Dog In A Victorian

You know how cats love to lounge in a sunny window...

I was in San Francisco this week, doing some research for my next book. We came upon a classy Victorian.  It had plenty of windows but no cats that we saw. But look at the left of the top-most windows. There was a dog lounging, jaw stretched out, resting on the windowsill. Looking north toward Alcatraz. Waiting for its owner to come home from work? From prison? There's a story in there someplace...

Wolves Play Fetch??!!

Wolf pups don't play fetch, right?
Or do they?

Dogs were domesticated from wolves a long time ago, maybe 30,000 years. The result of that domestication produced animals (dogs) that were very focused on humans, almost as if humans were gods to dogs. Humans provide dogs with shelter and food and companionship and protection. In return, dogs pay attention to every little thing regarding humans, and they can read human cues better than any other animal, better than chimps or elephants or cats or parrots. Some people believe that dogs can read human cues better than other people can! (Just try to get ready to take your dog for a walk without letting her know. It doesn't work. She always knows when you're going for a walk. Even if you spell all of your words and do your best to hide your intentions, she'll still know. How does she do it? I don't know!)

Dogs serve as guards and hunters and companions. They haul sleds with heavy loads. They pay attention to every little sound in your house when you are asleep. They sit on your couch and eat popcorn with you. They also serve as playmates like, for example, playing fetch.

Modern wolves are very different than modern dogs. In some ways they are more intelligent and better at solving puzzles. But when it comes to understanding humans, they don't come close to dogs. Dogs get what we want, and they try to deliver for us. Throw a ball and they go fetch it. Wolves don't do that.

Except, wait, maybe they do. A researcher was doing tests, showing that wolves won't fetch. She used multiple litters of wolf pups for subjects. She was thorough in every aspect of demonstrating that wolves won't retrieve a ball.

But then some did.

Another wrench in the science gears!

Here's a link: to the NPR story on wolves that fetch.

ENJOY!

Peregrine Falcons In Tahoe!

The Peregrine Falcon is often mentioned as the fastest animal on the planet. Some reliable sources, such as National Geographic, say the bird can fly over 200 miles per hour in a dive. Accurate or not, the Peregrine is a magnificent bird.

Peregrines nearly went extinct several decades ago because of their sensitivity to the pesticide DDT in the environment. When DDT was finally banned, Peregrines made a slow comeback.

Peregrines are roughly the size of crows. They weigh up to 3 pounds (the females are significantly bigger than the males), and their wingspan can be 4 feet.

Like all raptors, Peregrines hunt their food using their amazing vision while they fly at high heights. They take a wide range of birds, including some much bigger than themselves. They occasionally feed on rodents as well

Recently, Peregrines were spotted in Tahoe at Castle Rock just to the north of Kingsbury Grade.

According to Tahoe In Depth, the newspaper put out by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Peregrines were seen at Castle Rock back in 2011 and they returned there for a few years. Then they weren't seen for a time.

Recently, they reappeared. Here's link to the article: Falcons at Tahoe.

What a cool bird to have in Tahoe!

A Toast To Sam Bauman

Long time Tahoe-area writer Sam Bauman died a few days ago. He was vital into his nineties.

Sam was a friend, a journalist, and a fellow novelist. He wrote for the Tahoe Tribune, the Nevada Appeal, and many other newspapers and journals and websites. He supported and wrote reviews of my novels, as I did of his. Sam lived and traveled and skied all over the world. 

Sam and I got together to talk shop and Tahoe over coffee and lunch. He invited my wife and I to dinners. Sam was also a writing teacher, although I don't know that he thought of himself that way. To this day, I still use some of the writing tips he gave me back when I was a newbie novelist in the early 2000s and he was a veteran writer. 

I will always appreciate Sam's presence in my life.

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.

Ski Resorts Open, I'm Watching Harness Racing Horses Under Palm Trees

Some ski resorts are now open, and the rest open soon.

Mt. Rose, Alpine Meadows, and Squaw Valley are all open. Heavenly is due to open soon, and the rest won't be long. Yes, the territory is currently very limited. However, winter weather is supposed to hit us on Tuesday.

No snow where I am... I'm exhibiting books down at the Sacramento Harvest Festival at Cal Expo for my last major book launch event. It runs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

What do I love about California? Well, among other things, the weather is spectacular.  It might be cold up in Tahoe, but before the Harvest Festival opens each morning, I walk over to the race track and watch the Harness Racers in training. With a backdrop of palm trees, they come around the track, trotting and pacing.

For those who are curious, when trotting, horses move their legs on the diagonal. Left front and right rear at the same time, then right front and left rear.

When pacing, horses move both right legs forward at the same time, then both left legs. I'm told that pacing is faster than trotting. (When I was young and had horses, they didn't pace, they only walked, trotted, cantered, and galloped.)

As always, regardless of gait, horses are gorgeous animals.

Whole Foods Is Open In South Lake Tahoe

Whole Foods is open. Judging by the parking lot which was way overflowing, people are at least curious if not very excited. The vibe I got was very exciting.

It's on Lake Tahoe Blvd, just a half-block to the west of Ski Run Blvd. For those of you who know the town, that's a half block west of The Red Hut Cafe.

The address is 3600 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Phone number is 530-578-4555. But judging by the crowds at the slowest time of the year (early November), don't expect them to answer their phone now or maybe ever.

Talk about a hot business. Is it because Amazon bought them? Or is it simply that people want whole foods?

Spring In The Fall

Speaking of snow - you do remember that I wrote about snow last week? - there are multiple places where we still have snowfields left over from last winter. The Crystal Range on the west side of Desolation Wilderness. Steven's Peak. Mt. Tallac even has a few patches left. Just a bit south of Tahoe in Hope Valley, you can see large snowfields on Roundtop and The Sisters, and on Highland Peak and Raymond Peak down by Markleeville.

Would you like a dose of Spring during the Fall? Hike up to one of those snowfields and look in the soil/Grus just to the edges of the snow. These are areas that were covered with snow a week or two ago and they have just melted. In those places, you'll find plants that have suddenly felt the warmth of the sun after being buried in snow for most of a year. Those plants have evolved to take advantage of this sudden, short "spring" in the beginning of November. They do a little bit of growing in the few hours of sunlight that they see each year. They have to be fast because they could get covered by snow any time and be buried again for 12 months. Or more.