And Then The Sun Comes Out!

Back-to-back storms, some decent snow. It's great to play in. But what about to look at?

Check it out.

On our walk today. Looking north.
The highest mountain in the distance is Mt. Rose, 10,778', about 30 miles away as the crow flies.
Just down the far side (6,300 vertical feet down) is Reno, which sits approximately 2,000 below the lake.

Tahoe Deep Free On Christmas

As I have done in many previous years, I'm making the Kindle version of Tahoe Deep free on Christmas! Please download it and send the link on to your friends and family. It will be free for a total of five days, December 25 - 29. This is my gift to you in thanks for your support over the years.

Here's the link:
https://www.amazon.com/Tahoe-Deep-McKenna-Mystery-Thriller-ebook/dp/B07RFHW3VW/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=tahoe+deep&qid=1576889945&s=books&sr=1-1

 ENJOY!

I Found My Dream Cabin On The Water... There's Just One Problem

Yes, it's true. After living in Tahoe for 29 years, my dream cabin came up for sale. It's not big, of course, but I can live with that. It's in Tahoma, not the easiest place to get in and out of during winter storms or the summer tourist season. But I can live with that, too. It's a bit short on the room count, but, as you can tell, I'm being agreeable here. The amount of blue-water view coming in the windows is a bit overwhelming. Maybe if we put up some black-out drapes, we wouldn't have to look at the lake.

So what's the problem. 3.5 million dollars.

Tell you what. I'll pass on this cabin so you can snatch it up fast. And even if 3.5 mil seems a bit much for you as well, just hang onto it for a year or two, and you can resell it for 5.

Want to see more pics or put in an offer? Here's a link:

https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/Best-vacation-home-ever-Tahoe-cabin-asking-3-5-14905706.php#photo-18753822

Enjoy!

How To Get Audio Versions Of My Books

I get lots of requests to put my books on Audible.com. This is the modern version of Books-On-Tape. Audible works well, and I'd love to have my books available that way.

But it is a big project, and I haven't gotten to it yet.

However, there is a new technology that is fast improving and may eventually render Audible obsolete.  It is Kindle's Text-To-Speech function.

You don't have to read your Kindle books, you can LISTEN.

Here's the basics of how it works. Most books available on Kindle have the text-to-speech function enabled. It says if that's the case on every book's detail page on Amazon. If you have a recent version of a Kindle, it will likely "read" those books.

My books, for example, are all available to listen to with Kindle's text-to-speech.

All you need to do is learn a few steps for how to make it work. You can choose the type of voice you like, female, male, American, British, etc. There are Many choices. You can control the speed, certain accents, and other qualities.

The voice can be projected through a Kindle with speakers or through a separate speaker. You can connect your Kindle up to your car speakers or to headphones so you can listen during your commute.

You are of course wondering if the voice sounds like a synthetic robot or a real human. I was initially prejudiced and assumed that only a recorded human voice would be a reasonable way to listen to a book.

Yet I've listened to several of the voices and have been pleasantly surprised at how realistic they are. In fact, I was shocked at how good they are. I recommend you give it a try.

There are many Youtube videos that explain and show the process of how to get your Kindle to "Read" books out loud. Here are some links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9SWqf8Ky18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2a9GoQe8QY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OswiTA0lts

If these videos don't make it clear enough, I'm sure you can search out one that will make the process clear.

No doubt you can also find a fellow Kindle reader who can help show you the process. Call your friends and ask. It won't take long before you will hook up with a Kindle "Listener" who can walk you through the process.

Enjoy! I think you'll be surprised at how good the voices are.

Super Cold Temps As The Earth Warms??!!

This past week saw several cold temperature records fall in the Bay Area and elsewhere in California. When this happens during the constant news stories about the unmistakable warming of our planet, people often wonder how it can be.

If the Earth is warming, how can we have record cold temps?

Here's an answer by way of a metaphor.

Think about a rushing river. Many of us have stood at a river's edge and seen, among the gush of downward current, the odd eddy current here and there. Because of the randomness of flow, or the shape of the river bed, or the boulders and other obstructions in the river, some water often flows the opposite of the general current. Another way to say it is that while most of the water flows downhill, some of the water goes uphill for brief moments.

Think of global warming as a river. The general warming trend is as visible to scientists (and those of us old enough to seen glaciers decades ago) as the flow of a river.

And yet, all rivers have eddy currents. If one focused closely enough on an eddy current, one would think the water was going up the mountain instead of down. But when one stands back and looks at the big picture, the general trend is obvious.

Expect temperature eddy currents. They may even increase as the river volume grows.