I left this morning with everything from ear plugs to travel candles to enhance my stays at the multiple motel rooms where I’ll be staying for the six weeks. Thoughtful gifts from dear friends and a wonderful gift On The Road in audiobook format from Ken.
I spent most of the day with Guido Brunetti, Commisario of the Venice Police Dept. listening as he solved another fascinating mystery written by his creator, Donna Leon. Brunetti makes Venice live as you follow him through a story as tangled as the twining calles of Venice. He is an urbane, witty, and kind man–a very different detective than those featured on American TV. It was great fun to listen as I drove along.
I made good time stopping to view the Stewart Range and enjoy the sun. I got to Baker City at 4:30; took a walk along the Powder River and had dinner at the Geiser Grand Hotel. Tomorrow I head to Ketchum staying the night with friends. Then on to Challis and Mackay to see the place where my paternal grandfather spent most of his life. Last summer my brother visited there with his son and found the ranch where Troy Deneen Smith spent his life. I’m looking for clues as to why he might have left his baby son (my father), and his young wife in Kansas City and moved to Idaho in 1912.
SYNTHESIS 