luncheon notes
Boy, I still haven't gotten used to the fact that it's Fall. At only three in the afternoon, the sky is suddenly much darker, & I can tell it's cold & windy outside. I suspect we'll be getting a storm soon--whether rain or snow, I'm not sure--unless turning the clocks back Sunday means it's going to get dark exceptionally early from now on.
It's also November already--can you believe it? The months are flying by so fast, I can barely keep track.
The trip to Bethesda on Saturday went fine. So much better than the attempted trip to NJ only a couple weeks ago. No traffic jams or wrong turns, & since I left a day early, I sort of shopped my way down. :-) There were lots of fun places to stop, & I was in no particular hurry.
The luncheon on Sunday went well, too. It didn't start until 1pm, so I was up & around in plenty of time, as well as being able to repack & check out of the hotel. I made sure to get to the ballroom where the luncheon was being held a little early because I needed to set up some promotional items & run around sticking books in all the goody bags.
When it came time to finding our tables, I was fortunate enough to be sitting with another WRW member, as well as Nora Roberts's husband & daughter-in-law, who run Turn the Page Bookstore Cafe in Boonsboro, MD. Nora wasn't there, having just gotten home from one of her very long & exhausting book tours, but catching up with Bruce & Stacie was fun. Lunch was good, the company was better, and the keynote speaker--Mary Jo Putney--was fabulous, as always. She talked about the universal commonalities that we voracious readers share, as well as the universal appeal of storytelling. The event was definitely over much too soon.
Then, of course, it was time to head home. The drive seemed longer on the way back (isn't that always the case?) & I didn't get here until about 9pm. The kitties sure were happy to see me. You'd think I'd been gone for a week the way they carried on & wouldn't let me out of their sight the rest of the night. :-)
It's also November already--can you believe it? The months are flying by so fast, I can barely keep track.
The trip to Bethesda on Saturday went fine. So much better than the attempted trip to NJ only a couple weeks ago. No traffic jams or wrong turns, & since I left a day early, I sort of shopped my way down. :-) There were lots of fun places to stop, & I was in no particular hurry.
The luncheon on Sunday went well, too. It didn't start until 1pm, so I was up & around in plenty of time, as well as being able to repack & check out of the hotel. I made sure to get to the ballroom where the luncheon was being held a little early because I needed to set up some promotional items & run around sticking books in all the goody bags.
When it came time to finding our tables, I was fortunate enough to be sitting with another WRW member, as well as Nora Roberts's husband & daughter-in-law, who run Turn the Page Bookstore Cafe in Boonsboro, MD. Nora wasn't there, having just gotten home from one of her very long & exhausting book tours, but catching up with Bruce & Stacie was fun. Lunch was good, the company was better, and the keynote speaker--Mary Jo Putney--was fabulous, as always. She talked about the universal commonalities that we voracious readers share, as well as the universal appeal of storytelling. The event was definitely over much too soon.
Then, of course, it was time to head home. The drive seemed longer on the way back (isn't that always the case?) & I didn't get here until about 9pm. The kitties sure were happy to see me. You'd think I'd been gone for a week the way they carried on & wouldn't let me out of their sight the rest of the night. :-)
One of the neatest things happened on the way home, btw... I saw a shooting star. I almost couldn't believe my eyes, but I know that's what it was. It was amazing. And since I wasn't sure about shooting star protocol, I made a wish, just in case. Even if a shooting star isn't one of those "make a wish" situations, it has to be good luck in some way, doesn't it?
And now, thank heavens, my calendar is free for the rest of the year. (Knock on wood.) I'm sure small things will crop up, but I want nothing more than to be able to stay home, curl up with my AlphaSmart, & get some serious writing done. Holidays be damned!
Oh, man, the holidays. I completely forgot. Guess I have to start thinking about cards & gifts & all that fun stuff, too. Sigh.
