A Look Back Over 2022; A Christmas Letter

If you already received this letter inside a Christmas card, just disregard this, it's the same (except for the pictures):

Twenty-twenty-two has definitely been a better year than the two that came before, at least for us. Our first great-grandbaby was born on October 10: Rey Marie. She was a big girl at over 8 pounds, and was born to Brooke, Wayne’s granddaughter, and her husband Colt. They’re the pair who live in St. Croix, so we have not seen this new baby whom Wayne has already named Sugarpie to compliment his nickname for her mom, Honeypie. They are coming to Texas in January so we will finally get to lay eyes on this precious addition to the family. 

Also in October, the 30^th Anniversary Edition of LILY came out in trade paperback. Hard for me to believe it has been thirty years already since it debuted, but time does march on, as they say. It has a lovely new cover and I’m pleased that it was printed in big bold type so more people can read it and enjoy it again. Maybe it will find new readers, who knows. 

In August, in celebration of Wayne’s 75^th birthday, we returned to our beloved Florence, Oregon for a week of seafood and beautiful views. The VRBO we rented overlooks the Siuslaw River (pronounced Sigh-You-Slaw) a mile upstream from where it empties into the blue, blue Pacific. We spent a lot of our time just sitting out on the balcony watching the harbor seals and shore birds, as the tide came and went. We especially enjoyed watching cormorants dive for food. The water is so clear there you can see them underwater as they dart after the little sunfish they seem to relish. They’re terrific fishermen but it also turns out they’re gluttons. I stopped counting at 14 minnows one bird caught in 45 minute. 

We would love to find a way to move to Florence permanently, but the disparity in housing costs will probably keep us here. We have put our little bay house on the market, but we needed to do that anyway. Insurance on that place cost three times what our house in Yoakum costs, and I have tired of holding my breath all the way through hurricane season every year. We’ve had it eight years and I will miss it as my writing retreat.

Our flight from Eugene Oregon back to Austin went fine until right before we landed, when our flight was suddenly diverted to Houston Hobby. There were supposedly supercell thunderstorms in the area, although we later learned there were also some mechanical issues with the plane. They put us on a new plane in Houston and we got back to Austin at 2:30 in the morning instead of 10:30 as scheduled, and still facing a two-hour drive home. Several other planes had been diverted and it became a free-for-all in baggage claim. I was wearing a mask but Wayne was not. And of course, two days after we got home, after being completely vaxed and double-boosted, we both came down with Covid. It was, thankfully, a light case for both of us. Our doctor prescribed Paxlovid (a miracle drug) and within a few days we were well and testing negative. 

April was another big time for us. Mid-month we left on an 8-day cruise up the Rhine River. Stuart and Mark met us at the Amsterdam airport and we all shuttled to the boat. This was our second Viking cruise and we really love the excursions, the slower pace, the fewer passengers at only 225 people, the delicious gourmet food. These river cruises are a relaxing, easy-going way to travel. We loved the Rhine but think we loved the Danube in 2019 just a teensy bit more. We have now traveled to 13 countries and figure we need to add one more to get to a luckier number.

Also in April, my book FOR LOVE AND GLORY came out. It has been a long time coming and I was thrilled to finally see this novel I worked on, intermittently, for nearly 20 years come to fruition. I loved my editor, my designer, but have learned how hard it is to get a book noticed now, and into bookstores and review magazine. The publishing industry has undergone a dramatic change since my last book came out, but as I tell all my friends “I’M BACK, BABY.” I have been surprised at how many of my old fans have sent me texts and messages with well-wishes. 

In April, our cat Sam turned eight. It’s so hard for us both to believe he could possibly be that old already. He brings us loads of joy, and is still the same silly, lively play-kitty he was when we got him. In fact, I don’t think he realizes he’s not still a kitten. 

So here’s to another great year! I hope everyone flourishes and finds new joy in their lives!

ONWARD....🍷🍷

The Last Time I Saw France

In the late 1990s I made two back-to-back trips to France. This was before the Euro when the US dollar was 7 to 1 over the French Franc and trips to that country were relatively inexpensive for Americans. I absolutely fell in love with France. Both trips were, ostensibly, research for my novel RIGHT FROM WRONG, which came out in 1999 and deals, in part, with the First World War. At least a third of it takes place in France, but there was an awful lot of sightseeing, eating, and most of all wine-drinking that had little to nothing to do with the novel. When I got back home after the second trip, I figured my France days were over, so many other places to see and explore, and in the ensuing 20+ years, I have done that. But here I am, sitting at my desk writing this, and I am days away from seeing France one more time. And I couldn't be happier.

This time it will be combined with a couple of other countries, those that have banks and bridges along and across the Rhine River. We went on a river cruise of the Danube before the Pandemic, and had this trip scheduled to take place in August 2020. Well, we all know what happened. Everything got canceled in 2020 but we are going now. I hope we are in a Covid window here, and it will be as good of an experience as the last river cruise. The cruise line is requiring passengers to be totally vaccinated, and there will be regular testing throughout the trip. But ... France ... again. And probably finally this time. 

I've been to most of the stops on the Alsatian border of the Rhine, but there's always something missed. What I remember is ancient castles, medieval castles, the big unruly nests of storks on platforms high over the houses. I remember the Vosges Mountains in the distance, and that the Ill river conjoins with the Rhine at Strasbourg somewhere near the European Parliament building. There's an unfinished cathedral there in Strasbourg, with a missing spire, and inside the cathedral, a huge astronomical clock with hundreds of moving parts. I stood and watched that clock for most of an hour. I remember the half-timbered architecture and the good sauerkraut and sausages I had there. 

And then there's Colmar, another half-timbered city, La Petit Venice, because of the houses that sit right on the Lauch River which runs throughout the old town. Riesling and Pinot Blanc and Gewurtztraminer (pronounced "Girls Are Meaner"), and an effervescent wine with the word Alsace in its name. I remember walking through the streets with all the lovely windows dressed by the merchants: knotted loaves of crusty bread, and sweet cakes with cream toppings and fruit slices arranged perfectly on top. French people appreciate the beauty of their country and their pride in it shows in the care they take to make everything beautiful. I'm so happy to be able to spend a few days there again. I wish my French hadn't got so rusty, but I'm sure we'll be with French-speakers so I shouldn't have to worry. 

We will also be floating through The Netherlands, Germany, and ending in Switzerland, but I left a piece of my heart in France in the 1990s. Maybe I will find it again next week. 

En avant ...