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

 

 



Back in Modesto

I have moved out of Los Angeles and am a fulltime resident of Modesto once again. Actually, its good to be back in the Central Valley and in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Video Trailer - The White Mountain Chronicles

View the Video Trailer to The White Mountain Chronicles eBook at the link below.


The White Mountain Chronicles

Laudizen

2012 Global eBook Awards Nomination

The White Mountain Chronicles

Nominated for a 2012 Global eBook Award

Non Fiction - Autobiography/Memoir

The eBook is available at all major eBook retailers, including Amazon at the link below.

'The White Mountain Chronicles' at Amazon

eBook Price - $3.99

Laudizen

Top Ten Laudizen Stories for 2011

The following link entries comprise the "Top Ten List" of most-read stories at the Laudizen King website for the year 2011.

1.
Murder at Midnight

Forty years ago, two American MPs died in the Ivory Tower, a downtown Saigon bar, and the embers of anger and resentment still burn today.

2.
Burial Detail

Remembering a Military Funeral Detail at Fort Bragg

3.
My AMC White Mountain Guides

Homage to the White Mountains of New Hampshire

4.
Remembering the Dugout and Larry Lisciotti

A teenager discovers the game of pool, and meets the future world champion

5.
On Martinis and Oysters

heaven meets the earth where it joins the sea

6.
Oscar Wilde on Death

To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence

7.
Heinrich Harrer

The enigmatic Austrian climber and explorer

8.
Off the Shoulder of Orion

A personal lament

9.
On a Beach on Nantucket

Remembering youth and love on the island of Nantucket

10.
Scouting and the Tattoo Merit Badge

The Boy Scouts teach business acumen



Follow this Link to the Laudizen King Website

Thank you all! Laudizen King

Personal Bestseller of 2011

The White Mountain Chronicles

As 2011 draws to a close, I look back on the year and am thankful for the thousands of people who visited my website and to the many readers that purchased one of my eBooks. I am especially indebted to those readers who purchased a copy of, ”The White Mountain Chronicles", making that collection of stories from the mountains of New Hampshire my personal bestseller for 2011.

I am gratified that this unique volume of creative nonfiction, a simple compilation of travel, memoir and adventure from the Granite State, and the White Mountains in particular, is embraced by readers throughout New England and beyond.

I possess a lifelong passion and partiality for the White Mountains of New Hampshire including the Appalachian Trail, the mountains, the people, the forest and its roads. I look back on those years with an oleo of emotions, but primarily with love, gratitude, and longing for those times gone by. Because of that love and gratitude, I present the stories honestly, leaving the flaws and blemishes intact; the readers can make their own judgments. I also enjoy a great feeling of self-satisfaction over the challenges and obstacles I faced and overcame during my 18 years of adventures in the long shadows of the mountains of New Hampshire.

I appreciate your support and hope you will tell your friends about this unique collection of stories and adventures.

Thank you, and may 2012 be a great year for you! Laudizen King

The White Mountain Chronicles

The eBook is available for only $3.99, and may be purchased and downloaded to your Kindle or Android from Amazon, to your Apple device from the Apple bookstore, or downloaded to the eReader of your choice from Smashwords, Sony, Barnes & Noble or other eBook retailers.


"The White Mountain Chronicles" at Amazon

"The White Mountain Chronicles" at Smashwords

For more information about "The White Mountain Chronicles" eBook, click here

Link to the Laudizen King website

(approx 53,900 words)

'The White Mountain Chronicles', a collection of 22 travels, memoirs, and adventures from New Hampshire, the Granite State.

Chapters
My AMC White Mountain Guides
May Camp
Red Flannel Hash
In the Shadow of Monadnock
Carter Notch in Winter, the First Trip
Through the Past Darkly with Sven Saws and Candle Lanterns
Winter Night at Hermit Lake
How Things Come to Pass
Second Sojourn
Camp 16
Ghosts and Summits
Golden Girls
Pilgrimage
Mt Garfield Dream
Closing Galehead
Remembering Ray Evans, 1909-2001
Mountain Pond and Carter Dome
Riddle of New Hampshire
Mt Carrigain Trilogy
On the Garfield Ridge with Jack Kerouac
Out of the Fog
The 48 Summits

The White Mountain Chronicles in New Zealand

In New Zealand, visit Whitcoulls to download a copy of Laudizen King's 'The White Mountain Chronicles'.

Laudizen King writes creative nonfiction: memoirs, travels, and stories that celebrate the human spirit and honor the diverse moments that comprise a mortal life. 'The White Mountain Chronicles' is a collection of 22 adventures that celebrate New Hampshire, the Granite State. Unconventional yet accessible and emotive, this collection follows the author through two decades of discovery in the mountains of New Hampshire, unique and authentic stories penned by an original author with a wide-ranging eye.

Visit Whitcoulls to download the eBook to your eReader.

'The White Mountain Chronicles' at Whitcoulls

(approx 53,900 words)

Chapters
My AMC White Mountain Guides
May Camp
Red Flannel Hash
In the Shadow of Monadnock
Carter Notch in Winter, the First Trip
Through the Past Darkly with Sven Saws and Candle Lanterns
Winter Night at Hermit Lake
How Things Come to Pass
Second Sojourn
Camp 16
Ghosts and Summits
Golden Girls
Pilgrimage
Mt Garfield Dream
Closing Galehead
Remembering Ray Evans, 1909-2001
Mountain Pond and Carter Dome
Riddle of New Hampshire
Mt Carrigain Trilogy
On the Garfield Ridge with Jack Kerouac
Out of the Fog
The 48 Summits

Thank you, Laudizen

Saco River Idylls

Remembering those hot days after a hike in the White Mountains, swimming in the Saco River near North Conway, New Hampshire.

You can read the story at the link below.

Saco River Idylls

Laudizen

The Franconia Range

I made my first traverse of the Franconia Ridge Trail in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in 1976, standing on the summits of Mt Lafayette, Mt Lincoln, and Mt Liberty. On that hike, we climbed the Greenleaf Trail to the summit of Mt Lafayette and descended the Liberty Springs Trail after summiting Mt Liberty.

You can read the story at the link below.

Franconia One

Laudizen

Big Audio Digital Dynamite

I have created several mixed digital audio versions of my writings.

Follow the link below to various selections.

Big Audio Digital Dynamite

Laudizen

My AMC White Mountain Guides - audio

The audio story of My AMC White Mountain Guides

Follow the link below to listen to the story.

My AMC White Mountain Guides

Laudizen

mixed digital audio versions of my writings

I am experimenting with mixed digital audio versions of my writings, learning about podcasting and audiobooks.

Follow the link below to listen to several attempts.

Big Audio Digital Dynamite

Laudizen

Joan Osborne - an audio appreciation

A mixed-audio appreciation and memoir of Joan Osborne, from an original story.


Follow the link below to listen to it.
Joan Osborne - an appreciation

Laudizen

Father's Day - 2 audio stories

Rembering my Dad, with two stories for Father's Day

First, 'Paper and Fire', a story about a fire and its emotional aftermath.

Read the story at the following link:
Paper and Fire

Or listen to it in MP3 streaming audio at:
Paper and Fire Audio Version


Second is 'Popcorn', a story about memories, my father, and my youth. Oh yeah, and popcorn, too.

Read the story at the following link:
Popcorn

Or listen to it in MP3 streaming audio at:
Popcorn Audio Version

Laudizen