Friday Feature - The Netherlands

Welcome to the first of "Friday Features." While this blog has an underlying writing theme, it's certainly not restricted to that audience. Everyone is welcome. I thought it would be fun to take some field trips. To that end (at least that's the plan), on Fridays I'll be sharing photos from some of my trips, and will also be welcoming guests to share their journeys in pictures.


I have a terrible memory for details. Couple that with my dread of description, and you'll understand why I like to have a camera available whenever I go out. One never knows when you'll find something worth recording.

I'll kick things off with some pictures of a trip we took to Holland. Hubby had a meeting in the small town of Harderwijk. While he was doing Important Meeting Stuff, I toured the countryside.

I hope you like it – and just maybe some of these shots will inspire a scene or a story for you as well. Or remind you of something you've read, or somewhere you've been. Today's shots were taken in the days before digital cameras, and I scanned my snapshots. Plus, it was a cold, gloomy day. Not the best quality, but I hope you get a feel for the place. And yes, I've asked my son to share some more of his Really Good pictures down the line.

Gearing up for RWA

What I'm reading: Pointe and Shoot by Natalie M. Roberts

What I'm writing: Chapter 12

I leave in a few days for the annual national conference of Romance Writers of America in San Francisco. I'm looking forward to being surrounded by hundreds of people who also hear voices but aren't forced to live in padded rooms. I'm looking forward to cooler weather. I'm looking forward to meeting my agent face to face. I'm looking forward to seeing all those 'names on spines', and listening to their words of wisdom.

I'm looking forward to the behind the scenes tour of Customs & Immigration. I'm looking forward to the Death by Chocolate party where they'll announce the winners of the Daphne du Maurier contest. It's been an honor to have been nominated. Seriously. My book is with a small press, and a primarily e-publisher to boot. So hanging with names like Brenda Novak is just plain amazing. I even did the unimaginable – bought new shoes. I'm looking forward to seeing my brother, even if it's only for an afternoon. He's already made the restaurant reservations. And, after the conference, I'm looking forward to a week of decompression in Oregon with DH's sister and her husband. Since my current WIP is set in Oregon, it's a research trip, too.

What I'm not looking forward to: Packing. It's like packing for two trips. RWA tends to be wardrobe intensive, with meetings, award ceremonies, as well as all day in workshops. Then, staying with relatives in Salem requires an entirely different set of clothes. Laid back, casual. With the airline restrictions on luggage these days, it'll be a challenge to get everything I need into the requisite suitcases. And there are all the 'promotional extras' to cram in there somewhere. Although my contributions won't be making the return trip, normally the giveaways I collect equal or exceed what I leave behind. Thank goodness for my eBookwise. I can fill it with enough reading material so I don't need to haul books.

Then there are all the 'leaving home' details to remember. Cancel mail, paper. Have neighbor alerted to watch the house for things left in the driveway or on the porch. Change all my email groups to no mail or special notices. Make sure I've got all the necessities, which puts me right back to packing, because if I don't have it, there's not much time to run out and get it. I should make a list, of course. But I never got around to making a list for a month in Africa; two weeks on the west coast shouldn't be that hard.