  Last Chance 1862--Main Street-------Last Chance Today
Our research trip for my new book, Love Finds You in Last Chance, California.... A romance set in a mining town that's no longer there.
My husband Allen and I arrived at the Sacramento airport early on Thursday afternoon, June 5th, then drove up I-80 to Auburn, across to the small historic town of Foresthill, and on another 13 miles up into the Sierra Nevada mountains to a wonderful B&B/lodge called The Christmas Tree Vineyard Lodge. Our hostess was Claudia, the owner and manager of the lodge and she made us feel welcome and went out of her way to be a help to my research.
Prior to my arrival she contacted people in the local historical group and was given the name of Nolan Smith, an archaeologist who works for Tahoe National Forest as a ranger. He offered to ride with us up to the old town site of Last Chance, but first we spent 30 minutes or so in his office going over forest service maps of Placer county and particularly the area between Foresthill and Last Chance.
Before we even got out the door, he’d armed me with several books that have short bits of information on the old town, and urged me to keep them during our stay at the lodge. At his suggestion we’d rented an SUV with a higher wheel base as he hadn’t been into the old town site this spring and wasn’t sure what the road might be like.
We drove 24 miles at 25 mph and less, down a steep canyon on serpentine roads, then back up the other side to the top of a high ridge. We topped out on the ridge and began to go down the other side another nine miles on a gravel road, losing about 1,000′ in elevation until arriving in the vicinity of Last Chance. On the ridge to the east of town is a flat forested area well over a mile in length. According to historical records it used to be a flat, grassy glade with little or no trees, about two miles outside of town…a perfect setting for the ranch where Alexia lives.
Unfortunately, there isn’t even a foundation still standing where any buildings used to be, but we were able to see several leveled areas, with at least 3 that had surfaces dug into the bank. It was apparent a building had resided in those spots…and one area not far from a beautiful spring had the remnants of what could have been a split rail corral. A few of the posts still had square nails protruding from the sides. According to Nolan, those nails would be pre-1890’s—and could easily have been a corral where my blacksmith/livery kept the horses.
We also visited the few remaining tombstones in the cemetery up on a rise above the town site. Ethan Allen Grosch, the man who first discovered the Comstock lode, died in a tragic accident and was buried there in the 1850’s. His tombstone is clearly marked, along with several others both earlier and later.
I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to see the topography, the setting for the town and learn more detail about the time period and history my book takes place. Stay tuned for more updates as I happen to stumble upon them.
My book will release in February of 2009. Check back in a few days for a sneak peek at the cover and a brief summary of the story.
 I lost my grandmother today, but I know she's in heaven with Jesus and with her husband who went ahead of her over 40 yrs ago. Grammie lived a full and very long life. She would have celebrated her 99th birthday in July.
She was so much more than my grandmother....she was a lover of children, a witty woman who didn't lose that sense of humor clear to the end. She was fiercely loyal to family and friends and known to everyone who loved her, as Grammie. She attended the small church in Lyle, Wa., for many years, where she and her husband moved (from Eastern Oregon) when just a few years before he passed away.
The picture at the top was taken just a few months ago with the kitty that resides at the home where she stayed. Her mind was sharp and she was still getting around in a wheelchair when a small stroke hit a couple of weeks ago. God was so merciful that He allowed her to slip into a gentle sleep in the small hours of this morning and she simply went on to be with Him.
I'm grateful for the many years I had with my grandmother....so many more than a lot of adults my age (I'm over 50 myself) ever get to experience. My grown kids knew her well, and she's seen great-grandchildren come into the world, as well. I'm celebrating her life today and cherishing the precious memories of a wonderful woman who loved me.
This is not typical for me, but I'm doing yet another book give-away to celebrate The Other Daughter being picked as the June book of the month selection for the ACFW book club.
But this contest has a twist....you MUST read the rules below and follow them, or you won't be entered.
I'm giving away THREE books this time, not one, but three. What must you do to win one? Just leave a comment you ask? Nope, Nada...not this time. You must leave a very creative comment along this line---
I'm giving these books away to pick up influencers. In other words, I need you to 'shout it from the roof-tops' if you enjoy the book, after you've read it. Please tell me in the comment section:
Why you want a book
What creative ideas you can offer that will help promote the book, after you've read it? (see a few suggestions below) Give me at least three, and more if you can.
Your email address disguised so the spam bots can't grab it...as in, miralee at gorge dot net
That's it....three simple rules....but all are critical and leaving out any of them will exclude you.
If I get only three comments, you'll all get a book. If I get multiple (as I hope and expect) then I'll pick the ones I feel will help influence the most. If there are a lot of you and I have a hard time deciding, it'll turn into a drawing. I'll keep this contest open for one week and post the winner a week from tomorrow, or May 12th. Thanks!
Now for the example I promised...you might offer to post a review on your blog or website, or drop glowing written reports off at your local bookstore and beg them to carry copies...Be creative, but don't get so crazy that it's not realistic. And above all, I'll be looking for follow through. I'll ask the winners to notify me after they've read the book and let me know what they DID do.
We Have A Winner!!!I was gone till 11:00 last night to our Portland chapter ACFW meeting, so couldn't do my drawing. I just picked a winner for a signed copy of my book and Stacey.... stacey_dale[at]yahoo[dot]com is the lucky winner. I've sent her an email to notify her. Thank you ALL for taking the time to leave a comment. I hope you'll all be able to get a copy and take part in the ACFW book club discussion, as The Other Daughter did win the vote for June. I'm pumped!!
Hey everybody! My book has been nominated for the book club choice to read and discuss on the ACFW book club for June and is in the top three right now. I'm giving away ONE copy---so if you're interested in reading it and would like yours FREE, just leave a comment below. I'll be drawing the winners name and contacting the winner on Monday night. Be sure you leave a way to get in touch...you can do your email address like this....miralee at gorge dot net. Here's a brief summary of the book in case you aren't familiar with it...and if you don't win, you can find it on Amazon, CBD or your local book store. Thanks and good luck! The girl standing at the door took a deep breath, pulling her suitcase a little closer to her trembling legs. "My mama's dead. He's my daddy." Susanne Carson knew she could trust the love of her life-her husband, David-until she discovered a strange, unkempt young girl on their doorstep, claiming to be David's daughter. Not that their marriage had ever been perfect-David's decision to embrace the Christian faith had strained their relationship. Susanne may not have agreed with his beliefs, but at least she trusted him. Had David been hiding this not-so-little secret from his past? Her husband wanted Susanne to believe in God, but believing hadn't done much to keep David out of another woman's arms. What else could her husband be hiding? As David confronts the truth of his past, Susanne must face her own moment of truth as her marriage is taken to the breaking point and the life of one young girl is left in her hands.
Ever just feel TIRED? I mean, don't want to do anything, can't seem to get moving type tired? A list a mile long, and you need to be writing two different books, and revising a third, and all you find yourself doing is staring at the screen, or playing solitaire?
That's where I'm at right now. I need to be three people, and I'm just not able to stretch to the extent I need to. I've always been able to before, so what's different now?
Hmm....let's see....maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm over 50 and it's hard for me to admit I don't have the intensely high energy level I used to have?
I'm leaving for a church retreat tomorrow at 2:00 in the afternoon, and returning home about the same time, and I'm kicking myself for signing up. I look at my house that needs cleaning, the laundry that needs done, the mud patch in the front of the house that needs lawn seed spread, the flower bed that needs weeding, and the book projects piling up...and I wonder how I can possibly take the time to go.
But then I think...can I afford NOT to go? Maybe God has something planned in this 24 hrs away that I need to hear. Maybe He wants to meet me in a way He's been unable to do at home, at the pace I'm running. Maybe....well, maybe HE set this as a divine appointment and I need to quit kicking myself, and go with an attitude of expectation.
Okay...I can do that, I think. I'm going to put aside the stress for 24 hrs and allow God to speak to me in whatever way He needs to. I guess we all need times like this. Time to slow down and allow God to get our attention. There might not be any huge revelation while I'm gone. I might not hear the speaker say anything I haven't heard a dozen times before. But if I connect with my Lord at an intimate level, it will be worth it all.
Oh my goodness.....life seems to be racing past me at lightening speed this week! I can't believe tomorrow is Thursday and I haven't posted my personal impressions yet of Generation NeXt Marriage! And I'm not going to be able to now, until this week-end. OK, so you may not be holding your breath in anticipation, but I did say I'd do it within a couple of days, and I've dropped the ball. But I'm scrambling with a schedule change and an unexpected trip out of town...and I won't return to my keyboard until sometime on Friday....then will need to play catch up at home the remainder of that day.
Is anyone else experiencing the rapid passing of this year...? I realize it's only the first of April, and we've even still been getting hit with the last remnants of winter....but it FEELS like it's blasting past me way too fast. Although I do admit, I'm hungry for spring and even more so for the summer heat to arrive. But then I have to remember...following the awesome summer sun, comes the beauty and coolness of fall, and right on its heels is winter. Ugh! Ok, I'm jumping the gun here, but I don't even want to think of winter again for a long time, and it's already April! Sigh. I'll quit now and get some things done that I must do before I hit the road.
See you back here in a few days!!! Blessings to you all as your life swirls around you....
Wow! What a hard subject this is, and one that's hitting me hard at the moment. As you can see if you've visited here much the past two weeks, I've not been posting. It's not been because I don't want to, or don't have anything to say, but rather, because life seems to be running over the top of me lately. The problem is (and I'll bet you can relate to this)...some of what I found myself doing past two weeks was very necessary, and some seemed to simply sweep me along without my consent. Ten days of company off and on, book revisions and proposal deadlines, not feeling well, and trying to keep up with housework and doing remodel work on a house, have all taken their toll. Tonight I'm thankful that I had a full day at home. I didn't get everything accomplished I'd hoped for, but I stayed in my pj's till 11 a.m. (shhh...don't tell!) and then puttered on a couple of projects and felt I made progress. Oh...and stared out my window at the blowing snow that's NOT supposed to be coming down a full week after the first day of spring! But I think this was supposed to be about priorities, right? Like, knowing what our purpose in life is, and keeping fixed in that direction, rather than veering off on a dozen other tangents. That starts with keeping our heart and mind fixed on the Lord...and that takes time and commitment. Time that seems to get eaten up by all the 'necessary' things in life that come at you from all sides. Sure, some of them you can't help, but others can be delegated and even set aside. Some we don't have to say yes to, and some we need to simply use self discipline to avoid (like the internet and playing solitaire, LOL!) that eat up time. I'm finding that I MUST spend more time with the Lord if I'm going to get through the craziness that seems to hit each day. I need His strength, wisdom and creativity, not to mention patience, to make each day count.
I talked about personal change or the curves that life throws at you last time we chatted, but how about change that comes from those closest to you? I don't know about you, but I've found that to be some of my most challenging moments. When someone who knows me better than anyone else tries to rock my 'life' boat with change, my hackles tend to raise a little faster than if it's just an acquaintance, or even a friend. I've experienced this a number of times in my life. My husband, Allen, is someone who does NOT like life to be stagnant, and thrives on change. He's the man who's refurbishing our 51' sail boat so we can start traveling extensively, and he's stated he doesn't care if we 'never come back', LOL! Now I enjoy traveling, and sailing is fun, but I also very much enjoy my home, my yard, my kitties and my extended family. Oh...and somehow I don't think my horse is going to fit on the boat. So what happens when two desires and two sets of goals clash? Does one have to give up their dream or their desire completely, and give way to the other? Not necessarily, although I'm sure we've all done that to one degree or another. That's where we begin to find out what our marriage is really made of. Are we willing to compromise and give for the sake of the other? I know my hubby won't demand that I live on our boat forever, but nor should I demand that we only take it out for 2-3 weeks at a time, when he's longing to go for months. We'll both need to give to some degree, and I might just have to bend a little more than him, as I can easily take my laptop aboard, still do my writing, and keep in touch with my family by phone and email. We're not getting any younger, and I have to remind myself that we won't be physically able to handle a large sail boat in say, 15 more years. Once out legs get a bit wobbly, or our site isn't as sharp (you get my meaning...we get OLD, LOL!) I'll have plenty of time to curl up in my comfy house. Do you have an area in your marriage where you find yourself in disagreement with your spouse on a regular basis. Are your goals and dreams in constant conflict? Ask the Lord to give you insight into your loved one's heart...that you might begin to see life through their eyes, and ask that He do the same thing for them, with you. Try to put yourself in their place, and at least for a time, believe in their dreams and help to attain them. Believe me, the rewards might far exceed what you expect!!!
Change. It's a word that can generate anticipation, fear, anxiety and excitement, to name a few. Life is never constant, but always seems to be in a perpetual state of flux and change. Sometimes it's emotionally satisfying, sometimes it's stressful. Thankfully, if you're a child of God and trusting in Jesus, you can know that He is in control of each change that life throws at you.
We've been struggling to make a decision the past couple of months concerning our new home, and the old one that hasn't sold. We realize now that we jumped the gun on building the new one. We listed the old house when the market was still somewhat strong, but just starting to soften. It didn't sell quickly, and we were already obligated to the construction loan on the new one. It was too late to back out, so we built, doing much of the finish work ourselves, and gaining a tremendous amount of equity. Plus, we'd owned the property for 4 yrs, and the land value had increased to over double what we paid.
We've been faced with a hard decision the past couple of months. Continue to try to sell the old house, or put the new one on the market. My hubby and I both loved the old house, and had done a lot of remodeling and yard work during the four years we lived there. The new house is lovely, truly my dream house, but it's huge. We overbuilt, and are now realizing what a big job it is to keep up with. Our grown kids have been urging us to sell, asking if we really want a house this big for the next 20 yrs...we're not getting any younger. The answer? Not unless I could hire a maid and a landscaper, and that's not an option right now. My hubby has never connected with this house emotionally and misses the old one.
A month ago we put the new house on the market, but I've still been struggling with letting it go. Yesterday we spent a couple of hours at the new house, starting to lay Travertine on the laundry room floor. Today, our daughter and her hubby came to help. The men worked on the tile, and she and I did yard work. And you know what? It felt like I was home. Truly home. I've poured so much time and energy into that yard, and it was starting to come together when we moved. Allen has promised me a brand new kitchen (we have the old 1950's metal cabinets in there now) if we sell the new house and move back, and we're going to replace a few other things inside, as well. The house is a 100 yr old Craftsman/Victorian style, with charm and character, and is SO homey. The updates we'll do will make it even more so.
I must admit, I'm beginning to feel a sense of excitement and joy about the possibility of moving "home" again. Will I miss the new house? Probably for a while. Will I love the feeling of freedom that selling it will bring? You bet! We'll have enough money to pay the new one off, and completely pay off the mortgage on the old one, as well. Mortgage free in 2008...a new beginning...that's our goal this year.
God is good. He didn't allow our old house to sell, and helped us build a large amount of equity in this new one. We'll get to return home to a house we loved, that will be remodeled, updated, and PAID FOR! It doesn't get much better than that!
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Last Chance 1862--Main Street-------Last Chance Today
