by toby | Jan 16, 2013 | Life
Everyday heroes. All around us are everyday heroes. People who go the extra mile, who do what's required and more with a smile and a kind word, people who really care about their work and others. My particular “hero” is a postal clerk named Lisa who works at Kula Post...
by toby | Dec 22, 2012 | The Writing Life
Photographing ferns for a book cover is tricky. My professional photographer husband Mike Neal and I have been trying to get a good shot for my newest mystery, Broken Ferns, for over a month. The problem? Ferns. With several hundred types to choose from, they still...
by toby | Dec 2, 2012 | Life
Bee orchestra in the cherry tree. There's a bee orchestra in the cherry tree. Bees descend in a buzzing cloud in the earliest morning, when the sky is still gray pearl and the nectar has risen to a peak in the Surinam cherry blossoms on the tree in our backyard. The...
by toby | Oct 21, 2012 | Life
Hiking Haleakala Crater-Day three of epic adventure. Peacefully frying steaks with the door of Holua Cabin open, we are unexpectedly confronted by a group of four other hikers. Comparing permits, we find that the Park Service has double-booked us all into the cabin....
by toby | Oct 20, 2012 | Life
Hiking Haleakala Crater- Day Two of epic adventure. An unearthly golden glow, the sunrise, wakes me. The cabin is warm, the stove crackles with fresh wood and I smell coffee–and I remember why I love this man. I get out of the down sleeping bag borrowed from...