Christmas is a wonderful time for taking photos of family and friends. If you enjoy writing articles, stories, or novels, then I invite you to read my guest post at Seriously Write to learn how you can use photography to aid your literary endeavors.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 NIV)
Blessings,
Deb
I’m honored to be named a Semi-Finalist in the Historical Romance category of the ACFW Genesis 2017 contest. Thanks to my critique partners, Mary Hamilton and Peggy Wirgau. Thank you to my wonderful coaches at My Book Therapy: Susan May Warren, Rachel Hauck, and Beth Vogt. And a special note of gratitude to the contest coordinators and judges. I appreciate you all!
ACFW Genesis 2017 Semi-Finalist
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14 (NKJV)
Blessings,
Deb
Maggie Award – Honorable Mention for Laundress by DayI’m thrilled to receive an Honorable Mention for Laundress by Day in the Georgia Romance Writers’ 2016 Maggie Award for Excellence contest for unpublished manuscripts in Inspirational Romance.
Congrats to Inspirational Maggie Awardee – Joanna Davidson Politano for Lady Jayne Disappears. And congrats to my fellow Maggie Awards finalists Michele Morris, Angela Arndt, and Tayna Agler! Thank you to the Maggie Awards judges and staff for this honor!
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 – NKJV)
Blessings,
Deb
Slipping through Pole Pass on the way to Deer Harbor from Double Island in a sea kayak or an inflatable dinghy with a small outboard is easy, but it requires planning. The tight bottleneck channel can become a virtual boat parade route in the summer. The safest approach is to proceed single file, taking turns and watching for the wakes of larger boats. Use a nautical chart and pay close attention to the direction and strength of the current–especially during spring tides when it can race up to two knots and create occasional standing waves. Even larger vessels avoid these and wait for calmer water.
Word of mouth is a good thing, right? A fellow sailor told us of a pretty anchorage between Double Island and Orcas Island, so we planned our first visit. The nautical chart aboard our sailboat shows two adjacent islands connecting at low tide. Locals refer to them as Big Double Island and Little Double Island (aka Alegria Island). Sailing north into West Sound at the eastern end of Wasp Passage, we skirted the west shore and dropped anchor south of the shallow pass between the Double Island group and Orcas Island. Pretty anchorage, yes, but scant protection if a strong south wind should blow and shove us onto a lee shore. Soon wakes from ferry and boat traffic transiting Wasp Passage rolled us from side to side, confirming our suspicions why we had the anchorage almost to ourselves.
S/V Kelpie – Double Island (left) and Orcas Island (right)
My father introduced my husband and I to sea kayaking while we were living aboard our sailboat in Everett Marina. We met at nearby Silver Lake to try out his Easy Rider kayak, bringing our sailing dinghy along for fun. A few years earlier, I’d taken a two-week canoe trip through the Bowron Lakes in British Columbia for college PE (physical education) credit. What a spectacular summer! My younger brother worked for a few years at Eddyline kayaks about the same time, so two members of my family owned these unique boats. Soon after our first paddle in a kayak, I began taking classes at a local university for my master’s degree in teaching. There I met a gal who led kayak tours with her husband in the San Juan Islands. It turned out they were leading the very group my father invited us to join that summer—a circumnavigation around Lopez Island.
Stuart Island is a favorite destination of ours with its marine state park, one room schoolhouse, and Turn Point Light Station where visitors often see pods of Orca whales. Two sheltered harbors give boaters safe anchorage, but we prefer Reid Harbor because we like to zip across Spieden Channel to Roche Harbor in our 10-ft. inflatable when the weather and current are favorable. Other boaters prefer picturesque Prevost Harbor, home to fun-filled Satellite Island.
Maggie FinalistI’m excited to be a finalist in the Georgia Romance Writers’ 2016 Maggie Award for Excellence contest for unpublished manuscripts in the Inspirational Romance category. Thank you to my special friends and critique partners, Mary Hamilton and Peggy Wirgau, for sifting through my words and mining for the gems — one more time. And to my friends in ACFW and My Book Therapy, thanks for your advice, encouragement, and support. I’m grateful for each and every one of you!
Blessings,
Deb
We motored our sailboat northwest toward the narrow channel between Sentinel and Spieden islands, hoping to spot a few of the exotic animals grazing on the golden grass of the latter island before sunset. Suddenly, we realized we were losing power and our forward momentum dropped to nil. Drifting backward like a cork in the current toward Green Point’s strong riptides off the southeastern tip of Spieden Island, we scrambled to launch the inflatable dinghy with its 15-hp. outboard engine from the stern davits.
