Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Writing

Can You Water Ski Like Twiggy?

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by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

We’re heading into a glorious weather weekend here in Oregon, 80 degrees and no smoke, high humidity or scalding temps. What will we all be doing? Heading for the water and picnics to enjoy this blessed gift of great weather.

What better way to send us off on the weekend than getting tips from Twiggy the water skiing squirrel. This athlete not only water skis, he watches the spectators, grooms himself, goes one hand only and hands free while on his ride. What a performer!

Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!

Have You Checked Out A Local Historical Society?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                  (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

The only thing I like better than going on vacation to Maui is to do book research while there. My passion for hunting the quirky was indulged this past week while on the beautiful Valley Isle, even though Mother Nature provided a heat wave too.

The Maui Historical Society has a list of their archive items online on their website. I checked it out a couple of months ago while getting ready for the trip. I spied a group of documents titled World War II and a gem about one Navy ship. Decided I had to check out the file.

Bailey House Museum of the Maui Historical Society in Wailuku.
Bailey House Museum of the Maui Historical Society in Wailuku.

Called the Society when we arrived and made an appointment later in the week to review the file plus two others. Can’t wait to tell you about those gems later this Fall. (I keep saying Fall because I’m not ready for it.)

I felt so official, having my appointment, my notepad and camera along. They provided white cotton gloves to view the items, so not only did I feel like Mickey Mouse, but I was in hog heaven for a good hour. Paid for copies to be made of the items I wanted to take home. Took some non-flash photos of others.

Discovered a gem in the file about the Navy ship and some hand written letters which related to it too. Score! To me there is nothing like original research and archival documents. In this age of digital everything, for me there is true romance in touching paper other human hands used to write letters and communicate.

In the Museum basement reviewing archive documents with my fabulous white gloves. Hair explained by heat wave.
In the Museum basement reviewing archive documents with my fabulous white gloves. Hair explained by heat wave.

Call me old school, but it really gives you a feel for the person and the times when you can touch the photos, see the loops of their hand writing and bond with history.

If you have a certain area of interest, genre or passion, check it out at your local historical society. You may be excited with new inspiration and support the local keepers of the past. It’s a win for everyone!

Are you a history detective? Explore your local historical societies and museums today.

www.mauimuseum.org

 

Loving Those Fat Guys In The Woods!

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

My newest guilty pleasure is the Weather Channel’s television show “Fat Guys In The Woods.” While the title might seem a little off-putting, it’s a great premise. Creek Stewart, resident survival expert and hottie, teaches three men how to live off the land for five days with a knife, backpack and water canteen or filter. That is all the gear they get. Not one cracker or Oreo.

While these men are from all walks of life, the need to unplug and get back to nature is a life changing event for them. Creek keeps it real and genuinely cares about helping the men make a shift to test themselves and make major life decisions.

Stewart also offers valuable survival tips for everyone and relates the fact we are at the top of the food chain, but pudgy because we’ve lost our survival karma. He thinks we all depend too much on gear and need to know the basics when our gear breaks.

I clicked over to his website and found out he’s an indie published author too. He started as a college sophomore. He quickly learned some author life lessons as well.

In the military we always knew the first thing to go haywire was communications and then whatever piece of equipment you really needed. Improvise, adapt and overcome came from the military and family camping trips. Even the backup plans were usually toast in a matter of minutes.

If you’d like a look at a fun new show that’s educational too, check it out on the Weather Channel on Sunday nights. The show’s tagline is, “Off The Couch and Into The Woods.” In my case, the La-Z-Boy.

Link to Creek’s web site about how he started and became an author:

http://willowhavenoutdoor.com/featured-wilderness-survival-blog-entries/my-most-popular-question-answered-and-how-a-crow-changed-my-life/

 

Are You Ready For Some Penguins?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                        (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Reading the Fall films guide in the paper on Friday, a true wonder appeared. The Penguins of Madagascar have their own movie. Finally! Granted they’ve had a tv show, but they really deserved their own film and it’s arriving Nov. 26, 2014. Tickle me happy!

What better way to get ready for the long Labor Day weekend then to watch a preview of the Penguins on a mission. How to top a long weekend and a Penguins movie trailer? TWO Penguins movie trailers! Have a safe long weekend and Happy Quirky Friday! (Notice the “Top Gun” music? Be still my heart!)

http://youtu.be/O5KgUyrYLMk

 

Did You Ever Get Your Favorite Toy?

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Last Friday’s post I talked about playing in the dirt with my Matchbox car and travel trailer and I wondered; where is my little yellow convertible? I discovered it several years ago in Mom and Dad’s kitchen junk drawer and promptly airlifted it home with me.

Dived into my box of Happy Meal toys and assorted “must have” fun items I rotate on my desk for entertainment and inspiration. Ta da! There it was, beat up and intact. Checked Google and found www.toycarcollector.com in Vancouver, Washington had all the Matchbox cars for sale.

My fabulous Pontiac convertible survived the kitchen junk drawer, barely. Matchbox cars are tough!
My fabulous Pontiac convertible survived the kitchen junk drawer, barely. Matchbox cars are tough!

Found out mine is a model 39b9 Pontiac Convertible Excel from 1962. Didn’t realize they were made in England. Granted, the windshield is missing on mine, but it looks pretty good. The travel trailer disappeared many moons ago, but the trailers on the toy site didn’t look the same. I’m sure my memory is perfect. Ha!

My little excursion into toyland reminded me of my favorite Christmas toy gift. Okay, there are two. First was my Chatty Cathy who chattered until her voice box broke. Shipped her back to the factory. I remember the trauma of seeing her shipped off in a cardboard box, hoping and waiting until she’d return. Chatty came back in the box and talked for a while, then nada.

The second toy I got at age 21. Barely home from the Army for the holidays, having driven through a Wyoming ice and snowstorm to arrive two days before Christmas, I opened presents at my folks house on Christmas morning. I got an electric train. I cried with happiness. I’d always wanted an electric train. Since Dad worked for the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railroad, then Burlington Northern for 38 years, one would think an electric train would have been in the house.

Sometime that summer the topic of toys had come up and I’d recalled how I never got an electric train. Dad made sure I had one. At 21. He crafted a special round green wooden platform for the train to run on, from his rail inspector and roadmaster days I’m sure. Still have both and think they are coming out this holiday season.

We did have a wooden train set growing up that snapped together, complete with tracks. Wonder where that went? Time for another toy quest!

Have you gotten your favorite toy after a long time or bought one for someone else? Do you still have a favorite toy? What is your toy story?

Would You Push The Red Button?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Seems I am one of the three people on the planet who did not see this YouTube video last year. A co-worker at the day job sent it to me and I love it. Besides all the craziness, what really struck me is this is exactly what it’s like inside my brain!

I see my book scenes as movies. This is what is going on while I am trying to work at the day job, talk to family, clean up hairballs and chat with friends. All these MOVIES are going on in my head. It gets really iffy when different books/movies are all up in my mind at the same time.

http://youtu.be/316AzLYfAzw

Case in point. Sunday I was writing my fiction book and I was deep inside a cave in Afghanistan trying not to be caught by the bad guys. Somebody knocked on my window. I jumped a mile. Besides having a trained startle response from my military and newspaper reporter days, my home office is on the second floor.

Turns out it was Spec Ops Cat scratching an itch while lying on the windowsill in the sun, but I didn’t know that when I was in the cave in Afghanistan. Nice to know the old ticker still works and I can get the fiction scared right out of me. Took me awhile to get back to the cave. Pretty sure Spec Ops Cat did it on purpose.

All types of creatives have big red buttons in our brains and whether we are writing, cooking, building dog houses or making music, inspiration can hit at the oddest times. Many of our red buttons are even self starters and we don’t even need to push them.

Have you ever been startled and scared yourself? If you saw this box in the square, would you push the red button?