Surprise...!

Over the weekend, Jim took me on a romantic overnight trip to Nebraska City, for their Applejack Festival. No, I didn't think we had any plans, until Jim asked Molly, our 5 year old Rat Terrier/Jack Russel mix (you can see a pic of her on the "noodles from a writer's journal" blog), if she was ready to go to the spa (her favorite kennel)... and I had to ask "why?"

That's the fastest I ever got dressed!

We left the computers at home. We did take our reading, and we did have some fun walking around... the cold and cloudy day was perfect for such a festival. The fall colors arrive in late October (when you want a beautiful, crisp, sunny day to walk among the leaves). The smell of applewood in the fireplaces, a wonderful meal at the Lied Lodge, and quiet companionship with each other just reading and writing made a perfect afternoon and evening. We got a lot done. We usually do, as we discuss characters and plots on the way, the car giving us a perfect opportunity to get away from it all, and let us concentrate on puzzles that make our writing pack less of a punch than we'd like. We stopped at Kimmel Orchard for applesauce and apple butter, and we loved every minute!

Back to regular life... until the next opportunity arrives. Ahhh... I could retire to memories like these!

Hugs! Karen

Sunday Morning's Armchair travels...

I found some interesting blogs, and a great idea for designing our own blog! If you look in the right hand menu bar, you'll see several blogrolls. Each one is categorized by interests, so if you want more than just writing, or what we have to say, you can visit any one else I've decided to follow! I've put a few into the food blogroll, and will be filling the others soon! I saw some great art!

On the subject of books and writing, though, I found a couple of interesting sites... and I'll be getting to more armchair traveling tomorrow...

http://thebookfetish-mybookfetish.blogspot.com/  This lady has decided she's going to read and review 52 books this year, one for each week. She says she wants to review from how the book makes her feel... which is a fabulous idea... I'm going to head back to her blog to read the rest of her impressions after I post this (maybe not all at once)!

http://www.presenttensejournal.org/submissions/  This was a "referral" on one blog I found, to an online magazine's first issue. It's not for pay, that I can see, but it may be a great place to showcase your non-fiction writing! It is an Academic Journal about Rhetoric in Society, The book reviewed, DANGEROUS WRITING, by Tony Scott, looked interesting, and I'm going to add it to the list of books I want to read!

Now to find the Kindle...

Later, everyone! Hugs! Karen