Katsu is a Japanese deep-fried cutlet. I make mine more like stir-fry, but I do use “Panko Flakes” which are Japanese style bread crumbs. These crumbs are very light and flaky, but larger flakes than store-bought American crumbs. They are more like crackers than bread.

Katsu is served over steamed white rice.

The secret to good katsu is two-fold:

• Milenese cut meat or chicken breasts pounded thin
• Katsu sauce

Katsu sauce is a vegetable and fruit sauce made from sugar, vinegar, apple puree, salt, tomato paste, prune paste, carrots and the old secret “spices.” I’ve never tried to make my own. This sauce is readily found in Asian stores. More and more frequently regular grocery stores are starting to carry it. The only brand I’ve ever seen in the US is “Bull-Dog.” It is also referred to as “Tonkatsu Sauce.”

To make one pound of Katsu: (Serves 3 to 4 people).

Prepare your steamed rice and any vegetable for the meal before you start the katsu cutlets.

Pour approximately one cup of panko style breadcrumbs on paper plate or waxed paper.
In large, flat bowl, beat one egg with 1/4 cup of water.

Dip the meat strips in the egg.

Place the strips, one at a time, on the breadcrumbs. Coat both sides carefully, pressing the crumbs lightly to help them stick.

Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a skillet and heat the oil.

Place the cutlets in the hot oil. You only want to turn these once so let the first side cook until the color of the top side starts to turn white. You can lift the cutlets to check the bottom, but try not to do it more than once.

It takes about five minutes for each side to cook, medium heat. If your cutlet is thick (1/2 inch) you will want to cover the pan while it is cooking. Milenese cuts or thinly pounded cuts cook fine without covering.

When both sides have browned, place on a clean paper plate to help drain any excess oil.

For a pound of meat, I use two skillets to cook all the cutlets at the same time.

For serving, cut the meat into strips and place on top of steamed rice. The katsu sauce can be served in a separate dish and used as a dipping sauce or you can make a nice design with the katsu sauce across the top of the cutlet.

To help keep tomatoes fresh longer, first rinse with cold water. After they have completely dried, microwave them for six seconds. If you microwave more than one at a time, make sure the tomatoes are not touching one another. If they touch, they will begin cooking. This microwave trick works for both freshly harvested or store-bought tomatoes.

Microwaving onions or tomatoes in this manner kills bacteria and helps preserve the vegetables longer.

Freezing Tomatoes

Freeze without Blanching
Freezing tomatoes is very easy. You can wash them, dry them and simply put them in freezer bags. When thawed, the skins fall off easily. If you use your tomatoes in stews or crockpot recipes, you must thaw the tomatoes and remove the skins before putting them in the pot.

To avoid having skins at thaw time, blanch the tomatoes first, then freeze.

Freeze after Blanching

Blanching tomatoes is simple. Place them in boiling water long enough for the skins to crack and peel away (2 to 5 minutes).

Boil water in a large pot. (Stock pots are great for this).
Using tongs, place tomatoes in the pot one at a time.
As you add tomatoes, make sure to spin the ones already in the pot so that the surface of each tomato is covered or subjected to the hot water.

When cracks begin to appear on the tomato skins, use the tongs to take the tomatoes out.

If the tops of your tomatoes have green shoulders, the green part of the tomato will not peel. Cut that part off AFTER you blanch them and before you put the tomatoes into freezer bags.

Drain and cool. The skins will peel away easily. You can chop the tomatoes at this time, or simply put them whole in freezer bags and freeze.

I like to freeze them in the quart-sized freezer bags. Each bag holds two to four more tomatoes that you would find in a 14 oz can of tomatoes. I do not squish the tomatoes into the bag; rather just press them comfortably together.

Having some of the tomatoes chopped in the freezer saves time later; however chopping them is messy (juice runs all over the place!) It is easier to chop them partially thawed just before use.

Green Tomatoes
Freezing tomatoes should work with green tomatoes also, but I have never tried. I’m not certain how well they would peel using either method. (Many people like to eat fried green tomatoes.) I do not think the green tomatoes would be very good for frying after being frozen, but they could be used in stews or sauces.

1. Miss Snark’s blog Excellent, excellent website to study! Learn about the publishing industry from a real agent–how to get an agent, how to lose any chance of getting an agent, publishing etiquette, biggest mistakes, how to write a query letter and why it is so important, how to write hooks, synopsis’ and other inside industry techniques.Miss Snark no longer offers online, anonymous critiques, but past critiques are available in the archives and they are a gold-mine. You can read other people’s mistakes, and other people’s genius and learn from them.Miss Snark spent an enormous amount of time on this project. My hat is off to her!

 

2. Other agent blogs: Agent Kristin Nelson has a great blog. She sometimes posts cover letters that she likes, offers info on standard contracts and just has great all-around information about the publishing world.

   Janet Reid has one of my favorite blogs–with writer tips, query letter critiques, general ranting and raving, a lot of love for authors and books.

   Brillig Blog Joshua Bilmes doesn’t always talk agenting, but he does talk books and the industry. There’s gems to be found in these pages.

 

3. Hey there’s a dead guy – a blog that includes two or three writers, an editor, a publisher and an odd character or two. Each person does an article once a week. Lots of learning opportunities here. The blog authors are very good about answering questions in the comment trail.Here’s a particularly good post for all writers from the site.

 
 

4. Science Fiction Writers Association Scam Check Good site to check for info on agent backgrounds.
   • Related scam check blog Just a lot of common sense posts and commentary on things going on in the publishing world.

 

5. Fantasy and Paranomal author Holly Lisle: Archives have excellent writing tips and useful info from this published author.

 

6. Thriller and mystery author J.A. Konrath: writer tips; marketing your book tips, very informative author blog. Here’s a link to a download that is basically an e-book of his publishing experiences, tips, advice, etc: Konrath Ebook

 

7. Fantasy author Jim C. Hines has a lot of writer advice, writer angst, news of the industry and every Monday he does a great LOL cover–where he inserts a new title of choice on various covers.

 

8. www.Ralan.com great website that lists most of the short story speculative fiction markets

 

9. Writing tips–bad writing, bad habits, do’s and don’ts

 

10. Kirsch’s Guide to the Book Contract by Jonathan Kirsch.This should be required reading for any author. Even if you have an agent, this book will really help you understand how contracts work, how much you can expect to be paid and how “rights” work. A must read.

 

Now here’s a step on the wild side. Humus is a very common middle eastern food. It’s the equivalent of Mexican refried beans, only it seems to be eaten more generally as a dip–as an appetizer, cold. It’s also served as a side to kabobs, but even then it was served cold.

It’s quite good, very mild and certainly a bit off the beaten path here in the US!

You’ll need:
2 cans of Chick peas (12oz.)
2 cloves of Garlic
Tahini sauce (made from sesame seed and sold in many supermarkets in the foreign food section or at Fiesta or a store called “Phoenicia”)
2 lemons
Food processor or a Blender

Drain the juice from the chick peas, but save the juice.
Crush and mince the garlic.

Place the peas in the food processor
Add 2 tablespoons of Tahini sauce.
Add the juice from the lemon and the garlic.

Blend the mixture until it becomes a thick sauce.
Add a little leftover juice from the chickpeas and more Tahini sauce to customize the consistency and taste.

Serve on a plate with a sprig of parsley for decoration and a sprinkle of olive oil. Use bread, chips or nan to scoop up these delicious beans!

Recipe provided by Amer Habda, a native of Lebanon. He also has a fascinating trip report of his travels to Saudi Arabia.

Here’s a quick chart of chiles that I’ve grown in Texas and how they performed. My favorites are in bold.

Spanish rice varies greatly depending on the cook. I change mine around depending on ingredients I have on hand. In general, the main ingredients are as follows.

Using 2 Tablespoons of oil, stir fry until lightly toasted:

1 cup of uncooked white rice

add and sauté a bit longer:
1 diced medium onion
¼ cup of diced mild green chilies, such as anaheim or poblano or even green bell pepper

Add 2 and 1/4 cups of chicken broth (you can substitute 1 chicken bullion cube dissolved in 2 1/4 cups of water)
¼ cup tomato sauce
½ cup canned diced tomatoes with juice
½ tsp red chili powder
1 minced garlic clove

Cook covered over low heat until liquid is absorbed. I use a skillet and it takes about thirty minutes. If you use a rice cooker, it burns on the bottom because the rice cooker tends to burn the tomato sauce.

Vary the spices to your taste. My mother doesn’t bother to stir fry the rice ahead of time and it turns out just fine, but if you wonder why it doesn’t taste like restaurant Spanish rice, it is likely the toasting. Toasting imparts an almost nutty flavor to the rice. When toasting (sautéing in oil or vegetable oil) let the white rice uniformly change color to a dark brown. This means that you must stir it almost constantly while browning.

For a slightly different taste, mince 1 to 2 tsp of cilantro and add when you turn off the rice. Let it sit covered for at least 5 minutes and then stir in. It will steam slightly and infuse the rice with a citris flavor.

Here is a list of the various types of tomatoes I’ve tried growing in Texas along with how each tomato performed. For a general overview and when to plant read Tomatoes in Texas.

Pests
Tomatoes are bothered by spider mites, leaf hoppers, tomato horn worms and a few other nasty bugs, but most are readily controlled by neem oil. If you don’t want to buy neem oil,  try insecticidal soap–two to three tablespoons of liquid hand-washing soap (such as Dial) per gallon of water. Do NOT use laundry soap or dishwashing soap. Use a very mild hand or body soap. Spray during cool parts of the day. If you’re spraying daily, rinse the plants with plain water every few days.

For horn worms, there’s a specific spray that affects only the worms–BT Worm Killer. It works because the bateria cultures in the spray are eaten by the worm and then the worm stops eating. Check at any gardening store for this product.

I tried not to fertilize, hoping to be “organic,” but no luck. It took me a few years to build up a large enough soil base to even grow decent roots. I typically fertilized with a Miracle Grow for Tomatoes to make sure and get the magnesium. I used Epsom salts at planting time to help enhance that necessity in the soil.

Use a good mulch two or three times a year (I work mulch in during the winter months on any part of the garden I’m not actually using.)

I had fearsome slug problems in Houston. The slug bait works well—but it kills birds. I had several dead baby birds (they tend to be feeding on the ground during their “learning to fly” stage.) They eat the bait because the poison is hidden in grain.

Best solution is to put the slug bait in a plastic bottle (soda type bottle). Put the lid on, and cut a hole (slug door) in the side of the bottle about half way down. Bury the bottle up to the slug door. The slugs will crawl in and eat the bait. The birds will not.

Dispose of the whole bottle when a few slugs have made it their graveyard.

Note: Beer does not kill slugs. They are attracted to the beer, and they probably drink it. They also swim around in it and out the other side because I’ve watched them do this. A deeper container just seemed to make their stay last longer. I never actually saw any of them drown.

Second Note: Don’t use salt. It does kill slugs, but it ruins the soil for all other things you are trying to grow. Slugs weren’t much of a problem in the hill country, but I haven’t tried growing strawberries yet, a favorite food of slugs!

I’ve also had infestations of thripes—Sevin dust seems to work well but below I’ve described a few things that I tried that also worked. Some of them were more work to apply. Lots more work in some cases.

Update 2009:  I’m going with the neem oil this year.  I’m using it for spider mites anyway and it does seem to work on thripes.  I’ve also put off planting chile plants for the second year in a row–thripes thrive on them and I’m hoping that if I take a couple of years off maybe I can get the bug numbers down enough to make a difference.  The sevin last year did seem to help a lot, but this year, I don’t think I need it–at least not yet.  So far the neem seems to be doing the job so I’ll keep at it.

2008 updates:

Neem oil (or insecticidal soap instead of the neem oil)–Neither product is harmful to humans, fish, lizards or anything except bugs. Using the spray seemed to kill and discourage ants, thripes and aphids. I tried diatomaceous earth but it didn’t bother ants at all and killed little else except for maybe the aphids. It is tedious to use because you have to reapply after every rain and sometimes more often, depending on your watering methods. I used a basting brush to apply the diatomaceous earth on the undersides of leaves, but if your garden is large, this could be beyond tedious and frankly, I don’t think it killed enough to be worth the effort. Ants laughed and crawled right across the stuff and I saw no effect on thripes either. It may have killed some nightworms that were eating my tomato plant leaves

Most insecticidal sprays don’t get rid of thripes because they spend a lot of time down in the soil. The sprays will kill the ones out on the plant, but the majority are in hiding and they will just keep coming out and attacking when you aren’t looking, so you will have to spray once a week and early in the season to keep this bug from getting out of hand.

Bad Thripe Infestation—A malathion spray killed whatever it hit, but it wasn’t killing anything by the next day–more bugs were back and the population seemed to be growing rapidly. I finally settled on insecticidal soap for seven days in a row. I actually bought the Safer brand, but you can also use two to five tablespoons of liquid Dial in a gallon of water (I used that in Houston—the amount of soap depends on what you are trying to kill).

The soap killed everything on the plant on contact, but it took about 5 to 7 days before the number of bugs died down to zero. This product is generally pretty friendly to the environment, but can “burn” the plants if overused or if used during the hot part of the year. I try to get control of the bugs before the temperatures hit 90—after that I have to be very careful if I spray insecticides at all.

For the first two days, I was spraying first thing in the morning and again in the evening. The bugs were so bad that the blossoms were half eaten and none of the chiles were setting. By the third and fourth day I was spraying only in the evenings and most of the bugs were gone, but I could still see thripes hiding in the blossoms. By day seven, I was spotting no bugs and the chiles were setting rather than dropping off. Usually once the bug population is under control I don’t have too many problems.

Salsa “al fresco” can really add personality to a dish. I prefer it to those that come out of a jar.

1 clove minced garlic
1/4 to 1/2 medium sweet onion chopped very small or minced
16 oz diced grape tomatoes or four large Roma tomatoes
Minced fresh leaves from cilantro to taste (1 to 2 tsp)
Salt to taste (or use 1tsp lime juice for added flavor and to help the salsa keep longer!)
1 tsp sugar (if the tomatoes are very sweet, you can use less)
1 or 2 medium diced or minced jalapenos including some seeds–the more seeds the hotter it will be!
1/2 cup of diced mild chiles (poblano, Anaheim)

Mix all ingredients with spoon. For longer keeping add a tsp of lime juice and refrigerate for up to a week.

Options:
To give salsa more color and a sweeter chile flavor, add a quarter of a diced yellow or red bell pepper. Banana peppers are also good in fresh salsa.

The cream cheese in this dip brings out the best in avacados! The more traditional guacamole served in restaurants in Mexico is generally just made with garlic and salt.

In food processor:

1 clove garlic (you may want to mince this separately to avoid chunks)
4 oz cream cheese
2 avacados, peeled and pitted

Blend until smooth, add salt to taste (remember that when eaten with chips and salsa, less salt is required!)

Place in serving bowl and hollow out the middle. Spoon your favorite salsa into the middle. Serve with chips or crackers.

Pretend for a moment that you are going to be healthy…then make this version of a strawberry smoothie!

Put in blender:

2 cups fresh halved strawberries
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 peeled and sliced banana
6 to 7 scoops vanilla ice cream

Blend in blender until creamy and smooth. Serves four people (approximately 1 cup serving size).

Just think of all the vitamin C in those strawberries!!!!

Kindle has just released Catch an Honest Thief (A Haven Mystery) for download to Kindles, iPhone or iPOD touch. Also available at Smashwords.com in multiple formats including HTML, Sony Reader and .mobi.

New! Now Available at Barnes and Noble: Catch an Honest Thief

If you enjoy cozy mysteries, check it out:

An Indiana Jones-style caper across the desert of New Mexico; high-tech gadgets, a mystery and a romance.

Alexia is trying to protect the crystals that power the city of Haven. Going undercover and stealing the crystals seemed like a great idea–until a real thief showed up.

Bait and switch is suddenly cat and mouse–but who is the real thief? And why is the new security chief spending so much time looking into her background?

Confessing her secret plans to protect the crystals might help the security chief narrow in on the real culprit, but it would cost Alexia her job, her freedom, and her status. Of course, if she keeps standing in the way of the real thief, it will cost her a whole lot more.

Young adults may also enjoy this cozy mystery with a romantic subplot.

Pages: ~260 or 3900 locations (Kindle terminology, but it depends on the font chosen).
Price: On sale now for $1.99.

Excerpts available at Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes and Noble.

Many people helped with this project and I am very grateful for their advice and expertise. Who else but my husband could come up with a hobby as interesting as home coffee roasting? Besides, he is my best friend and my hero.

Many thanks for suggestions and encouragement from Renee, Holly, Paula, Don–your self-published book was an inspiration, Tom, Cousin John, Cathey,–and mom, who refused to be biased even though I told her she ought to be.

Amer, you’re a gentleman and a scholar. Marty, well, you’re just a font of useful information and wit.

Special thanks to Kay Mitchell and Michael Jecks; both wonderful authors. Meredith Blevins, J.A. Konrath, Janet Evanovich, Jim Hines, and Mark Van Name all took time out of their schedules to answer questions. If these authors are doing a book signing in your area, it’s worth a trip to meet them and the characters they write about!

Thanks to the entire team at the Cedar Park Public Library for scouring the countryside for books that I needed for research.

Any mistakes are my own. Many inspirations and eureka moments weren’t!

Maria E. Schneider

A few years ago, I decided I wanted to be a writer. I gathered up my computer, memory cards (because you definitely want to back this stuff up!), and dictionary.

It’s a slow journey, one with pitfalls, cliffs, boulders and every now and then a peaceful meadow with a clear brook. Surprisingly, the peaceful meadows aren’t publishing credits, they are just moments where I’m doing what I want to do, where the writing is clicking, where my characters are fascinating and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

I chose to name my website and blog something other than my name because I wanted it to be a place where people could find lots of things–all written, of course, but things other than just a book or two: recipes, travels, blogs, gardening and what have you.

All that said, here’s a few things I’ve accomplished so far:

Fiction

Executive Lunch was released for the Kindle and Smashwords in November 2009. It will shortly be released to B&N, Sony and other fine e-bookstores!

Sedona is given the opportunity of a lifetime: play an up-and-coming executive with all the trappings of wealth with someone else footing the bill. The catch: find out who is stealing company funds before the criminals find out that their program is being debugged.

Catch an Honest Thief (A Haven Mystery) was released for the Amazon Kindle, iPhone and iPod touch on August 8, 2009. Also available on Smashwords and B&N.

Who is the real thief? Alexia just wants to save the city of Haven, but that means going undercover and pretending to be a thief. Can she avoid being caught–by security–or worse, the real thieves??

Sage: Tales from a Magical Kingdom – Available on Amazon Kindle as of July 18, 2009.

Three tales from the kingdom of Sage, including: Toil, Trouble and Rot, which was first published by Coyote Wild, and two completely new tales, Dungeons and Decay and Call to Arms. Available at Smashwords.com in multiple formats including HTML, EPUB, Sony’s format, PDF and mobi. Also available at B&N

Short Stories

2010 — OverMyDeadBody has published Secrets in the Sand, a short story about…well, Secrets. In the Sand.

2009 — Over My Dead Body published Top Secret. This spy story will take you on a wild ride.

TBA – Aberrant Dreams has accepted Year of the Mountain Lion for publication in their online magazine. It will also be included in their year-end anthology.

2008 — One of my favorite stories–Toil, Trouble and Rot, a great little sword and sorcery story dealing with gardening and grandmothers–was published in June 2008 at Coyote Wild Magazine.

2008 — Around the Bend was published in Jan 2008 at Coyote Wild Magazine. A podcast version of Around the Bend is available from www.DuneSteef.com! This story is also available in an anthology over at www.AnthologyBuilder.com. You can purchase it here: Dragon Wings. You can purchase the anthology as is, or add/delete short stories before purchase.

2007 — Haunting Clues was published by www.TheTownDrunk.org on March 1, 2007. For anyone wanting a print copy, Haunting Clues is available over at www.AnthologyBuilder.com in the anthology Clues, Haunts and Mystical Madness. You can purchase the anthology as is or add/delete short stories before purchase. www.Clonepod.org has produced Haunting Clues in audio! Wrong World did a special release of Haunting Clues for their Halloween 2008 release!

December 2004, Palo Duro Vacation: Two Engineers and a Dad received honorable mention in the Writer Works contest.

2003 — Secrets in the Sand a short story mystery won fourth place in the Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition.

2003 — Soul of the Desert, a novel about an adopted child on the run, was short-listed by the Crime Writers’ Association for the Debut Dagger Competition (unpublished novel competition).

Non-Fiction:

My red and green chile recipes were published in “Chile Pepper Magazine” December 2004.

If you wish to view an excerpt, receive a synopsis or chapters from any of the works on my pages, please use the email link to request them!

This article is an essay of the trip down. For reservation/planning/hiking advice in the Grand Canyon, try here: Grand Canyon Planning.

Grand Canyon Trip, September 11, 2001

For two years I planned my second trip to hike the Grand Canyon. Along for the long walk: my husband; my cousin, John; brother-in-law, Jerry; his son and my nephew, Toby.

We all trained diligently and Toby being youngest at eighteen, was determined to be “first” to arrive at every location. My cousin, being foolish and old enough to know better, was determined to keep up.

We arrived at the North Rim on September 10th and hiked about the top of the rim, watching the haze from various wildfires color the canyon and change its voice. Standing at the top, it is hard to imagine hiking all the way to the bottom. It looks quite perilous and inhospitable, even impossible.

My husband and I hiked some of the short rim trails, stealing some time for ourselves. We talked about the first time we hiked the canyon, the wildfires and our current entourage. These quiet moments are precious to me; a time to reflect the mission at hand and a time to rest from the rigors of daily life.

Unfortunately, many of the other memories of this trip will always be overshadowed by what happened in the real world while we, unsuspecting, began hiking down the canyon on September 11. In retrospect, the canyon was remarkably quiet that day.

On our first trip here years ago, planes and various light craft flew overhead. On this day, nothing broke the silence of the canyon save a few other voices; our ham radios when we checked in with our relatives that ran far ahead of us, and the very occasional happy chattering of other hikers.

At Roaring Springs, five or so miles in, the waters still thundered into Bright Angel Creek and the caretaker’s dwelling offered a welcoming table, chairs and water. Cousin John, Nephew Toby and Jerry were waiting impatiently for our arrival so they could regale us with their adventures thus far and then scoot off into the next phase. Other hikers on their way back out from Cottonwood Camp warned us that it was a bumper year for rattlesnakes down by the creek.

The weather was warm as we started on the flatter part of the hike that winds alongside Bright Angel Creek. We found pictures we had not taken before and again appreciated the hugeness of the canyon and the overwhelming size of the boulders, mountains, cliffs and indelible features. The swallows that we had seen on our last trip were nowhere to be found this time around.

Ribbon Falls, a mile past Cottonwood Camp, was a wonderful respite. We met the boys and Jerry already trooping out of the area. My husband and I released our tired feet from our shoes and soaked our feet. The falls were a tad crowded this year as a group of seven or so women hiking together were swimming in the falls, but we enjoyed the rest.

About an hour past the falls, I had to stop and doctor some nasty blisters that had swelled. Most likely this injury occurred because I foolishly hadn’t dried my feet well enough. The moleskin protected the blisters well and though my feet weren’t entirely comfortable, I was able to continue on without any real trouble.

We reached Phantom Ranch perhaps an hour after the others in our party, and we jumped into Bright Angel Creek to soak away our various muscle ailments. It wasn’t long before news of the attack on the towers filtered through the camp.

Disbelieving at first, checks with the rangers proved that something indeed had occurred, although in the canyon getting news was slow. There is one pay phone and it was in constant use as people checked with their family members and tried to piece together a coherent story.

Ah, instead of getting away from it all, the world’s despair sent its fingers after us on the trail. Cousin John is a reserve in the Navy; with so little news and so few facts, he began to wonder if he should begin hiking back out immediately in order to be ready should he be called. News that National Parks were being closed left us wondering if we would be stuck in the canyon or worse, forced to hike out in one direction or another, possibly away from our parked car.

As the day passed, we shared news with other hikers. At dinner, the ranger read the latest news as it was understood at the time. More trips to the phone booth, more reassurances and more worry from those above.

The next day we wandered aimlessly before hiking to the Colorado River. The great carving machine is about a mile from Phantom and once there, we tried to enjoy the solitude. We knew that we would not have to walk back out of the canyon today, but when we did go, we were not certain we would be able to fly home. Planes, except for emergencies, were grounded.

On our way back to Phantom, with a storm brewing overhead, just such a flight emergency was underway and we were stopped on the trail. The ranger requested that we remain clear for several minutes and stop other hikers because a rescue helicopter was on its way.

Within moments, out of nowhere, a giant yellow bird edged around the canyon wall, filling empty space just above the trees, rushing ahead of the threatening rain. The chopper landed, but could not take off until the storm had subsided. When it did, we waited on the other end of the trail, watching it lift and curve in the narrow side canyon, cheating the walls of any victims. We never learned the fate of its passenger, but we assume that the talented rescuers made good on their mission.

Again in the evening more news was read by the ranger. The facts were looking even bleaker as the number of planes hijacked was confirmed. What had swelled as rumor from various phone contact became harder fact.

Cousin John was again consumed with frustrated energy, wanting to be somewhere, wanting to do something, wanting to help. None of us could imagine what was going on above the canyon. The ranger had an internet connection, but there were no televisions or radios for news purposes; we learned things slowly. As the facts trickled in, they were printed and posted in the canteen.

Though we hiked and relaxed throughout the next day, there was a taint in the air. The discussions surrounded the attack and what it all meant. There seemed to be little enough time for discussing college plans for Toby, future career plans for the rest of us, and never enough time for day dreaming. Always, there were the news checks to see if further developments had occurred.

Even as we began the journey back out on Friday, we did not know when we would be flying home. The last news we had heard was that commercial flights were still grounded. My husband and I hiked slower than ever, not wanting the vacation to end and not quite sure it had ever begun.

Cousin John and Nephew Toby did reach the top before the rest of us; Toby managed to save just enough energy to sprint ahead of Cousin John as the trailhead came into site, winning bragging rights for all time and probably a pulled hamstring to which he will never admit. Jerry was out next and the three of them showered and changed before my husband and I made it to the top.

Tired and disheveled, we were still essentially without news on the North side, but we slept peacefully in our cabins before heading back to the real world the next morning.

We all made our flights and had no real problems. Television sets showed the surreal destruction over and over and many days after returning, Jerry discovered that an old friend had been a passenger on one of the planes.

The Grand Canyon is one of the world’s most magnificent wonders and well worth the trip if you’re able to spend the time and energy planning, training and walking. It is arduous, and while it may not be possible to leave the world entirely behind, the depth and isolation are worth exploring. Plan well, travel safe and may the world not intrude on your adventure!

This article is an essay of the trip down: for reservation/planning/hiking advice in the Grand Canyon, try here: Grand Canyon Planning

Rim to Rim via North Kaibab & Bright Angel trails
May 22 – 24, 1996

A few years ago, my parents, my husband and family friend (Craig) hiked the Grand Canyon. I thought we would become part of the canyon and take a bit of it home forever.

From the moment we stepped from the shuttle to the North Rim, I knew it wasn’t to be.

The Canyon is too grand, too impersonal. The towering walls of the North rim mask any chance of becoming a part of the canyon even for a moment. Pictures cannot reproduce their distant, untouchable grandeur. The sights and smells do not belong to the rest of the world.

Even the deer we saw as we began our trek were uncaring of our presence. They ate as if they knew we were mere visitors and could not really touch them. Just as we could not move the deer, I could not touch the canyon.

The soaring walls loomed in front of us, behind us; on every side. I stopped to take pictures, to point out a certain rock, but my parents were already far ahead, my husband and his friend too far behind. I waited for them, but they had their own excitement, their own discoveries.

The first miles of the North Kaibab are not difficult, and I remember thinking that some of the dire instructions I had read were too grim. All advice warned that for hiking off the main trail, I should carry a compass, a mirror and tablets for purifying water. Off trail? Where? There was nothing but steep cliffs on either side! There wasn’t even enough brush to step to the side and answer nature’s call, never mind get lost.

As we descended, the pine trees that clung to tiny ledges were replaced by scrappy bushes hanging from scant soil, none of which could hide more than a rabbit. I found myself regretting that I did not know more about the flora. Even the giant asparagus-like plant that looked much like the New Mexico Century plant, or Agave, was alien.

The plants became increasingly desert-like as we hiked down. It had been a dry year in Arizona. We could see places where water had carved telltale marks, but this Spring, none ran. On the side of the canyon where we walked, damp rock fed a drying moss substance, but there were only two such spots that I saw.

The solitude of the North side was wonderful after the hectic, tourist-filled day we had spent on the South side. There were other hikers on the trail, but no more than ten or so.

Four miles into the canyon I began walking with my husband and his friend. We broke out snacks; we had left at six, too early to collect breakfast at the lodge. As the path crossed a water-carved white basin, we thought it a nice place to pitch a tent—except that it sloped downwards and if campers weren’t careful, they might slide right off the steep slope and down into the canyon!

As the day wakened and we passed flowering bushes, the locusts applauded; my husband doffed his hat. “Thank you, thank you.” Craig, our friend from Wisconsin, studied the ugly bugs; he had never seen a locust before.

Buildings came into sight way below us then and I thought surely it must be Cottonwood Camp. Soon, the breathtaking Roaring Springs made itself known and the rest of the descent to the buildings was spent taking pictures from every possible angle.

I identified Bright Angel Creek below, which the waterfall feeds. Happily I knew we were getting closer to succeeding, that much closer to Phantom Ranch. At Roaring Springs, my mother and father waited.

Outside the private residence area, we ate again. For me, it was the all-important moleskin stop. Before coming, I had seen the advice recommending moleskin. Not knowing what it was, I almost ignored it. I couldn’t find it in the camping section and had given up. Luckily, my mother found some in the “Dr. Sholl’s” section. I taped a bit wherever my feet were rubbed and sore and we continued on.

We stopped and ate again at Cottonwood camp, which is perhaps another mile. Now, before you picture five little piglets trooping to Phantom ranch… we were only eating small amounts! Besides, eating helps ensure that hikers drink enough water. I read that somewhere. :>)

Lizards abounded at Cottonwood camp, as did ants and very fat squirrels.

For a while we marched along Bright Angel together. I was very excited about reaching Ribbon Falls. Of all the places on the North hike I had read about, this one excited me the most. I love waterfalls and hadn’t expected Roaring Springs to really have viewable falls. Even though it did, I was still looking forward to this next one.

When we reached the trailhead for Ribbon Falls, we could barely distinguish the trail. Dad pointed out where it possibly led, but try as we might we could see no possible place for falls.

Dad said, “It’s been so dry, perhaps there are no falls right now.”

Never! I refused to accept defeat. I had hiked all this way and by golly, I was gonna look for some falls! (In addition to eating, I’m very good at being stubborn.)

Dad resolutely put down his pack and suggested I do the same. Due to living in Houston for several years, for the first 20 feet of the trail, I refused to leave my pack. Pictures of evil hikers running off with my pack filled my mind.

Dad shook his head. “People who come down here aren’t the type to be concerned with taking another hiker’s pack. Besides, they’d have to carry it all the way out.”

Fool am I. Who in their right mind would want to carry my pack out of the canyon? It was eight miles straight up to reach the North rim and still six before Phantom Ranch.

“Besides, if they need underwear that bad,” Dad continued as I placed my pack against a rock, “they can have mine.”

I left my pack. The others, thinking we were a bit crazy to head off into what was obviously nothing but desert dust, continued on the trail towards Phantom.

Dad and I had a bit of a false start when we almost went up the mountain, but we saw the trail just in time and went around a bluff and spotted a trickle of water. A few steps more behind a boulder, the falls came into view. I was so pleased! There it was, nestled behind the mountain, not more than a quarter mile or so off the trail. From closer up, I could see that climbing behind the falls was possible. This I did, with alacrity.

Then, much to my dismay, I discovered that I only had two pictures left in my camera. And where was the replacement film? You guessed it. Back in my lonely pack, waiting on the hillside.

“I must go back for it,” I insisted. “You can go on ahead. It’s not far back here, I’ll be in and out before you know it.”

But dad would hear none of it. Out we went, back in we traveled. I got my pictures and dad, well he got an extra mile walk out of it. But I had seen the falls.

My pleasure lasted until we reached the main trail. The falls had been a cool respite from the gathering heat. Dad is a fast hiker under ordinary circumstances; when he is trying to catch up to someone it is like being tied behind a vehicle going forty miles an hour. By the top of the first hill, he thought I was dying of heat stoke. Quite the contrary, it was lack of oxygen I was dying from, but it’s hard to explain that when you don’t have any.

We still hadn’t caught up to our party before I needed more moleskin and Gatorade. By this time, I had developed a special liking for Gatorade and had been wanting some for the better part of a mile. When we stopped, I nursed my feet, fed my thirst and on we went.

The valley was still heating up as the noonday sun reflected off the rocky slopes and cliff sides. I remember crossing stepping stones across a path that was almost hidden by cattails. There were other places where I think water should have been, but spring rains, if there had been any, had not been generous.

Dad looked constantly for animals up on the high slopes and reminded me to look backwards at the view we were leaving behind. The purple and green swallows that my husband had pointed out earlier were still with us, swooping around us whenever Bright Angel was close.

The walls closed in slowly. At first, they were mountains to one side, rock slides that were interesting but not near neighbors. Gradually, I began to wish for my black and white film as I knew we were entering the narrowest part of the trail. The water was loud now, not fading in and out. The canyon walls bounced the sound back to us.

Dad found a roll of film, not yet exposed. We assumed it belonged to someone in our party and sure enough, within minutes, Craig was coming back to look for it. Dad didn’t mention that he’d found it (fathers have a bizarre sense of humor) until Craig explained why he was trotting back along the trail. Then he handed him the film with a wide grin, and I knew that he had considered letting Craig walk back further a ways, just for the fun of it.

We caught up to the others and rested a while. Our legs were getting tired and very sore. Dad guessed we had at least three miles to go, a fact that mom wasn’t pleased to hear. I finished the color roll and put in black and white film to try and store an elusive memory of the sheer rock walls on either side of us. It was hopeless, because the rushing water wouldn’t be there, the cliffs in the picture wouldn’t breathe with the hot wind that pulsed through the canyon, the smell of dust wouldn’t be captured and, alas, nothing could capture their size.

I thought the canyon would be peaceful and quiet and in its own way it was. It had a voice, of course; it is the locusts, the river that drums its way through the canyon, the birds and the wind. But the loudest sound of all was my breathing. It filled my every step and kept me from listening to that which I could not grasp. I could not leave myself behind no matter how far I walked.

The box canyon faded as gradually as it appeared. The walls were not as high, then further apart. The greenery of the river life began to appear and I began to hope that we were near. I saw the sign for Phantom Ranch and for some reason the last mile was the longest.

Bright Angel Creek beckoned and I wanted to jump in clothes and all. Sadly, I hadn’t left behind my civilized behavior just yet. We showered and then, only then, did I get to soak my feet in the wonderful, cool waters. The water pounded the backs of my calves in a massage that no modern whirlpool could deliver. The fish, apparently, were hungry enough to nibble on our toes.

Dinner was too far away. We made it down fourteen miles by two o’clock, but alas, the stew was not ready until six-thirty! By the time it arrived we were too hungry to complain. Part of the plan I wonder?

As night fell, we sat outside our cabin and watched the bats. Tiny flittering creatures, they flew far overhead above the cottonwoods. As evening deepened, larger cousins came out. These furry friends were not shy! My husband and I were perhaps two feet apart and the bats flew between our heads, landed in the nearby grass to gather some morsel or other and remained close enough that we could hear their soft wings constantly.

Before we retired to bed, I unpacked one small item that was in none of the books of advice. I know that the canyon should be quiet and the wind should lull me to sleep. It should be peaceful beyond imagining, but ah, reality. My little earplugs shut out these sounds–but they also protected me from the snoring of my companions!

The second day we had a grand hike planned to Clear Creek. Our aching legs told us in no uncertain terms that a nine-mile hike one way, was not going to happen. Instead, we performed what we–ahem—fondly called the Kaibab Shuffle. This walk resembles the fluted Indian figure, Kokopelli, only without the flute and not quite so happy looking. We were all leaning funny and lifting our legs very, very carefully, never quite straightening them because our calves were too sore.

We limped to the Colorado. It was the greenest river I had ever seen. Across the west suspension bridge we ventured, spotting golden finches and hummingbirds on the shore. From the north side of the Colorado, the South Kaibab trail appears to be imaginary, a mistake on the map. The cliff along the south side of the water is sheer; boulders look like huge appendages. There can be no trail.

Once across the bridge, to the east I could see the beginning of the South Kaibab trail, and I almost wished it didn’t exist. The wind was still blowing and from this angle, the trail was not friendly. To the west was Bright Angel Trail, the one we would take out of the canyon tomorrow.

Rafts came down the Colorado and stopped just past the other, east-most suspension bridge. We eagerly waited on the South Kaibab trail for them to continue. Sadly, they were motored rafts. We longed to see people paddle, to struggle against the great current, and pit themselves against nature.

We spotted a cave buried along the north shore as we crossed the east suspension bridge. A set of footprints in the sand told us that we were not the first to attempt to reach the cave. But like our own footprints, they stopped before the entrance was reached. The cave is sheltered behind prickly trees and impossible rocks. Whatever lives there is safe from us.

The beach along the Colorado was new, created by the controlled flooding of a few weeks past.

The Indian ruins captured our attention next. They were small rooms and the Indians must have been short to fit, lying down. Perhaps they slept outside and only curled up inside during poor weather. Looking at the ruins I wondered if they ever reached the height of a real building. Did people really live there? Or was it just a campsite or a house begun but never finished?

There was a grave nearby, not of an Indian, but of a man who spent his life in the canyon. How could any human have touched the canyon enough to remain, even after death? Did he really belong here?

Dinner that night held its own surprise. While eating, I got to meet someone that I had long admired; the author of the “Unofficial Grand Canyon” web page. I received the best advice and the answers to my endless questions from this web page. The official Grand Canyon page was late and empty by comparison. There he sat, Bob and his wife, turning the dinner conversation to places yet unseen. He mentioned that I might try my hand at a trip report (author note: an older version of this trip is also posted on Bob’s website.)

Writing about the canyon is difficult. I cannot mimic its magic and even as we spoke of it, I could feel the memories slipping away.

The next morning, not yet very bright but very early, we struggled from warm beds into a blustering, threatening day. We stuffed as much breakfast as possible into five o’clock stomachs that were not ready for food.

I headed off alone. The others weren’t quite ready; packing the last of the food, or stretching stiff muscles. I wanted a color picture from the suspension bridge and with rain in the clouds above, I didn’t want to waste a moment.

I sang quietly, laughing at myself because I knew that within an hour, I wouldn’t have breath to hum a single note. Nevertheless, I entertained until I reached the edge of the bridge. At that point, the wind and beauty took all my attention.

Taking a picture to the east was impossible. Tiny raindrops threatened to spoil my lens for the rest of the day should I try it. I focused quickly west, took two shots and raced to the other side, hoping the sheer cliffs would save me from the wind.

I was not alone much longer; my mother and father caught me before I ventured much further. Dad took the lead and I followed with mom. Dad was already carrying both his pack and mom’s. My mother walked with her trusty walking stick, one my dad had found for her the day before.

Following the Colorado was exhilarating and a fitting good-bye to the end of our stay. As we turned south, away from it for the last time, I looked back. There is no salute to such a body of water; it cares not for our emotions. The water that cascades down was gone before I could say good-bye anyway.

My favorite book for Hawaii travel is: Hawaii The Big Island Revealed. Published by Wizard Publications and written by Andrew Doughty and Harriett Friedman. there are also other books in the series covering other islands.

Check Wizard Publications website for updates. This book covers activities including hiking, golf, swimming, kayaking, whale watching, etc. It rates places to stay and eat and we found it invaluable. This guide book is one of the best I’ve ever used for any vacation.

Hiking

We hiked Kilauea Ike, a three-mile hike on the Hilo side of the island that covers forest and crater floor. We started as the book recommended at the Kilauea Overlook. The whole time we hiked we wondered who the crazy people were that were down in the crater—not realizing we’d be joining them.

The floor of the crater creaks, smokes and wheezes in several spots. It’s a little spooky and felt like walking across the moon (not that I’ve had the opportunity to do that—yet!)

We took lunch and had a nice day of it.

Warning: It rains a lot on the Hilo side so you might need raincoats or other weather gear. During the other three days we were on this side of the island it rained often. On the day we hiked, the sun was out and we needed sunscreen once we were crossing the wide-open crater. The hike was a most excellent way to sample the volcanic flavor of Hawaii as well as get a taste of the rain forest.

There were no easily visible lava flows while we visited (darn), but we did drive to the end of Chain of Craters Road (20 mile descent to the sea). In the evenings and very early morning, we could see the hot, red reflection of lava in the clouds/steam above Pu’ u’ O’o crater. The roads through the Hawaii National Park are interesting and there are several things to stop and see along Chain of Craters Road. The mounds of lava that cover the end of the road is fascinating. The seaside is pretty spectacular also.

Best Place to get Macadamia Nuts

The coffee plantation we stopped at (Greenwell farms) had these nuts and they were fresher, better tasting and less expensive than buying them at the old Hilo Hatties tourist traps. I recommend a stop at one of the coffee plantations to obtain unroasted or roasted Kona coffee beans and macadamia nuts.

Other good places to get macadamia nuts are the bakeries listed in the guidebook, although the guidebook doesn’t mention that the bakeries might sell bags of these nuts. We got some excellent macadamia nuts at a bakery north of Hilo when we were coast driving.

Best Place to Eat around Hilo
Our favorite place to eat and the most reasonable turned out to be Lava Rock Internet Café. It’s not actually in Hilo, but rather Volcano Village close to Hawaii National Park on Old Volcano Road. Once we found this place, we returned several times.

We stayed in Volcano Village while in the area. There are a few choices, most of them very nice. We liked the property we stayed at (one of the Chalet Kilauea properties—Olena room) but it was around 100 dollars a night. We’d probably try their bed and breakfast listings on a return visit in the hopes of getting the price down.

Best Lava Tunnel

This was a great tunnel, but you do have to hike through the forest to get to it and reservations are required. While you can get a flavor for lava tubes by visiting Thurston Lava Tube inside the park, if you want to see one that hasn’t been “improved” and lit up, this one was great.

Look for the “Wild Lava Tube” guided hike. Phone number that worked for reservations when we were there: 808.985.6017. The rangers don’t charge for the tour and provide helmets with lights. Bring a set of D batteries as a donation or ask when you call if there is a fee/donation suggestion. Only 12 people go at a time and the trek requires climbing over some rocky and uneven ground in the tube. Pretty darn cool.

Punalu’u Black Sand Beach
This was a beautiful stop. There was a sea turtle basking on the sand when we were there. Fabulous! Swimming in the area isn’t the best because the visibility is poor. I tried it and promptly stepped on a sea turtle, which immediately rose to the surface knocking me over and scaring the daylights out of me. They have very, very large…beaks.

Additional worry: If you get very far past any of the jutting shorelines, there are riptides to worry about. While we were there, a swimmer got caught in one. Luckily he was from Australia (almost took the sea ride back!) and familiar with dangerous currents. He was able to swim out of it, but it took him a long while, and he didn’t recommend the experience. His comment, “I wondered why there were no other swimmers out past the area close to shore.” He didn’t get back in the water, and neither did I!

Best Snorkeling and Kayaking

The snorkeling we did on the Kona side—all I can say is Wow! We took masks and snorkels and were able to rent fins.

The kayaking we did is appropriate for beginners. Very beginners–we’re talking never kayaked in the ocean beginners. We rented a Kayak at Kona Boy Kayaks (there are many other places) and went across Kealakekua Bay to the Captain Cook Monument. The one-mile (each way) trip was very, very calm and there were spinner dolphins jumping about, which was a pure delight.

I did practice rowing at the gym, but the ride across the bay was pretty easy. The snorkeling at Captain Cook was spectacular. The water is deep so getting in and out was a bit of a chore—the waves want to smash you up against the concrete wall that borders part of the beach and the shoreline is rocky with little or no gradual decline. If a wave catches you just right, you can get a bit of a bruising. If you’re not comfortable in the ocean or where your feet don’t touch, save your snorkeling for some of the other beach areas.

Take plenty of water/gatorade and lunch! There are no facilities at Captain Cook monument—sunscreen, snorkeling gear, and WATER are a must.

Kahalu’u Beach had very accessible snorkeling and swimming. In many spots you can touch the bottom, although with all the corrals and whatnot, it isn’t recommended because you will damage them. There is a breakwater area that helps keeps the waves calm. We saw sea turtles, parrot fish, you name it. Very, very enjoyable. I highly recommend this area, especially off-season and during the week. Snorkeling here is one of our best memories.

Kona

We stayed at Kona Seaspray and our condo unit had a kitchen and washer/dryer. The kitchen proved a good idea since we didn’t find any real food bargains on this side of the island. All the places that we tried (as recommended in the guide) were good and as advertised, but they weren’t cheap.

We ended up taking advantage of the grocery store (Waikoloa Village?) and eating out once a day—lunch when possible because it was a bit cheaper.

Teshima’s had excellent Japanese Curry at a reasonable price.

The condo was right across the street from Kahalu’u Beach so we could walk across the road to swim. We’d stay there again. The only annoyance was the presence of large ants—they were everywhere, especially the bathroom and kitchen. From talking to other people, it was a common occurrence in hotels.

Hawaii is an excellent vacation, but it isn’t cheap—food, gas and accommodations all add up in a hurry.

I spent some time on Oahu (the main airport and capital are on Oahu, as well as Pearl Harbor, etc.) Oahu was nice and had good opportunities such as pineapple farms, waterfalls and forests as well as the snorkeling and surfing activities. It was slightly cheaper to stay there since it cut off the short flight to the other island and the accommodations had a better range of prices.

Red Dot Trail

White Rock, New Mexico is small town, small. It’s near Los Alamos and so far as I could tell, has no industry of its own. The mansions and houses that sit along White Rock Canyon are very impressive, but not so much as the canyon itself. The Rio Grande winds along the bottom and the wind whistles through the canyon that only it owns.

Jagged boulders greet hikers at the top of Red Dot Trail and are more than enough to make a person check the map. But yes, Red Dot Trail goes down there, through the impossible pointed rocks that tried to trip my wary feet. The view is spectacular from the top and continues to be so all the way down.

The trail drops about 900 ft in a mile. Steep. Very steep. My knees were practically knocking together from the strain of staying in a half sitting position as I picked my way down the canyon on a not-so-well-marked trail. Luckily when going down, you can kind of see the trail ahead. That is to say, you can see the spots that contain the least dangerous boulders.

The trip down is worth it. At the first level, perhaps four hundred feet down, there’s a bit of a flat. On a juniper tree, I spied a Western Tanager. Beautiful. It held still long enough for me to check it out with binoculars.

Very near the Rio Grande is Pajarito Springs. What a haven! What a spot for lunch or to cool off on a hot summer day. More birds, including a hummer that sat on a branch for several seconds before flitting higher into the wind.

In May, the Rio Grande was gorged with fresh runoff, muddy, but impressive. I picked out a large rock and sat back to enjoy it—only I leaned against the spines of a cactus growing along the crevice of the rock. Ouch! At least it wasn’t a snake!

The way back up was just as beautiful—and since the haze had burned off, in the distance the snow-capped mountains above Santa Fe hovered. The sky was bluer and the heat collected in the canyon, following me upward. I would have been out sooner except I lost the trail…had to go back down a ways…back up…nope, still no trail…no red dots…

In the end, I scrambled up to where I could see a flattened line, which I knew had to be the trail. I don’t know how I was really supposed to get to that spot because the long grass blades poking around the rocks indicated that I was not, in fact, on any trail. Then the steep parts took over and it was pull myself up and suck in oxygen.

The swallows called my attention as I came to the part of the trail bordered by a high, straight cliff. Far above my head, petroglyphs in rustic red decorated the black rock. Now how did anyone ever get along that sheer cliff? Perhaps long ago, the broken rubble of rocks on the down side had been part of the cliff rather than the landslide that remained.

One mile, maybe one and quarter mile down—a short hike, a tough hike, but a worthy one. A very worthy one.

Directions
For directions to White Rock and the local hikes in the area, click the link then then click on the White Rock link. You may need to contact the visitor center for more information, but basically, we drove to White Rock and used the map on the above mentioned site to find the Red Dot trailhead.

The Blue Dot Trailhead is also easy to find, although we did not take that hike. You can go in the Blue and out the Red (or the other way around) and do a loop. With a two-car shuttle plan, I think the hike would be about five miles.

Other Hikes in NM
There are a lot of other hikes in this part of New Mexico. Craig Martin has a few books on hiking in the area and I contacted him before going on this one. He had some helpful tips; among them—always, always, when hiking in New Mexico, take plenty of water. The other usual suspect: adjust to the altitude before hiking.

The canyon hike could be brutally hot on the way out if taken during the summer (or the wrong part of the day). We were there in mid-May. The temperature was a pleasant 75, maybe 80 on the way out. During hot times of the year, go very early in the morning! There is some tree coverage, especially around Pajarito Springs, but canyons trap heat so be warned.

Bandelier Monument, about 8 miles from White Rock, is worth looking at also. We took the one-mile hike around the ruins, but didn’t have time for more. These were some of the best cliff dwelling ruins I’ve visited. There were a couple of other hikes in the Bandelier area, including one to a ceremonial kiva off in the mountains that looked fun. I would have loved to hike a bit longer down in White Rock Canyon—the Red Dot turns into a river trail that goes to Water Canyon (going away from Blue Dot Trail.) I’m saving that one for the next time.

Where to Stay

We stayed in Santa Fe at Luxury Inn. Reasonably priced hotels are hard to find in Santa Fe; this no-name hotel turned out just fine. May 2005 we paid about 80 dollars including tax for three of us to stay in a “suite” that had a small fridge and microwave. Free wireless was common all over Santa Fe. The room was clean, the pool and hot tub were clean and heated. Cancellation policy—as just about anywhere in Santa Fe is strict—48 or 72 hours as opposed to the usual 24. Most B&B in the area are: pay two weeks in advance and no refunds or only a partial refund on cancellation.

There are places to stay in Los Alamos, although you’ll have to research because mostly there are bed and breakfasts. B&B in that area, as in Santa Fe, were not cheap.

Albuquerque has the most reasonable pricing on hotels, but it is an hour from Santa Fe. A lot depends on how much you’re able to spend and where you want to hike. Albuquerque has some great hikes, including up the backside of Sandia and in the Manzano Mountains. Check out Tajique Canyon in October for awesome fall colors about an hour southeast of Albuquerque.

Welcome to Bear Mountain Books. Pull up a chair and a book mark and look around.

If you got to this page from a search for a recipe, garden or travel tip, see the side bar to find the article. Initially, all things are published to the homepage, but are then shelved under the appropriate topic.

Currency
American Express has offices all over the United States and used to offer better exchange rates than airports or other places that service such requests after you have arrived at your destination. Check with them and with your local bank. UPDATE: As of 2008, I couldn’t find any bank or credit card that offered competitive exchange rates. Using an ATM card to get cash once in the country seemed the best bet.

For this trip, 1999, we did take travelers checks – in the currency of the country (so for example, we had travelers checks in francs), but travelers checks were not readily recognized and we did have some delays cashing them. Smaller towns presented more problems than larger ones.

Do plan on using some cash though; Europe is not quite as accepting of credit cards as America.

In almost all of my travels, I generally try to pick an area and see everything possible rather than run from location to location. If you’re looking to see all of Europe in one trip, these tips won’t necessarily be best for you. Hiking is also something I spend a lot of time doing. Most of the books or web sites I recommend have a hiking slant.

Electrical appliances/Internet connection
You’ll need electrical adapters in order to use items such as hair dryers, shavers, etc. The cheaper travel adapters handle the voltage differences; however if you have expensive equipment such as a computer, in order to protect it against possible damage, you may want to get the highest quality adapter available (you want an adapter that has a transformer in it.) Some of the cheaper adapters can be sloppy in the conversions. If you intend to hook up to the internet, you’ll need phone adapters for your phone cable. The phone jacks in Europe don’t use the same connectors–and each country may have a different connector. Try an electronics store or a store that sells baggage for these equipment needs.

Getting to Switzerland
After flying into Nice, France, we traveled by train to Switzerland. I thought we would be able to see lots of the countryside. We did see some, although there were several lowered train track areas where all we saw was walls. The occasional castle could be seen from the train, as well as olive gardens, wineries, and hills.

Since I’m a get-out-and-do type of person, I would have preferred to get there faster and start hiking. On the plus side—it beat driving. The train did all the work and all we had to do was relax.

A friend recommended taking a sleeper train next time—that would have saved the lost day and cost about the same. I’m not a very sound sleeper however so I wasn’t comfortable with this idea.

There is food on the train, but for cost savings and selection, bring your own!

Switzerland – Sept 1999

Switzerland was a very special trip. Oh, what a magical place. We arrived in Geneva and took a train to the Bernese/Oberland area. When traveling here, it is imperative that you plan ahead and get reservations for a place to stay before you leave. Here are a few things we learned.

From Geneva (I can’t remember if we had to get this special train ticket at the main train station associated with the airport or a different one—ask before you leave the airport area!) it is possible to purchase “The Swiss Card”–a discount train ticket that allows you one round trip journey to an area within Switzerland.

So for example, since we were going to the Bernese/Oblerland area and spending the week there, this ticket was perfect—it saved us having to buy individual train tickets and also meant we got a discount on the Bernese/Oberland area three or five day pass (Jungfrau pass).

We learned about the Jungfrau pass through our hotel (often hotels will combine rooms with the pass). You can also ask at the train station in Interlaken about which passes are available for the region. I think the “Swiss Pass” is similar to the “Swiss Card,” but is used more for long distance trips in Switzerland rather than covering a single area.

Contact the tourism office of the main town you will be in—for example, at the time we went, mail@InterlakenTourism.ch was the email address for the Interlaken tourism area.

Check the www.raileurope.com website for information on other various pass cards. I had trouble finding out what was available from the U.S. side. It wasn’t until we got to Switzerland that I was able to figure out all the nuances so ask questions frequently once you arrive. It is my understanding that the more common Eurorail passes don’t work on most of the localized train systems within Switzerland so study what will and won’t work before you go.

The train passes appear expensive at first, but getting passes that allow you to go to and from any town (or within a region) come in handy and end up being money well spent.

Many of the Swiss passes can only be purchased at particular locations—ie you cannot purchase them ahead of time. We learned about the passes by reading a book, “Daytrips Switzerland” by Norm P.T. Renouf. This book was an excellent guide for worthwhile hikes and other information. I highly recommend it.

Take advantage of SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) check-in service when using the trains for long distances (such as to and from the Geneva train station). This service forwards your bags to your final destination. We used it and we loved it.

Don’t be intimidated by the complexity of the train passes; if things get out of hand, you can always just buy the ticket you need. We had no problem finding English speaking people to help us. Always show any pass you have when purchasing other tickets or passes. Most of them get you discounts on subsequent purchases.

When making your reservations to stay in Switzerland, get “half-board” at your hotel. This means your breakfast and dinner is included with accommodations. Food is very expensive in Switzerland and there are far more restaurants in larger towns than in smaller ones—hours of operation can also be confusing, so you’re much better off setting it up with the hotel ahead of time—it will save you both time and money. Every place we ate (whether our hotel or at other hotels for lunch) had quality food so I doubt you will be disappointed. If you don’t do half-board, plan eating excursions early.

We stayed at Hotel Silberhorn in Lauterbrunnen. The food was fabulous and the accommodations wonderful.

Telephone systems in Switzerland have different charges—get a prepaid phone card before you leave and make sure it works in the countries you are visiting. In Switzerland be prepared to still pay a reasonable usage fee anyway. There is often a local toll that must be paid to the hotel so don’t be surprised if it shows on your bill. The same applies for “toll free.” There is still a local fee for phone use.

Our phone from the room didn’t allow for international or toll free calls until the fees were explained to us because the hotel had had problems with American’s arguing over their bills due to the fact that toll free here means “free” for the person placing the call.

Another book I found useful: “Walking Easy Swiss and Austrian Alps” by Chet and Carolee Lipton.

We didn’t get to take nearly enough hikes while we were there! Never enough time! The great thing about hiking in Switzerland is that you can take gondolas or ski lifts to the top of several areas and hike down—cutting your hiking time and allowing you to see more. Of course we did do Jungfraujoch (the highest mountain in Europe) and it comes complete with glaciers and Alpine Vistas. Fabulous.

We also walked to the Trummelbach waterfalls—worth a walk.

We rode to the top of Schilthorn and then on the way down got off in Brig and walked down to Murren and took the train back to Lauterbrunnen (where Hotel Silberhorn is located.) This hike is ALL downhill and took about four hours. Don’t do this hike unless you are in good shape! The first part of the hike was covered in a few inches of show and ice, but the hike was glorious. Absolutely stunning.

Another excellent hike if you have it in you is the trip up the Grindelwald chair lift, to Firstbahn, hike to the Bachalpsee lake, and on to Faulhorn. We ate at Faulhorn—all food is brought in by helicopter—and if you walk up there, you’ll know why. We returned via some rather adventuresome footing to end back at Schynige Platte where we caught a train to Lauterbrunnen. Warning: This is an all day hike and strenuous. Don’t do this hike unless you are used to hiking up to ten or more miles in a stretch. Take food and plenty of water.

Shopping
For shopping, Interlaken seemed to be the place to go, although all the smaller towns had various shops with watches, Swiss army knives, clocks, chocolate and embroidery. The “Daytrips Switzerland” mentioned above recommended some of the shops, highlighting quality and reputation. Since it rains often in Switzerland, take an umbrella and shop on one of the rainy days!

We could have easily spent a month here and never run out of things to see and do. Switzerland was clean, friendly and beautiful. It is also probably a tad more expensive (including food, lodging and transportation) than some other places in Europe so be prepared. Was it worth it? You bet. Would I save my money and do it again? Absolutely!

Currency

Once again for currency exchange, we used an American Express office before we traveled to London. (Update: 2008, American Express exchange rate was no longer competitive–try other banks, check the airport or use ATM). Of course, since London is a large city, we also could have used an ATM card—Cirrus networks were widespread. We saw at least one that touted no service charge regardless of which bankcard you were using. Exchanging money by using an ATM is becoming much more popular and is worth a look if you are traveling. Research each foreign country to determine if there are ATMs that match your network (cirrus, pulse, etc). Make sure you know your pin number before you leave!

Getting Around London

Because we were in London a week, we purchased a travel card for use on the subway and trains inside London. We purchased ours before leaving the United States. There are several websites that allow you to do this, but beware some of them charge huge fees to mail you the travel cards.

We used: Ticket-on-line.com We had no problems or complaints. Note that they will not issue the cards until close to your travel date. The cards came with a few discounts to some attractions.

These cards allowed us to get on and off the underground without worrying how much any given segment cost. You can get day passes once you’re in London or just buy tickets to a given location, but we didn’t want to figure out fares every time we went somewhere.

Rush hour was crowded and a couple of times a particular segment was blocked or a train cancelled, but we were able to route around any problem areas. The 7 day passes were cheaper than a U.S. car rental for a week. Which brings up another point: I wouldn’t drive in London even if I were paid to do so. The lanes are narrow, the traffic is horrendous and yes, they drive on the opposite side of the road!

London is broken into “zoned” areas—the vast majority of museums and sights are within zone 1 and 2 so a travel card covering just these zones will work for most people. If you must travel outside these zones, such as to see Kew Gardens, just get the extra leg for that day. You’ll want to make sure your hotel is within zone 1 and 2 also—if it isn’t, get the more expensive travel card that covers zones 1 through 6.

Where to Stay

I had the most awful time finding budget accommodations. Prices in London are high—what with the exchange rate being 1.7 to 1 U.S. dollar, everything was almost twice as much as here!

The price in pounds sounds reasonable at first glance: the average budget room ranged from 60 to 100 pounds. Unfortunately, when you convert dollars, your room goes to 120 to 200 dollars a night. Also, be warned, the rooms are small and for the money, you won’t be spoiled. London has a lot of old buildings—the city has been there a while. That means that a lot of the hotels are remodeled Victoria homes or other remodeled buildings. Not all rooms are “en suite,”– meaning for those that aren’t, the shared bathroom is down the hall. You can save money if you are willing to share a bathroom or get a room with partial en suite. This might mean the toilet is in the room or just a wash stand, so make sure you know what you’re getting ahead of time. Also make sure taxes are included in the price you are quoted because the “VAX” is not a small amount.

For us, we wanted en suite and clean without anyone taking an arm or leg. I spent days researching prices and finally came up something outside the theatre and museum district, but that was part of the plan. We had our travel cards and we wanted to be away from main tourist crowds.

The Charlotte Guest house was within travel zones 1 and 2, in West Hampstead, ten to fifteen minutes by train to main attractions. The guesthouse supplied travel cards for stays of seven days or longer. The room was worn but clean. We were in one of their larger rooms and it did have a private bathroom and shower. The shower was so small, I met myself coming and going when I turned around.

We were on the third floor, so there was some sort of water pump in the bathroom that ran the entire time we took showers. It was a little noisy. The price was 55 pounds per night with travel card and included a full English breakfast or continental breakfast. The breakfast was in a very nice indoor patio and quite casual. Help yourself orange juice, milk, fruit, cereal and yogurt. The English breakfast was two eggs, toast or croissant, baked beans, sausage and bacon.

The people that worked there went out of their way to be kind and helpful.

The other place that would have been our second choice was a bed and breakfast website. A lot of the places on the site were also located a bit out of the main excitement area. We did not inspect any of the properties, but the person running the website answered my questions promptly and the price was a lot more reasonable than many other places I checked.

You might also try: Cherry court hotel This one was booked for the dates we needed it, but it was recommended on Rick Steve’s website and they did send a nice email. Rick Steve’s site gives a description and info. His site had a list of restaurants submitted by readers that I also found helpful.

Sightseeing

London had more sightseeing opportunities than we could cover in one week. Luckily some of the best museums are free. All of them have donation boxes and after you see these places, a donation seems a small price to pay! It is good that the museums are free because everything else in London is quite expensive. If you have more than a couple of days in London, get a guidebook, read it and prioritize what you want to see.

We used “Daytrips: London” by Earl Steinbicker. It gives good general information about what you can see in each museum, but isn’t much on outdoor sights and gives no hotel information. I’ve listed the museums in order of enjoyment, but remember, a lot depends on what interests you. There were also several other museums and places we did not get to see.

Museums

Victoria and Albert—A free museum with a lot of “life” objects from many countries: clothing, jewelry, furniture (including Chippendale), beds, art, lots and lots of porcelain, and other artifacts. Mind you these are not ordinary, everyday objects, rather the masterpieces of centuries past made by highly talented artisans. The V&A was huge and we spent over a day there; the emphasis of many displays was of European artifacts, but other countries were certainly represented. Favorites included a Wilkes detector lock, Wedgwood porcelain and some of the period furniture. There’s something for everyone at this museum.

British Museum – Also free. I liked this museum at least as well as the Victoria and Albert. Again, much to see here from all over the world, but probably the most fabulous were the Egyptian displays: mummies, coffins and stone sarcophagus; stone sculptures of sphinx, falcons, and various Egyptian rulers. The Rosetta stone is also here. The Rosetta was found in 1799 and was the key to translating hieroglyphs. (The stone contains the same decree in three different scripts: Greek, everyday Egyptian script and hieroglyphs. The known language allowed the hieroglyphs to be “translated” for the first time.) The sculptures, (Greek and Roman sculptures, Parthenon sculptures) were stunning at this museum.

Tower of London – About 13.50 pounds per person. This is not a cheap place to visit. We found a two-for-one coupon on the National Rail website. We had to have a rail pass that was good for the day and the printed coupon. It may be that the discount was available because we visited in November, which is off-season. Check the various rail sites for discounts. Here’s the link I used, but it will likely change or expire. http://www.londontrainsoffers.co.uk/phpversion/index.php

The Tower of London’s main attraction is the crown jewels. These are quite decadent.

Was it worth the entrance price? For us yes, but we had 2 for 1. The jewels were spectacular. The original Cullinan diamond was cut into nine different stones, and at least two of them are part of the crown jewels. The largest is called the Star of Africa (530 carats) and is in a sceptre that is on display. The second largest is in the Imperial State Crown—the one that Queen uses to open parliament—also on display. Since there were very few tourists, we were able to go through the display a few times and ask lots of questions.

In the height of tourist season there are two waiting rooms—count them, two rooms with films running to keep people from being completely bored while they wait to get into the display room. The waiting rooms have roped lines snaking through them—the same kind of lines you have while waiting for an amusement ride. A moving sidewalk trucks people along in front of the actual jewel display so you can’t stand there and gawk. I would go either very early or late in the afternoon (everyone else will be leaving) if you are in London during tourist season.

Also at the tower is a display that explains how the diamonds were cut. It is hard to find because it is located in one of the many “towers.” Ask one of the beefeaters how to reach the tower because it wasn’t obvious to us. Go to this display before you see the jewels if possible

Here’s a website that we found after we got back that has great information on the Cullinan diamonds.

Right after the crown jewel display there is a fascinating collection of opulent tableware—gold plates and goblets from various kings’ dining services. There are some very nice “salt shakers” and I am not talking K-Mart bluelight specials here. Some of these things were a foot high with all kinds of knobs and drawers and decorations.

One of the yeoman was kind enough to explain that in days gone by, salt was quite valuable, thus special plates that contained salt receptacles (and sometimes receptacles for other spices) were designed for the wealthy. Those on display were quite incredible.

There were also christening fountains, punch bowls large enough to bathe in and other tableware.

The armor in the “white tower,” is also at the Tower of London. It contains armor, swords, canons, guns, and the like. Quite interesting and worth a look. It’s the only other large display of relics at the Tower of London.

A few of the other towers contained information about prisoners that were kept at the tower along with some of the graffiti that the prisoners left behind. A dungeon room contains scant information on a couple of torture devices.

Museum of Natural History – Another free one, donations accepted. What more can I say besides, dinosaurs, dinosaurs, and dinosaurs! There were also whale bones/displays, mammoths and other animals, not all of them extinct. Very fun way to spend the day.

Kenwood House – Free, off the beaten path. Rembrandt paintings and many other famous portraits. This house is really a mansion and contains good period rooms with appropriate furniture. The library is fantastic and filled with old books. There are old clocks, a collection of miniature portraits and cameos.

One of the best things about this museum is that it is a bit out of the way in Hampstead and surrounded by a two very large parks. We got lost in the one park, but it was a great walk. If you have a nice day, this is a nice area to visit. We ate outdoors at the Kenwood House cafeteria and the food was good, if a little pricey.

Museum of London – Also free. I can’t say much about this museum because we only spent an hour or so here. It’s not that it wasn’t worth more time, but we had a business appointment that day and never got back to it. This museum struck me as a hodge-podge of items. Old printing presses, dollhouses, clocks, watches, coaches, displays detailing the great fire and the great stink of London (I’m not making that up either). If you want the history of London, this is the place to go! One of the more interesting displays was the sample dungeon.

Places to Eat

Everyone told us to avoid English food, so we did. The main complaint is that it is bland and the one time I ate English food, it was bland. Unbelievably bland. We did eat the English breakfast, which was also bland, but satisfying and hearty. (While I personally am of the belief that all eggs should be served with a side of salsa and melted cheese, I really don’t expect to be accommodated everywhere.) Eggs really aren’t that exciting anyway, except as an ingredient in chocolate chip cookies.

Oh—the food at the Kenwood house might be considered English cuisine and it was not bland. It was very tasty although because it was a tourist location, the portions were a little small. The prices weren’t bad for a tourist location.

We ate Thai food, middle eastern food and Chinese and every time they were fabulous. The prices were very reasonable also.

Highly Recommended Food Favorites

Number one favorite place to eat was Karahi Master located near our hotel. This place was FABULOUS. We had never eaten middle-eastern food, but this was a great introduction. For the more timid, they also had burgers and fries. The place was spotless, the owner, (Bass?) was extremely helpful, as were all the employees. The food was EXCELLENT, no matter what we ordered and we tried: curried rice, lamb kabobs, chicken kabobs, chicken curry, and another type of rice.

The naan, a type of bread that resembles a tortilla, was stupendous. I could have eaten about five of them and would dearly loved to have had one for breakfast with that bland egg and some salsa! Generally speaking the two of us ate there for under ten pounds total, but rather than order a dish for each of us, we tried one large dish and a couple of sides such as fried rice or the naan bread. I would go out of my way to eat here!

Second favorite: Banana Tree. Very reasonably priced Thai food. Food and service were very good. Generally we ate there for about twelve to fifteen pounds total. Worth a stop if you stay anywhere in the area.

Fantasy

John Levitt – Dog Days; Urban fantasy/mystery. Mason, the hero, has a dog as a familiar and this caper is just a lot of fun!  The second one is even better than the first–I loved them both!  VERY Highly recommended.

Ilona Andrews – Magic Bites, Magic Burns and Magic Strikes–the Kate Daniels series is just a fabulous ride. I highly recommend all three. These will be on the top of my favorite list for a long time and I’m looking forward to seeing what Andrews publishes next!

Jim C. Hines Goblin Quest series A Goblin that doesn’t want to go on a quest, the true underdog that just might have a bit of hero in him. Very suitable for YA also.

Lisa Shearin Magic Lost, Trouble Found This is her debut novel.

Katherine Kurtz

Elizabeth H. Boyer

Mercedes Lackey – Diana Tregarde series–Urban Fantasy before anyone called it that–female investigator with paranormal elements; just an excellent series.

Ellen Guon – Fabulous urban elves series

Patricia Briggs (especially When Demons Walk, and Steal the Dragon)

Holly Lisle – just about every kind of fantasy from romantic to adventure to touches of urban fantasy.

Charlaine Harris (mysteries too!– Her Lilly Bard books are probably her most exceptional work.) The early books in the Sookie Stackhouse (vampire, urban fantasy type are very good.)

Laura Underwood – The Hounds of Ardagh

Stephen R. Donaldson (The Wounded Land, Lord Foul’s Bane, White Gold Wielder)
J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings; The Hobbit)

Science Fiction

For a long time I didn’t even include this catagory because I don’t read a lot of science fiction. Mostly I don’t like the intricate details, the overly analytical suppositions about other life forms and just the too-obvious “what ifs.” I have finally found an author or two who write wonderful characters and tell wonderful stories.

Mark Van Name – One Jump Ahead – A great sci/fi with a talking space ship with strong character development. Mark’s blog is often an interesting read.

John Scalzi – Old Man’s War –A very good space story. There are, of course, discussions of jumping through space, but it is, after all, science fiction.

A. Lee Martinez – The Automatic Detective It’s pulp-fiction. It’s hard core, tough detective. But he’s a robot. In a futuristic, strangely morphed earth. Fantastic!

Mystery

Funny
Janet Evonavich– Hysterically funny (One for the Money is the first in the series)
J.A. Konrath– Humor; police procedural (with the exception of “Rusty Nail” which was too…well, it had too many torture scenes for me.) He also, at last check, had a couple of e-books on his site–for FREE! I read “The List” and it was dynamite!

Police Procedural
Carol O’Connell — New York police procedural. Main character was a street orphan and there’s some fascinating pieces of her past that get explored in a number of the novels. Most excellent! Her stand alone, Judas Child, is a MUST READ.   (Mallory’s Oracle is the first in her more hard boiled series.)

Linda Fairstein — New York prosecutor police procedural

Kay Mitchell — UK setting; police procedural; great characterization

Detective/Sleuth

Elisabeth Cosin –Zen and the City of Angels –What a writer! I loved this book.  I think she only wrote two books, but they are both very good and worth getting your hands on.

Jan Burke– I like that her character solves mysteries–along the thriller line–no cozies here! and does so without constantly re-introducing conflict between the main character and her husband. In the books I’ve read the characters seem to have a realistic flow to their relationship without forced conflict.

Kaye C. Hill – Dead Woman’s Shoes. Just a lot of fun and an excellent read.  It’s got everything–a chihuahua, a woman on the run who must solve a crime to make enough money to eat, a cat, a vet, criminals everywhere…

Anne George – Murder on a Girls’ Night Out is the first in the series about two sisters–in their sixties! The family fun in these books is what makes the story. You can see yourself, your relatives–the characters reach out and draw you in.

Evelyn Coleman– Jouralistic sleuth, but no amateur stuff; thriller; suspense

Off the Beaten Path
Virginia Lanier — Bloodhound tracking; Excellent, better than 10 stars!  (Death in Bloodhound Red is the first in the series.)
Elizabeth Cosin– I loved, loved, loved this character.
Elizabeth Peters — Egyptian historical setting and other works, all excellent. I LOVE the contemporary setting, Vicky Bliss mysteries. She also writes darker, noir suspense as Barbara Michaels.  (Vicky Bliss first in the series is Borrower of the Night.)

Historical Mysteries
Elizabeth Peters — Egyptian historical setting and other works, all excellent. I LOVE her Vicky Bliss series and she’ll finally finish this series in August 2008. I know it will be worth the long wait! Well worth getting the early books and reading through.

Indian and Gypsy Lore
Sandra West Prowell– Montana setting; light Indian lore; Absolutely superb stories.

Kirk Mitchell– Excellent American Indian lore without being overdone or stuck on a reservation/reservation concepts. Both a male and female protagonist that play important parts and through the series develop individually and as partners.

Meredith Blevins– amateur sleuth; touches of gypsy lore.

Romance

I don’t read a lot of romance, so I’m sure there are a lot more good authors out there.

Hollly Lisle– Midnight Rain -excellent romantic suspense with a paranormal element. She avoids the tendency to have characters with long misunderstandings. Focuses more on the plot of solving whatever mystery/paranormal element exists.

J.D. Robb — futuristic romantic mysteries

Amanda Quick (aka Jane Ann Krentz) –I haven’t read Quick/Krentz in years, so the recommendation actually applies to her early works.

Tough Guy Authors

Steve Hamilton
Richard Crais especially The Watchman–a Joe Pike Novel and Two-Minute Rule.

Frederick Forsyth

Young Adult

Yes, I still read young adult, and not just Harry Potter! Everything listed, while YA, is very adult-readable. I left out wonderful JF (things like Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldon, etc) and YA that I read when I was younger–things like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis) and countless others simply because I don’t know if I would enjoy them as an adult. I truly enjoyed them when I was younger and wouldn’t hesistate to recommend them, it’s just a different list!

Fantasy
Rachel Caine – The Morganville Vampires – Glass Houses (A total page-turner–spooky!)
Lion Boy: Zizou Corder
Andre Norton’s Witch World Series
Vivian Vande Velde -fantasy–I do not read her horror stuff. Or anyone else’s, at least not on purpose.
Megan Whalen Turner (“The Thief” is a little slow first half, but it’s well worth reading!)

Sci/Fi

Scott Westerfeld – Uglies is the first of a series–make sure you have at least the first two because Uglies ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and you’ll be mad if you can’t get started on the next adventure Right Away.

Favorite Books on CD

Who’s Your Caddy?: Rick Reilly (Grover Gardner narrator). Warning: Some adult content.
Put a Lid on It: Donald Westlake (William Dufris–excellent narrator.)
Christopher Graybill is another excellent narrator–I’d try an audio book just based on this narrator’s talent with voice and pacing. He did a great job with Two-Minute Rule by Robert Crais.

Non-Fiction

Kirsch’s Guide to the Book Contract by Jonathan Kirsch. This should be required reading for any author. Even if you have an agent, this book will really help you understand how contracts work, how much you can expect to be paid and how “rights” work. A must read.

Chocolate A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light: Mort Rosenblum
The Man Who Listens to Horses: Monty Roberts
Adventure Capitalist: Jim Rogers

Note: See the BMB website for more recommended reading of non-fiction investment books.

Albert Einstein: Arthur Beckhard
All Creatures Great and Small: James Herriot
Easy Money: Donald Goddard

Cookbooks

Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate: Alice Medrich, Deborah Jones (Photographer)
Ciao Y’All by Damian Mandola and Johnny Carrabba
Traveling Jamaica with Knife, Fork and Spoon by Robb Walsh and Jay McCarthy

Is fresh-roasted really better than buying roasted coffee beans at Starbucks?

YES. If you want to try fresh-roasted, try buying coffee from a “roasted and sent same day” shop on the internet. www.Sweetmarias.com is one place to check, but there are many others that sell it very fresh and the cost is competitive with Starbucks.

What makes the most difference in the taste: a good grinder, a special coffee pot or fresh roasting?

All those things make a difference, but in general, the coffee pot makes the least amount of difference (assuming a decent-working and clean coffee pot). In general if you are experimenting and don’t want to spend a lot of money, keep the equipment you have and order some fresh-roasted, shipped same day coffee off the internet and try it. Depending on where you live, there may be roasters in your area that sell it also.

Second point: You should be ordering whole beans and grinding right before you use them. Burr grinders work far better than blade grinders. They start around 40 dollars and go up from there. We have two grinders, one for espresso and one for regular coffee. For drip coffee, you don’t have to spend a lot of money, but do go with a burr grinder if you can afford it. Blade grinders chop very unevenly. Whatever grinder: grind the coffee right before you use it.

We use a run-of-the-mill coffee pot, nothing spectacular. I’m sure there are people out there that swear by a special pot, but it’s my opinion that the coffee makes more difference than the pot. There are many kinds of ways to brew coffee, but for drip coffee, unless you want to fool around with techniques such as French press or vacuum brewers, most coffee pots will do just fine. Changing from one coffee-pot brand to another or changing filter types doesn’t seem to alter taste as much as a decent grinder and starting with good coffee.

As for the roasting part, we roast at home each week so that we can enjoy the freshest brew. Once roasted the oils begin to sweat out of the bean and over a very short period of time, the flavor begins to change. Green beans are much more stable. They don’t leak oils or degrade (well, okay, if you leave them around for a year or two, the flavor will probably change!)

Think of any dried bean such as pinto beans—they have a very long shelf-life. You don’t have to get a roaster to get fresh-roasted beans; it was just easier and fun for us. Note: The roaster that we bought is no longer available–it’s being redesigned and might be out next year. Keep an eye on www.SweetMarias.com as I imagine they will carry it. It cost about $120 at the time and came with a selection of beans. In the meantime, you might try a hot air popcorn popper as an entry-level machine.

Does it help to refrigerate or freeze coffee?

Some say yes, some say no…I think it may depend on whether you are in a humid environment or not. If you live in say, Houston, putting coffee in the refrigerator or freezer probably helps. We do refrigerate our beans after roasting and use roasted beans within a week to week and a half.

What kind of espresso machine do you recommend?

If you’re starting out, go with a pump machine rather than a steam machine. Prices range from 100 to waaay up there. We started with a simple pump machine and then spent more after we got used to the idea—and found out that we did indeed use the thing.

How much coffee do you roast at one time?

With the roaster we have, you put about 1/2 cup in, set the roast you want (dark, light, medium etc) and let the thing go. You can get fancy and stop at the first crack, second crack or whatever (the beans make a popping noise as they cook and reach certain temperatures). I think with the popcorn popper you have to time it yourself, but I’m not sure. I don’t know how much coffee the popper coffee roasts at one time, but probably about ½ cup.

How much time does it take to roast coffee?

Each batch takes about 10 to 15 minutes to roast. In this household a couple of batches is about a week’s worth of coffee or espresso. Remember though, you must roast it the night before you want to drink it–it has to sit for a few hours before you grind it because the flavor has to settle.