Some Summer Pastimes...

It's "Video Log Friday" on my ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS PORTAL, dear readers. So, if you have time, paddle on over and catch up on what the Captain and I have been doing all week while we're out here in the Pacific Northwest. Meanwhile, have a blessed weekend, and I'll be back in touch on Monday.

Oh, yes... and if you need a good book to read on any of your own summer travels, there are a lot of good interviews and reviews over on LILLY'S BOOK CLUB page you might enjoy looking over. Not to mention some great ones lined up for July!

Question: Do you read more during the summer, or less?

Just wondering.

Catching Up With Things...

While the Captain and I have been out and about looking at boats from one end of this state to the other, in our continuing search for the GLORY B., a lot has been going on in in my writing world, as well. Not the least of which is an introduction to author, Lynn Dove, and her YA novels known as the Wounded Trilogy. I love young people. So, anytime I come across books I think they might enjoy, I like to speak up about them.

While I haven't read these myself, yet, (I've added them to my summer reading list) I've got a bit of an interview with Lynn Dove and something about the books over on LILLY'S BOOK CLUB page. So, if you have young people in your life (or, have ever been one, yourself) you might like to paddle on over there and have a look.

Meanwhile, happy Tuesday, dear readers. I'm off to catch up with paperwork so I can head out for another adventure, tomorrow. Possibly even a significant one.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Things are getting more and more exciting out here in the Pacific Northwest, dear readers, as we get closer and closer to what we came here for. If you'd like to catch a glimpse of what we've been up to, just paddle on over to the ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS PORTAL and take a look at this week's video log. Many thanks to all of you who are following along on my 2012 MYSTERY TOUR... here's wishing you a blessed weekend wherever you are! 

One Man's Treasure is Another Man's…

What people think about boats is personal. Some like all the bells, whistles, and latest high-tech instruments. Some like how fast they can go. Some like how slow. Some like them mostly as a place to hang out with their friends, and some especially like tinkering with the engine. Which is why it could take a while before we find the one that is a perfect fit for our personalities. But we know it's out there, somewhere, and we are looking hard, because this will probably be the last one we buy in our lifetime. And having had four, already, we know exactly what we want this time.

We are having a great time exploring places along the Puget Sound while we look for it. In the week we've been here, we've looked in Tacoma, Port Angeles, Paulsbo, Port Orchard, and Port Townsend. Every one of them lovely places. And we've seen some lovely boats and met some lovely people, too. But none of those boats were the GLORY B. We'll know it when we see it, though. And in the meantime…

Looking is half the fun!

To keep things rolling before we head out for the next destination on our MYSTERY TOUR, I've started a new contest over on my ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS PORTAL. So, feel free to paddle on over there if you'd like to get in on that. And in the meanwhile, if you hear of any boats for sale that you think might be what we're looking for… let us hear about it! And don't forget any of our Armchair Travelers who would like to meet us in one of our locations and go for a ride… pack your bags and we'll do some adventuring together. Boats are much more fun when you share.

Come to think of it, everything in life is like that.

Anybody out there think this "treasure hunt" is crazier than gold panning?

The Next Big Thing...

Are the Captain and I done looking for gold? Not on your life, dear readers. We're only finished with the Rocky Mountains for this year. But we're on a much bigger gold circuit on my 2012 MYSTERY TOUR, one that touches a few of the largest gold rushes in history. However, we are taking a side trip here on the west coast for the next couple of weeks to search for the GLORY B. ... which you can find out more about over on my ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS PORTAL. 

Meanwhile, tomorrow is the "big birthday party" for that most entertaining of all pigs, SASSY PANTS, who has been busy trying to make amends for some friendships she broke. To celebrate, I will be interviewing author Carol A. Brown over on LILLY'S BOOK CLUB page. And don't forget, you will be able to get many wonderful free gifts if you buy the book on this very special day.

So, if you have any kids (or friends) in your family, you might want to tell them.

I know I'm going to!

What's Happening?

A bit of rest, a bit of family and friends… it just doesn't get much better. So, here we are on the west coast of the Pacific, catching up, and gearing up for the next leg of my    MYSTERY TOUR.    What is the mystery? I'm getting a glimpse, dear readers, and it looks very exciting from this side of the world (I admit, it's my favorite). But more on that, later.

For right now, there are things happening everywhere that I have either missed, or will be catching up on. Not the least of which is a very special "birthday party" for SASSY PANTS MAKES AMENDS, written by my good friend, Carol A. Brown. My review is up over at LILLY'S BOOK CLUB page, and I will also be doing an interview with Ms. Brown, later in the week. So, paddle on over if you get a minute, but whatever you do -- DON'T BUY IT, yet! Why? Because the big birthday party is scheduled for June 19th, and if you buy it then… you will get many wonderful free gifts to go along with your purchase. A veritable treasure box of good things. Want a sneak peak? You can see what the free gifts are here.

Meanwhile, I'll be getting our next video blog ready to post, tomorrow, and catching up on news from all quarters. Got news? Tell me about it!  

Are We There, Yet?

We are back in civilization for a few days, dear readers, to get in touch with online friends and Armchair Travelers, and share a few of the adventures we've had over the weekend. I'll be posting details of the last of our Rocky Mountain adventures, all week, over at the ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS PORTAL if you would like to look in on those. 

I'll also be catching up with emails and overdue work assignments, so if I owe you something, get in touch and remind me before we take off for the next leg of our tour... the Pacific Ocean. Where we will be in search of the GLORY B. And now that I have recovered a bit from my case of "gold fever," I am more than ready to let the Captain take the lead for this one.

I really don't know what came over me... 

I am on Pike's Peak for the next two days, dear readers, doing my best to get rid of a bout of gold fever. However, it is so beautiful I can see why so many people used to stay up here for months on end. Of course, there were other draws, too, but that's another story. No Internet up there, so I will be back to talk about our adventures on Friday. 

Well, dear readers... getting a good Internet signal isn't easy up here in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, but patience is a great virtue, and I managed to collect enough of it to at least get a post and a couple pictures up over at the ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS PORTAL. We have come through two thunderstorms, and past a forest fire we could see off in the distance, but finally arrived in an area of "possibilities." Tomorrow, we will try to find our way to Hopewell Lake. 

So far, we have seen deer, antelope, and various small creatures. No snakes or tarantulas, though, which suits me just fine. I did put a "mystery picture" up at the Portal, and if anyone can guess what it is, I will put your name in the Captain's hat for a souvenir. Along with any of you who come up with the most probable location of the lost Dupont Mine (there are two separate areas that both boast of being the right one). Hmm... the important thing, now, is to try not to get any of our information from the "Wild Goose Chase Gazette!"

The Goose Chase Gazette...

It is said there is always a little truth in every legend, and I guess that's why they hang on so long. It is also said that truth is often stranger than fiction. And I guess these two things together is what makes treasure hunting such a draw. No matter how far the stories are stretched, we all know for a fact that "stranger things have happened." So, why not look into this little bit of mystery? Besides, if by some chance, there is really something out there...

Well, my goodness, it might be worth a fortune.

That' the first draw. The second (if you have ever followed through on the first) is even stronger. Not only is searching for it great fun, it always leads to some sort of adventure. Because whenever you get out in the "great outdoors" there is adventure. An element of the unknown. It's exciting in a way that being indoors never is. And being in this environment is an automatic set-up for the third thing, should it ever happen to you. If it does happen...

You will be hooked. Guaranteed. 

And you will be back over and over, even if it never happens, again. All you have to do is find something, once. There are several names for it, and one of them is Gold Fever. I have had this, myself, for quite a few years. I have never found much gold, but I've had lots of fun and adventure. And even though I've learned things like a lot of legends are just rumors, and most treasure maps are fake... I don't really mind. I've been warned that following up on such things most often leads to what is known as a "wild goose chase." But I find those to be great fun, too.

When my good friend Carol Brown was looking into one of these legends and ran into something of a dead end, she said, "Oh, pooh. I guess I've been reading THE GOOSE CHASE GAZETTE!" And I liked that idea so much I decided that should be the way we explain such happenings on the MYSTERY TOUR (thank you, Carol!). So, if you ever see the cover of this magazine, dear readers, you can be sure we've been off on the wrong trail, again. But even so, I'm sure we will have had a very good time!

Have you voted for which areas we should look into? You can do that over on my ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS PORTAL. Meanwhile, have a great weekend!