Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

This week's photos aren't really a story--just a few that I liked of old trees both in the Sierra and across the Owens Valley among the bristlecone pines of the White Mountains. Maybe a big old Jeffrey pine? Bristlecone They do get struck by lightning and scorched, but I think in this case the black is from bacteria and/or fungi. Experts at clinging on in unlikely places. Much younger trees, but still probably older than they look, silhouetted in the smoky sunrise. Like bristlecones, Jeffrey pines and foxtail pines in the Sierra can remain standing long after they die, and the wood decays slowly in the dry environment. Given the ideal growing conditions, this big pine is probably about the youngest I've posted here. White bark pine This clump of short but old kumholtz won't get any bigger, though it may spread wider. The same winds that led me to tuck my tent in next to it will see to that, in this harsh alpine environment.     ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2021  As always, ple...

But not zero writing! I have continued to write every day when camped in the front country, and the novel is now nearing 65K. I took a break while backpacking this week, but came up with a vision (I think) for where it goes from here more or less to the end. Since that vision was developed while hiking at over 11,000', I will believe it when it actually works out on paper! For those who are wondering, the new book is a new heroine, new setting, and as yet lacks a title. I'm just calling it Seffi's Book for now. More updates on that when inspiration strikes! We are enjoying three nights of front-country camping, then four more of backpacking, before I head home and try to tie up the loose ends. By the time we end the trip, I expect to be over 70K words and have the end in sight--today is a total rest day, so a good writing day (well, rest, groceries, laundry, and a few other errands, but mostly entertaining ourselves). Here are a few more teaser photos from the cell phone. L...

To no one's surprise, I don't have a story ready to go for my Friday Flash Fiction. Nor are my photos edited, since I just got home today. But I've picked a few to edit quickly and allow me to share a little teaser. Here's the big story: on July 11, we packed up half our belongings (roughly) to move into storage, part of our plan to be out of our house by sometime in August. We paid our boys to take a couple of days off from work, and drove to my brother-in-law's house about 3 hours away, where we left the stuff. The next morning we sent our boys back home with our car and the U-Haul (because right now a round-trip rental from SF is cheaper by a wide margin than a one-way rental), and my husband and  I borrowed the parental camper van and headed for the hills: the really big hills known as the Sierra Nevada. We spent 4 days dayhiking, to get used to the altitude, then did an 8-night, 9-day backpacking trip (was supposed to be one night longer; that's another sto...