 In her second book, "Beyond Black Bear Lake" (1987), she described how she built her smaller second cabin, "Thoreau II", on a more remote area of her property in order to obtain a more Walden-like experience.Both the first and second books explored her friendships, romances, her previous marriage, her close bonds to her German Shepherd dogs, the ebb and flow of nature, and her conservation efforts.She conducted research on the endangered, and eventually extinct, giant pied-bill grebe bird.