I've been shamefully neglecting the blog of late. My sole excuse is that things have been busy. Let's see, where to start?

October Fire is out the door to the editor; we shall see what happens after that. The search continues for a web host to replace the former one, so we can get more than a temporary page that just points here. Also, the leg is healing nicely

Meredith and I just got back from a wonderful concert amid the snow of Eder Delin, a garden world accessible from the D'ni cavern. The Cavern Choir sang Renaissance holiday songs. Most were in (I think) Italian, so I couldn't understand the words, but that just meant I could concentrate on the wonderful music.

I'm increasingly thinking that this will be my next book -- I've been leaning towards a nonfiction project for some time, harking back to my days as a journalist. There's a story to be told -- many stories -- about the residents of and travellers through D'ni, both current and ancient. It's an exciting project, and a little scary as well. I'll have to get over my not-wanting-to-bug-people impulses and start asking more questions when I'm in the cavern...

Meredith has been on a scouting expedition to the Cleft. She confirms my suspicions that it would be a bad idea to go on this Journey thing before my leg is healed. Apparently the rope bridges are a tad unstable...

About a third of the way through the revisions on October Fire. Should be done in time to seriously turn my attention to the holidays.

They call themselves the Skydivers. I saw them this afternoon in the cavern when I visited for a couple of hours, taking a break from rewriting. Watching them, I half expected to have a brother or sister in the Order of the Broken Bone.

The game is to climb onto the railing midway up the Great Stair, and jump; the object is to get the farthest down the center wall between the stairways. Much laughter, and joking accusations of cheating, and invitations to join (from someone not at an angle to see the cast, and I had lowered the crutch at that point to lean against the rail).

There are way too many stairs in the cavern. I would be more upset, except I think that having been built some 10,000 years before the Americans With Disabilities Act, D'ni is likely grandfathered in.

At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, we drank a toast to Barry's memory and for all those who wear and have worn the uniform (Meredith drank water, since she would be driving), and then Meredith and I hit the road.

I'm writing this on I-20 somewhere between Big Spring and Abilene. I don't have a connection here, so I'll send this either when we stop somewhere that has free Wi-Fi, or when we get home (probably the latter). I'm sitting in the back seat with my foot propped up; Merlin is asleep in his carrier and Meredith is providing the usual caustic commentary on billboards, roadside attractions and other drivers.

( I wasn't able to resist temptation very long yesterday... )

I have a walking cast now; the plan remains to drive back to Texas tomorrow.

( That out of the way, back to Mark's tale... )

Instead of heading to a restaurant in Carlsbad (my original plan) to meet Isabel and Mark, Wayne offered to put on one of his massive feeds, and Isabel just brought Mark with him on her daily checkup visit. So we sat outside and did some more comet watching, and the grilling was real as well as metaphorical...

I say "grilling," but it didn't take much to get Mark to tell his story. And what a story... how is it I haven't heard about this until now? An entire 10,000-year-old underground city? Books that take you to other worlds (how strange to say that and for once mean it literally!), and an alien race that can bypass the books and teleport directly -- and is currently at war with itself?

( Let me (try to) sum up... )

We sat outside watching the comet for a while -- Wayne had his telescope set up. New Mexico skies are spectacular to begin with, and this makes it more so.

Getting a bit restless. Saturday I'm supposed to get my walking cast, but even so that eight weeks is looking rather like an eternity. I'm never comfortable having to rely this much on other people. Gah.

If all goes according to plan Meredith and I will be heading back to Texas on Sunday...

Maeglin, of course, is freer to chase after mysteries on a whim. Out in this world, there is still the matter of the website to deal with, and at some point in the near future (speaking of Maeglin) I have to get started on the rewrite for the fifth Maysong book, which still refuses to supply me with a title. Also there is the decision on when and how to make the trip back to Texas. Probably not for another week yet at least.

Some progress has been made on the mystery, however: A website has been located, though it apparently hasn't been updated for some time. Isabel says the woman greeting people on the front page is indeed the investor who fled last week (perhaps more than metaphorically, given what Isabel says). We're taking Isabel and Mark to dinner Friday night, notionally to thank her for her help; I think she knows it's at least partly to pump Mark for information, but she doesn't seem to mind so much. Whether Mark will remains to be seen...

Meredith is here, as well as extra clothes, extra books, and extra furball. Apparently she expects to be here for the long haul. (Merlin is currently in his accustomed position, asleep in my lap.)

Informed of the situation, she took it better than I expected. "So I'm playing Vir again," she said, then looked at my cast. "Or is it Archie Goodwin?"

"Pfui," I said.

First, to recap and expand: Sunday during our horseback ride we had spotted an odd-looking hill -- what looked like, and as we rode closer proved to be, a small volcano. We were curious; Christy had heard whispers of a cult compound at the foot of a nearby volcano, but all we could see was a tiny Airstream trailer, with very little sign of life, and a windmill out behind it.

Around it was a wide fenced-off area, with a faded sign at the gate. It was as we approached the gate that it happened: Somewhere in the distance, perhaps from the volcano, there was a screech -- not like any animal I've ever heard. The horses startled, and mine threw me. Wayne rode for help, and shortly brought back a balding, middle-aged man in a Hawaiian shirt -- the Airstream's occupant, who introduced himself as Zandi and carried a large first-aid kit. He and Wayne got a splint on my leg while Christy dealt with the horses, and not long after that I was in a helicopter flying back to Carlsbad.

( Fast-forward to today... )

Nightmares, of which all I remember is flapping, screeching things. And a sad-looking woman in strange clothes.

Also, I have a vague memory that the nurse came by yesterday evening to check on me, and we had a conversation. Apparently I kept up my end fairly well, even though I have no memory of what I said. She was saying something about a son who worked for a mining company (? - not sure about that part) who was afraid he might be losing his job. I also found, just now as I sat at my laptop, a half-written post dated some hours ago that I thank dog almighty I didn't click send on. Pain meds are wonderful, but they have their disadvantages.

Meredith says she thinks she has the plane connections worked out, and should be here tonight bearing the emergency Selena care kit.

I'm going to try to get back to sleep now.

For my birthday, I'm spending the day with my feet up. Unfortunately, it's not by choice.

Sunday was spent on a horseback tour of the nearby desert -- at least, until the horses suddenly got skittish, and mine threw me.

The good news is, my left leg doesn't require surgery. The bad news is, it's going to be in a cast for a while -- about eight weeks, the doctor estimates, and I'm supposed to stay off it as much as possible for the first week. So I'm going to be in New Mexico a bit longer than I planned.

Today we drove into Carlsbad to aggravate Wayne with some shopping (Christy found a nice pair of turquoise-and-silver roadrunner earrings), then make up for it with a tasty dinner at his favorite Mexican restaurant. Tomorrow we're going horseback riding.

At my son's home in New Mexico. Fall down go thud now.

Sigh. It now appears the hosting service for my website has gone the way of all silicon. I'm supposed to be on the road to New Mexico already, so Meredith's going to see what she can recover while I'm gone. Meanwhile, here I am on LiveJournal. My home ISP is still fine, so you can still reach me by e-mail.