The writing hasn’t been going so well lately. Maybe the Mojo has left the building.
However, I gave up on writing once before and it took me many, many years to get back to it. I would rather not do that again, at least not yet. So I’m doing things tangentially related to writing, just to keep my hand in. I’m still writing my 750 words a day, but most of that writing is like pulling teeth. It’s not pretty; it’s also not fiction or in any other way marketable.
I’m also still posting on my blog and planning my Million Word Party. Yes, you’re invited. It’s on August 2nd. Other details will be posted soon.
In the meantime, I promised more vacation pictures from the Ladies Weekend I spent with Sis and some of the cousins. Part of it was in Monterey and part of it was in the central coast area/Paso Robles.
While in Paso Robles we visited wineries, of course, but the best part of being there was simply relaxing at the house my cousin Cecelia found for us called (I kid you not) Rancho Deeluxe. Here are a few Paso Robles pictures for you.
Rancho Deeluxe – a gorgeous log home, with views
We spent as much time as possible on the deck featured above, drinking coffee in the morning and wine at night, and looking at the surrounding countryside.
A view from the east deck
There were hummingbirds. I see them occasionally in Illinois, but I’d never seen any like the ones who visited the trees and flowers around Rancho Deeluxe. I wish I could have taken a picture that would do this little guy justice, but he was a fast little sucker!
Hummingbird – probably an Anna’s
I woke in the mornings to what sounded like a golf cart. The nearest neighbor made his rounds of the vineyard in the evenings and in the mornings, often with a small child in the passenger seat and a big black dog scouting ahead.
View from my bedroom window
Naturally, I wanted to note my impressions of my glorious vacation surroundings. We hardly ever used the den, so I made it my writing area. I described every sensation I could, but much of my writing time was spent pondering what a great writing retreat one could have at Rancho Deeluxe.
Where I sat to write, mornings
Rancho Deeluxe will sleep up to 15 people. I’d go back in a heartbeat, and sharing with a bajillion people would make it more affordable. So. Who’s up for a writing retreat?