Welcome to my introductory post for Cowboy Kisses. I’m the
new girl on the blog. Unfortunately, my first opportunity to post came at a time
I have been extremely busy doing what writers do. On
top of that, I spent this past weekend at the Women Writing the West conference
in Redmond, Oregon. It was a powerfully inspiring experience to me as a writer
of the West. Unfortunately, it was so hectic getting ready to go, I did not get this post organized before I left. On the way home from the conference, as I looked through some of the photographs I took on the trip, I decided what
I want to share.
My thanks to one of our speakers, Rebecca Lawton, a
scientist whose work for many years involved the study of climate and hydrology. Her duties included monitoring the
Stanislaus River watershed, a river with which I am more familiar than many
after having lived for years in Stanislaus County, California. I drove over this
river many times and rafted down it several times—not whitewater rafting like
you will find higher in the mountains, but on the tamer stretches just east of
Oakdale. She spoke on climate and water in the West. Her comments about the New Melones Dam struck a chord with me because
I have driven over this dam several times just in the past year. And, yes,
the water level is discouragingly low.
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Reservoir behind New Melones Dam in January 2015 |
While I stood on the side of the road near the New Melones Dam
in January of 2015 which is the height of our rainy season, I took this photo of the reservoir.
By noting where the waterline has been in the past you can see how low it was last
year. Perhaps you can imagine how much lower the water level is by now after a
summer of triple-digit heat and water released for irrigation in the San
Joaquin Valley.
In spite of efforts to effectively preserve and manage water
in the West, sometimes the climate and rain cycles have the final word on how
much water is available. I recently wrote another post in which I discussed the
water level of the Bagby Reservoir along the Merced River to the south of the Stanislaus River. The water level is so low the reservoir is but a memory. It is back to being the Merced River.
Rebecca’s talk reinforced one of the
essential elements
|
Courtesy of High Desert Museum, Bend, OR |
for writing authentically about the West. The North
American West is for the most part a dry land. California and much of the
West have experienced five years of drought. Even when there is not a drought, there is not an excess of water. Yes, there is rain and snow—too much
at times, but not enough to naturally sustain a lush, green landscape all year.
Outside of
California and the Pacific coastal regions, much of the West makes up the High Desert, also
known as the Great Basin. Compared to many parts of the world, the West
is dry, dusty and perpetually short on water. In other words, it is an arid land.
This past year I
wrote about the Eastern Sierra-Nevada region that typically has quite a bit of
cool weather and months of snow. Yet, between the stands of evergreens and
aspens it is a dry, high desert region. During my
research trip in May I noticed the meadows had not greened up, but were still
dry. On the windward side of these same mountains,
there is more rain, but still the landscape is dry most of the year. Except for a few short months in winter
and early spring when there is enough moisture to sprout a season of grass, the
grasslands of the West are carpeted with the gold of dry grasses.
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Near Bend, OR |
On my trip north to Redmond, Oregon through parts of Siskiyou and Cascade
mountains, I noticed the same trait.
To love the West, writers and their readers must embrace
aridity. Along with the mountains, deserts and rivers, it is a part of the setting.
For the balance of this post I decided to share a photo collection of dry
grasses and weeds. I am not a botanist, so I have no intention of trying to
identify their popular or scientific names. Instead, I encourage all of us to look for and find the beauty in a part of nature many of us
often overlook and esteem as insignificant. It is not. In the West, beneath the
majestic Ponderosa and Juniper trees, skirting the Piñon pines, the Manzanita and
the bitterbrush, bordering the dried streams and ponds, this is what you will often
find.
For most people, these humble plants are not as
awe-inspiring as great mountains, lofty evergreens or rock formations. But, by focusing on the
microcosm of their natural setting, there is a beauty in their dryness that can
help us understand and appreciate the West.
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Mono County near Mono Lake, February 2015 | | |
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Behind rest area, Hwy 97, northern CA |
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Rest area, Hwy 97, northern CA |
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Scenic Overlook, west of Mt. Shasta |
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Roadside, south of Dorris, CA |
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Dried creek bed off Road 782, feeds Crooked River, OR |
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On bank of dried creek bed, Road 782, OR | | |
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Top of cliff-Smith Rock State Park, OR |
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Smith Rock State Park, OR |
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Smith Rock State Park, OR |
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Smith Rock State Park, OR |
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Peter Skene Ogden Crooked River Overlook Park, OR |
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Smith Rock State Park, OR |
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Peter Skene Ogden Crooked River Overlook Park, OR |
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Smith Rock State Park, OR |
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Peter Skene Ogden Crooked River Overlook Park, OR |
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Hwy 97 Bridge & Peter Skene Ogden Crooked River Overlook Park, OR |
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Peter Skene Ogden Crooked River Overlook Park, OR |
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Crooked River canyon & Peter Skene Ogden Crooked River Overlook Park, OR |
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
Zina Abbott is the pen name used by Robyn
Echols for her historical novels. Her novel, Family Secrets, was
published by Fire Star Press in October 2014 and her novelette, A
Christmas Promise, was published by Prairie Rose Publications in
November 2014. The first two novellas in the Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series, Big Meadows Valentine and A Resurrected Heart, are now available.
The
author is a member of Women Writing the West, American Night Writers
Association, and Modesto Writers Meet Up. She currently lives with her husband
in California near the “Gateway to Yosemite.” She enjoys any kind of history
including family history. When she is not piecing together novel plots, she
pieces together quilt blocks.
Please
visit and follow the Zina Abbott’s Amazon Author Page by clicking HERE.
Zina Abbott Author Links:
4 comments:
Welcome to Cowboy Kisses. Who knew you were so handy with a camera too. *lol* Enjoyed your post, am sharing it on all the venues I'm on, and I look forward to reading your books.
Welcome Robyn! A lovely post to kick off your debut at Cowboy Kisses.
Thank you Ginger and Kristy. I'm happy to be here. I enjoy sharing my photography on occasion. Why the dry grasses caught my eye I'm not sure. But, after our discussion at Women Writing the West, I felt now was a good time to share this bit of insight into the scenic realities of the West.
Welcome! So glad to connect with you here, too! And especially happy to have met you at the conference. Thank you so much for coming! :)
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