Colossal Cave, near Tucson, Arizona

Me enjoying the Colossal Cave Ladder Tour.  We got to climb around in the cave, sometimes on cool ladders and catwalks and natural cave surfaces, sometimes on the regular route, once in the dark.  We got to touch certain features (carefully, and with gloves on).  So much fun!  

Here I'm playing music on the stalactites with a rubber spatula.

And in this blurry one, you can see a little of the ledges we got to edge around.  :)  Sorry the pictures weren't better.

Some pretty cave formations:

My story, "Palatable Potions," is live on Zombies Need Brains

Zombies Need Brains just published my short story, "Palatable Potions," on Patreon.  The story will also appear in an anthology this summer, available for pre-order here:  https://zombies-need-brains-llc.square.site/ (Look for Zombies Need Brains Presents Year Two)

Cover Reveal: Samantha Picaro's Recipe for Confidence

 Look at this beautiful cover for Samantha Picaro's latest book, Recipe for Confidence.

To get to know Samantha and her book better, I asked a few questions.  Here are her answers.

Who was your favorite character to write?

My favorite character to write was Lana, Bryn's aunt and owner of the fictional bakery. Lana encourages Bryn to be herself and share her dreams with everyone, especially her parents. Lana has insecurities and has made mistakes but she undeniably loves her niece and Lana doesn't let anyone tell her what to do or how to feel.

Do you yourself bake, like your main character?   If so, what's your favorite thing to bake?

I love to bake, although I admit I like tasting more than baking. I like making Bundt cakes with my mom as well as ricotta cookies.

What do you find most difficult about the writing process?  

The most difficult part of the writing process is adding in new elements of the story (i.e. new character or plot point) as I'm writing the book. Even if it makes the story or characters better, it's still a little frustrating to squeeze it into the plot without making everything unorganized or creating plot holes.

If you'd like to read it, the pre-order price is currently only $1.99 for the e-book!  Click here.

Tiny Chuckwalla on Piestewa Peak

Look at this little guy I saw today at Piestewa Peak in Phoenix.  He was the tiniest chuckwalla I've ever seen.  Too young to know that he should be afraid of us, Too young to go do what chuckwallas normally do.  So I got to watch him for a while.

The second chuckwalla I saw today was good at doing what chuckwallas normally do:

 

Words for "Kite" in Different Languages

 

I was delighted when I learned the word for kite in Czech:  papírový drak, which literally means "paper dragon."  

One of the words for kite in Spanish is cometa, or "comet."

Today I was even more delighted when I learned the word in French:  cerf-volant, which could be translated as "flying stag."  

So I investigated.  Lots of variations on dragons, birds, and other flying creatures (one Spanish term seems to come from the Nahuatl word for "butterfly," and in Georgian it's "bee").  But here's another favorite:

In Chinese, it seems to translate as "wind zither."

Anyone know any other cool literal meanings?

My article, "Postal Culture Shock," in The Mantelpiece

Check out my travel article in the February 2024 edition of The Mantelpiece:  https://themantelpiece.org/recent-issues

It's about my experiences with post offices in different countries, and it's a fun little read.  

This is why we like rain in the desert

 Enough said:

We had about three days of slow, gentle, life-giving rain.  This is what the ocotillo are doing with it:  quickly putting on little leaves.  

Pictures taken 1/24/2024 at South Mountain Park in Phoenix, Arizona.