Rocky McAlister shed his reporter's corduroy coat and bow tie ("I was going for a look, but missed.") and then retired 100 miles east of Pasadena and 7,000 feet up to Big Bear City where he now observes the human condition beneath smogless skies. He published his first novel "Legacy Encounter" in 2011 and intends to hunker down and complete a murder mystery comedy called "Crook & Ladder."