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Back on The Road Again for My Book

I’ll be traveling soon to San Diego County, although I haven’t decided on the exact date. I may be encountering rain and I am packing my rain clothes. Rain. Here’s what I’ve learned about working and hiking in it.

Rain coats are typically never long enough in the back. When you hunch over they ride up and let your back get wet. If you have a light backpack on underneath your raincoat, the back of the jacket will ride up even more.

Rain pants are great and necessary but in heavy rain or if you are doing a great deal of exertion, most slide down. Constantly. Suspenders, yes suspenders, will fix almost any sliding but otherwise well performing rain pants.

Waterproof bib overalls are a good choice for heavy rain. They rise up high in both the front and the back and they have suspenders over the shoulder to keep them up.

Most rain gear bought at REI or other outdoor stores feature fairly lightweight materials that rip easily. Only the most expensive rain gear from outfitters like Cabela’s stand up to actually working in the rain. Like kneeling down on rocks and hammering away on same.

Many highway road crews used to use rubberized canvas clothes. That bright yellow stuff. Bulky and heavy, it got the job done and resisted tears. Most yellow rain gear today, though, seems to be PVC based. That might be acceptable if the PVC is thick enough.

Something I haven’t looked into is marine clothing. Probably pricey.

I won’t write about waterproof boots. No model has been comfortable for me while remaining waterproof. Lightweight wool socks keep feet tolerably comfortable while wet, as long as temperatures are moderate and not anywhere close to freezing.

With luck, rain will be light for me, requiring equally light rain clothing.

Book details:

https://southwestrockhounding.com

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non-fiction writing organizing writing Thoughts on writing Uncategorized Writing tips

Word Count Out of Control!

I’ve reached 64,000 words with many more road trips and subjects to explain before my August deadline. I can easily see the word count going to 80,000. But my contract calls for 50,000 to 60,000. There is no way my publisher can accommodate 80K.

Rather than have my editor slash and burn my copy, I am going back into chapters and doing the cutting myself. I’ve always said that any writer can chop a third of their first draft writing with diligent revising and editing and now I am putting those words into action.

Revising is far more complex than just cutting out words and sentences. Every chapter must retain coherency and not become choppy, the first thing that revising produces. I don’t have to rewrite everything, this task is not as demanding as a first draft, what with its required research and thought, but it is tough work none-the-less. Wish me luck.

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southwestrockhounding.com Uncategorized

Back from Plymouth, California

I am back from the Mother Lode Country of California. For the next two weeks I will be working hard on my book before I take another collecting road trip. As I left Plymouth I happened upon a mysterious rock outcropping that I am only now researching. My recent post at my rockhounding website starts a discussion on what might be called iron stained scrambled eggs. The post is here:

https://southwestrockhounding.com/2019/02/17/last-note-from-plymouth-siderite-sighting/

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Photography Uncategorized

The Boundless Enthusiasm of A Western State

Photographed at some museum near Reno, Nevada. The state has always been raw since the Comstock strike and the wild, boomtown days of Tonopah and Goldfield. An acceptance of legal gambling throughout the state, and prostitution, in some counties, Nevada has retained a wild west feeling whenever you get out of its big cities. And you should get out of those cities. Because in rural Nevada, that’s where the true Nevada still lives.