Truth or Lies - The Winner

The winner and only person to get #3 as my lie is Ron Berry. Congratulations, Ron. I have your email address and will send your Amazon gift certificate on Wednesday. My husband and I met my last year of college and have been together now for 42 years.

In the picture to the left you can see part of my chartreuse Russell Wright collection. I also have a lime green laptop, mouse, and netbook. It's hard to tell from this picture but the sofa also has greens. It's interesting that so many of you picked #6 as the lie. It must have been the pink shirt I'm wearing in my picture.

Thanks to all of you who participated. You will be entered in my monthly ebook drawing to be held tonight. I won't be able to announce the winner until Wednesday.

Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda
http://www.lindalaroque.com/

Truth or Lie?

Thank you Linda Kage for this illustrious award.

My instructions were to give you 5 truths and 1 lie about myself, or 5 lies and 1 truth. I've opted for truth.

To make this interesting, I'm having a contest. The prize is a $20.00 gift certificate to Amazon.com.

To enter, become a follower of my blog and leave a comment identifying my one lie about myself. Correct entries will be entered in a drawing. The cutoff time is Sunday, May 30th at midnight. The winner will be announced on Monday.


Here we go.

1. I twirled a baton throughout high school and part of college.
2. I've performed during halftime at pro-football games.
3. My husband and I were high school sweethearts.
4. My home is furnished with a combination of the old and new.
5. Painting with oils was my favorite hobby during the 1970s.
6. I love chartreuse (lime green) and have a chartreuse Russel Wright collection.

I now get to bestow this illustious award on seven lucky bloggers. Here we go.
1. Autumn Shelley
2. Judith Leger
3. Ciara Gold
4. Laura Hogg
5. Dawn's Reading Nook
6. Linda Rettstatt
7. Paty Jager

Enjoy the game! Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda
http://www.lindalaroque.com/

A Horse Tale - My Experience

Though aprehensive about riding, I did ride while at the Silver Spur Ranch in Bandera. This is me atop Texas. A nice, gentle horse, he had to be prodded to keep up while along the trail as he liked to stop and smell the roses. Actually, he liked to nibble anything growing.

The trail took us over rocky ground where the horse had to maneuver steps up and down, through thick foilage, and paths overlooking deep drop offs. Texas has a varied landscape and it was interesting to see the terrain change from rocks, scrub brush, and mesquites to pines and sandy dirt all within a mile or so.

My horseback riding experience is limited. My grandfather had a farm and I must have ridden his horse because he let me and a girlfriend ride double one day. A big mistake. We rode in the dirt road and when a car approached us we panicked. My friend must have kicked the horse in the flanks because he started bucking and she flew through the air backwards and landed in the soft dirt of the ditch. I'd been yanked loosed by then and fell into the dirt road. When the horse ran home riderless my dad came for us in the car minutes later. My shoulder was dislocated and required surgery to put it back in place. I didn't get on a horse again for many years.

Close to forty years later, while teaching school in Fort Stockton, my students raised money for a day at the Prude Ranch in Fort Davis. Of course, horseback riding was one of the days activities. I decided if I was ever to get back on a horse, it had to be then. The experience went well though I did fall while dismounting. I'm just a clutz.

I've learned riding, even when you're sore, helps to work the soreness out of muscles. The next time I go to a dude ranch, I'll ride everyday we're there.

I hope you enjoyed my horse tale. Leave a comment and share your riding experiences.

Thanks for Reading and Writing!

Linda
http://www.lindalaroque.com/

Weekend at a Dude Ranch

A writing retreat is always fun, but  hold it on a dude ranch and you'll have a blast.

The weekend of April 29th through May 2nd some of The Wild Rose Press authors and family members met at the Silver Spur Ranch in Bandera, Texas. Five of our local Heart of Texas chapter of RWA members, including myself, attended. We had our own cabin. Five women with one bathroom but we managed. Below is Belinda Bass and Debra Hanes in front of the Sundance Kid cabin.

Here's our cabin from the back. The wildflowers were beautiful.

Our meetings and meals were held in the lodge.

A relaxed schedule allowed for horseback riding, swimming, private writing time, workshops, or just time to visit or nap. Saturday morning those not riding participated in a hay ride to a cowboy breakfast. We stopped to feed the longhorns on the way. I'm the rider on the back far side with the big straw hat.

After breakfast, Kevin Fitzpatrick, champion roper, entertained us with roping tricks and his bullwhip.

I wish I had pictures of us riding horses but it took all my concentration to stay on the horse. Though I'm a Texas girl, I'm not a horse woman. Riding was great fun. It took about thirty minutes for me to be able to walk on steady legs and several days to work the soreness out.

We had the chance to visit with the cowboys and ask a variety of questions about ranching and horses. Many of the participants attended a local rodeo in Bandera on Friday night and others visited the local gun club to test a variety of weapons.

The weekend was a great experience. Now to get busy writing.

My novel When the Ocotillo Bloom is set on a dude ranch, for problem children and teens, in the Big Bend country of Texas. You can read chapter one on my website. Click on the chapter reads page and enjoy!

Have you ever visited a dude ranch? Of so, tell me where and how you liked it.  Your comment will add your name to my monthly ebook drawing.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda
http://www.lindalaroque.com/

Ebook Winner for April

Laura Hogg is my ebook winner for the month of April. Congratulations, Laura! Visit my website and decide which ebook you'd like to have. Email me your choice and I'll send it right over.

Keep those comments coming.

Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda
http://www.lindalaroque.com/