What a beautiful world we live in! After our move west two years ago, and then another move farther west this year, we haven’t been in the mood for yet another long trip this summer, but we wanted to explore our new surroundings. This place is amazing!

Mule deer fawn

This little cutie took a break from playing in the local cemetery with four other fawns while a babysitter kept close watch. I realize that to those who have lived in Wyoming and tried to garden or grow flowers, these mule deer are pests, but I can kill a philodendron, so I don’t care what they eat around our house–there isn’t much for them here.

Red Canyon of Flaming Gorge

We had a few days off recently, but not enough to spend a lot of time in Yellowstone or Grand Tetons, so we took a quick trip to Flaming Gorge. This shot is actually south of the Wyoming border in Utah, where the Green River is dammed. This is a fisherman’s paradise, but we went looking for hiking trails. This was one of the pictures Mel took from our trail. What a breathtaking place! We had the trail to ourselves for the most part, since the fishermen are fly fishing down at the river. The silence surrounded us, with just the scuff of our boots and the song of a bird from time to time. What a great way to imagine what our next book setting will be–in Wyoming, of course.

Our Trail

We didn’t hike far–maybe six miles–and it wasn’t a tough journey. Still, it had been a while since I’d carried a backpack, and we had to carry extra water because it’s so dry. As the load got lighter on our way back, I couldn’t help imagining my characters hiking a trail like this.

Sniffing trees?

Green River cut a wide swath through this area, and it is a sustainer of life. The tree behind me, like many of the other trees along the river, smells spicy, like hazelnut or vanilla. So of course the fishermen and people on the water rafts would see us sticking our noses into the trees from time to time. The smell makes me hungry.

Mel has heard a lot of people complaining about how hot and humid this summer has been in Wyoming. Hey, we’re accustomed to Southern Missouri weather, where you can stand in the shade and sweat. The humidity reached 60% once this summer, and today it was 67 degrees near noon. In July!

This is definitely a great place to set a book. I hope you have a chance to enjoy summer. Use all your senses and indulge in whatever beauty lies in your path.