Sam was definitely in his element in New Mexico. The Navajo took advantage of his knowledge of horses and talked his ear off. He helped saddle and unsaddle. Absolutely, my desperado!!

...Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talkin'.....(Eagles).

Sam standing in four states at once. Well the feet are mine.   LOL

My husband always wanted to ride horses in Monument Valley. Here he looks out over it. We both rode with a Navajo guide.

As for me...

I'm a gypsy at heart!! I want to live at a hundred different places. And suddenly I realized...I am in a different place today than I have ever been before, and today I LIVE here!!

(((Hugs))))

Ann

I wanted to see the world and suddenly here it is, in front of me.

And I say to myself...what a wonderful world!!!!!

Creation of the Master Designer!!!!

We arrived in eastern Oklahoma with the plans to visit friends in Tahlequah and left the interstate just past Sallisaw. Little did we know that just a little further down I-40 (and about the time we would have been at that point), a tornado ripped across the interstate and turned over semis and blew cars around. People were killed). We traveled up to Muskogee to a RV part centrally located just southeast of Tulsa. Although not a cloud in sight,we were 'attracted" to one that offered a "storm cellar". Little did we know that having that would be such a comfort. Monday was a lesson in Oklahoma's stormy springtime. I have now concluded that Tornados are "BORN" in Oklahoma!!!! They are massive and powerful, wiping out everything in their path. The next two days we are basically entombed in our RV about 20 yards from the attractive Storm Cellar. We watch TV and listen for our county (we are on the line of Muskogee and Wagoner counties), and the alarm to take cover (hoping it does not give birth here and only those ahead can be warned). We do venture out to Muskogee to eat in the late afternoons and took advantage of one calm time to visit Oklahoma's oldest town, Ft. Gibson. Being the historical fiction person I am, I could envision life there among the buildings, hear the voices interacting, and a glimpse at the bars in the window of the jail set my mind racing. :) We also watched with the rest of you in horror at the remains of Moore, OK and felt the heartsick pain of the children that did not survive. On Monday alone, there were 26 tornadoes in OK.

Wednesday, and it's finally a beautiful, sun-shiney day in OK. Finally, we will go to Tahlequah and see our friends, Stephen & Kate Alyea. They do rodeo ministry and live on the Illinois River. They were such gracious hosts, and we loved their place on the river. We then rode a bit around the Cherokee nation and headed back to Muskogee.

My eyes opened up Thursday morning at 7:00 a.m. (that's 6:00 back in the Chattanooga area) to beautiful sunshine. I sat down at my computer and within 30 minutes, we had overcast skies and the threat of storms and rain in the forecast. My thoughts went to the ones that are still trying to clean up from the storms that destroyed their homes and, for some, their lives. My heart felt heavy at the thought of the storms around them as they worked. There are a few things in life we have control of but storms is not one of them. You just do what you have to do and put one foot in front of the other. You take it not one day at time but one minute at a time.

Well tomorrow we plan to attend a RODEO!!!! Is there anyone that knows Sam Phillips surprised at that? I thought not!!! Then its on to Monument Valley where we both will ride the lands that the TV cowboys (and real ones before that) rode!!! LOL. I think after that, I may not be able to walk for several days. HAHA.

((((Hugs)))

Ann

PS: I have not written much but made lots and lots of notes for when I do sit down and spend more time writing on Bad Blood: The Sighted Sister. 8-)

As we head west toward Oklahoma and then on to Utah, I was just wondering how many times mothers on wagon trains had to hear a child ask "Are we there it? How much farther?" :)

(((Hugs)))

Ann

Thank you Wayne County Library and Wayne County citizens. You gave me me a great book signing. I loved seeing readers of Revenge seeking Book 2, Bad Blood, and meeting new readers. It was a great morning with you all.

(((Hugs)))

Ann

"There us no friend as loyal as a book." Ernest Hemingway

I will be at the Wayne County Library in Waynesboro, TN on May 18 from 10:30 to 12:30 signing books. I will have both Revenge and Bad Blood from the Revenge series with me. Hope to see lots of you there.

(((Hugs)))

Ann

The Lawrenceburg signing today was great!! Thank you Teresa Newton at the Lawrenceburg Library for your planning of the signing of four authors. I loved every minute of it. Thank you that bought either/both Revenge and Bad Blood. Hope you enjoy reading them

(((Hugs)))

Ann