Maple Valley is a small tourist town in Kertok County, Missouri. The claim to fame in this tiny place is The Old General, a Civil War era steam locomotive that carries visitors to Maple Valley. Maple Valley has been here a lot longer than The Old General has been bringing folks to see it. Years …
Continue reading The Cast of Characters in the Scandal at Maple Valley
Sheriff Pete Terkinberry enjoyed "Hannah's Egg Surprise" at The Ya'll Sit Cafe. He's been going to the cafe every morning for the past several weeks. Pete is looking forward to another quiet day in Maple Valley. The call changes everything. Sheriff Terkinberry had no sooner stepped into the office, which is his kitchen, than the …
Continue reading Scandal at Maple Valley – Episode 36: The Call About Sylvia
The big news around Maple Valley this week has been the suit filed against the Burthrap twins. Some guy named Dortsin Gimblemack hired a fancy lawyer from New York and sued them because he said they stole his recipe for binzelphrast. The bigger question was why anyone would want to eat something that is essentially …
Continue reading Scandal at Maple Valley – Episode 35: Sylvia Meisner Has Not Been Forgotten, Yet
Hours and hours invested in a model railroad often result in a few moments that make the entire effort worth every moment working. For a model railroader, the work is fun so it's not as though I don't love every minute with my layout. The Maple Valley Short Line Model Railroad is my third layout …
Someone, no one knows who, or where, or when, said, "If something bad is going to happen, it will happen first in Maple Valley." I take exception to that notion. There are lots of things that happen in other places first. What generally follows is that the good folks in Maple Valley claim they were …
Continue reading Scandal at Maple Valley – Episode 34: The Christmas Disaster
As construction of a model railroad progresses, it's easy to forget the former struggles and triumphs. I'm happy I took lots of photos as I was building The Maple Valley Short Line Model Railroad. I'm not finished with the layout. I am not sure a model railroad is ever completed because it's so fun to …
Continue reading Under Construction: The Maple Valley Short Line Model Railroad
It began as many stories do, with nothing. I wasn't planning to write an endless saga with characters no one has ever heard of. It just happened. Sheriff Pete Terkinberry, and all the other good folks from Maple Valley politely introduced themselves and took over. I was helping to clean out a small barn that …
Christmas is such a wonderful time in Maple Valley. All the old recipes no one uses at any other time of the year come out of the recipe tins. Neighbors ask each other for spices they don't have and don't want to buy. Eggnog shows up on the menu at Ya'll Sit Cafe. Shorty Cloverton's …
Continue reading Scandal at Maple Valley – Episode 33: The Christmas Miracle
It finally happened. Quintin O'Dillmotte has lost his marbles. The wheels fell off. The cows went to pasture. The dog left home. The last chicken's been plucked. While Sheriff Pete Terkinberry works feverishly to solve the greatest mystery to ever grip the good folks of Maple Valley, Quintin O'Dillmotte, of O'Dillmotte Funeral Home, "Where we …
Continue reading Scandal at Maple Valley – Episode 32: Quintin O’Dillmotte for Sheriff
I'm going to admit something that plagues me. I am addicted to views, likes, and comments. I hate to let that out, but it's true. When a post goes public I can't wait to look at my stats page. Ugh. This is dreadful.
A Coffee State of Mind 