So…My book won an award last week. Yep, Honeymoon at Sea was named the Winner in the Memoir category of the Great Southwest Book Festival. You can see it with your own eyes on this site, if you scroll way down the page. I don’t have a digital badge yet, but I will be sure to share it with you all when I get it. That makes two stickers to stick on my book—it got a 5-star review badge before publication, so we could print the digital sticker on the cover, which was nice, as I don’t care for physical stickers on books. I guess this means I can say I’m an award-winning writer, and that HatS is an award-winning book. Not sure who I would say that to, but I could say it!
We also got to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with friends who threw a fabulous party with lots of delicious corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, yummy desserts, homemade breads, and a wide variety of tempting beverages. We prepared for the big party on Saturday, we wore the green on Sunday, and overall we all had a grand time. The sunny weekend included two forest and field hikes with a friend whose lovely home we’d been enjoying since late February. We were thrilled to see that outside the cozy house, Spring had gone and sprung. The daffodils were blooming brightly, along with some purple crocuses, and the green fields were dotted with dandelions.
Speaking of Spring, I was out walking the other day, just after the equinox, and saw this little guy, bop-bop-bobbing along, so of course I had to stop and snap a photo. He clearly didn’t mind, or maybe this pose was him saying, “Keep moving, Shutterbug!”
Naturally, this is a season of new beginnings, but I have been feeling torn—part of me is celebrating and part of me has been a bit blue. Each year at this time I am reminded more often than usual of my mom Diane, whose upcoming birthday (March 30th) would have been her 84th. I’m going to include a photo below of Diane with Beth, one of her three beloved granddaughters, as the captured moment and their expressions make it a favorite. Plus it’s a very cheery photo and looks like Springtime to me. I’ll be posting more about Diane next week, so you’ll be seeing some more lovely pics.
I’ve been missing another old friend, too. As the world warms up and I get out and about more, my occasional solo walks have highlighted the lack of wagging tail and general canine cheer—something I perhaps took for granted during the last twelve years. Next week will mark three months since Ready went over the Rainbow Bridge and it has actually gotten a bit harder for me rather than easier, now that the hustle and bustle and travel and stress of the Big Book Tour has settled back down to normal life. I’m grateful for the memory of how much love we gave her, but of course she gave us so much more, on a daily basis, including these ever-present ever-Ready smiles. Her absence leaves a big hole in every day.
Lucky for me, I got a joyful dose of friendship last night when I did a Zoom book talk and Baja slideshow for the Discover Baja Travel Club. I got to see Carol Kramer, an old friend who kept the Travel Club going full-steam during these last few odd and difficult years. Before the talk, she and I chatted with her talented daughter Jennifer, which is always a treat. And then we were joined by new and old friends in San Diego and even father south. Yes, a few people tuned in from Loreto and San Juanico, which made me feel directly connected to Baja—one of my favorite places on earth.
A glimpse of an anchorage through the brown and green hills, by Russel Redmond.
Basically, it’s been a week full of ups and downs, and isn’t that just like everyone’s life?
Back in the book world, HatS now has 44 reviews on Amazon, so we only have half-a-dozen to go before hitting the magical Amazon level of 50 reviews. Theoretically, that next step of internal Amazon marketing will mean new people discovering the book —not just those who somehow heard about it through a friend of a friend or saw it on a podcast, but good old unknown-to-me online book browsers. And then of course, “they’ll tell two friends, and they’ll tell two friends…” or so we hope.
In the meantime, keep those reviews coming, and please do share this newsletter with any sailors, writers, Baja buffs, travelers, or memoir lovers. It is very cool for us to see our circle of friends widen each week. The Honeymoon Continues…
hasta pronto!
Diane would be (is?) so proud of you, not that she didn’t already know she had an award-winning daughter. Saludos y felicidades de LaPaz!
What a good read this week and great photos! A well-deserved kudo to yourself, yet humbly, so sweetly nostalgic for beautiful beings no longer on this physical plane, seasonal, and friendly! Congratulations! TWO Awards! Feel like I just had a chat with you.