Death Valley is a taboo subject at our house, but a couple of you asked what happened to that trip, so here goes.
As you may recall, Dale had been wanting to go in the dead of summer, while I wanted to go in the winter, when normal people visit. I finally caved and said, fine, we’ll go in the summer. We were scheduled to go smack dab in the middle of July. Plenty hot, one would assume.
But I had second thoughts. I mean, we’re not as heat resistant as we used to be. I had a million other reasons for not going, but Dale was excited. I’m not sure he ever understood death was not just a name but an option.
To help me plead my case, I found a video of a couple touring Death Valley in the summer with their two children. It was about 20 minutes long, and not the finest cinema out there, but it told a story.
Basically, they drove from one site to the next, got out of the car and then got back in before they died from exposure, never actually seeing the sites as they were meant to be experienced.
I made Dale watch the video, and he said it was 20 minutes of his life he’ll never get back. However, he also said it didn’t sound like fun to drive around all day after driving eight hours just to get there, especially when it was more of a whim than anything else.
A whim was it? We agreed to cancel.
On the day we would have arrived in Death Valley, the temperature was 129 degrees Fahrenheit. I let out a big sigh of relief and said something to the effect of thank the Great Planner we didn’t go. I figured Dale would nod in agreement. Instead, he looked at me with disgust and said, “We could have been there.”
And that is why we don’t speak of Death Valley anymore. There will come a day when we will try again, but it is not this day.
In other travel news, we’re doing an overnighter to Sonoma this week. I don’t expect any drama, but I’ve been wrong before. Oh, and my 50th high school reunion was this weekend, but I did not go. Certainly, there were people I would have enjoyed seeing, but I’m not good in large social settings. At other events, I have been known to find one person and cling pathologically to them for the duration, ruining their opportunities for what I’m told is happy mingling.
Staying home was the humane thing to do.
You know I love reading a crime series. Up until now, I’ve concentrated on one series at a time. I was well into the Easy Rawlins series by Walter Mosley, when I saw a new Lincoln Lawyer book by Michael Connelly was going to be published in November. I decided to read those, too .
That went so well, I added two more to the mix. The Walt Longmire series by Craig Johnson and the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny. I’m surprised to find I like having a variety on hand, and it helps with library choices in case the next one in my queue is checked out. Yes, I only read them in order and have a spreadsheet to help me keep track.
A word about Inspector Gamache. These are popular books, especially after the TV show Three Pines came out. I’ve checked out the first book, Still Life, at least four times but never read it. I finally said, this is it. Read this book or hide your head in shame forever!
I didn’t like it at first, because I tend to favor mysteries featuring the hard-boiled private investigator. But once I accepted it’s a different subgenre, I calmed down and began to enjoy the book immensely. The writing is so intelligent with spot-on literary and cultural references … but never pretentious. The setting is almost like a cozy mystery, but then there’s plenty of murder and dark despair to go around.
Maybe it was reading about the idylic village of Three Pines, but it seems there’s a hint of fall in the air, and I just want to cook, cook, cook. I love savory pumpkin dishes and have a decent collection of recipes I want to try. How about creamy kale and pumpkin soup? That sounds great to me. Dale? Kale? Not so much, but he’ll eventually go along for the ride. Or a pumpkin stew with juicy chunks of beef and maybe some curry seasoning.
Sometimes I have to pinch myself. I still get asked, “What do you do all day?” Ha! Nothing and everything.
Spreadsheets – you still haven’t lost it.
Actually, I have. I was tinkering with the spreadsheet, trying to sort A-Z, but I did something wrong and mixed up all the cells. Took me forever to fix it.
I tried a few times with Louise Penny before I “got it” and realized she is a terrific writer with great plotting. Also, you still need to try John Sandford’s series on Davenport and Virgil Flowers. Thank the Gods every day you did not go to DEATH VALLEY.
The Sandford books have officially been added to the spreadsheet! Thank you.
I’m with you on the Death Valley trip! Maybe to appease Dale, you could plan a trip where you get trapped by a blizzard or one where you chase tornadoes. Both sound equally appealing to dying from heat stroke. 😉
I like how you think.
Love this.
I can’t even imagine going to Death Valley in the summer. It would be akin to sleeping overnight in one of those ice caves in one of the Nordic countries in the winter. Extreme on both ends.
Have you seen the Longmire series on TV? I forget which streaming channels carry it. Not sure it’s on any channel right now but it makes its way back now and again. I’m not a cop show person but I loved that series. Very different when you’re also dealing with Native American tribal law enforcement. Even though it’s supposed to take place in Wyoming, it was filmed in various areas of NM. The beautiful Valles Caldera is about an hour north of us. That’s where Longmire’s cabin is located in the series. It’s my husband’s and my favorite place in all of New Mexico. The Red Pony Bar was filmed at the Mine Shaft Tavern in Madrid (pronounced MAD-drid around here) NM, about 35-40 miles south from where we live. I think that they built their own set for the Red Pony, but the Mine Shaft Tavern was the model for it. The Sheriff’s office was filmed in Las Vegas, NM. And much of the series was filmed in the Pecos area around Santa Fe. NM gives great incentives to the movie industry to film here.
And as you make your way through the Gamache novels you wonder how SO many murders can take place in such a cozy little town of mostly lovely people. It reminds me of all the murders that take place in the pretty little town of Midsommer in the PBS long running series, Midsommer Murders. It doesn’t make sense logically but it lends familiarity and a set of characters one comes to love.
Fall cooking and baking. My favorite time of year for all things, period.
Thank you so much for the back story on filming Longmire. I enjoyed the series, and I love New Mexico!
I have already been wondering about Three Pines, its future and all those murders. I also wonder why Inspector Gamache gets to focus totally on one little murder, while Harry Bosch and other detectives have to juggle multiple crimes and even cold cases. No time to hang around enjoying coffee and croissants. But for me, it doesn’t have to make sense. It’s all about suspending belief. Oftentimes, that’s much better than reality.
Yes to fall cooking and baking. My last name of Pekar translates to Baker in Czech or Slovak or both. And I’m married to a Miller, so it works.
Although I am a book first, TV/film second person, I have been undone by both the Walt Longmire and Inspector Gamache TV adaptations. I’d been aware of the Louise Penny books before and cannot now remember why I didn’t buy the first one, as they seem right up my alley. I am currently being all literary and reading Booker longlisters, but Louise Penny will be next, you can be sure of it.
129 degrees F? You must love that man not to have done him serious damage for that comment 😀 That said, Himself does the similar about camping and such like – even if he knows to expect my death stare.
What a brave soul to tackle the long list. I did browse the titles but nothing jumped.
As for Death Valley, love is a strange thing.
Booker longlisters? Don’t know what that is.
The Booker Prize. First they come out with a long list of nominees, then they post the short list and eventually the winner.
It seems to me that going to Death Valley at the height of summer would be purely for bragging rights… and that IMHO isn’t a good enough reason to be miserable… or even put myself in danger.
I’m looking forward to fall and winter cooking too. I’m tired of only making things that don’t require heating up the oven. Bring it on!
I think you caught him — it was the bragging rights. But he’ll deny that.
Donna, I have to be honest that I have long since stopped listening to book reviews from…well…almost everybody. I almost always found the books were not to my taste. It was so disappointing. However, when you mentioned the Easy Rawlins series, I remembered the Denzel Washington movie some years back. I adore stuff set in 1940s LA. So I gave it a try and have just ordered books three and four. I really don’t like books where true love and riches work out for everyone in the end.
So now that I’m so impressed with your taste in murder mysteries, I will go through the names of the other authors you have mentioned and see if anything else grabs me. Yes, I have done, and will continue to do the Inspector Gamache series. Love them. Longmire was superior, also.
But ’40s noir is still at the top of my list. I reread Chandler constantly.
Keep up the good work.
As for Dale and the 129 degrees in Death Valley, I guess there are times when we have all dug ourselves so deeply into a hole we can not get out. One can only shake their head.
I am with you on the 40s noir. Have you read any of Ross MacDonald’s books featuring Lew Archer? They are my all-time faves. I think they run from the 40s into the 50s.
If you ever get a chance to hear the Longmire author, Craig Johnson, speak, don’t miss it. He has the gift of gab, as they say, and it’s fun hearing how the Longmire series got started.
A Baker married a Miller– love it!
I will defninitely look for that opportunity! We didn’t figure out the baker-miller thing until a few years ago.
My summer reading project was to read all of the Louise Penny books in order. I got through 5. I did enjoy them but I think I need a break. What an interesting little town Three Pines is…and the residents! I just started reading Demon Copperhead and it is so depressing I’m not sure I can get through it.
I’ve only read one, so we’ll see how long I last before I need a break. Demon Copperhead is supposed to be good, but in all honesty, I generally avoid “book club” books.