Writing Club: Character Description The prompt for this piece was to write a character description. There were no requirements as to the character and this piece got some really interesting responses. One of my favorites was an inverse and it was the description of someone's absence - it was a…

Orcas Island: Mainland & San Juan Ferry Okay, I finally got this video done. I don't really want to talk about why it took so long. Blame ADHD and life. That being said, I still think about this trip. I loved Orcas Island and the Pacific Northwest in general. We did a lot before we stepped onto…

Writing Club: Thriller The prompt for this piece was to write a genre that you don't normally write or aren't particularly good at writing. I picked a thriller. I read thrillers maybe once every other year - they give me anxiety. I was going to write horror but I actually write decent short…

. Because "BOOKS" trending . . . ... ban guns, not books ! 💙 📚 💙

Texas Spring It's already hot and muggy here but at least the wildflowers are beautiful. How is your spring going? Let me know in the comments.

Colorado: LomoChrome Purple 35MM Film So while we were in Colorado I decided to test out some LomoChrome Purple 400ISO 35mm film. This film adds a purple tint to the photos. Okay, you can actually shoot this film at 100 to 400ISO but I think I shot this roll at 400. Having now used this film, I…

Writing Club: Arts Story For the last prompt in my newspaper series, the prompt was to choose an element from a newspaper that's not necessarily a news story. People wrote everything from obituaries to classifieds to advertisements, sports stories, crime, and reviews. I went with an arts story, on…

Colorado: Estes Park Adventures We were in Estes Park for a family reunion and we did a ton of stiff while there. Some of this stuff we did with a lot of family, some was just with a small group. All of it was fun. We did a lot of things for a variety of fitness levels. The Via Ferrata was the…

Writing Club: NEWS Story The prompt for this week was to write a news story. This is obviously a fake story, but I did my best to write in the inverted pyramid news style of an actual news article that you would find in a newspaper. This was defiantly inspired by the Artemis II trip around the…

Colorado: Boulder Hikes Eventually I'll catch-up on all my travels and documenting them but this is not that day. I am getting closer though. Last summer we went to Colorado and I had time to take a couple of short solo hikes while there. I was really out of shape while on these hikes and funny…

Exactly 💯

Come #explorewithme #hiking #pacificnorthwest #vlog #washington #sanjuanislands youtu.be/n10nZMEEWi0?...

Time for another #horseshow #quarterhorse #western #texas youtube.com/shorts/dZGbx...

Writing Club: Op-ed | No Banned Books In my quest to take a deep dive into newspapers with the Denton Writing Club. I decided to do a prompt on opinion pieces, also know as op-eds. The topics could be legitimate or made up. Plenty of people discussed made up issues but many members, including…

Utah: Trip Preparation A trip like this takes a lot of preparation. So much preparation in fact that I made two videos about it. This first video covers a gear prep overnight trip that my sister and I took to iron out any issues with our tack and expose the mules to a different environment before…

Reading #books and buying books are different hobbies. Too many stories and so little time. #reading #readbannedbooks

Writing Club: Advance Column Answer Last week I talked about Advice Column questions, this week we answered those questions. This is a fun exercise to respond to another person's writing. I responded to an Advice Column question that was about a rogue geneticist that had released a pack of…

Utah: Hiking Bryce Valley National Park We gave the mules and horse a day off. Part of the group we were with went fishing. We had fresh fish for breakfast the next morning and it was wonderful. While they were fishing, we went hiking in Bryce Canyon National Park. We hired a driver service to…

I went overboard buying books… but support #indieauthors #books #reading #supportlocal youtube.com/shorts/rDBnz...

Writing Club: Writing to an Advice Column This deep dive into newspapers started with something fun: writing into an advice column. I want to note that while I am advocating for newspaper style the subject matter can be anything from real to fantasy to sci-fi. My question is actually one I have…

Utah: Bryce Valley and Dixie National Forest Equine Trails We rode a variety of different types of trails while in Utah. Everything from flat topped mesas to slot canyons to between the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park to a hogs back. I cannot put into words how beautiful this part of the…

Sometimes #hiking is relaxing, sometimes you are out of shape and that shows. #vlog #adventure #explorewithme #rockymountains Hiking #Colorado | #Boulder and #EstesPark youtu.be/lzhro-6QicY

Writing Club: Poetry – Metaphors The prompt this week was poetry but make sure to include a metaphor. This is a figure of speech that gets used a lot but it is still work re-visiting. Metaphor: A figure of speech that compares two different things by stating that one is the other, highlighting…

Cold but beautiful #film #photography #explorewithme #filmsnotdead #35mm youtube.com/shorts/y43Br...

If you like #travel videos where the creator doesn’t have a team behind them and does it all solo, check out my #Patreon. #explorewithme www.patreon.com/mcgeetravelt...

Writing Club: Special Event Gone Wrong The prompt for this piece was to write about a special event gone wrong. It could be fiction, non-fiction, whatever makes the writer happy. Mine is fictional and I had a lot of fun writing it. Do you have a story about an event gone wrong that you could later…

Westward Expansion and #manifestdestiny are a fascinating part of American #history but this movement west came with a cost of native culture, lives, and animal biodiversity. Fort Larned National Historic Site youtu.be/vM1lTgSei9g

Any other #vibe readers here? How many #books are you currently reading and how different are they? #reading

Some of the best days are spent in the saddle. #horses #mules #travelvlog #utah #trailriding youtu.be/2kwJ9Mrzitc?...

Something about listening to a #vinyl record while it storms outside with my dog cuddling hit just right. #vibes

Cowtown Winery Stockyards Ghost Tour | Fort Worth, TX youtu.be/_nvXl_xmM4Y #ghosttour #haunted #fortworth #stockyards #cowtownwinery #texas

Writing Club: Poetry – Euphemism In the continuation of working with figurative language, this prompt was to use euphemisms. Euphemism: Figure of speech that replaces a harsh, direct, or unpleasant term with a milder, more indirect expression (Grammarly.com). We must be free-spirited And…

Cowtown Winery Ghost Tour at the Stockyards It has been a long time since I've done a Close to Home post where I talk about the importance of exploring places near to where you live that are often over looked because they are just in your backyard. We went on a ghost tour of the Fort Worth…

Writing Group: Love for a First Car Love can be for people, places, and for things. This prompt was one of mine to the different forms of love that are locked in our memories. Tell me about your first car in the comments. The Gold Brick My first car was a family hand-me-down. Originally my Nana’s…

Writing Group: Favorite Flower A little something for Valentine's Day. Not an ode to a person but love of a living thing. Thorny vines clinging to an old barbed wire fence. Delicate petals scorching under the Texas sun, edges turning from palest pink to scorched brown. Despite their delicate…

Come explore the history along the #SantaFeTrail #kansas #explorewithme #history #vlog #roadtrip #nationalparks Fort Larned National Historic Site youtu.be/vM1lTgSei9g

I just signed a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social petition: This World Wetlands Day: Defend the Endangered Species Act 🐊. Sign here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/th...

Looking Back: World History I really wanted this week's post to be about the beautiful trails we rode in Utah. But in light of resent events, I thought a look at history was a better use of my time. Here are some sights related to the events of WWII that I think are particularly meaningful now. US…

Some other world #history during #wwii #worldwar2 youtu.be/5XgxWE909Fw?...

Just in case anyone wants a refresher on some not that long ago #AmericanHistory #history #wwii #Colorado #ushistory #nationalhistoricsite #worldwar2 Yes, there are sources linked in the video description. youtu.be/KhK-mg8Tfps?...

Anyone like #trains or #rain Check out the #GrandCanyon Railway with me on a rainy day. The canyon is stunning after a storm. #explorewithme youtu.be/W2CNGs7e2b8?...

Finally getting some long form videos up! #mules #trailriding #texas #explorewithme youtu.be/S1bqQVQZpy4?...

Help save an #indie #bookstore www.gofundme.com/f/support-pa...

Poetry: Apostrophe I am back after the chaos of the holidays. The prompt for this week was to write a poem while using the figurative language, apostrophe. Apostrophe: Apostrophe as a figure of speech is when a character addresses someone or something that isn’t present or cannot respond. The…

Utah: Bryce Valley Horse Park The main portion of this trip was in Utah. My sister planned this trip months ago, booking horse camp spots and getting passes that would allow us to ride in Bryce Canyon National Park. We drove from Williams, Arizona to Flagstaff to pick up our mules and horse that…

Butternut Squash Soup I did not take pictures as I cooked this recipe because, honestly I forgot. There was a lot going on. That being said, this recipe got a lot of love at the party I made it for. This recipe does require an immersion blender. A food processor could be used but it would probably…

Arizona: Grand Canyon and Sedona 2025 has been a busy year! I feel like I am playing catchup with my hobbies. I miss things and yet have little time for them. That being said its because I've gotten the chance to do and see some pretty cool things. This summer we spent a couple of days in Arizona…

Writing Group: Poetry-Hyperbole  The prompt this week was to write a poem with a hyperbole. Some were serious, mine was written to be funny. Hyperbole: exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally (Grammarly.com). Also, I am sorry for not posting more. In addition to the…

Writing Group: Poetry – Antithesis I try and do poetry once a month and lately I've been highlighting using Figurative Language. This week we looked at antithesis. My hope with this is to make writing club members aware of tools that they can use later in other writing projects. Antithesis: uses…