It’s been a hot minute since I wrote to you, and I have missed you, but have been more than normally busy with…words.

Here’s what’s been happening:

1. Moving ever closer to publication of Sensible Shoes, I had to work with my editor to finalize the back cover blurb, cover info, and what is called the tagline or logline–the short sentence that tells in as few words as possible what your book is about. Here it is:

An unlikely Influencer discovers her own self-worth and the possibility of romance in the midst of uproarious family chaos.

2. And then said editor sent the galley proofs to me. Those are the long scroll-y pages of your book, formatted as a book, which is very cool and also really scary cause…it’s a book. I was supposed to edit it once more, this time reading it from back to front, page by page. That took forever.

3. Just when I had that nearly finished, I heard about a new book series my publisher is putting out that I just happen to have a finished manuscript that it would be perfect for! So I rewrote that synopsis and sent it in and lo and behold, my editor, God love her, wants to see three chapters. So now I am tweaking those to send in.

4. All the while I’ve been working diligently on my Work-in-Progress, the Ireland mystery/romance called Windshadow, which is nearly half finished. I am kept on track by my Zoom Writer’s Club which meets Tuesday nights and reads pages OUTLOUD! That requires butt-in-chair writing time.

5. All of this to say that I have been writing or editing so much that I haven’t gotten to tell you about my amazing sojourn to College Station with the Delightful Lee to see our friend, the equally delightful Anne.

I am going to remedy this oversight now.

A while back, Anne, one of those incredibly close friends in high school that we haven’t seen in 50 years, called Lee and arranged for us to visit her for a few days while her husband, the very outdoorsy Houston, went river-rafting among other very outdoorsy pursuits.

I picked Lee up in Ft. Worth and we drove to College Station, a first time for both of us. Lee went to Texas Tech and I went to East Texas State (now A&M Commerce, the irony of which didn’t occur to me until just now, since –if you are not a Texan, you might not know–the famous Texas A&M is in College Station.)

After settling in to our individual en-suites in Anne’s beautiful home and enjoying the first of several delicious home-cooked meals, we hit the ground running.

Our first stop was the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library, adjacent to the university. Beautiful and informative, the library contains replicas of the Oval Office (that’s us, at the top), historical memorabilia, gifts given during his tenure, an homage to Barbara Bush, and lots of background on their lives before, during and after the White House. The most emotional was the installation depicting Desert Storm, complete with sound and visuals. Afterward we walked out to the area where the Bush’s are buried, located in a forested area behind the library. It was serene and quiet, secluded in nature.

Dinner followed at the local airport in a restaurant called Gate 12. There we ate an amazing 5-star dinner while just steps away a helicopter landed and out stepped several extremely fit San Antonio firefighters who had been on a training exercise. It was dinner and dessert all in one.

Speaking of dessert, we indulged as often as possible in Anne’s rum cake, accompanied by home-made toffee and a chocolate drizzle. It was addictive for sure.

Then we stayed up sharing stories of the last fifty years. We barely made a dent.

The next day dawned as beautiful as the previous one, and we enjoyed watching the birds and squirrels and bunny frolicking by the breakfast room window. Yes, they were frolicking, I kid you not.

Then we were off to Navasota, 20 minutes away. We spent a while in the shops on the main drag, snagging some gifts and a few things I absolutely had to have (which turned out to be somewhat of a theme for me.)

Lunch followed (because food was another theme for us) at Red Board Tavern where we were greeted by Chef Craig and given the star treatment. The food was amazing. Anne and Lee gushed over their unusual avocado toast and my grilled cheese was decadent with pulled pork.

Afterward Craig took us on a personal tour of the legendary hotel next door, The PA Smith. Hidden within the hotel, Hamer’s Speakeasy is named after the Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, a Navasota local who led the posse that killed Bonnie & Clyde Barrow.  The hotel has been lovingly restored beyond its original glory, and we really enjoyed hearing about its storied past.

We left Navasota proper and ventured out of town to BeeWeaver Honey Farm, where we joined a group of 5th graders for the funnest field trip ever! Safe inside the screened viewing area, the beekeeper answered all our weird questions, then donned a bee hat (I don’t know what they’re called) and took panels out of the hives to show us the bees, the queen, the comb, the whole shebang. It was fascinating. And then we shopped!!! Bee everything you can think of, including ice cream.

On the drive home, we stopped at Martha’s Bloomers where the current puffy-sleeve floral fashions are in full force. Very cute, but I am not a puffy sleeve girl. We all left empty-handed but not for lack of trying (on).

Anne’s delicious salmon for dinner rivaled any five-star restaurant. Afterward we stayed up late and caught up on more of our 50-year break. Turns out, we’ve all been through pretty much the same things: marriage, kids, divorce, finding second loves, and grandkids. Lee and I are both members of The Worst Club Ever, but Anne still has her handsome Houston (I saw pictures), so that’s the biggest difference.

Friday there was even more wildlife frolicking while we dawdled over breakfast. Then we were off to Bryan, which is hooked right up to College Station and actually boasts a main street with cute shops. We were happy to tour the town, then shop in a couple of antiques stores (more gifts for me and mine, including an antique teapot.)

Lunch was at Elia Café Tapas Bar, delicious and unusual, then browsing the attached home décor store which rivalled anything I’ve seen in Dallas. Lee was definitely in her element as an interior decorator. One additional something-something for me–a gift, I promise, and we headed back home.

That evening we were treated by Anne to a wine tasting at Messina Hof Winery in Bryan. The evening, entitled “Wine Through the Vintages, Cabernet Sauvignon and the Judgment of Paris” began with the retelling of an historic wine competition by the gregarious Paul Vincent Bonarrigo. He, wife Merrill, son Paul Mitchell and wife Karen regaled us with more stories and information about wine as we tasted our way through five vintages. We also enjoyed an array of lovely brioche, olives, popcorn and more. What an amazing evening, capped off with the purchase of a few bottles of our favorite wines.

How well we slept!

Our last morning, we enjoyed French toast croissants, endless cups of coffee, and more revelations and discoveries about the paths our lives had taken over the years. We hugged our reluctant goodbyes with promises to see each other more frequently, and reciprocal invitations to Anne to come up north. Since then we have texted regularly, including last night when I had to confirm a few details for this blog.

Our time in College Station was magical. I loved it and am so grateful to Anne for sharing it with us. I’m sure Lee would agree.

I have no doubt that we will not let another two years, let alone fifty, go by without more visits. In fact, I hope to get Lee and Anne over to experience some of the treats Dallas has to offer, and pull in some of our old friends to join. One of the joys in my new normal is rekindling and strengthening friendships. I don’t take it for granted.