Beth Carpenter Books

Have you ever seen a little piece of nature that seems completely different from the area around it? Maybe a fern-filled grotto around a spring in the desert? Or a wildflower meadow in the center of a dense forest? Enchanted places? Not far from Silver City, New Mexico, we found such a place in City of Rocks State Park. In the middle of a rolling grassy plain, an ancient volcano left behind a core of hard rock that had eroded and weathered into what looks like a city on the hill.    It's easy to imagine a thriving city, magically turned to stone. Like all cities, it has streets and alleys, windows and doors. It's nicely landscaped, with wildflowers,  live oaks, and desert plants. Rock City has quite a few permanent residents, although they are a little camera shy. Weathered rocks are a little like cloud formations, stimulating the imagination. If I stare at them for very long, I begin to...

Last month I talked about a few of my favorite words ( Collecting Words ) but that's only the beginning.  Word collecting is great, because words are not only free, they don't have to be dusted. The ones I like best are words that invoke a special meaning and also dance off the tongue. How about these? Debacle Not a near miss, not even a nice try, but a huge, total, spectacular failure. A fiasco.  The debacle might well have been caused by someone's ... Shenanigans Mischief, or maybe something more nefarious. Secret, dishonest manipulations. And can't you just hear the Irish accent? Huckleberry Like a blueberry, but a bigger, sweeter, wilder version. In my mind, huckleberries  are always connected to a special camping trip to Montana. Also slang for "the man you're looking for." The one who can get the job done. "I'm your huckleberry." Mosquitos and No-see-ums Be honest. Don't you feel itchy just hearing the nam...

Last week, my husband decided to go fishing, and invited me along. At first I declined, looking forward to a full day of writing. But the weather forecast said it would be a beautiful day, rare in September. The Kenai River draws visitors from all over the world. How could I pass up the opportunity?  It was the right decision. Just on the drive down, we saw four swans in Potter's Marsh and a couple of dozen belugas in Turnagain Arm. Once we reached the Kenai Peninsula, we had to brake to avoid a bull moose that ran across the road. The Kenai River itself is beautiful, with just enough glacial silt from feeder creeks to give the river a slightly milky turquoise color. The water ran high, and the fishing wasn't good. My husband only hooked some spent cohos and one small trout. The pair of bald eagles watching him seemed disappointed, too. I guess they were hoping for the castoffs.  Personally, the lack of fish didn't bother me at all. We already have more fish in ...