in very public places. Fill up the car with gas, pack a lunch and head out along the back roads. Perhaps you’ll come across the fire-breathing dragon we did!

And whatever you do, don't just read the billboard about the Drive-Through Safari. Take that exit!

Barb Baldwin

http://www.authorsden.com/barbarajbaldwin

http://www.bookswelove.com/baldwin-barbara/