A Late Winter's Day

Yesterday, in central California, I felt a flash of déjà vu. It had rained in the early hours of the morning and the coming dawn showed that a dreary overcast had given way to blue sky filled with intermittent puffy white clouds that stretched from horizon to horizon. A breeze blew out of the northwest and the air was sweet and clean. Off to the east, the Sierra Nevada stood in sharp profile with snow-covered mountains rising above the darker jumble of foothills below. The temperature in Modesto rose above 70 degrees and the day was nothing short of spectacular. As if in a dream, I felt transported back in time and place to those late spring or early summer days camping in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Occasionally, the rain would give way to a day so perfect and fine that the senses stood in awe before the beauty of the mountains. The wind brought fresh clean air and even peaks far removed towered in sharp detail on the distant skyline. On such a day, the spirit rose with each step on the trail as I made my way up towards the treeline in search of the wonder and magic that awaited me on unseen summits.

Oh, it was such a joy to be alive, and I cherish that time of discovery and adventure in the days of my youth back in the East. Yesterday, on a sunlit winter’s day in late March, an old man in Modesto remembered the greatness and grandeur of all those perfect days in New Hampshire so many years ago.

Most Widely Read Story

One of my stories, "Passages in Stone" from the 2011 edition of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul: Grandmothers Edition" was published on their global newsletter as the story of the day, June 17, 2012. Their editor informed me that the number of recipients of the story is in the hundreds of thousands. I think it safe to say that this remains my most widely read story.

Read this story at the link below:

Passages in Stone

Old Roads and Shadows - May 2013

Now available at most major eBook distributors!

Laudizen King writes creative nonfiction: memoirs, travels, and stories that celebrate the human spirit and honor the diverse moments that comprise a mortal life. Unconventional yet accessible and emotive, these narratives follow Laudizen through six decades, yielding unique and authentic stories penned by an original author with a wide-ranging eye.

'Old Roads and Shadows' is a generous and eclectic collection that includes many of his best-known works: a fire and its emotional aftermath on his family (Paper and Fire), the story of two summit attempts on the highest peak in Southern California (Mt San Gorgonio), and the account of a backpacking trip to the Cabinet Mountains of Montana where he almost met a violent end, twice (Leigh Lake).

This collection also presents stories from his military days when he served in the US Army: the savage killings of James Workman and Eugene Cox in Saigon (Murder at Midnight), and an emotional duty assignment at Fort Bragg (Burial Detail).

Within this collection are stories celebrating the singer Joan Osborne, Richard Brautigan, Blood Mountain in Georgia, and Mt San Jacinto near Palm Springs.


Timeless and emotive, these stories hold something for everyone.

(approx 110,000 words)

Visit Amazon or Smashwords at the links below to download the eBook to your Kindle or other eReader. (the price is only $3.99)

Link to 'Old Roads and Shadows' at Amazon

Link to 'Old Roads and Shadows' at Smashwords

'Old Roads and Shadows' is also available for download at Apple, Barnes & Noble, and other eBook retailers.

Chapters

A Special Cup of Coffee
Joan Osborne
The Ocean House
Bobby Fischer - In Memoriam
The Cosmic Bridge of November 1999
Talking to Carla Jean
Reunion
Murder at Midnight
Blood Mountain
Brautigan Gift
Dog-Day Afternoon in the Laguna Mountains
Salters Pond, Beau Geste, and the Return of the Vikings
Suit
Snow Day
A Husband Dies
Worms
Cheers and Slainte
Shoehorn
Burial Detail
On a Beach on Nantucket
La Grange
Mt San Jacinto, Winter 1991
Mt San Jacinto, Summer 1992
September 1959
Out of a Blue Sky
Mt San Gorgonio
Leigh Lake
Paper and Fire
Manchester Redux
The Dreams of a Young Man
Empty Bottle
I'm Seeing Keith Richards in the Morning
In the Grass of Mt Diablo
With Carlton Fisk, Forever
Induced Enlistee
First Flights
Leaving the Army
Snow Day at the Dugout
Off the Shoulder of Orion
In the Mind of the Artist
Baseball and Coffee
Foul Ball
Sto Lat
Dreams
Saint
Sentinel Snow
Norman
Beginnings
October 5, 1980
Pasadena Lunch
Scouting, and the Tattoo Merit Badge
Chairman of the Board
The Product
Houseboat
The Fokker U 2
Piece of Work
Death Valley Wind
Awash and Adrift on the Hockanum River
Little Tokyo Moment
Born to Love Baseball
Heinrich Harrer
Reluctance
Song for Hollister
The Road to Paradise
Oscar Wilde on Death
The Queen City
Popcorn
Elevator
Incident at Evergreen Lodge
Cuyamaca Mountains - Joy and Renewal

Thank you!

Laudizen

On Fort Bragg and the meaning of Memorial Day

Now available at Amazon, Smashwords, and other leading eBook retailers!

Laudizen King has released “Old Roads and Shadows”, a collection of short stories.

Laudizen King writes creative nonfiction: memoirs, travels, and stories that celebrate the human spirit and honor the diverse moments that enrich our mortal lives. Unconventional yet accessible and emotive, these narratives follow Laudizen through six decades, yielding unique and authentic stories penned by an original author with a wide-ranging eye.

Included in the volume is the story "Burial Detail", a touching piece about Fort Bragg that expands on the traditional meaning of the Memorial Day holiday. 'Old Roads and Shadows' is a generous and eclectic collection that includes many of his best-known works.


Timeless and emotive, these stories hold something for everyone.

(approx 110,000 words)

Visit Amazon or Smaswords at the links below to download the eBook to your Kindle or other eReader. (the price is only $3.99)

Link to 'Old Roads and Shadows' at Amazon

Link to 'Old Roads and Shadows' at Smashwords


Chapters

A Special Cup of Coffee
Joan Osborne
The Ocean House
Bobby Fischer - In Memoriam
The Cosmic Bridge of November 1999
Talking to Carla Jean
Reunion
Murder at Midnight
Blood Mountain
Brautigan Gift
Dog-Day Afternoon in the Laguna Mountains
Salters Pond, Beau Geste, and the Return of the Vikings
Suit
Snow Day
A Husband Dies
Worms
Cheers and Slainte
Shoehorn
Burial Detail
On a Beach on Nantucket
La Grange
Mt San Jacinto, Winter 1991
Mt San Jacinto, Summer 1992
September 1959
Out of a Blue Sky
Mt San Gorgonio
Leigh Lake
Paper and Fire
Manchester Redux
The Dreams of a Young Man
Empty Bottle
I'm Seeing Keith Richards in the Morning
In the Grass of Mt Diablo
With Carlton Fisk, Forever
Induced Enlistee
First Flights
Leaving the Army
Snow Day at the Dugout
Off the Shoulder of Orion
In the Mind of the Artist
Baseball and Coffee
Foul Ball
Sto Lat
Dreams
Saint
Sentinel Snow
Norman
Beginnings
October 5, 1980
Pasadena Lunch
Scouting, and the Tattoo Merit Badge
Chairman of the Board
The Product
Houseboat
The Fokker U 2
Piece of Work
Death Valley Wind
Awash and Adrift on the Hockanum River
Little Tokyo Moment
Born to Love Baseball
Heinrich Harrer
Reluctance
Song for Hollister
The Road to Paradise
Oscar Wilde on Death
The Queen City
Popcorn
Elevator
Incident at Evergreen Lodge
Cuyamaca Mountains - Joy and Renewal

Thank you!

Laudizen

Free eBook from Laudizen King

Now available free at Smashwords through January 13, 2013

Bring in the New Year with a free eBook from Laudizen King, “Old Roads and Shadows”, a collection of stories both old and new. To obtain your free ebook in the eReader format of your choice, visit Smashwords at the link below and use coupon code ZZ97D at checkout.

Laudizen King writes creative nonfiction: memoirs, travels, and stories that celebrate the human spirit and honor the diverse moments that comprise a mortal life. Unconventional yet accessible and emotive, these narratives follow Laudizen through six decades, yielding unique and authentic stories penned by an original author with a wide-ranging eye.

'Old Roads and Shadows' is a generous and eclectic collection that includes many of his best-known works: a fire and its emotional aftermath on his family (Paper and Fire), the story of two summit attempts on the highest peak in Southern California (Mt San Gorgonio), and the account of a backpacking trip to the Cabinet Mountains of Montana where he almost met a violent end, twice (Leigh Lake).

This collection also presents stories from his military days when he served in the US Army: the savage killings of James Workman and Eugene Cox in Saigon (Murder at Midnight), and an emotional duty assignment at Fort Bragg (Burial Detail).

Within this collection are stories celebrating the singer Joan Osborne, Richard Brautigan, Blood Mountain in Georgia, and Mt San Jacinto near Palm Springs.


Timeless and emotive, these stories hold something for everyone.

(approx 110,000 words)

Visit Smashwords to download the eBook to your reader in the Format of your choice at the link below (coupon code ZZ97D).

Link to 'Old Roads and Shadows' at Smashwords



Chapters

A Special Cup of Coffee
Joan Osborne
The Ocean House
Bobby Fischer - In Memoriam
The Cosmic Bridge of November 1999
Talking to Carla Jean
Reunion
Murder at Midnight
Blood Mountain
Brautigan Gift
Dog-Day Afternoon in the Laguna Mountains
Salters Pond, Beau Geste, and the Return of the Vikings
Suit
Snow Day
A Husband Dies
Worms
Cheers and Slainte
Shoehorn
Burial Detail
On a Beach on Nantucket
La Grange
Mt San Jacinto, Winter 1991
Mt San Jacinto, Summer 1992
September 1959
Out of a Blue Sky
Mt San Gorgonio
Leigh Lake
Paper and Fire
Manchester Redux
The Dreams of a Young Man
Empty Bottle
I'm Seeing Keith Richards in the Morning
In the Grass of Mt Diablo
With Carlton Fisk, Forever
Induced Enlistee
First Flights
Leaving the Army
Snow Day at the Dugout
Off the Shoulder of Orion
In the Mind of the Artist
Baseball and Coffee
Foul Ball
Sto Lat
Dreams
Saint
Sentinel Snow
Norman
Beginnings
October 5, 1980
Pasadena Lunch
Scouting, and the Tattoo Merit Badge
Chairman of the Board
The Product
Houseboat
The Fokker U 2
Piece of Work
Death Valley Wind
Awash and Adrift on the Hockanum River
Little Tokyo Moment
Born to Love Baseball
Heinrich Harrer
Reluctance
Song for Hollister
The Road to Paradise
Oscar Wilde on Death
The Queen City
Popcorn
Elevator
Incident at Evergreen Lodge
Cuyamaca Mountains - Joy and Renewal

Thank you!

Laudizen

People and Places I Support - PAPIS

People And Places I Support


Interesting people, places, things, restaurants, businesses, endeavors, and the arts, from Modesto, the Great Central Valley of California, California, and beyond.

Link to ===> PAPIS

Thank you.

Laudizen King

Degas at the Carnegie Arts Center

 

 

"Edgar Degas, The Private Impressionist", is now on display at the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock, California. The exhibit, which runs through January 13, features more than 100 works on paper and includes sketches, drawings, photographs, prints and pastels.

 

Read more at the link below

 

  Edgar Degas Link

 

Laudizen King