NICKI J. MARKUS/ASTA IDONEA: Author Editing Interview A Few Questions About Me HOMETOWN READS: Marketing Your First Book WROTE PODCAST A Deep Wound You Don’t Feel at First M.D. NEU: Author Q&A on the Book and the Shootings ELISABETH HAMILL: Q &A: Creativity as An Answer to Violence: Todd Smith’s Murder, Romance, and Two Shootings MATT DOYLE: Author Interview: Todd Smith KEVIN KLEHR: Guest Post at…
Murder, Romance, and Two Shootings Available Now
PREVIEW February 7, 2008 Ten years without being shot and then another bullet had pierced my body. It was surreal. Once again, I was lying on a hospital gurney in a trauma center while emergency personnel was in a flurry of activity around me. I was having trouble concentrating. Focus. I took a deep breath and looked down at my blood-stained clothes, a seeping bandage…
Road Trip to Allerton Park Near Champaign
A centaur in the middle of the woods can be found at Allerton Park sculpture garden in Central Illinois and was one of the many treasures we found there. This park has amazing sculptures like this everywhere and it was our destination today. How the Park Began Robert Allerton created this park. He inherited a banking and railroad fortune provided by his father Samuel Allerton….
Unique Geology at Hughes Mountain Natural Area
Hughes Mountain Natural Area is made up of rock columns and is a unique geological feature found only in a few places in the world, such as Giant’s Causeway in Ireland. History of Hughes Mountain Natural Area The igneous knob is named for John Hughes, the first European settler in the area, who arrived in 1810. The land stayed in the Hughes family until purchased…
Dad Hikes: Taking In The Views At Bootleg Access
Hiking through a forest to lookouts of the St. Francois Mountains and stops along the rocky Big River were the highlights of the trail at Bootleg Access. Starting the Trail at Bootleg Access The trail is a loop starting at the farthest parking area. Here I headed to the left to head up the hillside first. I would recommend doing it this way otherwise you’re…
Finding Waterfalls at Hickory Canyons
Box canyons, dripping waterfalls, and fern-filled cliffs are the sights and sounds and Hickory Canyons Natural Area.
Dad Hikes: Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary
See a wide variety of birds as you walk along trails in Mississippi River bottomland at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary. The day we went we spotted a large group of pelicans, blue herons, gulls, white egrets, wood ducks, Canadian geese, and other birds. Overview of Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary Riverlands has over 8.5 miles of trails that include viewing platforms and bird blinds. Trails go…
Dad Hikes: Water Powers Dillard Mill
A bright red mill next to a stone and rock dam on the clear waters of the Huzzah Creek is the setting for Dillard Mill State Historic Site. History of Dillard Mill Francis Wisdom built a water-powered gristmill in the 1850s with a dam. Joseph Dillard Cottrell purchased the mill in 1881. The village of Dillard developed around the mill. In 1895, the mill burned….
Illinois’ First Capital Has the Liberty Bell of the West
As a presidential election is at hand, near St. Louis you can visit the Liberty Bell of the West, which is older than the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, in Kaskaskia, the oldest town in Illinois. Kaskaskia had been the center of French colonial administration for the Middle Mississippi River Valley during the 18th Century and has much history to explore. Now, about that bell… Creating…
Halloween Hikes: Old Greenville Ghost Town
Hiking at Old Greenville Recreation Area includes a ghost town, retracing the steps of the Trail of Tears, and seeing a memorial to an unknown Civil War soldier nearby. Old Greenville Recreation Area At Old Greenville Recreation Area you can walk around the remains of a 1940s era ghost town. Greenville had to be relocated to higher ground following the construction of the dam in…
