This past week I celebrated my eightieth birthday. Many folks sent their good wishes. I extend my thanks to each of you. I want to share a couple of photos from my birthday dinner at Hank’s Fine Steaks & Martinis in the Green Valley Ranch Casino. Hank’s is one of Las Vegas’s five star restaurants–a must place to dine when you visit our city.
My wife, Barbara, is seated to my left. Opposite me is Carol White, our casino hostess, who arranged the dinner. To my right is Carol’s sister, Connie. We had a delightful meal, as always, at Hank’s. The special highlight of the evening was the birthday cake!
Josef Passalacqua, Pastry Chef at Hank’s, prepared this wonderful German chocolate cake (my favorite) with its book and railroad theme. The individual pages of the book are detailed in the icing around the three sides away from the book’s spine. Atop the book, the caboose is also made with icing, complete down to its coupler. Thank you, Josef.
There are 57 articles nominated, so the competition is humongous, to say the least. The authors of most of the articles are well established, famous western authors. Just to be nominated is a great honor. Thank you WWA and Roundup Magazine.
I reviewed several books suitable for middle grade students to learn about the history of the horse in western America. The readings cover the extinction of the original horse that was native to the Americas before the first humans arrived. The books continue with information on how Native Americans later captured the reintroduced horse brought by the invading Spanish Conquistadors. The literature explains how the adoption of the horse changed the Indian’s culture, allowing them to become more effective hunters of large game and to evolve into one of the world’s most formidable light cavalry forces.
On Saturday, December 9, 2017, from Noon until 4 PM, at South Point Hotel, Casino, & Spa, in Las Vegas, Nevada, I had the best book signing event ever. I had all three volumes of The Iron Horse Chronicles trilogy available, and most folks bought Eagle Talons, Bear Claws, and Golden Spike as a package to give to their reader friends and family as Christmas gifts. I was fortunate to have my wife, Barbara, assist me and to have my daughters, Beth and Stacy, hand out bookmarks and encourage shoppers to visit our table. Beth reprised her role portraying Jenny McNabb, the main female character in the novels. Stacy emulated the western garb worn by participants in the National Finals Rodeo, now underway in Las Vegas.
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