Florida

Yep, I'm still down here, but not working quite so hard this week ... John flew down and we are enjoying just hanging out together.

We had dinner one evening last week at a wonderful restaurant that is part of a hotel on the beach. We ate on the balcony overlooking the swimming pool in the foreground and the Gulf of Mexico just beyond that. Gorgeous.

Then last night we went out to a local Irish Pub-type place, where the price of dinner included music by the "dueling pianjos" ... a banjo and a keyboard. They played without stopping for 2 1/2 hours or more. Old music, but the kind that everyone in the room (John figures he was the youngest one there) could sing along with (and knew the words to.)

I haven't touched my camera for awhile -- trying to keep the writing side of the brain in active mode, which necessitates putting almost everything else in stand-by.

Writing

Oh, yes, I am definitely having a friend read this for me. Trying to edit it by myself is like trying to proofread your own work -- you already know what it means, so none of the mistakes show up. But I do have to do a lot of clean-up work before anyone I can even show it to anyone else.

You know how, after you've taken a ton of photos and you want to show them off, you have to severely edit them first -- no one wants to see them ALL, and will get bored and quit paying attention before they even see the ones you are so proud of!

So, I'm doing the clean up now.

Whether or not this thing ever gets truly pubished, there will be a copy for any family member who wants to read it. And, yes, Tracy, that includes you!

Writing

Well, I was gently scolded by Karin, who had noticed that there have been no postings here for quite awile. So, with apologies all around, I am posting this today.

Yep, I'm still around. I'm in our Florida place, actually, working on The Book. I'm in the editing phase, which is easier in some ways but more difficult in others. Not as much immediate gratification as counting words and pages offers in the writing phase - and not so much fun, either.

I'm in my semi-hermit mode, which means doing very little else of value while I'm down here. No, I'm not working around the clock or anything -- I simply do mindless sorts of things when I'm not working. Crosswords, Sudokus, and plot-less television.

I'll certainly be glad when I ship this thing off to a real editor ... even though I know that will by no means be the end of my chores.

I do keep up with everyone else's blogs, though!