Hi All, thanks so much for all of your BD wishes.
Elliot and I are today at home of Leslie, my best friend from growing up in the hills of coastal northern California, minutes from where we grew up…
Leslie manages a huge place here… lovely.
Yesterday, we flew into SFO and Elliot and I got a car, went and had Mexican with Dad and Ruth in San Mateo (part of the Arguello’s original land grant) and then to Half Moon Bay for dinner with my special friends from growing up… pics to follow…
Was great to see them all…
Off to do more!
XO, Lizzi
June 20, 3:54pm PDT (today in the States, for those of you in NZ!)
“The mail just left Lingle,WY at 4:45 pm, mountain time, headed towards Ft Laramie.”
- Patrick Hearty & Joseph Hatch
- The Pony Express Stations in Utah
Thanks to Roger Douglass (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2329088)
“Lookout Pass,” Aleksandra reminded herself as she passed the summit, looking north to see the distant white tops of the Onaqui Mountains and thought again of her papa and the fossil he’d fossicked for her from one of its rocky ledges. Beginning her mile-long descent at a trot on the handy little horse, she was absentmindedly fingering the fossil inside the medicine bag hung about her neck when she felt the first arrow whizz past her head from her right.
She felt her heart stop.
Aleksandra dropped to the left side of the Palouse’s neck into a Cossack hang, lying flat against his side.
She threw the reins at him and shouted to him.’Yah! Yah! Let’s go, Scout!’
He needed little urging to run full tilt down the steep and treacherously rocky trail as the yells of Indian warriors filled the narrow valley. The arrows came hard and fast from the southwest, like a mad bunch of hornets.
Smart, she thought, with a hint of a wry grin. The Indians had placed themselves between the trail and the setting sun, so Aleksandra could see little of her attackers in the glimpses she stole from beneath Scout’s neck of the world whizzing past. With the ground only three feet from her head, the scent of sage filled Aleksandra’s nostrils as the horse crashed through a clump of brush.
Briefly considering climbing back into the saddle to pull a gun from her saddlebag, she knew it would be akin to suicide; though she knew her full weight hanging off to one side had to put the stallion off his best, she trusted far more in the pony’s speed and ability. She just tried to stay out of his way and not hinder him needlessly, keeping as still as she could, tucked down on the side of the skidding and leaping beast. Praying the cinch would hold, she sent fervent thanks in the direction of the company selectors for choosing fast and handy local ponies. How I would love to have my bow and arrows, she thought, but it might just be better just to get Scout and I through alive to Doc Faust at Rush—
The Palouse interrupted her musings as he threw up his head and reared, angrily trumpeting and shaking his head for a moment, nearly dropping Aleksandra, then resumed his headlong rush down the hill. When he carried on, she heard whistling sounds with every breath and turned her head forward to see where the noise was coming from.Then she saw the arrow.She felt herself break into a cold sweat…
Aleksandra, trained in the Cossack arts from infancy by her father, finds herself alone and running to prevent her Pa’s killer from obtaining a secret which could allow world domination by the Czar. Disguised to most as a boy rider in 1860′s Utah Territory for the Pony Express, she finds in her “Californio” boss a strength to match her own and together they create a team that can overcome the odds.
Thanks to Pony Express History –18253400.nhd.weebly.com
Credit to Ryan Long, Deseret News, http://bit.ly/18XS9dh
Thanks, Union Pacific and http://bit.ly/11K21Oh
Thanks to Tom Crews!
Thanks to Kathy Weiser, owner/editor, Legends of America, http://www.legendsofamerica.com
Photo above: Patrick and Joseph’s book. Photo to right: Joseph L. Hatch, left, and Patrick Hearty talk about the history of the Pony Express. (Thanks to Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
Here is the Traveler’s Rest (or Absalom Smith) Station, with the front torn down, but the pic shows the first part built. Thanks to the University of Utah for the photo, (http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm/ref/collection/USHS_Class/id/13504)
A painting of Simpson’s Springs Station
Thanks to
Roger Douglass Photos taken at Lookout Pass on the Pony Express Trail about 5 miles west of Vernon, Utah (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2329088)
INDIAN ARROWE AND ECHO STATION PE STATION KEEPERS
“Mose Wright described the Indian arrow-poison. The rattlesnake – the copperhead and the moccasin he ignored – is caught with a forked stick planted over its neck, and is allowed to fix its fangs in an antelope’s liver. The meat, which turns green, is carried upon a skewer when wanted for use: the flint head of an arrow, made purposely to break in the wound, is thrust into the poison, and when withdrawn is covered with a thin coat of glue. Ammonia is considered a cure for it and the Indians treat snake bites with the actual cautery. . .”
Thanks to David David Gallery / SuperStock (http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/849-10005)
Thanks to Trips into History (http://tripsintohistory.com/2013/04/23/the-pony-express-battles-the-paiutes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-pony-express-battles-the-paiutes
Español…. … ranks behind only China in total number of language speakers, and far ahead of English speakers.. One good reason to include it in my nearly-completed novel…
Another one… it is the language of love…
Xavier, born of his Spanish Californio family is, despite his challenges, able to speak this language of love… In what other languages are the words for “I want you” the same as for “I love you”?
Enrique Iglesia… The best music to Latin dance to and to feel… for me…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31rec2bzmAs]
So, you see,…. Xavier needed to be Spanish…
Oh, you ask… (deafening silence…) why include Polish characters and language in the same novel? Hmmm… they aren’t even on the language-frequency chart… People who can survive what they have been subjected to for the past several centuries and come out with their incredible optimism and zest for life deserve to be heard… and remembered. And no, my Polish is extremely poor, but I know where to find help!!!!
Gracias por leer… Thank you for reading…
Hasta luego, que le vaya bien….
Lizzi Tremayne
Simpson’s Springs Station marker…
Happy Saturday… We’ve had some drizzle for about 3 hours now, not a lot, but it’s not running off either! Hope all of you in NZ are getting some rain as the drought is not helping anyone! (Yes, to those of you in faraway places, it hasn’t rained properly for more than a month or two here, which spells disaster for many farmers and stock / horse owners in NZ who tend to depend upon grass to feed their stock).
A great group of RWNZ C2C writing ladies just left after another fantastic potluck lunch! Blue Mist Shemaya (“Maya”) and Blue Mist Montoya (“Toya” –Of course, from The Princess Bride!) and I shared a few hours of horse information, behaviour and terminology they can use in their writing, from haltering in paddock through grooming, harness, carriages, gigs, harnessing through to long-reining (driving without a vehicle) my new pair! Several of the ladies loved the feel of sitting up high in the Glinkowski Polish combined drive carriage and were impressed by its attributes! They asked great questions and although few of them had been near horses before, several of them took advantage of the boys’ lovely temperaments and petted and fed the appreciative horses. It is very exciting to finally have Toya and Maya working together after all these years of dreaming about it! They will be in the carriage together next Saturday with Kevin’s help, all going well! I will post new pics when they come from the ladies! The bays loved the attention (and, of course, the 3 bags of carrots the ladies brought with them)! Now it’s writing time! I’ve a novel to complete!
Have a great weekend, All!
Several of you have asked me why I am writing a novel… Well, for those of you who don’t know me very well, let me introduce some of my history about history………..
I love the Old West.
Bit of a long history, suffice it to say I grew up on Highway 84 in La Honda, CA…
…where the Younger Brothers used to hang out after big heists…
…where the Stage ran through…
…and the Peek-a Boo Inn (yes, it is what it sounds like…), the eleven bars and three churches and one store were the standard, back in the day…
Then I went away to university, finished vet school…(had to be a hoss-doc, didn’t I?)…
…and lived in Placerville, CA on the Pony Express Trail…
So, I guess I was rather steeped in the Old West…
Well, things led to things and I made my way to New Zealand, where I’ve lived for the past 22 years…
…and have nearly finished my first novel…
…an 1860 fictional historical suspense with romantic elements…
… The Story…
…Aleksandra, trained in the Cossack arts from infancy by her father, finds herself alone and running to prevent her Pa’s killer from obtaining a secret which could allow world domination by the Czar. Disguised to most as a boy rider in 1860’s Utah Territory for the Pony Express, she finds in her “Californio” boss a strength to match her own and together they create a team that can overcome the odds.
I expect it to be completed by the end of March. I have an agent back East who is interested. I have been extremely true to the historical aspects, other than altering dates of a few incidents, and placing my heroine and hero into the scene, (not to mention having a FEMALE rider, which is not historically documented). I have the support of a leader within the Pony Express movement, so am running with it.
I want to give the history and land of the 1860’s Old West to people, especially to those who might never otherwise pick up a historical work. It might just make history buffs of them!
It’s about preservation and roots and … real heart and guts.
By the way, there’s a fantastic book on the Utah sites of the Pony Express Stations by Patrick Hearty and Joseph Hatch. It’s called The Pony Express Stations in Utah, and if anyone’s interested, let me know and I’ll get you Patrick’s contact! Patrick’s been unstinting in his assistance to me during the writing of my novel, as have so many other people!
We are heading for the states and the Pony Express Trail in July. It would be fantastic to be able to do book signings on the trail. Can it be published by then? I’m putting it out there! Going for it!
Good writing, all!
Regards and have a great day!
Lizzi
Good Morning, All!
Cranking on novel. Express Desire is coming along nicely. Should be done soon… Plan to have it published before I go to States in July to ride along the Pony Express trail with Patrick Hearty, Past President of the Utah Pony Express Association as well as meet up with all the fantastic people who have helped me write this book! Book signings along the Pony Express trail, anyone???? (Thanks for the great idea, Mum!)
Need to finish it this month. Time to rock!
Great to get onto Zen Doe’s great blog yesterday, The Wind Horse Blog http://windhorseblog.wordpress.com/ and meet up with this lovely lady and spectacular, heartfelt writer. Highly recommended, all! Thanks, Annibel, for all your encouragement! And you are working on your blog today, are you not, Milady?
Well, writing and planning on driving two horses today, probably in the gig, maybe the carriage… Get it done!
Have a great day, All!!
Hugs,
Lizzi
