Tena StetlerAuthor of Paranormal Romance/Suspense & Cozy Mysteries With Magic Spark!

Jan 29th THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS – Taking a Gun Class

It all started one morning as I innocently read the daily newspaper. Heinous acts of violence and mayhem filled the front page and subsequent ones. Was this a good way to start my day?  Probably not.

I flipped through all the sections of the newspaper and an ad near the bottom of a page caught my attention. Women’s gun class specially priced at a local gun club. My family has always owned weapons.  While a teenager, shooting my grandfather’s 410 shotgun left a huge shoulder bruise and knocked me on my butt, hard. As a young woman, an automatic pistol took a chunk out of my hand, between the thumb and index finger, because I was holding it wrong. So needless to say, my relationship with guns is a love hate situation.

I believe strongly in the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, the right of the people to keep and bear arms. As a paralegal for close to 20 years, I saw what damage a gun, usually stolen, can do in the hands of the criminal element. But on the flip side, strict gun control makes it harder for the responsible, god fearing adults to obtain a gun legally. And has no effect on the criminal, who can get a gun of any type off the street in a matter of minutes, with the intent to do egregious harm. But I digress, stepping down off my soap box and putting it away, for now.

As a co-owner of a couple of guns, I decided that learning how to handle and shoot a weapon correctly was the responsible thing to do. So… I signed up for the class.

Work in Progress!

I spent Tuesday night at the gun club learning the in’s and out’s of responsible gun ownership, from an NRA certified instructor. By the end of the evening, most of my shots were center mass on the target, once I quit mashing the trigger and used a little finesse. My husband enjoys the sport of shooting guns, I on the other hand consider them for self-defense.  After successfully completing the class, I feel confident handling and shooting a weapon, which is a good thing for me and a bad thing for the criminals.  Subsequent adventures on the shooting range may be in my future.

And just remember gun control is very important, you should always use two hands!

**Check back next week, when I’ll be blogging about my private tour of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), also known as Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station.

Views: 146

Jan 12th Holidays Are Over, Let The Adventures Begin!

Our holidays were exceptional. Lots of friends, family and fun.  How about yours?  As usual, I ate too much and now have to pay homage to that exercise monster, in other words hit the gym hard and long.  But that’s ok,  I’ve a couple of new books to read, a mystery and a romance while I pedal away, along with  a new audio book to listen to while lifting those weights, so I’m set!

Today or really last night Mother Nature made a mockery of the weather forecasters, again, who were calling for  less than 1-3 inches of snow. She dumped a whopping six plus inches of heavy, wet, white stuff.  Ok it wasn’t whopping, but admit it, it sounded good. Our chow was ecstatic. Snow is her favorite thing! The parrot, not so much and the turtle simply hid under her blankie and slept next to her heater. Awww the life of companion animals.

New Years Resolutions:  For me resolutions are few and far between.

1. I cleaned up my office and vowed to keep it organized . Its where the magic and inspiration happens for my novels. Ok, that’s not exactly true. Really inspiration usually strikes at the most inopportune times. Which is why I always have paper, pen and ipad with me at all times. Yes, I even take them to bed with me. Well, at least I have paper and pen on my nightstand.
2. I filed all the 2014 paperwork away and started new file folders for 2015. Good for me. Got that done about three weeks ahead of time!
3. Write everyday.
   1. Finish editing the next two completed novels in my paranormal romance series so they are ready for submission by the time the first book, A Demons Witch, is released this year. Watch for the release date.
   2. The two cozy mysteries are three-quarters of the way done. Gotta get those finished. Then… start on the fourth book in my paranormal romance series.
   3. Write 4,000 words per week.
4. Get as much camping in as possible this year.
5. Enjoy life! Remember my motto: “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, WOW what a ride!”

As you can see my resolutions are few but lofty and attainable.  Don’t you agree?

The best news of all is that this season’s camping adventures will be here in the blink of an eye. Remember I said last year when we had winterized the trailer that Christmas would be here before you knew it.  Voila, it happened!

1. On our agenda this year is as always Rocky Mountain National Park.
2. Then Five Branches Campground on Lake Vallecito near Durango, Colorado.
3. A week in Monterey Bay, California with our friends. Love all the sea life there.
4. Twin Lakes near Leadville, Colorado is a must this year. Great Kayaking!

If you have any suggestions for camping areas, please for heaven sakes tell me.  I still have a few camping slots to fill, not to mention settings for my upcoming novels.

That’s it for today, please check back next week for a totally outrageous topic.  “til then stay warm, drive careful and have a good time!

Views: 109

Jul 14th Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Sand Dunes

We spent the 4th of July weekend exploring the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.  It’s a pleasant 3.5 hour drive from Colorado Springs to the Dunes, if you are towing a fifth wheel trailer. There are only a few sites inside the Park that fit our trailer comfortably, so we opted to set up camp at The Oasis a little campground just outside the main gate of the Park.  It offers full hookups, a plus, and a spectacular view of the Dunes.  No we don’t own a behemoth trailer, it’s only 30 foot with a 40 inch slide, but the older parks aren’t built for today’s trailers and can be a tight fit.  Ok, ok, I like my microwave, surround sound, DVD player and flat screen TV.  But we never once turned the TV on and it had nothing to do with the fact I forgot the DVD’s.

Here comes the storm – Sand Dunes

Now, I gotta tell you the Great Sand Dunes corner of the world is like no place, I’ve ever been. Nestled against
the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the Great Sand Dunes are one of Mother Nature’s  amazing feats and North America’s tallest Dunes.   Mother Nature has free reign over the ever shifting billion grains of sand, the sparkling streams, high mountain peaks and howling winds.  Did I mention the 80 foot dust devil, crashing thunder, spectacular lightning show and hail we witnessed.

Dunes Early Morning After the Storm

Of the four nights we spend there,  two were spend enjoying the beautiful evening around a campfire, munching on smore’s until well after midnight.  The other two,well, we witnessed Mother Nature’s wrath.

Early morning is the best time to explore the Dunes, especially after a storm, the sand is packed and cool on your dog’s feet, not to mention your own.  Wet sand is much easier  to walk in too.  By mid-morning the sun it hot and the sand is hotter.  Afternoon storms are frequent, fast moving and you want to get off the Dunes immediately.

Zepata Falls

Down the road a few miles is Zapata Falls, a little slice of heaven, with dense foliage, a beautiful water fall and an easy hike.  Just a quarter mile from the parking area to the falls and only a 400 foot rise in elevation, there are several benches on the trail, should you need or just feel like a rest on the way up.  The temperature drop at the falls a good 10 to 15 degrees.  Early morning is the best time to schedule a visit to the falls.  Hiking in cool morning air is ideal and a crowd is less likely at the falls as you slip between the rocks to get a look at the falls origination.

So what are you waiting for?  Check out the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.  Oh, don’t forget Zapata Falls.

Views: 111