A glimpse of things to come

Some of the scenes in my new book are drawn from personal experience. Here they are.

1. I drew the pottery picture while lying in bed at a motel in Santa Fe. I was on my first solo treasure hunting trip and got food poisoning. I spent three days in bed watching Little League World Series, drawing and up-chucking.

2. Rattlesnake scene-from dropping into the pit, crawling through the tunnel, sandy room, and rattlesnakes. We, however, turned back once we could not locate the source of rattles. We never knew if it was one or many. Between the four of us, we only had 2 keychain flashlights. What were we thinking?

3. I have never put jelly on a peanut butter sandwich. The thought of it turns my stomach. I know, crazy right.

4. My brother really did put garlic powder on some cookies he offered to me while I was sunbathing. He watched from the kitchen window as I tried to figure out why they tasted funny. I thought I had gotten Coppertone on them.

5. Cherry Pie is my favorite and my father told me that someday I wouldn’t be able to eat everything I wanted. As a lanky teenager, I couldn’t imagine that. Sorry to say, he was right.

6. A friend of mine really tried to carry me across a river because I was too lazy to take my shoes and socks off again. And yes, I was a head taller and weighed probably 50 pounds more than she did. Although we didn’t fall into the river, I hopped off her back once she had sunk up to her knees in the sand and my shoes were already in the water. We laugh about that to this day.

7. My dad tried to teach me to drive in a 1955 international pick-up with ‘3 on the tree’. Daddy gave up before I stripped the gears. He decided it was best that I learned on an automatic transmission. I loved that truck though. Cherry Red, with running boards and wood slat side rails.

8. One of my sons was in the play ‘Dracula” in high school. He played ‘Renfield”.

9. Based on untruths my brother told about me, I was always getting grounded. My mother believed anything my brother said. One night after an unfair grounding, I snuck out my bedroom window. (the only time ever). I figured I would really show them. We lived 10 miles out in the country. There was no place to go. Well, I did what any ‘self-respecting rebel’ would do. I went out and sat on top of the chicken house. I eventually snuck back in and no one was ever the wiser.