Where to start?
The laptop did not come in, and if the hotel had a business center, I failed to find it. Hence, no blogs–until now. 🙂
Last week’s winners, before I forget, were: Jean Burkacki and Marlene Kubick–congratulations, ladies. A new contest begins today.
I had a marvelous time in Seattle–did some Christmas shopping and hit TWO different bead stores, doing considerable damage to my bank account. Debbie M chuckled over the largesse and said it reminded her of her own forays to yarn shops. 🙂 Time with Debbie is rare and precious; she inspires me in every way and, of course, there’s all that laughing. I can tell her my deepest, darkest secrets, and she not only understands, she keeps the info to herself.
Wendy arrived late, having been held up at home, so Debbie and I and her two daughters, Jodi and Jenni-Adele, met up at the hotel and went to dinner at PF Chang’s. I have fallen madly in love with their chicken-lettuce wraps–amazingly good!
Thursday morning, Deb and I walked down to the Pike Place Market and had breakfast–and some very good talk. Following that, we picked up a cheese platter and a couple of bottles of wine and headed for the party at Jayne Krentz’s place. It was so much fun to see so many old friends, all of them writers, talk shop and swap inside information.
That afternoon, Wendy set out for Seattle by car, and arrived very late. In the interim, the Macombers and I did some more shopping and took in a movie–I can’t remember the last time I went to an actual movie and it was so much fun. We saw “Last Vegas”, a delightful comedy about four old friends meeting in Vegas for a wedding. Hilarious!
Wendy arrived late that night.
On Friday, there was a change of plans, because Wendy was ill, and while Debbie and her daughters went on to the casino and the outlet mall, Wendy and I stayed put in Seattle. Since Wendy was resting, I went out and raided the costume jewelry department at Macy’s, among other places. 🙂 I also took a cab to a shop called Alexander’s Bead Bazaar, and thought I’d died and gone to heaven. 🙂 (The other shop was World Beads, on Virginia Ave). This gem thing just keeps getting more and more fascinating–and such fun to find out, at the party, that Stella Cameron shares my enthusiasm!
Saturday and Sunday were both full days–Wendy and I were really tickled to spot a robot cruising the sidewalks of downtown Seattle–she took video–and they were setting up a carousel at Westlake Center, too. That was a charming sight, so festive. Holiday decorations are popping up all over the city, although the tree lights won’t be switched on until after Thanksgiving. It was very chilly out much of the time, but we got some lovely sunshine as well. I’ve always said, no place on earth is more beautiful than Seattle on a clear day. Elliott Bay, the islands, the snow-capped Olympic Mountains rimming the horizon, the ferries coming and going–it’s a picture postcard come to life.
And now, however belatedly, I’m off to Mustang Creek, Wyoming, where a whole flock of characters are waiting for me.
Be well.
About Linda
The daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West.
Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a horse property outside Spokane.
