Saturday, July 19, 2008

Vacations

Okay, I hadn't planned on not having any computer time while away for the last 10 days, but that's what God had in mind for me. I forgot my computer's cord and the battery won't hold a charge (I know, time for a new battery pack), so I didn't even bother booting up. There I'd be, waiting for everything to settle after booting up and viola! I'd be kicked off. So, I read novels for review, instead. Very fun!

Oh, and I did a bunch of research for a hopeful series for a publisher I'm pitching to. The series would be set rather locally in beautiful places (islands). As part of my research, our family went on a whale tour and saw Dall's porpoise, so we'll be going back out at some point (guaranteed---if you don't see whales, you go until you do!), so that'll be fun. It was a whirlwind of four islands in 10 days. Such a blessing to live in the Pacific Northwest.

Here's where we went:


See the little boat to the right of that pic? That's a ferry. We boarded there on Fidalgo Island (okay, make that 5 islands we visited, forgot about that one) and we sailed to Friday Harbor on the large island to the left (San Juan Island). Then, the whale tour left Friday Harbor and went north around Spieden Island (fascinating history there) and back again. We did see bald eagles and two different kinds of seals. It was very cool seeing the sleek backs of the Dall's porpoise arcing the water. I made great contacts for my writing. That novel's about written, but now that I've had fresh experience, I can include those points. Then we went down through Whidbey Island (south of the San Juan archipelago) for more research and ended up on Bainbridge Island. Very beautiful places. And it all started on Samish, one of our favorite spots which isn't a true "island" at this point, but who knows, may be once again some day.

That's why you haven't heard from me in a while. 442 emails later, it's good to be back!!

Happy reading and hey, take a vacation even if it's a short trip somewhere (gas prices being what they are) and enjoy a break!

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