About Merle
up close and personal
with merle
I was born into a French-Canadian and English family in Dawson City, Yukon Territory on a sunny day in June while the last traces of snow lay along the dirt roadsides. I suspect taking my first breath of life in such a rugged and unforgiving climate marked me with a quest for adventure that would last a lifetime. From St. Mary’s Hospital, I went home to a log cabin. It was not a romantic beginning. The cabin was drafty, too small for my family and uncomfortable, not that I remember, but I have the pictures.
The best part of being born into that small, isolated segment of the world was the people who shared it; the miners, fur trappers, merchants and farmers; and of course, their wives, sisters and daughters. They all loved the little children born there, the true sourdoughs. If you could not claim to be a sourdough, you were a cheechalko. Robert Service immortalized the north through his poetry, depicting its hardships and rugged people, along with the land’s great, bold beauty.
My childhood included great times at my parents’ kitchen table in Seattle listening to the yarns of the North told by visiting old-timers, friends and family. Every story an adventure I wanted to live. My love of the out-of-doors grew strong and I became a tomboy, playing baseball, football and soccer with the boys. With the Barker Boys, I learned to Bass fish. In the summers, we swam in the many lakes and bicycled the city. Everywhere I looked, I found adventures to be enjoyed. Trips into the Cascade Mountains were mind-blowing fantastic.
Can you imagine a sweeter time to be a teen than in the Fifties? We were the first rock-n-rollers! We rocked it out to Bill Haley, Elvis, Little Richard, Fats Domino, and Roy Orbison. We knew we were the coolest!! We water skied, played volleyball at Golden Gardens on Puget Sound, went to ball games at Lower Woodland, and laughed our way through life. I also met my future husband, Don.
I always worked after school. I loved the months I worked in the theaters on 5th Avenue. That fabulous, upscale street became my backyard. The merchants knew me by name and greeted me as I “walked to work.” Downtown Seattle after dark was amazing. On early breaks, I would go into Friedlander’s, the finest jewelry store in the city. Mr. F would step out and say, “Hello, Merle.”
Don raced me into marriage a week after high school and life became serious, but not without adventure. I worked as a para-legal for ten years while we trained and competed retrievers in field trials. At one time we raised the most exciting, big-hearted black Lab who was a competitor’s dream. Our children were born during that period and were field-trialing with us as early as nine days old. Babies and puppies! No matter how big the adventure, they were always with us.
Retrievers led to Arabian horses, and the years ticked by. We started our grand adventure in the horse business in Alberta, ranching sheep, cattle, and horses. I worked in the veterinary clinic. Once I helped x-ray a huge French Limousine bull. We had to shove him against the photographic plate and hold him there. Thankfully, he was docile. Next, it was on to Scottsdale, Arizona, and Lasma Arabians where Don became their business manager. Those were exciting and glamorous years.
Eventually, we started our management consulting company with a focus on the horse business. Don traveled the Continent and the World while I manned the office and raised teenagers. In time I went with him and created a career for myself as a scenic photographer. I was never without camera equipment whether we were snow skiing in the Rockies with friends or poking around the Polish Stud farms outside Warsaw.
When I realized this city girl had lived the most unexpected and expanded life, I dove into the adventure of writing fiction. So many have helped me along this journey, resulting in a few very nice awards for my work. In particular, I thank my mentor who came to me from the horse world. She gave me ten years of invaluable writing instruction and guidance. All my books are dedicated to the late Ruth Baker Field. She was simply the best.