Some days you need a date with your cutie. Just the two of us. We took the Yakima River Canyon drive to Ellensburg, happy to spy a bald eagle, osprey, and several boaters and rafters already out on the water. Once we got to Ellensburg, we parked downtown on Pearl Street and hit D&M Coffee-a cup of joe for him and a London Fog for me. We sat and sipped at the adorable little outdoor tables. The view was just right.
After the drinks were gone, we walked around and headed to Jerrol’s so I could stock up on purple pens. I got the LAST box! Rumor says they might not reorder. I encouraged the cashier to ask for them to be reordered. The good news is they can order them for me, so there is always that. Whew. Plus I found my Sierra Club plan book for 2026. Ready for the new year!
We wandered back to the car, pens and plan book in tow. After a quick stop at Freddy’s to grab some veggies for dinner, we cruised back home.
It wasn’t a long date. We barely spent money. But the time away together was precious.
Happy Ginger Cat Appreciation Day! To the gingers in our lives. Be they weird or be they lovey-dovey, be they hairy and fur-shedding. To all the snugglers, destroyers of the things, sleep-on-your-head kitties. [And all the other things our gingers do!] Celebrating the gingers!
Put the weirdest, funniest, cutest, or scariest thing your ginger has done in the comments below. We will celebrate with you. Or despair. Your choice!
This post has a compilation of the four different gingers I know and love. Three different households, but alas, I’ve never owned (or been owned by) a ginger.
The look. The nap. The ready-to-attack.
Especially the leave-me-alone.
Let’s not forget how helpful they can be!
Ahem. YOU again?
Happy Ginger Day!!
Gingers in order of starring role: Reeses, Peanut, Daisy, Marmalade, Reeses, Marmalade, Daisy, Marmalade
We headed out for a cool walk/hike last weekend. Located at the top of Snoqualmie Pass just off of I-90, the Snoqualmie Tunnel is an old railroad tunnel that stretches about 2 miles one way. The distance is not the same as other places I looked, but let’s just say 2-ish tunnel miles to get to the other end. If you want to get back to your car, then 2-ish tunnel miles to get back. LOL
Yes, this is how we do it.
Take the Hyak exit and follow the signs to the large parking area. Restrooms are available. The parking lot sits next to the Palouse to Cascades Trail, so if you don’t want to walk in the cold damp dark, you can head east and walk along the backside of Keechelus Lake (which is very low this year due to drought).
Just inside the tunnel. The light at the end looks like it’s just right there. But there are two miles to go before it’s just right there.
There is a short walk (the sign says .4 mile, but it didn’t feel that long) to the tunnel entrance. It felt cumbersome to be dressed so warmly when out in the sun, but we dressed for the cold dark tunnel. Coats, long pants, gloves, hats, flashlights. If you have a scorcher of a day, this hike is a great way to escape that heat!
Our obligatory “here we go” selfie at the beginning of the hike.
It’s always a bit disconcerting to see nothing but a tiny dot of white far in the distance. But your eyes adjust and you get used to seeing nothing except that bit in front of the flashlight. The tunnel runs pretty straight and mostly flat, but at both ends there are areas where the center is higher than the rest. There are also ditches along the sides, mostly with wood coverings, but some covers have broken through. I wouldn’t want to fall into one of those places, so I’m quite happy to carry my flashlight to make sure I keep away from the edges. Expect wet areas of dripping water.
In the tunnel selfie. No turning back now. Haha. But we did see one couple head in with 2 little dogs. And pretty soon he came back with 2 little dogs while she continued on. The dogs were NOT a fan of the tunnel.
Noises are amplified and echo back and forth. We arrived early and mostly had the tunnel to ourselves as we headed west. It was quite relaxing. The views once you get out of the east entrance of the tunnel are beautiful. You can hear traffic on I-90 and see far down the valley. We watched a small plane looping around doing some sightseeing. Wildflowers are blooming like crazy right now, so I had fun snapping photos. There are a few picnic tables and a forest toilet (no running water). The trail continues on, but we were not equipped to keep going. ONE day we will be, because I would love to go on to Annette Lake.
Almost to the west entrance (the end of our 2-ish mile one way walk) where we hung out for a bit before heading back.
We hit the crowds on the way back. Multiple groups with electric bikes passed us in both directions. Some people were walking, a few with dogs. I think we only saw one person with a manual bicycle. This was definitely the most traffic we’ve seen in the tunnel over the numerous times we’ve visited.
Pretty foxglove stealing the wildflower show!
Despite the crowds, we had a lovely hike. Cool, dark, refreshing. Ahhh. And snacks waiting for us back in the ice chest.
Welcome to Book Share! Today I’d like to share about one of my critique partner’s new books, Tinker, Where Are You? by Beverly Love Warren. It’s always thrilling to see a new book come out in the world, but when I was a part of reading and critiquing the book along its journey to publication, that makes it much sweeter!
Beverly has stopped by my blog today to share more about her new book. Hi, Beverly! Let’s hear more about Tinker!
What was the inspiration for your book?
My desire was to write a story with a message that I believed in. When I was little, I wanted a pet, but a family member was allergic to cats and dogs, so I bought a hamster and a turtle. Fast forward to now, and I knew the turtle would be featured in the story and the clever escape of my hamster would figure into the plot.
While revising the story I discovered that too many turtle picture books existed on the market, so Tinker became a lizard. Although it was horrible to have lost my hamster, it would have been a disaster if I had lost my friend’s pet while it was under my care. As the main character, what would I do and how would this effect my relationship with my friend? Of course, I wanted the story to have a good ending, so Tinker is found in the end, but what if the main character concluded she must give up her dream of owning a fish to keep from disappointing her friend?
Initially the inspiration for this tale was my pets, but it also came from Luke 6:38 (found in the Bible) which essentially says, “Give and it will be given back to you.” My heart’s message in writing Tinker is to encourage children to think creatively as they try to solve their problems, but even more importantly, it is that they would see the reward in being a good friend.
Being from the Pacific Northwest, I am unfamiliar with anoles other than as pets, so I enjoyed the warm tropical environment in this book. I must say that Tinker is adorable, and I liked reading about the responsibility Hannah shows while she cares for Tinker and performs her other chores.
Hannah
Tell us about your writing and illustrating process.
Generally, the story comes first. It is written and revised until my critique partners and I agree that it is finished. But while I am in the revising process, I will begin the character sketches and will decide what medium and style I would like to use for the final art. Once I’ve made my choices, I will begin the storyboard or dummy book. Sometimes the text may get altered slightly as I am working on the sketches, so it fits the illustrations better. After I finish the final storyboard, I enlarge those sketches, trace and tweak them, and then get them scanned. From there I will add the color using Procreate in my iPad to complete the illustrations.
Tinker, Where Are You? is a part of a collaborative publishing process with one of my critique groups. We each wrote and illustrated our own books and helped one another with both the refining of the stories and the illustrations. Each of us has different strengths to give to the group to help in the creative and publishing process.
That’s a pretty neat way to create a picture book!
What is your favorite part of the creative process and why?
All of it. I am more of an artist by natural abilities, so I might say that illustrating is my favorite part, but honestly, I really enjoy creative writing—both in coming up with the story idea and the revising as well. Telling a tale is fun, but watching a character come to life under my pencil and paint is the icing on a cake.
You do a fantastic job creating both story and illustrations!
What other projects have you illustrated or written?
Back in the dark ages when I began illustrating (LOL), I created a boat load of art for the secular and faith-based educational markets. During that time, and since then, I’ve also illustrated a few books. Tinker is my eighth book. Among the other books are My Child My Princess by Beth Moore, Fishing with Grandpa and Skye by Candace Spizzirri, and Have You Seen Mouse? by me.
I’ve read several of these. Lots of fun!
What is next for you, Beverly?
When I completed the illustrations for Tinker, I immediately began working on the illustrations for Meet Lottie and Annie written by Joye Smith. Meet Lottie and Annie is a picture book for preschoolers. This book tells the story about two women missionaries from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Lottie served in China and Annie served in the US. This was a fun project because I enjoy doing research on historical characters, and I found the lives of these two women to be inspirational. The book is due to be released on June 1, 2025.
As editor for Meet Lottie and Annie, I can say that I cannot wait to hold a copy in my hands. The history and engaging illustrations are wonderful!
Today I am working on marketing Tinker. But I am also thinking about my next book. I have four manuscripts with semi-completed storyboards. It is a matter of deciding which one is the best for me to publish currently. A good thing about being a self-publishing author and illustrator is that I can work at my own pace, which leaves room for me to illustrate other projects as they arrive.
Thanks so much, Angie, for featuring Tinker, Where Are You? on your blog.
You are very welcome, Beverly. It’s always a joy to find out what is going on in your world. Congratulations on Tinker!!
Sad Hannah
Friends, you can learn more about Beverly here and find her books:
Love, Laughter, and Life 