With some help from Super-Jen, I’m here, on the blog, writing to all of you! I’m still enough of a country girl to be impressed by all this technology, though more often that not, it intimidates me. 🙂
On Wednesday, we left for the airport at 4:dark:30, and our plane left at six. Traveled all day, thankfully without untoward incident, but by the time we landed it Tampa, I was pretty zonked. HOWEVER, Jen and I were expected at the superfabulous home of Steven and Robin Black, owners and founders of Uptick Vineyards. We were welcomed so generously that all fatigue just fell away. We were soon making making new friends, laughing a lot and, of course, sipping wonderful wine. All the guests were delightful people, and I’ll mention them all in future blogs, when I’m quite sure how to spell their names. 🙂 Walt Willie, of “All My Children” fame, had us all laughing uproariously at his stories about Hollywood parties and incidents on the set.
Suffice it to say, by the time Jen and I got to our hotel–one of those great all-suite places with its own appliances–we were mega-pooped! I took a long time settling down and going to sleep, and when I finally did, I didn’t surface until 10 the next morning. Jen rested well, too, though it sounds as if her room was haunted, in a benign sort of way. I probably wouldn’t have awakened or even stirred if Abe Lincoln himself had put in an appearance, and you know how much I’d love to meet him!
Once we were awake and properly dressed, shopping was the objective—wouldn’t you know, this country girl headed straight for–wait for it–Target and Michael’s! There is ALWAYS something I need from one of those places and, of course, we have both of them in Spokane, but Target is so far away I seldom get there.
Last night, we attended the event of events, the wine-tasting dinner hosted by the incredibly generous Steven Black, and it was a truly amazing evening, like something out of a fantasy, for a Northport girl like me. We shared a table with Buck and Goldie Taylor, good friends, so that was an extra treat. And guess what? Buck, who is not only an accomplished actor, but a professional artist of considerable standing, drew us each a sketch of a cowboy on our specially printed menus. WHAT a souvenir. I’d been waiting for an opportunity to commission Buck to do a watercolor portrait of Michael Landon in his Little Joe get-up, and he’s going to do it! YEEHAW!!!! It will look terrific with Matt and Miss Kitty and my dad’s old saddle.
My talk and signing start at 5 pm, at the unbelievably lovely Treasure Island Club, also the site of last night’s dream dinner, and I’m looking forward to that, too.
I’ll do my best to blog about it.
Be well and be kind. Every one of you is unique, a ‘sketch’ by the greatest Artist of them all–God.
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.
