Wednesday in Wyoming -- April 24, 2013

This is another of what I call quintessential Wyoming pictures -- a seemingly deserted road, sagebrush, multi-colored rocks and a feeling that a cowboy just might ride into view.  What do you think?  Would it be a bandit or one of the good guys?

Wednesday in Wyoming -- April 17, 2013

Is is only my imagination, or does it look as if there's smoke coming from the top of Devils Tower?

Who Reads Amanda Cabot's Books? -- LoisAnn Armstrong Does

Please join me in welcoming LoisAnn Armstrong, an avid reader and aspiring author from Eaton, Colorado.  I first met LoisAnn when she attended one of my book signings in Cheyenne and am pleased to call her a friend as well as a reader.

Let's learn a little more about LoisAnn.

What was the first of my books that you read?
     Paper Roses.
I'm so glad that you found that book.  It has a special place in my heart.  Of course, I have to admit that each book is special in its own way.

How did you discover that book?
     I found it in Barnes & Noble in the Christian Fiction section.
 With so many people saying that they shop for books online, I'm always glad to hear that brick and mortar bookstores still play an important part in readers' lives. 

If you have a favorite Cabot book, which is it?
     Scattered Petals.
And now I know why that's the one you're holding.  One of the things I found most interesting about that particular book is that I've received more emails from readers about that book than any of the others.  Priscilla's story was a difficult one to write, but I'm thankful that it has touched many hearts.

Who are your other favorite authors?
     I have many favorite authors in addition to Amanda Cabot.  A few are Francine Rivers, Charles Dickens, Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Grisham, Zane Grey, Beverly Lewis, Wanda Brunstetter and Bodie Thoene.

See what I mean about LoisAnn being an avid reader.  Isn't that an intriguing list?

What do you enjoy doing when you're not reading?

     I enjoy walking, knitting, crocheting, and spending time with my grandchildren.

A busy woman!
 

Is there any other information about your life that you'd like to share with other readers?
     I'm a member of two book clubs, both based here in Eaton.  One is the Novel Book Club.  The second is newer and is called the Classic Book Club.
That sounds like fun. 

I had the privilege of being a speaker at one of the Novel Book Club's meetings in 2011.  What a wonderfully welcoming group -- and you should have tasted the delicious salads they brought for lunch.  I'd never before had a salad with popcorn in it, but it's become a new favorite.

Thanks, LoisAnn, for sharing your story with my other readers.

 

Wednesday in Wyoming -- April 10, 2013

When you look at this, does the name "Yellowstone" pop into your mind?  Admittedly, it doesn't look much like the famous national park, but if you look closely, you'll see that each of the end panels has part of a photo of Yellowstone.

So, what is this Yellowstone?  It's a super-computer that's part of NWSC. 

• NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research)  -- yes, another acronym!
• Wyoming
• Supercomputing
• Center

What you're seeing are a few of the 100 computer cabinets that house more than 74,000 parallel processors.  That's a lot of computing power, and it's all located just outside Cheyenne.  Why Cheyenne?  Besides the incentives that the city and state provided and the partnership with the University of Wyoming, one of the reasons this particular location was chosen was that the cool, dry, windy climate provides some natural cooling -- very important with that many computers.

The list of research projects for Yellowstone is impressive.  Now, if only we'd have more accurate weather forecasts.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- April 3, 2013

According to the calendar, it's spring, but that doesn't mean the snow is all gone.  Yellowstone is famous for having had snow during every month of the year.  Admittedly, summer snow is rare, and it doesn't last long, but still ... snow in July and August? 

This snowfall took place during late September and, at least in my opinion, only made the waterfalls more beautiful. Those of you who know Yellowstone well, you may recognize this as the Keplar Cascades, just a few miles east of the Old Faithful complex.