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Heartwarming Small-Town Romances and Thrilling Mysteries

We’re more than halfway through our summer sojourn this year. I spent six weeks in Texas, South Dakota, and Arkansas for the first part. I attended the West Texas Writers Academy which is one of the highlights of my summer. I’ve made so many friends with other authors whose work I admire and received a lot of encouragement and advice from those who are far more successful than I am.
I got to be with family for an extended period of time. We live so far from each other so those times are extra special. I took my mom on a quick trip to South Dakota to see her great-grandsons (my grandsons) for a couple of days. She requested three things from me on that trip: to see buffalo, to go by Mount Rushmore, and to see the boys. I am happy to say that I fulfilled her every wish, with a bonus of seeing my brother for a visit too. I try to be a good daughter.
For the first part of July, I got to be with my Christian family for a week. The same applies here as with my regular family. We live so far apart and it’s wonderful to see all of them and make new acquaintances. All of the activities and sermons were amazing and uplifting. My soul was refreshed and nurtured. Plus we ate the college out of house and home. That’s what they get for serving nine flavors of ice cream at every meal.
I got back to the Black Hills of South Dakota in time for the afternoon thunderstorms. I love hearing the thunder echo through the canyons. The rumble goes on and on, growing more faint as it rolls away. The hail is not so pleasant, but thus far, we’ve avoided the big stuff.
We have another month in the Black Hills, part of which will be during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. I’ve always hated that time of year. In small doses, motorcycles are fine, but when there are hundreds of thousands of them, it’s pure chaos. They move en masse, ignoring highway and safety rules and regulations. It’s best to hole up somewhere and avoid the roads, stores, and gas stations during that week. I dread it!
After that, tourist season in the Hills really winds down as people go home in time to get kids in school and such. It’s a much calmer time of year. We’ll celebrate 47 years of the Kjar family camping at Bismarck Lake during August. Traditions.
Then it’s off to Europe, but that will come in another blog.

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