Tag Archives: travel

General

Work-Cation

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BW and I are enjoying our last day of our fall week at the spa, which is, for me, a working vacation.

Before we left, I spent several afternoons through the week helping my grandson–Grade Six–with math (God help me) and a complicated English assignment. For the math, fortunately, he’s a lot better at it than I am. I SEE the words ratio and percentage, and my brain freezes.

English assignments, much better. But I swear I’m not sure I knew the definition and practical uses of things like personification, alliteration, hyperbole and so on when I was eleven. He does! I did have to tell him he was his own problem in one part of the assignment–to find unfamiliar words in the book he was reading for the assignment. He has a most excellent vocabulary, so that section took forever, and then some.

We celebrated completion on the Saturday before BW and I left by baking cookies–along with his sister, who decided she LOVED wrapping Christmas presents and due to same has now saved me hours and hours or marathon wrapping.
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Love, love, love these kids. Also love, love, love this week’s get away.

It’s quiet, that’s a big plus. Though the weather didn’t cooperate so I could take my long morning hike outside, I brought plenty of exercise DVDs. Rainy mornings had me deciding to skip even the jaunt over to the gym and work out in the room instead.

After my daily workout, I settle in for a solid four hours of writing at my pretty little desk. The phone doesn’t ring, no dogs are barking to get in, go out, or because a delivery truck is heading up my lane. I don’t have to gauge my time to knock off to cook–but to gauge it for my lovely daily treatment.
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Every afternoon I’m rewarded with a facial, or a massage or a mani-pedi. How about my holiday pedi! Gleaming midnight blue (which may not come across in the photo) with the accent of festive silver. Such fun!
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Pre-treatment I get to snuggle into a book, post-treatment I get to indulge in an adult beverage and contemplate what I might want for dinner–that I’m not cooking!
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It’s a wonderful routine for a week, but for me, it must be a routine. I’ve gotten a solid chunk of work done, have stuck to my work-out regime, and allowed myself to have my muscles and spirit addressed.

Today, our last day, is our traditional in-room massage, so I worked longer, then celebrated the accomplishment.

Tomorrow I pack, and we head home. Monday is back to home routine, and quite likely more sixth-grade math.

Maybe I should have one more drink.

Nora

Conversation, Travelogues

Nora, Ireland, Ashford and you?

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Nora’s going back to Ireland for vacation this year so we’ll all have a chance to live vicariously through her travelogues.

This year, though, there’s a twist!

Nora’s UK publisher, Little Brown Group, will host a once-in-a-lifetime event on Sunday, August 17: An Audience and Afternoon Tea with Nora Roberts at Ashford Castle.  For all the details, please visit: http://www.nora-roberts.co.uk/2014/06/27/meet-nora-roberts/

When I posted that news on Facebook this morning, the comments included a chorus of “will you come to (fill in the blank)?”   Let’s face it, if Nora visited every city —  or even just various central hubs — of readers, she’d never get home again.  It’s just not possible.

She asked me to post this on her behalf and I’m copying it here:

I wish I could go everywhere and meet readers, but mostly I stay home and write.

Several times a year I participate at events at Turn The Page Bookstore in Boonsboro, Maryland — and that offers opportunities for readers east of the Mississippi.  The next event is Saturday July 19 from noon – 2 pm.   For more details please visitwww.ttpbooks.com.

This year I’ll be in San Antonio for the Romance Writers of American conference–and am delighted to participate again in the Readers For Literacy signing– on Wednesday, July 23, 2014 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter Hotel in the 3rd floor ballroom. For more details, please visit www.rwa.org.

That might make it easier for those of you west of the Mississippi to attend an event.

Then, in August my husband and I, along with our younger son and his wife, will travel to Ireland. The August 17 event at the gorgeous Ashford Castle should be just wonderful — and may make it easier for those of you in Ireland, the UK, and western Europe to attend an event.

Only one of me, and thankfully, lots and lots of you. It’s just not possible to visit all the fabulous places where you live, and continue to write the books you enjoy. NR

 

 

Conversation

Are you a “Norist?”

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During a chat with Nora’s British editor at RWA, we discussed the upcoming Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy and wondered if Ashford Castle would see a bump in reservations from the series, the way Inn Boonsboro did on the heels of The Inn Boonsboro Trilogy.  (In fact, Little Brown UK plans a contest around the release of Dark Witch in October and the prize will be a stay at Ashford Castle!  Details to come.)

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Nora and Antonia Hodgson from Little Brown UK

Antonia, Nora’s Little Brown UK editor, said she liked to call that boost in guests at the Inn — and potentially Ashford Castle —  “Norism” while the readers who arrange travel based on Nora’s books are “Norists.”  It seems to me that Norists probably have more fun than any other sort of travelers: they are visiting places they loved reading about, they usually travel with like minded friends or (at the very least) patient family members.

Now that we’ve finished with the Italy travelogues, as the summer draws to a close in the Northern Hemisphere while spring dawns in the Southern Hemisphere, I have to ask:  Have you ever set a vacation around one of Nora’s books or series — for instance Ireland, Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Boonsboro?  Or do you plan to?

Please share in the comments. If you have any, please send along any photos of such a trip to me at LMReeth@gmail.com and we can create an album.