Monday Morning Musing: Mini-Vacay & a Parade

Did you enjoy Mother's Day? My family made sure I did. Dinner with daughter's family, breakfast with son's, a walk along the channel leading to Lake Michigan. The weather wasn't so great, but at least it wasn't raining.

https://www.bayshore-resort.com/

https://www.bayshore-resort.com/

Last week, Hubs and I took a mini-vacation. A couple of days up in Traverse City. We stayed at the Bayshore Resort right on Grand Traverse Bay. In fact, our room had a balcony with lawn chairs where we could watch the wildlife--a pair of geese and their babies plus plenty of seagulls--and enjoy the quiet lull of the waves. Since Traverse City is about a three-hour drive north of us, I expected the weather to be cooler. On our first day, the sun was shining and the temp reached the high 70s. Delightful. Second day was cooler by a couple of degrees and the sun played hide-and-seek with the clouds. That night the rain came and didn't let up until we were almost home.

It was great getting away for a couple of days. I found the hotel on Groupon, which had a great rate. May is not a heavy tourist month in northern Michigan. Still, we had a fun time. Many shops hadn't opened for the summer yet. My favorite one in Leland called Two Fish Gallery was. 

I found my Mother's Day gift there--from Hubs. He just didn't know it until I told him. He and the clerk had a good laugh over him saying I wasn't his mother so he didn't need to get me a gift. It's called an art pole and goes in garden. I think it will go on my deck instead.

We got home in time to go to the Kinderparade, part of Holland's Tulip Time Festival. Oldest granddaughter marched along with her 5th grade class. The Kinderparade is the only one of the three big parade's during the festival that we attend. On the way back to our car, I found a food truck offering oliebollens. I mentioned them in last week's post. I said the Dutch pastry had about a thousand calories. I was wrong. More like two thousand, with the choice of lemon, Bavarian cream, or chocolate filling. But, oh my, was it good. I did share with Hubs, so maybe I didn't eat all those calories. And doesn't sharing mean all the calories drop off?

This is blog-week. Somehow, the middle of the month always catches me unawares. Besides my regular Weekend Writing Warrior blog, Sunday was the 13th and that meant my monthly blog on Paranormal Romantics. How could I write about anything other than Mother's Day? Wednesday is double-duty day. My 3rd Wednesday of the month Family Life column on Pandora's Box Gazette will be about Date Night, and since it's also the 16th, my regular blogging date on The Roses of Prose. I haven't written that post yet, so it will be a surprise. LOL

In between all that, I'm finishing the first draft for Numbers Never Lie, the romantic suspense that is taking for-ev-er to complete. After the writing retreat I went to a couple of weekends ago, I got so many ideas for that story, thanks to our speaker Jennifer Probst, that will make my story better.

One more thing this week: I'll be at the Saranac (Michigan) Public Library for Ladies Night Out on Thursday. If you're in the mid-Michigan area, I hope you'll stop by and say hi.

I guess that's it for this week's edition of Monday Morning Musing. Have a great week.

PS Don't forget that during the month of May, 25% of the proceeds from my science fiction romance The Chameleon (An Outer Rim Novel) will go to the ALS Association. You can read snippets from The Chameleon on Weekend Writing Warriors this month.

#TulipTime #Authors4ALSA

It's a beautiful Monday morning here in West Michigan. The sun is shining, the temp is in the high 60s, low humidity. And it's Tulip Time. West Michigan was settled by the Dutch in the 1800s. The settlers brought bits of home as a reminder of their origins, including tulips. 

After the winter that was, I didn't think the tulips would be blooming in time for the annual festival. (One year, the tulips bloomed too soon, so they called it Stem Fest.)

Holland, Michigan (on the east coast of Lake Michigan) goes all out for Tulip Time. Parades, Kloppen dancing in the streets, crafts, music, food. OMG, FOOD! Maybe I should've waited until after the festival before joining Weight Watchers. Lots of Dutch specialties--like pigs-in-a-blanket, giant (the size of a baseball) meatballs & mashed potatoes with kale covered with gravy, oliebollen (delicious doughnut-like pastry with about a thousand calories).

At the marktplaats, you can buy Dutch treats, memorabilia, wooden shoes, and many more items that you don't need but are so cute, lovely, unusual you can't resist.

They also have the usual carnival rides and "fair food" like elephant ears, popcorn, etc.

If you want to know more, click here.

www.leakirk.com/supporting-als.html

During the month of May, twelve science fiction and paranormal romance writers are donating 25% of their royalties for their special Blue Cover books to the ALS Association, an organization dedicated to providing ALS patients and their families with a multitude of different types of assistance, and continuing research to find a cure for this deadly disease..

I'm donating 25% of my royalties from my sci-fi romance, The Chameleon (An Outer Rim Novel) to ALSA in memory of Stephen Hawking. Despite the debility of ALS, he accomplished so much in the field of physics and cosmology.

Legally Blond meets Mata Hari

Socialite Jileena Winslott has perfected the image of the spoiled, rich, bubble-headed daughter of an industrial magnate. In reality, she’s a smart, savvy aide to her father in social situations where she is his eyes and ears. She yearns to be her true self and run the family business. When her father sends her on a covert mission to the Outer Rim, she has the chance to prove herself. Big problem. He insists she take along a fake fiancé—the man she’s secretly loved for years.

Security Officer Laning Servary has better things to do than babysit a spoiled rich girl on a tour of the Frontier. If he refuses, he can kiss his career good-by. Then Jileena’s father sweetens the pot. If Laning keeps her safe, his family will receive the land they share-crop. He can’t refuse.

In the close quarters of her ship, Laning and Jileena discover they aren’t who they seem. Pirates, weather, and her recklessness threaten to derail the mission. As Laning and Jileena revise their impressions of each other, they’ll have to make hard choices about their goals. Can their budding love survive?

Amazon ~ Amazon UK ~ Kobo ~ iBooks ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

Have a great week!