2014 World Series

Naturally, I'm disappointed about this year's postseason. The Angels were the #1 seed in the AL, finishing with the best record in baseball, only to be swept by the Royals. The Dodgers were the #2 seed in the NL, and have the best pitcher on the planet, as well as the best #2 man. Unfortunately, the Cardinals appear to be Clayton Kershaw's kryptonite, beating him twice in four games to knock them out of the postseason too. Brady (Dodgers) and Devin (Angels) would have been disappointed - but that doesn't mean that they wouldn't have been interested in the World Series. In fact, Brady would have been rooting heavily for the Royals for three reasons: 1) A Dodger fan can't root for the Giants; 2) He played for the Royals in Little League; and 3) He likes rooting for the underdog - and the Royals haven't made the playoffs in almost 30 years. Although Devin would have been tempted to root for the Giants just to spite Brady, both he and Trey would have also rooted for the Royals due to the underdog factor. They appear to be a team of destiny - winning a record 8 straight games to start the postseason. They have also set other records with their late inning heroics. Let's go Royals!

Congratulations!

As the 2014 baseball season ends today, I want to express my congratulations to both the L.A. Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The DTB Cousins would be pleased, since Brady is a Dodgers' fan and Devin is an Angels' fan. Trey enjoys going to ball games to hang out with his cousins, and so since they are the home town teams, he would be pleased too. Since I am a fan of both teams, I will be faithfully watching them both compete for the title. It will get really interesting if both teams make it to the World Series for the first ever LA Freeway Series!

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

I was nominated for the challenge by my wife to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket challenge. The challenge has been sweeping the nation, raising funds and awareness for Lou Gehrig's disease. Today I took the challenge and nominated the other DTB Cousins (Darin and Troy) to participate in the challenge as well.

Arthur at the Riverside Walk Trail

In the earlier drafts of The Narrows Escape, Arthur accompanied the rangers to the end of the trail rather than heading back upstream with Devin to search for Shane. Here is a deleted scene of his arrival at the trail's end:

          Arthur looked up, and there it was – the Riverside Walk Trail, the path that led back to the parking lot and civilization. But something was wrong. He had walked down the Riverside Walk several times over the years. On all his previous trips, there had been dozens of people milling about - playing in the river or just enjoying the scenery. Now there wasn’t anyone to be found. He looked up at the rain and quickly realized why.

          As he stood there, Arthur was quickly swallowed up with despair. He hadn’t realized it until now, but he had been fueled on by the hope that somehow he’d find Shane waiting for him here at trail’s end. As that hope flickered and died, he sunk onto the steps that led out of the river and dropped his face into his hands.

Now what do I do? He hadn't planned beyond this point, and his mind was too numb to think clearly. For the first time since setting out to find his son, Arthur wept. His emotions couldn't be contained any longer and they streamed forth in a raging torrent.

Finally, after letting go of his emotions, Arthur’s brain was clear enough to evaluate his situation. His first thought was to go to the ranger station to find out if they had any information on Shane. Hopefully they had found him and were holding him there, waiting for the rest of his family to arrive. The only problem was, he didn't have access to a car - and it was too far to walk.

He looked at his watch again. It was a few minutes after 1:00. The women weren't due for another hour. And being Allreds, they’d probably be late.

As he considered his situation, Arthur decided that he had three options. He could hike up the Riverside Walk Trail and wait for the women so that they could take him to the ranger station. He could hike down the river to search for his son some more. Or he could hike back upstream to reunite with his group and intensify his search.

          As he debated each option, a movement downstream caught his eye. There was someone down there. He was too far away to tell for sure, but it looked like a pair of rangers. Arthur immediately set out to find out what he could. On his way, he braced himself for the worst.

##

Arthur froze in his tracks. As the rangers approached, he could tell that they were carrying something. His worst nightmares were confirmed when he saw the body bag they were carrying between them. He immediately looked for a second one, hoping it was the couple he had heard about, rather than his son. But there was only one.

          He waited, unable to move, as they approached. His heart beat faster with each of their steps. Finally they reached him.

          "You shouldn’t be down here," one of the rangers informed him.

          Arthur tried to speak, but his tongue stuck in his throat. "My boy was taken in the flood. Did you find him?" he finally managed. The last part was so garbled that he wondered if they had understood him or not.

          "So you’re the father," the first ranger said, his voice softening with compassion. “Ranger Smith mentioned you when he radioed for us to start searching yesterday.”

          Tears streamed down Arthur's face as his heart burst open. The rangers carried the body to the riverbank and carefully laid it down.

"We found him just a few hundred yards downstream," the ranger explained as he unzipped the bag. "We were on our way back to our vehicle just now. I hate to do this to you, but we need you to identify him for us."

          Arthur didn't want to look, but he knew he had to. As the ranger folded back the bag, his heart leaped for joy. It wasn't Shane! "It's not him!" he announced gleefully.

Immediately he felt guilty for taking joy in someone else's pain. The happy expression faded from his face as he pictured the hiker's brother and family. "You didn't find his girlfriend?" he asked.

The rangers looked puzzled, so Arthur explained that he and the rangers had found the other group.

“We haven’t had any radio contact from them since early this morning – before you entered the Narrows,” Ranger Forte admitted. “So we hadn’t heard about the other group. But he’s the only one we’ve found so far.”

          "We're still searching. We'll find your son," promised the second ranger.

          For some reason, Arthur couldn't take too much comfort in that. He slowly followed the rangers back to the trailhead, fear once again gripping his chest. What happened to Shane? Is there any chance he’s still alive?

          When they reached the trailhead Arthur stopped, unsure of how to proceed.

          “What’s wrong?” asked Ranger Forte.

          “The rest of my group is still in the canyon,” Arthur explained.

          “Well, you should probably wait for them up at the parking lot where it’s safe,” the ranger urged him.

          “What do you mean?” asked Arthur.

          The rangers both looked up through the rain at the dark, cloudy sky and Ranger Forte said, “In all honesty, the conditions are ripe for another flood. We’re trying to keep everyone out of the area in an effort to avoid another disaster.”

Arthur felt his fear growing exponentially. His legs began trembling as he watched the rangers load the body onto a metal framed litter to wheel it back to the parking lot. What do I do now? Arthur didn’t know. He felt so helpless.

As they got ready to leave, they heard a shout from the river. Arthur turned excitedly, hoping to see Shane or his family. Instead, he saw the group of hikers he and the rangers had found inside the Narrows. Rangers Smith and Sorensen led the group, Smith bearing the injured teenager on his back. Arthur and the other rangers waited for the group to join them.

As they got closer, the hikers began noticing the body bag. Arthur could hear their gasps and sobs and see the grief plastered on their faces. The sight of them seemed to open the faucet to his own emotions. He could feel their grief as if it were a large blanket draped over his shoulders. His shoulders drooped further as he realized that the scene could very easily be repeated with his own family.

Assuming the group of foreigners had exited the canyon via Chamberlain’s Ranch, and his own family had continued downstream, that meant that they were the only ones remaining in the canyon. If there were another disaster, they would have to face it on their own.

After helping the teen onto a second litter, they began the relatively easy hike up the paved Riverside Walk. Although Arthur generally enjoyed such hikes, he couldn’t find any joy in this one.

Baseball All-Star game

With Mike Trout winning the MVP award at this year's MLB All-Star game, it reminded me of an experience I had with my cousin Darin ("Devin") in 1989. My dad scored tickets to the All-Star Workout Day at Anaheim Stadium on 7/10/89. We got to watch all the stars do batting practice and participate in the skills competition from awesome seats right behind home plate. Back then, it wasn't just the HR derby. There was a competition between catchers on the accuracy of throwing out runners at second base. Benito Santiago of the National League won. The next competition was a relay from the outfield to home. The NL team of Andre Dawson, Barry Larkin/Ryne Sandberg, and Mike Scioscia were the winners. Unfortunately Larkin was injured during the competition, which might explain why it was dropped. The NL also won the Home Run Derby, with Ruben Sierra of the Rangers and Eric Davis of the Reds leading the field with 3 HRs each. The format was different from today, with the focus being on the league total rather than the individual winner. Like a true Allred, my dad took lots of pictures which we divided up afterwards. The most prized picture was a sweet shot of Bo Jackson, who ended up winning the MVP award the next day. It was a fun day!

Happy Fathers' Day

I know it was last week, but I was out of town on a road trip, and haven't had a chance to post an entry. I've struggled recently with what to post, since I've already shared all my pictures, and I don't have anything new to report. So, I've decided to do a shout out to all the wonderful fathers I know - particularly the three that inspired the DTB cousins' fathers: Uncle Darrell, Uncle Marvin, and Uncle Arthur. Their real names are Darvel, Merlin, and Rex, and they've taught me so much about the importance of fathers in the lives of boys. Although The Narrows Escape is fictional, it is loosely based on a true adventure, and the characters have taken on many of the characteristics of real people. Darrell, Marvin, and Arthur try to teach their children lessons that will serve them throughout their lives. They spend time with their children, and although they aren't perfect, they try to live what they preach. The relationships between these fathers and their children continue to develop in the further adventures of the DTB cousins - of which I've written two complete sequels. I hope to publish them someday - as soon as I determine the best method to do so. In the meantime, I am trying to follow the example set for me by my own father, as well as my uncles and grandfathers. So happy Fathers' Day!

Second anniversary

This month marks the second anniversary of the publication of The Narrows Escape. In one sense, it was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. In another sense, it seems to have ushered in the death of another. I am a published author, something I dreamed about since I was about 8 years old. On the other hand, I am realistic enough to recognize that it will never be more than a hobby. My family and close friends were very supportive, purchasing more copies than I had anticipated - particularly my parents who bought more than ten copies themselves to give out to friends. Yet sales in other areas are way below my minimum expectations. And sales from year two are down to a trickle. In other words, The Narrows Escape is on life support.
How do I change this trend? Obviously I have to do something drastically different. One option is to go digital. I plan on looking into that this summer. Another is to publish the first sequel. However, unless I change my marketing strategy, this is unlikely to have any effect. Since The Narrows Escape is self-published, I have to do all my own marketing. I have failed miserably in this area. As a school teacher, it would seem that I would have a natural platform in which to advertise to my target audience. However, although many of my students are aware that I have published a book, I have been very careful not to openly market my book in my classroom. I do not feel that it would be appropriate to pressure my students into buying it. Unfortunately, I have been too successful in that regard, since I am only aware of three that have done so. My best option might be to have an established publisher pick up the book. However, after years of pursuing that option, I'm not sure who else to approach.
So, that's where things stand. I have written two additional DTB books, but I don't plan on publishing them unless something happens to change my current status. I'm open to suggestions.
Thank you for your support,
Brad