Friday, July 5, 2013

My Independence Day

Yarn to Go came out on Tuesday, but I waited until Wednesday to go to the closet Barnes & Noble to see it on the shelves. It was nice to see they had some copies in New Mystery and some on the bestseller tower. I signed them all and left a supply of bookmarks.

Wednesday I was the guest blogger on Dru’s Musings and my publisher had offered a book for a giveaway to someone who left a comment. It was fun to read all the comments. Many of the commenters had read the Crochet Mysteries and it was nice to hear how much they enjoyed them.

Thursday I made the rounds to a couple more Barnes & Nobles and signed stock. But that was only part of the outing. The ride to get to them took us through rolling hills dotted with California Oaks, then mountains, the Conejo Valley and finally down the steep grade that leads into Camarillo. That part of the ride offers a fabulous view of fields of strawberries, hillsides dotted with houses, rugged mountain and the ocean.

Even though it was a holiday, the Barnes & Nobles were both busy. I’m always happy to see busy bookstores.

After signing the stock at the B & N in Ventura, we went to my favorite ice cream place. It also happens to be my character Molly Pink’s favorite. You can buy McConnell’s ice cream in a number of grocery stores, but they have only two shops that scoop it fresh. The main one is in Santa Barbara and there is a tiny one in Ventura.

Not only did we get what I consider to be the best ice cream in the world, but there was entertainment. The ice cream shop is tiny, but they have a patio and a local blues band was performing. A small but appreciative audience of ice cream eaters had gathered outside. One woman was dancing. The band was really good and it was clear they enjoyed performing. It was like the cherry on a sundae.

Our day was not done. On the way back we went to the outlet mall. By now it was evening and the sky was a hazy apricot. The ocean breeze had a nice hint of chill. All the stores were having a holiday sale. I looked, my husband found everything he needed at a bargain price.

By the time we left, it was dark and we retraced our route up the steep grade between dark looming mountains and left the ocean behind. As we were passing Thousand Oaks, the fireworks were beginning. Bright pops of color lit the sky. It was almost a constant show all the way home as we passed one fireworks display after the other.

A lovely end to a lovely day.

5 comments:

Planner said...

I love the description of your day. It sounds perfect!

I have already finished Yarn to Go, and it's a winner for sure! Congratulations! I love the new series in the beautiful Monterey setting, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Linda O. Johnston said...

What a fun-sounding day of celebrating both the holiday and the exciting debut of your new novel, Betty! I'm also an ice cream lover. Looks like I'd better make an outing to Ventura or Santa Barbara one of these days.

Betty Hechtman said...

Planner, thanks for the good wishes!

Betty Hechtman said...

Linda, you don't have to go all the way to Ventura or Santa Barbara if you want to taste McConnell's. Whole Foods sells it as does Gelson's, though only limited flavors.

I hope you are feeling better.

Chrystle Fiedler said...

What a lovely day! Thanks for sharing it with all of us!