A gathering of writers and freaky snow

Friends and fellow writers, Doug Walker and his wife Anne, were in Durango for Memorial Day Weekend--visiting from New Zealand (and thinking that it's summer here). We planned to have a picnic by the River of Lost Souls, but it was SNOWING. So everyone snuggled into my place--a kind of treehouse apartment--cozy. Anway, we huddled around the fireplace drinking wine, eating homemade elk sausage, trading stories about politics, travel and writing. Doug is writing childrens' books on a grant he got from the New Zealand government. Apparently, artists are well supported there. Blake Crouch, known for his scare-the-heart-out-of you thrillers, brought blow-your-mind dip. Blake's new novel, Snowbound, comes out next year; also his incredible thriller set in a local ghost town, Abandon, will be coming out--get ready to keep the light on. Terry Junttonen, a wonderful short story writer and poet, brought lemon meringue pie and cookies; Haz Said, beekeeper and poet provided a small vat of mustard potato salad; Shannon Richardson, author, screenwriter and director/producer of horror movies, attempted to keep us healthy with green salad. But I destroyed that attempt by pulling out a bucket of Rocky Mountain Chocolate that I got at their "bloomers" sale. It was quite the literary picnic. Next time in New Zealand, where it's warmer!