Those descriptions capture some of my greatest joys in life. If you share those interests, I invite you to explore my books, blogs, poetry, songs, travel stories, news articles, social media postings, and photography. My philosophy is, there are always new things to learn, new places to go, new people to meet, and new ways to grow. I also believe family and friends are essential, and I love spending time with them in the here and now, as well as learning about their lives in the distant past.

My book A State Divided: The Civil War Letters of James Calaway Hale and Benjamin Petree of Andrew County, Missouri, 1862-1865 allowed me to do exactly that as I read, transcribed, and researched fifty Civil War letters written by two of my ancestors from Missouri. Read more in this post from the Emerging Civil War website, or check out this blog post for the “10-Day Countdown” book excerpts I shared.

My newest book, Frank and Nora’s Historic Honeymoon Adventure: A Travelogue with a “Time Travel” Twist, details the amazing four-week honeymoon my great grandparents, Dr. William Francis “Frank” Traughber and Nora Petree Traughber, took in 1905. Using Frank and Nora’s original 1905 scrapbook photos and weaving in my own modern-day travels to many of the same iconic spots, I take readers on a "time travel" journey from the Hotel del Monte in Monterey to the giant redwoods of Santa Cruz Big Trees; from Catalina Island’s Tent City to San Francisco’s Cliff House and Strawberry Hill; from the Portland World’s Fair to the geysers of Yellowstone; and more. It’s a journey you won’t soon forget — and it might make you want to pack your bags and head out on your own roadtrip adventure!