Lifescapes

Goldthwaite and Austin

Goldthwaite is a small town west of here, where I spoke to the Garden Club on Thursday. Thanks, ladies, for inviting me--it was lots of fun. And we certainly enjoyed the gourmet goodies that are spread out on that table you can glimpse in the adjoining room. I dearly love small towns, and this one made me feel right at home.

   
Bill went with me (hey--I got to knit the whole way!). We had a lovely drive, with some pretty sights along the way. Here is a pair of mules assigned to guard a large flock of goats--all enjoying some sweet green grass on a warm and sunshiny afternoon in the Hill Country.

   Friday was Austin, and three events: the University of Texas Forum in the morning, the Pflugerville Library in the afternoon, and Westlake Barnes & Noble in the evening. It was a long day, but each event was different and all were interesting. In between, there was time to pop into the Quilt Store on Anderson Lane and buy a couple of fat quarters for a quilted vest I have in mind. A lady I met in Tucson was wearing a gorgeous quilted vest, and gave me the name of the book that inspired it: Easy Reversible Vests, by Carol Doak. I found the book and am waiting for the inspiration.

Saturday was Austin again, and a book signing at the Lady Bird Johnson Wild Flower Center, where I found this splendid Spanish Dagger, standing tall and proud near the main gate. Most of our native yuccas grow close to the ground, so it was a pleasure to see this one, which must be seven or eight feet tall. I always enjoy signing at the WFC, because so many friends drop in to say hello--and because it's such a delightful place to spend the afternoon.       















But there are plenty of garden beauties right here at home, and I'm glad that most of the travel is over. (Not quite all: I'll be in the D.C. area later in the week, visiting two libraries with Linda Lear, Beatrix Potter's biographer.) Today I cleaned house (there is no pleasure quite like the pleasure of a clean kitchen floor) and pulled a few weeds. And took time out to admire this gorgeous purple clematis climbing the arbor near the path to the meadow. Ah, so good to be home!

Reading note. I cannot have a spiritual center without having a geographical one; I cannot live a grounded life without being grounded in a place.--Scott Russell Sanders

Remember the Alibi, Cody Library, San Antonio

I took a few pictures of roadside scenes for you ride-alongs to San Antonio. This is the only one that turned out. Not very good, but it gives you some idea of the Hill Country landscape. Since we live in Burnet County, I always take the "back way," across on 29 to 281 in Burnet, then 281 south to SA. This time of year, it's especially pretty, with Englemann daisies and coreopsis along the roadside, and still a few bluebonnets, paintbrush, and purple verbena.

I meant to take some photos at Remember the Alibi, but got to talking to people and forgot. It's a fine mystery bookstore--if you're in the neighborhood (805 West Avenue, in the Castle Hills area), be sure and stop. But I did remember to take a photo of the great bunch of bookies at the Cody Library. Here we are, having some serious fun. (Special thanks to Ray and Ramona for handling all the details of this wonderful evening. You guys are terrific! And Ramona, you can introduce me any day!)

I've been out in the garden, popping pictures. Remember when I pruned the roses within an inch of their collective lives? They're rewarding me happily this month--truly the month of the roses. Today's favorite: the Ducher rose, an antique white China rose that came to this country around 1870. April and her roses will be gone before I know it, but I'll still have this picture.

Today, Bill and I are driving to Goldthwaite, where I'll speak to the Garden Club. It'll be especially nice to have him along (hey--I'll get to knit on my sock!), but you're welcome to come, too.

Reading note. Almost any garden, if you see it at just the right moment, can be confused with paradise.--Henry Mitchell

Bryan/College Station

Meet Kerre (Community Relations Manager at Barnes & Noble in College Station) and Tony. The two of them organized yesterday's great events. Thanks, guys! You made it fun for me. (And you did all the work! All I had to do was talk.)

After the B&N event, we drove over to the Brazos Center for an evening with the Brazos County Master Gardeners and a discussion of southwestern herbs, including yucca (of course!), buffalo gourd, and prickly pear cactus. Here are some of the folks. They're not blurry--that's the photographer's doing. (Moi.)

Somebody asked a question about our Texas native "smilax" that I couldn't answer. I looked it up this morning, and found that this is the plant we call greenbriar, over here in Burnet County, which grows like crazy along the fences and which I have used in making herbal wreaths. I also discovered that some species of this plant are the source of what my grandmother called sarsaparilla and used to treat rheumatism. I love questions like these, that push me into an extra bit of research I wouldn't have pursued and teach me something I didn't know. Thanks to the lady who asked the question!

Speaking of Texas natives, this foxglove look-alike is blooming in our meadows. This is Penstemon cobaea, and there is much more of it than the usual half-dozen plants, thanks to the wonderful rains we had during January. Penstemon cobaea, or wild foxglove, belongs to the same family, but does not have the same properties, as Digitalis purpurea, the "true" foxglove. True or false foxglove, wild or docile, she's absolutely beautiful.















I didn't have to stay over in College Station last night--drove home (flying low), and got here before the heavy rain arrived. The storms went mostly to the south of us. Eagle Pass got hit hard by a tornado.

Today, San Antonio, Remember the Alibi and the Cody Library. Are you coming along? (No umbrellas today, people. The sun is shining in a brilliant blue sky. Bring your sunscreen.)

Reading note. Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.--Hans Christian Anderson (with thanks to Linda M for sending it, and the bouquet of peonies!)

Aggie bluebonnets: in bloom this week

In honor of my visit to Aggieland today (that would be Bryan-College Station TX), here is the Aggie bluebonnet, in her full glory. Well, maybe not full glory. She's supposed to be maroon, but she becomes a little more pink every year. (There may be a moral to this story, people.) For a view of the Really Maroon Aggie Bluebonnet, the triumph of school spirit and horticultural engineering over nature, go here.

If you're riding with me, bring your umbrella. Oh, and your toothbrush and nightie. We may have to stay over, since they're already predicting gullywashers and frogchokers, not to mention a tornado or two. It's a three-hour trip over secondary roads, so we may not drive back until tomorrow morning.

Reading note. Most travel is best of all in the anticipation or in the remembering; the reality has more to do with losing your luggage.--Regina Nadelson

Your book orders

Now that I'm home (more or less), I've started to work on the backlog of book orders for Story Circle (mostly Dagger, but also some Days and What Wildness.) I'm hoping to get these signed and shipped by early next week, before Thursday, when Bill and I head off to D.C. for the Malice Domestic conference. Toro (our blue heeler) has promised to help me sign your books and get them packed for shipping. (He also promises to keep his paws clean.) Our two black Labs (Lady and Zach) are not very good at volunteering, unless it's volunteering for Nap Time or Meals--they're promising nothing. But Bill has agreed to schlep your books to the post office, so we're all set.

Thanks to those of you who have waited so patiently. And if you haven't ordered your signed/personalized Dagger yet, now's the time and here's the place. The profit from your order supports the Story Circle Network.

I also wanted to share this yellow iris. Too gorgeous for words.

Meadow Knoll

This is Denver: the security checkpoint line at the airport.

   









 

   This isn't.















Home again, to Bill (bless him for his patience), three dear dogs (all of whom need a bath), a cat (who now has to give up her sleeping spot on my pillow), and the garden. Ahhhh......

But only briefly. If you're riding along, this week we're going to College Station, San Antonio, Goldthwaite, and Austin. Oh, and Pflugerville Library. Almost forgot Pflugerville.

But first, the laundry. 

Reading note. All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware. Martin Buber

High Crimes, Boulder

If you ever have a chance to visit Boulder in April, go for it. This is the historic district, with intriguing shops, music and the arts, and tulips, tulips, and more tulips. A lovely, lovely place. If the people reminded me of Berkeley, that's no accident. The city is more liberal than most of Colorado, and has a strong commitment to conservation and preservation. Bill and I came here in the late 90s to Historicon (a conference for fans of historical mysteries), held at Chatauqua. We've come back several times, to High Crimes Mystery Bookstore. That's where I was today.

Here are a few of the people who came out on this mild Saturday afternoon--when they might have been working in their gardens! One couple (the gal in the white sweater, with her patient and helpful husband in the green jacket) even drove over from Nebraska, with a big bag full of books for me to sign.














This is Cynthia, who hosted today's program. She and her staff know all there is to know about mysteries--old titles as well as the most recent. If you're a mystery fan, you know what that means. And you know you'll never find anyone this knowledgeable in any of the chains. Thank you, Cynthia, for having me in your beautiful store! I'm hoping to see you again when Left Coast Crime comes to Denver next March.
















And of course, I had to stop and take another photo of the tulips. Yes, they are really, truly, actually, factually, brightly, brilliantly RED.

























Tonight, I'm treating myself to room service here in the hotel, and an evening with Miss Silver and my sock.Tomorrow morning, I'm saying goodbye to Ginger Too and catching a plane for Austin and home. Yay!

Which doesn't mean that the show is over. I'm taking Monday off, to catch up on laundry and etcetera. But there's more to come, back home in Texas. If you live in the Goldthwaite area, or College Station, or San Antonio, or Austin, come out and say hi. And if you're riding with me, we still have a way to go.

Murder by the Book, Denver

This is the way a mystery bookstore is supposed to look, isn't it? Notice that eyecatching poster on the porch, the sign of a very good book. (Click on the photo to see it nicely enlarged.)

Murder by the Book has been selling mysteries to avid Denver mystery fans since 1980. They have 15,000 titles in stock, but if they don't have what you want, they'll look for it and tell you when they've found it. How's that for service?

MBB is under the able management of Bruce the Shop Cat, an amiable pussycat with an inscrutable green glance. (After she was named, Bruce revealed a hitherto-undisclosed secret: kittens. But she liked her name and insisted on keeping it.) As you can see, Bruce has serious responsibilities for data processing, systems management, and stock selection.























Bruce is also in charge of ordering cakes for special parties. She is especially fond of blue.

























Here are two of the early arrivals at the party. Don't let the empty chair fool you. It was SRO by the time everyone arrived. (I've lost track of names--can somebody offer a clue?)















And another pair of mystery fans and Friends of the Shop.
















Lauri helps Bruce manage the shop. She and her family live with one of Bruce's kittens, who has grown into a Fat Cat. You can tell that Lauri loves her work, can't you? And just look at all those books! In my next incarnation, I think I'll come back as a bookstore owner.
























Pat and I are having a bit of fun together. Notice the lovely roses, a gift from Laurie's husband and daughter. (She's still trying to figure out what they've done--or what they're up to.)













The day wouldn't be perfect without a disaster or two, would it? I got lost again, but only temporarily so. And then I lost a credit card. Oh dear oh dear oh dear. I called Bill and ask him to phone the Disaster Desk at the credit card company and put a hold on the card. Bill heaved a long-suffering sigh ("Didn't we just go through this a couple of months ago?"), but he helpfully put in the call. And then I found the card, which had slipped down between Ginger Too's front seats. I am happy to report that Bill has forgiven me, the Disaster Desk has lifted the hold on our piece of plastic, and I have taken the rest of the day off to recover.

Happiness on book tour is stumbling across a Patricia Wentworth mystery I haven't yet read: a Miss Maud Silver investigation called Wicked Uncle. Oh, and having a sock to knit, of course. (For a photo, see the previous entry. I'm not getting out that camera again until tomorrow, when I drive up to Boulder to investigate High Crimes.

A Day Off

This was the view from my window this morning. Pike's Peak, covered with snow. My daughter Robin and her husband Jeff live in Woodland Park, in the mountains west of Colorado Springs, and get to see this lovely sight every day. The last snowfall here? A foot of heavy white stuff, on Tuesday. Really. It was mostly melted by the time I arrived on Wednesday afternoon, but there were still piles of slushy snow in the shadows of the mountains. Chilly, too.

Today was a day of quiet conversation, watching videos of Robin's and Jeff's recent trips to England (where they were helping to prepare for the 21st World Scouts Jamboree at Hylands Park, near Chelmsford, England), and to Australia (for a diving trip) and New Zealand. Lots of good family time catching up on the latest news. Meet Robin:

And Robin, Jeff, and Saucy:

I also caught up on my sock, which has been feeling seriously neglected--although in my defense, I should say that the cuff of Sock #2 is finished, and is ready for its heel. Susan (aka Red Dirt Knitter) suggested that I try knitting two socks at once: two cuffs, two heels, etc. That way, I'll end up with two finished socks at roughly the same time, rather than one finished sock and a long interval before I start the second one. Thanks for the idea, Susan. I'm making progress, slowly.

In the afternoon/evening, I had stock signing at Barnes & Noble and a drop-in at Book Sleuth in Colorado Springs. Then on to dinner with Robin, Jeff, and niece Abby, who is an Air Force pilot (with a tour in Iraq behind her) and an instructor in Political Science at the Academy. Altogether, a wonderful day.

Tomorrow, Denver's Murder by the Book. Saturday, High Crimes in Boulder. If you're in the area, drop in--you'll find details of time and place here.

Oh, and for those of you who have been wondering about the Round Rock that Pablo gave me in Kansas City, I have good news. It has safely arrived at Meadow Knoll, where it is happy among the bluebonnets. Bill sends this:

Croak & Dagger and SouthWest Writers, Albuquerque

The drive between Alamogordo and Albuquerque takes you through the Valley of Fires, an ancient lava flow some two miles wide by twenty miles long. Lots of interesting lava formations. Click on the link for some other great views.
























And then it was on to Albuquerque for a Tuesday evening talk with a combined group of Sisters in Crime (the Croak & Dagger chapter, which has a terrific website) and the SouthWest Writers, two of the liveliest writers' groups I've ever encountered. It was SRO for the evening, which included fine food and great conversation. Many, many thanks to Stephanie, who organized the evening.














From here on out, the tour will begin to wind down. On Wednesday (yesterday) I drove to Woodland Park, CO, just west of Colorado Springs. My route took me past Las Vegas NM. Bill and I have a place in the mountains to the northwest of this town, and I stopped along the road to snap this photo. Our place is at the foot of that hump-backed peak, Cerro Tecolote. It's called Hermit's Peak because once upon a time, a hermit lived there (really). New Mexico writer Michael McGarrity has written an interesting mystery set in the area.













I'm in Woodland Park because my daughter Robin lives here (photos later). This afternoon, the Book Sleuth in Colorado Springs, then Denver and Boulder and home. Am I ready? What do you think??