Some Neat Things from Bad Wolf Software

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So what do you think of the new blog design?  I like it.  Had this picture at the beginning, and decided to go back to it.  It’s a picture of a very old library in Wolfenbuettel, Germany that I found on a stock photo site.

Speaking of sites, a couple of years ago a colleague recommended a really cool software for writing called PageFour, from Bad Wolf Software.  I tried it and loved it.  They have something new, which is why I wanted to write a post about them.

DISCLAIMER:  I am a licensed user of the PageFour software and a happy one.  I am not being compensated for plugging the software.   I just want to let you know about it.

This program has these little notebooks that you can write chapters or scenes in.  It’s very simple and easy to use.  It has several features I like:

  • The notebooks hold each chapter separately.  This means you can search a chapter instead of going through an entire manuscript.   Much easier to find bits you want to move around.
  • AND…when you are done, you can MERGE them into one document!
  • Simple interface without stupid auto-formatting.
  • Search functions seek out repeated words.
  • Can be used on more than one PC.
  • Updates included.  And it’s not that expensive.  If you use it for freelancing work, it pays for itself pretty quick.
  • You can import and export things to Word easily for formatting when you are ready to do that.

The reason I thought to share this with you (and I should have shared PageFour before) is that they have a new thing called AtoZ Notebook.  It’s a simple data management program that is password encrypted.   There’s a free version with only one notebook, but it never expires so you can use it with no upgrades forever.   I was just wishing that my little secret contact document was encrypted.  How did they know?

Go to the AtoZ Notebook site and watch the demo video on the Screenshots page, and listen to a fantastic Irish-accented voice tell you all about the software.  Okay, there’s a typo on the home page, but no one is prefectt.

If you tried it and liked it, or if you know a writer who might like PageFour, pass on their links.

This is How Not to Pay Attention… Sheesh!

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I AM SO DUMB.

Way back in April, during the A-Z Blogging Challenge, I garnered a blog award from writer, artist and animator Deirdra Eden Coppel, who commented that she was enjoying my blog.

You can see it in my sidebar, the Powerful Woman Writer Award.  Isn’t her picture dynamic!  I wish I could draw like that.

Thank you, Deirdra, and I promise to do my best to try and keep the content standards up on here.   And I apologize for being so spacey that I didn’t even see your comment.  :P

I welcome comments and as long as I can I will continue to try and read and respond to as many of them as I can.  Since I don’t get very many that shouldn’t be too hard.  I broke my own rule and let my day job get to me.  NO MORE!

From now on, my writing comes FIRST!*

And another thank you to everyone who has been reading, from A-Z bloggers to my friends.  I wish I had more news to tell you re publication, but not so far.  I’m still working, though.  Got a new book to finish and edit.  I’ll keep you all posted.  When I begin querying, perhaps I’ll post an excerpt or two.

Happy weekend, everybody.  For those still stuck in the heat wave, stay chilly.

* would love to say I’ve moved to a private island where I’m happily scribbling away on the beach, but no.

 

Vocabulary: Kickin’ Letter K

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K is for kookie…oh wait.  No dessert for me.  I have to be skinny shortly for a trip to Los Angeles.  I will post pictures if I get any good ones (not of me!).  No, Psycho Kitty is not going.  Yes, Certain Someone is.  :)

 

“Meh. I didn’t want to leave the yard anyway.”

Kake – dammit, I did it again…

Karabiner (also carabiner) – a clip ring with a spring closure used in mountaineering and rappelling to connect ropes.

Keelhaul – Yarr!  A pirate cap’n’ll keelhaul ye –drag yer carcass under the keel o’ the ship by a long rope—iffen ye don’t shape up, matey!

Khmer – the official language of Cambodia.

Kinesthesia – the sense of muscle movement.  In Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory of learning, having kinesthetic intelligence means you have control over your body and learn physical skills easily.  I do not have this.

Me.

 

Klingon (Star Trek)  – a warlike race who opposed the Federation but in the Next Generation series became cautious allies.  Klingon is also an invented, fictional language that some Trek fans actually speak.  Kind of like Tolkien’s Elvish.

Knackered – an old slang term for worn out, exhausted.  From the English knacker, which is a person who renders animals that are not fit for human consumption (at the dreaded glue factory!).  Knacker is also a derogatory term for an Irish traveler.

Kohl – soft eyeliner, easily smudges.  The ancient Egyptians used it frequently.

Kraken – a sea monster believed to attack ships and carry sailors down to the depths.

A sailor’s worst nightmare…other than a leak.

Kuru – brain disease similar to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (similar to mad cow), transmitted by eating the brains of infected individuals.  Yes, you heard me.  Cannibalism.  0_o

Kwashiorkor –what you get when you don’t eat enough protein.  This is the one the big-bellied kids in the commercials have.  Treatable if caught early; will kill your ass if it isn’t.

Kyphosis –  a condition where the shoulders pull inward to the front, making a hump on the back.  Can be corrected with exercises.  I’m on a medical kick today.

KZAAMM!! Okay I made that one up.

That’s all for today, kids!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: Ending a Series

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HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2

Image: visualhollywood.com

When a series concludes, it’s a bittersweet moment.  You want to know how it all comes out, but yet not leave it behind.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the last film in the series based on the books, and it is a doozy.

I knew I would see this one in the theater.   Alas, no Thursday night costume party sneak peeks for me; I had to work the next day.  I hate crowded places, so my plan was to wait until Sunday morning, when everyone would be in church.

You know what a huge Potternerd I am.

You had to know I couldn’t wait.

I was downtown after skating, and drove by the theater to see what the parking situation was.   So I thought…hmmm….I have time…  Before I knew it, I was in a nice comfy theater seat!

The guy next to me smelled like a sour sock.  At least he kept his arms down most of the time.  It’s beastly hot out right now, so I forgave him.   But since Stinky was texting during the movie, I decided that I would wiggle, clap, mutter and cry as much as I wanted.  So there!

If you didn’t read the books, I’ll try not to spoil anything for you.  (But read them. DO IT.)

#1—It explained everything. 

The last novel was split into two films so as not to leave out anything critical.  This is the end of the series, after all.  Rowling wrapped up the loose ends nicely, including the most important one.

They stuck very close to the book, especially in Part 2.  No doubt Potterphiles will endlessly rag on the movies for not being 100% right on, but whenever you translate media this happens.  I’m not going to discuss that now.

Bottom line is everything you wanted to know, you know.

#2—It looked exactly as it should have. 

I love it when a movie closely resembles what I pictured in my head while reading.  Everyone has a different vision, but this was pretty damn close to mine.  I think they did a good job with locations and costumes overall because no one has complained that any of the HP movies don’t look right.

Good world-building allows readers and viewers alike to suspend disbelief.  And the final film in a series is the most important.   Ending images are the ones people will take with them.  There are certain expectations of a finale and HP: DH2 fulfilled them.  Think Pelennor Fields at Hogwarts.  :)

#3—They kept the same actors through the entire thing.

I think this was in their contracts, but other than that I don’t know how they did it.  If we’d had to adjust to a new Hermione or Ron, it would not have worked as well.  The best part (although maybe not for the kids) was watching the characters AND the actors grow up before our eyes.

Holy crap, they were tiny.

Holy crap, they were tiny.

Image:  movieline.com

Richard Harris as Dumbledore was replaced by Michael Gambon, but he can be excused because, you know, he died.

#4—They got GOOD actors, which paid off in the end.

Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) have matured as actors over the course of the series.  They gave excellent performances here.  Also perfection are Dame Maggie Smith, (Professor McGonagall), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix LeStrange) and of course Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort).

In fact, the HP films have had consistently good casts over the entire series.  They reek of awesome.  It kept the quality up so that when they finally got to the last one, they lost nothing.

Alan Rickman has never won an Oscar.  You might argue that Harry Potter is hardly award-worthy, but look at Heath Ledger.  He won, deservedly so, for the Joker.  Mr. Rickman should win for Severus Snape, especially in this movie.   I never cried so hard at the theater in my life.

#5—They picked the best composer they could get for the music. 

I’m going to get arguments from some people I know.  John Williams ably scored the first three films, and is now associated with the Potter theme.  He passed the torch to Patrick Doyle, Nicholas Hooper and now to Alexandre Desplat (say deh-SPLAH).  His best Potter score is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.   Many people wanted Williams to return for the end, but he did not due to scheduling conflicts.

Desplat’s scores are emotional rather than catchy, which fit the darkest Potter film quite well.  I listened to it for a couple of weeks prior on Streamingsoundtracks.com.   Hearing it in the context of the film made it even better.  A good soundtrack complements the movie without being distracting, but doesn’t fade into the background either.

Overall, my impression is a good one.  I can’t pick things apart unless they are really bad, and nothing bothered me here.  NOTHING!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  Read the books!

4 Ways to Help a Computer Newbie

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Does not know how to use a computer.

Wow, I’m bossy lately.  Here’s another bossy post telling you what to do!

My older neighbor’s children got her a notebook after a pretty serious medical issue, so she could keep in touch by email.  They figured she would like to footle around on the Internet as well.

She has never used a computer before.  Ever.

The poor lady is too nice to tell her kids she DOES. NOT. WANT.  So she is losing her mind trying to use the thing.  Guess who gets to help?

Anyone with parents or grandparents in this pickle knows exactly what I’m talking about.  I’m no expert, but as a writer who also works in an office, I can get around minor issues with little trouble.  In no particular order, here are some things to keep in mind.

#4—Never assume they know anything at all. 

Listen to the complaint; don’t assume you know what Grandpa is asking.  Have him show you what he was doing when a problem occurred.  He can likely do that instead of tell you since he doesn’t know what that little arrow-shaped thing is called yet.

Not everyone is a natural instructor.  Listening goes a long way, as does patience.   It’s difficult to teach someone skills that come easily to you.  Once you learn all the little things about operating a computer, they become intuitive.  For a person who doesn’t even know how to turn the machine on and off, explaining them is like speaking Swahili to an Eskimo.

#3—Remember that they are afraid.

Older people especially see a computer as an expensive, complicated machine.  They are terrified they will irreparably damage it.  Also, learning something new as an adult is scary enough when you’re 25; when you’re 75, it’s even more so.

Encourage Auntie Myrtle to explore the computer with you there.  Let her mash all the buttons she likes, play with the cursor, open and close programs, etc.  Tell her there’s little she can do to break it.  She won’t believe that, but tell her anyway.  Walk her through some tutorials so she can get a feel for them and can ask you for help if she needs to.

#2—Write it down.

Look online for computer tutorials.  I found a good one (link at the bottom).  The Dummies series of books is awesome too.  Check reviews before purchasing anything.  Also, check your local library or college for free computer classes for adults and seniors.

There are software tutorials on disc, but they can be expensive, and some have dozens of complaints against them (I’m talking to you, Video Professor).  Go over sites/books with your newbie and bookmark things they will probably refer to often.

If you can’t find a good tutorial, make it.  A well-written tutorial can be a huge help.  Newbies often feel stupid, but if you give them a way to help themselves, it empowers them.

#1—Keep in mind that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

It takes time to learn anything new, and computers, even with incredibly easy GUIs that a five-year-old can navigate, are no exception.  No one can get it all in one day.  Your newbie may be frustrated because everyone else seems to know all this.

Reassure your newbie that no one else learned it overnight either.  The only reason I know what I know is I’ve been messing with the thing since the mid-90s.  Many, many people started earlier than I did and they don’t even know everything.

Since the advent of user-friendly interfaces, much of the programming crap an older person may remember about early computers is already done by the time it lands on your desk.  It truly is plug-and-play, right out of the box.

BONUS TIP:

NEVER LET YOUR NEWBIE GO SHOPPING FOR A COMPUTER WITHOUT YOU! 

If Mrs. Roubidoux next door says she’d like to get a laptop, take her to the store to try some out.  Park your butt right near her and fend off warranty upsells, optimization bullhockey and $450 cable scams.  It’s possible to get a machine without the crap (probably not at Best Buy, however). If you have to, you can order it online for her.

Once you get your newbie up and running, then you can get back to your writing.  Here are some links to help you.

How to Help Someone Use a Computer

http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/how-to-help.html

 

How to Teach Someone to Use a Computer

http://www.ehow.com/how_5899820_teach-someone-use-computer.html

 

This tutorial below looks awesome, but my newbie might not be ready for this yet.  She can’t navigate web pages very well.  Once she can, I plan to give her this link.

 

Free Computer Training at GCFLearnfree.org

http://www.gcflearnfree.org/computers

 

 

Hey Hollywood, Here’s How to Remake a Film!

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Certain Someone and I recently watched the terrific remake of True Grit, a classic Western that starred John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn, a washed-up alcoholic marshal engaged by Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) to find Tom Cheney (Jeff Corey), her father’s killer.

Jeff Bridges played Rooster this time around, with Josh Brolin as Cheney.  Hailee Steinfeld was Mattie and Matt Damon played LeBeouf, a Texas Ranger also seeking their quarry (Glen Campbell in the original).

There are several elements to a successful remake that make it worth watching.  This one had them all.

A good story

True Grit has a fantastic hook for a Western –the young girl seeking her father’s killer with the grizzled lawman– and there’s plenty of action to keep a viewer engaged.  It’s also an effective character piece.  The internal conflicts provide motivation.  You can have action by itself, but it’s not going to grab you in the gut unless you care about the people and why they are doing this.

Good writing

You can have the best story in the world and screw it up with bad writing.  Example:  the film Red Dragon, one of my favorite books ever, by Thomas Harris (and if you’ve never read Harris, get your butt to the library now).  Technically, it’s a stand-alone film, but the story was already done by Michael Mann in the 80s, as Manhunter.

Bear with me here, because I need to explain this.

Both films have flaws, but Manhunter is at least watchable, if slick.  Red Dragon was re-written so poorly it made my head hurt.  They both used dialogue from the book and in one scene in both movies, the same bit was used.  I’ll paraphrase here:

Manhunter: Feds Graham (William Peterson—yeaaaah!) and Crawford are privately discussing the Tooth Fairy serial killer.

Graham: “He won’t stop.”

Crawford: “Why not?”

Graham: “Because he’s got a genuine taste for it.”

A Harris original; a straightforward, chilling line.  It tells us much about the Tooth Fairy and Graham also, since he’s best known for his ability to step inside the mind of the monster.  Good choice to keep it in.

Now Red Dragon: Same bit, but transplanted to a police briefing.  Press might have been there too.  I don’t remember.

Graham (Ed Norton this time—meh):  “He won’t stop.”

Some dumb girl in the front row:  “Why not?”

Graham (turns head dramatically):  “BECAUSE HE THINKS HE’S GAAAAAAWWWD.”

Sheesh...


I nearly fled the theater.  The only reason I didn’t was Ralph Fiennes as Francis Dolarhyde, aka the Tooth Fairy (Tom Noonan in Manhunter).  Fiennes, as all Harry Potter fans know, plays the greatest villains.

Another mistake was taking dialogue and scenes between the Crawford and Graham characters and rearranging them so they now involved Graham and Hannibal Lecter, who has a very small part in the original book and the Mann film.

It was an unsubtle attempt to get more screen time for Anthony Hopkins’ popular version of Lecter (Brian Cox played him in Manhunter). And the conversations between these two did not ring true to either a real life scenario or the characters themselves.

Overall, Red Dragon kept certain entertaining background elements of the book that Manhunter chose to scrap, but it ran like a Chevette traveling a road full of potholes. It would go, and then CLUNK! And go, and then CLUNK!  I still smoked then and spent most of the movie wishing for a cigarette, a sign of extreme boredom.

A good cast

Back to True Grit.  Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin are all good actors.  They know how to give life to their characters.  An iconic performance like Wayne’s is tough for a contemporary actor to overcome.  You need someone who has the ability to play the character his or her own way and still be true to the original.  And they need solid supporting actors.  Hailee Steinfeld shows promise—she was awesome.

Making a remake, not a reboot

Nowhere in this movie did I see any updating.  There was no massive CGI, no snarky modern dialogue from characters dressed in Victorian garb, and no slow motion Matrix-style fighting (can we move on from that already?).

I’ve only seen bits of the original—it always seems to be on when I can’t watch it.  But I’ve heard from people who prefer Wayne that they were at least happy with the newer film.

Since Hollywood is remaking so many classic films (and some not so classic ones), you’d think they would learn some of these things.  I will still exhort them—vigorously—to seek new and original material.  There are plenty of novels that would make terrific films.  If they read a book once in a while, I’d probably go to the movies more often.

Is there a remake out there you like?  Or do you know a book that you’d like to see made into a film?  Feel free to share in the comments.

 

How to Love Your Nerd

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I’m a nerd, and a geek.  So is Certain Someone.  It’s the best time I ever had with anyone.

Most people agree geeks and nerds are kind of the same thing.  They’re not, really, but they share many similarities.

First, they’re usually pretty intelligent.  Second, they tend to like things that aren’t mainstream.  Third, they may or may not be socially awkward.  Sometimes at a sci-fi/fantasy convention, it’s hard to tell.

It is possible to be both a nerd and a geek.  While geek is a term used to label someone with superficial pop culture interests as opposed to more upper-level intellectual pursuits like nerds, just because you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer doesn’t mean your IQ is in the lower percentile.   You can still be a microbiologist who thinks Buffy kicks ass.

If your family member is a nerd

A brother, sister or even a parent may be a nerd.  In my family, I’m the only person who reads Harry Potter, who gets anything about current video games (except maybe my nephew) and knows who Frodo, Elrond, Glorfindel, and Tom Bombadil are.  I’m still learning about the games, thanks to CS, but new stuff keeps your brain in shape.

If your family member is like me, embrace this person.  Do not try to make her be something she is not.  She thinks fashion is trivial—so what?  Look for other common interests.  Almost everyone has something, even if it’s only making fun of Aunty Myrtle with the hairy mole.

If your child is a nerd

You know it’s always good to encourage your child’s interests, right?  I would kill for a kid that liked science and grew up to work for NASA or the CDC.  Talk about built-in source material! Okay, that’s a writer nerd talking.   But still.

You may have dreamed of a buddy to shoot hoops with, but if your kid is a music nerd who is only interested in the cello, PLEASE don’t make him feel bad for it.  Use this as an opportunity to expand your own horizons.  Ask him something about what he’s interested in.  Kids absolutely love it when they get to tell adults stuff.  And you might learn something from him.

If your spouse / significant other is a nerd

Harry Potter, marine biology, computers; whatever her main interest, it’s not going to be a surprise to you if you married her.  It might even be her career.  She’ll have cool stories.  She can fix your machine.  A brainy chick is sexy.  But you’re smart enough to know that.  Right?

NEVER EVER EVER make fun of her for being intelligent.  It makes you look like a dumbass, which you are if you do this.

Wives / girlfriends, you may not appreciate your nerd’s large collection of Star Wars figures, but if he’s hoarding you have issues I won’t cover here.  All that passion can be channeled toward you if you know how to work it.   Nerds often make fantastic boyfriends / husbands, because they are so damn happy to have someone who really gets them.

If you’re still engaged, be advised.  Never marry a man thinking you’ll change him.  Rough edges can be polished but a nerd will always be a nerd.  Don’t like it? GTFO and leave him to someone who will appreciate him.

Nerd gifts

When nerds have a birthday or Christmas is coming, they usually let you know EXACTLY what they want.  Pay attention to this.  Get the junior telescope or regulation Jedi Master outfit from the website your kid has emailed you 47,000 times.

Don’t buy your nerd something you think he should have, unless your son has completely outgrown his underwear and his face is turning purple from the constriction.  Anyway, underwear makes a lousy gift.  Something practical yet cool will be appreciated, if he hasn’t gotten around to getting it himself.

Accepting a gift from a nerd

If the gift is nerdy, like a paleontology kit from the Nature Store, don’t just pitch it into the closet.  Give it a chance.  Nerds are smart and observant (most of the time) and yours may have noticed a budding interest you mentioned in passing.  You might find you like looking for fossilized dino poo in a box of fake desert.

Nerd manners

Sometimes, your nerd may scoff at something you say or a question you ask.  Kids especially may do this because they haven’t learned how to navigate social situations with grace and tact.  Don’t let him do that.   Make it clear to your nerd that just because you don’t know every little nuance of Starship Troopers and have never heard of Robert Heinlein, that doesn’t mean you are stupid.

Nerds are running the world now.  As Gilbert in Revenge of the Nerds wisely pointed out to the beautiful people, “There are a lot more of us than there are of you.”  Being a nerd isn’t the stigma it once was.  Love your nerd and the rewards will follow!

A Crisis Can Test Your Characters

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The huge, lumbering machine of healthcare has let us down yet again.   At work, we switched over to a new insurance company.  Our old insurance was set to expire, and we were supposed to be in the new system with our cards in the mail within two weeks.

You guessed it:  no cards, no policy number, nothing.   And now no insurance.

In today’s economy, paying out of pocket for healthcare is detrimental to most people’s budgets.  I’m lucky; all I’ll be out is a couple of prescriptions and one of them is only $4.00 anyway.  Unless this nasty cold I have turns into something worse, I should be okay.

Whether it’s a health crisis or something else, adversity reveals character.  People who ordinarily are pretty sweet-tempered can lose their minds over a budget snafu or customer service issue.

Your characters are no exception.  How would they react to the following scenarios?

  • Susan’s insurance expired (ha!) and the new healthcare company hasn’t sent her policy number yet.  Both her prescriptions need refilling and her son just fell off his skateboard and broke a wrist.
  • Gary’s mother shows up at his front door, the same day his new internet girlfriend is supposed to visit from out of state.
  • Thomas gets the wrong food order after waiting nearly 45 minutes, and he is late for an important meeting.
  • Nina’s unreasonable boss puts six big fat folders on her desk at 4:50 pm and asks her to stay late, but she has a critical theater audition in an hour.

What they do next will depend on what kind of story you’re writing.  All of these situations are annoying, and at least one has comedy potential.

Take Gary, for example.  He could try to manage the situation by introducing his mother to the girlfriend.  The fact that he barely knows her himself sets him up for another crisis, because she might be a total nutjob.

Or, he could try to hide the two from each other.  Plenty of room for slapstick here.  He better learn something from this.

If characters don’t grow or change, they fall flat.  They trudge through a story while everything happens around them.

  • The character could have an extreme reaction:  external, or internal.  If internal, the other characters might be puzzled by his failure to acknowledge a stressor.  The story conflict could then come from their frustration with him.
  • You’ll have to establish a new trait in order for the character to deal with the crisis.  Someone dropped into a remote wilderness will adapt, or die.
  • If the situation requires heroics, the aftermath can change your character.  Whether for better or worse is your decision.

No one will react rationally to every situation, no matter how self-possessed.  Have some fun with your characters.  Give them more to deal with and you might be surprised at what bravery or cowardice emerges.

 

Summer is A-Comin’ In

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I was going to write that title in Middle English á la Chaucer, but it looked funny.

To kick off my summer, this past weekend I went back to Tucson to see Certain Someone (CS).  We drove up to the top of Mount Lemmon.  Usually this time of year Tucson starts getting pretty toasty.  It’s a dry heat, yes, but still damn hot.  Up around 8000 feet above sea level, there’s a big difference.

Yes, Arizona has mountains.  They are kind of pointy.  They’re not high enough to have a lot of snow, like the Rockies, which I flew over on the way home.  Pretty!

 

This is a pointy Arizona mountain.

Because they have been shaped by erosion, there is a lot of this going on:

 

And when you get to the top you’re in Summerhaven, a tiny, unincorporated town with…well, nothing.  But it sure is pretty.  When you brave the winding mountain roads, you’re rewarded with this:

There’s a lot of dust in Arizona, and it likes to fly around in the wind.  If you drive south and west of Tucson over more pointy mountains, you’ll come to Old Tucson and the Desert Museum.  You can walk around outside and look at plants and a few animals, and some neat exhibits in the buildings.  I got a great long-distance view of some dust storms from there:


In the desert live many different animals like this burrowing owl.  A ground dweller, the owl eats insects and small rodents and is active during the day.  He likes to hunt mostly at dusk and dawn, when it’s cooler.  Who could blame him?

 

Javelinas (say hav-eh-LEE-nuhs), closely related to peccaries (a kind of wild pig relative), also hang out here.  The museum has a few and apparently they know what to do with a 98-degree afternoon.

 

Sleep under a bridge, of course!

 

Cacti are everywhere in Arizona.  The common prickly pear can be seen all over Tucson, and it comes in more than just green.

 

Purple!

The saguaro (say SWAH-ro) is the most famous cactus of all.  If you drive into Arizona from California, you will begin to see them dot the landscape, like alien sentinel scouts:

 

Saguaro – advance guard!

 

Then they thicken and approach:

 

Saguaro sentinels – they're everywhere!

And as the second wave crests and recedes, you pass into New Mexico, where they disappear altogether.

They have a flower on top that blooms in May and June.  Elf owls like to live inside them.  If you see a rather large hole in the body of the cactus, chances are some sort of bird has made a home there.

 

Tall…silent…knobby appendages…yep, they're aliens, all right.

 

Driving around Tucson, we passed the famous No-Tel Motel.  Yes, it exists!  Look here for a fascinating (and squeamish) Tucson Weekly account of Saxon Burns’ attempt to stay there for a week.

 

Daily, weekly, monthly rates were posted; don't know about hourly.

I leave you with this cool horse sculpture from the Desert Museum.  There’s a lot to see and do in Tucson, so if you’re passing by that way and get a chance, check out some of the nature there.  The desert isn’t all scrub and scorpions.  (For the record, I haven’t seen one of those yet.)

 

Y'all come back. HEEEeeeeee!