* * Enjoying The season's first snowfall

During the past few weeks, the weather has been cool but we have had few nights below freezing.  On Saturday, we had a rare early December snowstorm that affected much of the South and the East Coast.  We got about 4 inches of snow at our house in Blacksburg.

During the afternoon, my wife Jane and I took our dogs for a walk on the nearby Huckleberry Trail.  The snow was falling heavily in thick flakes when we began.  At our turnaround point, roughly 2 1/4 miles from the beginning, the snow had stopped.  On our way back, clouds began to break and the sky lightened.  This is a beautiful thing to see as the sky begins to pick up subtle pastel colors and reflect those colors in the whiteness of the snow.  This morning, Monday, there is still quite a bit of snow on the branches of shrubbery and on the ground.  Cooler temperatures have allowed the snow to harden.  We probably won't see significant melting until the middle of the week.  The year's first snowfall is always an exciting event for me.

I am continuing to work on my second book, a novel called Union, W V.  The publishers I have sought for the non-fiction The Spine of the Virginias are generally completely different from those that would take on a novel.  So, once I finish this, it appears that I will face the search for another publisher all over again.

I have spoken with Fred First, a friend in Shawsville, Virginia, and Tracy Roberts, another friend in who lives near New Castle, Virginia, about the possibility of starting a writer's group.  Fred and Tracy are also excellent photographers.  (Fred’s books can be seen here: http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/ )

We have a meeting scheduled in early January to discuss this.  Our hope is to be able to trade ideas, tips, and contacts with regards to publishing and marketing our printed our written works.  If you live in our area and are interested in joining us, please let me know as me as we may look to have perhaps four or five people in our group.