What A Weekend, Y'all

FRIDAY: I zipped up the 15 to visit Meritage at Callaway for lunch. This pan seared Mexican sea bass paired with a glass of Pinot Gris was a marvelous pairing. I especially loved how the romesco sauce transformed the wine to bring out the spice when I ate the fish, yet was more agreeable when I ate the asparagus, butter potatoes, and the tomatoes. I'd gladly order this again, but only after I sample a number of tapas and entrees from the new Fall menu.

I not only continued the Pinot Gris party with Sweet Maui Onion chips in the tasting room, I read another chapter of Upton Sinclair's Oil. In the bag there's a new trucker style cap, a ceramic tile coaster, and a jar of raspberry jalapeno preserves that's guaranteed to give my morning toast a nice kick of heat.

The tasting room was quite lively during my visit, and this party trailer was one of two reasons why. 

SATURDAY: My upcoming overnight stay in Temecula Valley reminded me I'm overdue for a Barnes & Noble trip. Not only did I buy the latest issues of Writer's Digest, Atomic Ranch and Wine Enthusiast, I picked up Elmore Leonard's Picket Line so I have two novella length books to read in December.

I also have Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, and Meditations by Marcus Aurelius to read during January and February.

SUNDAY: Before sunrise The Porch Gods delivered this blue topography print Ridge wallet to Le Crash Pad. It was only $69.99, and now I have a second Ridge wallet for every day use.

Before I wrap this up, I'm pleased to announce I'm two thirds of the way through my novel's third round of edits. The writing is just about good enough for publication, which means I'll need to do one last round before I pronounce the manuscript ready for review.

This thrills me since I can start researching prospective agents and/or publishers that may be willing to give a sci-fi romance novel a puncher's chance. I haven't done it in roughly a decade and a half, but I look forward to writing (and editing!) a synopsis, a query letter, and a brief biography.

I already have a non de plume ready to go. Two, actually.