#4 Rendezvous With A Writer OutWest

My sister recommended Summerhayes’ memoir, VANISHED ARIZONA, when I was looking for a book to mark ARIZONA STATEHOOD DAY - February 14, 1912. What a wonderful read! I felt like my best friend was recounting her adventures and sharing her confidences with me. Harsh travel conditions, the challenges of life on a remote army base, the perils of Apache attack, and the fight to raise a healthy baby - Mattie endures them all and finds herself accommodating to the frontier in ways that surprise her.

                        
Louise Barnett in her introduction to VANISHED ARIZONA writes, “All of the adventures, hardships, disappointments, and upheavals endured by the gently brought up easterner are told with an honesty and forthrightness that have captivated generations of readers.”

Make a friend of Martha Summerhayes, and check our Arizona Book List for other great reads.
---Post by Book Guide WENDY

                            

I LOVE this book, and posted a second book cover, this one with an introduction by Dan L. Thrapp. When I first fell in love with the huge story of the WEST I was a sponge...and eager to put "flesh on the bones" of the dry dates and facts of it's history. As a docent touring the public through the galleries of the Autry Museum, it was wonderful to use Mattie's experiences to bring the West to life. The retelling of her story - the climate, people, food, joys and disappointments, life on a military fort with excursions into the countryside are fascinating. You'll fall in love with everywhere she traveled and lived...with Arizona, California, Nevada...and with Martha Summerhayes.

Whenever we visit Arizona we enjoy seeing Saguaro Cactus, Hummingbirds, and hearing Coyotes. The handmade metal Ann Clark Cookie Cutters bring the southwest home! Click each for details!

A note about the Flag of Arizona - the 13 sun rays of red and yellow honor Arizona's picturesque landscape, center star represents it's rich copper deposits, the shades of red and blue are the same as in the USA flag. This flag design was adopted February 17, 1917. Arizona was admitted to the United States as the 48th state on February 14, 1912. 

---Post by Book Guide and Arm Chair Time Traveler - Bobbi Jean

  Apple Cookie Jar...Where All Cookies Lived...For A Short Time



         
                 

                           
Who are we to be your guides? We are two sisters who grew up in a family that valued reading and encouraged an interest in history and the arts. Wendy spent her career with books. She worked as a children's librarian and as the buyer and manager of the children's department of an independent bookstore. A college major in literature introduced her to the classics of the American West.

Bobbi Jean and her husband, Jim, own OutWest Shop. She was the manager and buyer for a museum store before they started their own business. Bobbi Jean co-hosts The Writer's Block on LA Talk Radio, where she interviews authors of all types. The three other radio shows she hosts involve Western music and horses. Find podcasts of all her shows at OutWest Live!

We love sharing our book knowledge. You are not limited to the titles you find on our lists, though. Use the search box to rustle up any books that you want, and put them in your OutWest Book Shop cart!

Happy Reading! Remember, it's always a Great Day OutWest!

              
                       Image Courtesy of www.Pixabay.com
             What Are You Reading Now? Comment Below!