IT’S HARD TO SAY GOODBYE

Today, my dear friend, Marilyn Meredith (F.M. Meredith), writes about ending her long-running Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery series. I have been privileged to edit not only this great series but also her other books. She is a wonderful mystery writer.

If you haven’t yet discovered her books, pick one up. (All books in this series as well as her Deputy Tempe Crabtree series can be read out-of-sequence.)

It's hard to say goodbye.

In this case, it’s saying goodbye to all the folks in Rocky Bluff. Reversal of Fortune, number 17, is the last in this mystery series.

Believe me, it was a hard decision to make, but I had multiple reasons. The first one being police procedure has grown far beyond what I’m capable of writing. Yes, Rocky Bluff is a small town, and the police department is woefully understaffed and underpaid. This has been a good excuse to have a lot of work done in a bigger city. In my mind, I see changes coming in the form of higher salaries and more man (and woman) power.

Another reason is I’m moving along in years and have slowed down quite a bit. Though my characters haven’t aged as fast as I have, I felt it was time to wrap up some of the plot threads which have gone on for a while.

And lastly, it’s become harder and harder to come up with new crimes and plausible murder victims and motives.

It will definitely be hard to say goodbye to the characters I’ve created and grown fond of, including my two detectives: Doug Milligan and Felix Zachary and their families. And of course, there is Officer Gordon Butler, a reader favorite. He’s probably the character who has changed the most over the years, going from a by-the-book cop, who nevertheless, stumbled along in so many areas. His love life was always troubled, too, until he met the woman who becomes his wife.

There are also many folks who have appeared from time to time over the years, sometimes playing bigger roles in what goes on in Rocky Bluff in some books than others. In my mind, each and every one is as real to me as the people I’ve been friends with in my ordinary life.

I’m going to miss the folks who live in Rocky Bluff, the good ones and the ones who aren’t so good.

F.M. Meredith will now go back to being Marilyn Meredith.

To see what happens in the final Rocky Bluff mystery check out Reversal of Fortune.

A fortune teller is murdered in the small beach town of Rocky Bluff, California. The RBPD’s investigation uncovers several suspects—all with motives and opportunity. But which one killed her?

The body of a suspect is discovered on the fortune teller’s property. Clearly, the two killings are related, but how? And who killed them?

Meanwhile, the mayor’s daughter, Kayla, whose best friend is Detective Doug Milligan’s daughter, is upset because her mother’s sister wants her to leave Rocky Bluff to live with her in Los Angeles. Can her friends convince Kayla’s aunt to leave her there with her father?

F.M. Meredith, more commonly known as Marilyn, is the author of over 40 books, mostly mysteries including the popular Tempe Crabtree series. She is a member of two chapters of Sisters in Crime and Public Safety Writers Association. She lives with her husband in the foothills of the Southern Sierra.

Check out her F.M. Meredith page on Amazon as well as her Marilyn Meredith page. And find her book page on Facebook.

When Fiction Becomes Reality

 Today, fellow author and friend, Amy M. Bennett, describes what happens when fiction becomes reality.

 

When an author releases a new book, it’s usually a time of celebration. It was what I anticipated when I released my latest Black Horse Campground mystery, In The Heat of the Moment.

Little did I know when I wrote the fictional story that the events I described would soon become a terrifying reality.

Anyone who has lived in New Mexico for any length of time knows that wildfire season occurs whenever the combination of dry conditions and high winds meet in areas with plenty of fuel for flames. Since we have been in a drought for most of the last few years and since late winter/early spring brings the strongest winds, the Lincoln National Forest, where I live (and where my fictional campground is located), has become a high-risk area for fires.

When I started writing the book a year ago, I recalled the high emotions that accompanied the tragedy of the Little Bear Fire of 2012. This wildfire burned over 44,000 acres in roughly the same area. I used this event as a springboard for the story and figured nine years would be enough time to process it all. I wrote how the fire affected the village of Bonney, the people in the village, and the areas around it, displacing people and destroying property and homes. It added heightened tension to the other, more personal, events taking place in the book. I also wrote how the village came together to help. As Corrie says to J.D. in the book, “When people help when they’re struggling, that’s not just help. That’s love.”

Two weeks after the release of In the Heat of the Moment, the McBride Fire erupted in the village of Ruidoso, a real town near the fictional town of Bonney in my books. Within two days, the fire spread to over four thousand acres and destroyed many homes, including the home of my employer and fellow co-workers. Suddenly, all the emotions I poured into the book came rushing over me, and I felt a horrible dread, almost as if I had been responsible for bringing this tragedy upon my friends and our hometown. Of course, an event as common as a wildfire isn’t something triggered by a writer describing what happened before, but the feelings are there.

What is also there is the reminder that the community has emerged like a phoenix from this type of tragedy before and will rise again, with the help—the love—of those who are struggling as well. This is, fortunately, not just fiction.

In the Heat of the Moment

Things are about to heat up in Bonney County. While winter winds aren't blowing snow, a different storm front brings cold, hard truths to Corrie Black, Sheriff Rick Sutton, and Detective J.D. Wilder. A lack of guests threatens the future of Corrie's campground. Rick's ex-wife, Meghan, now owns the company that carries Corrie's insurance. The person with shocking proof from Meghan's past ends up dead. To what lengths will Rick go to secure a future for Corrie and himself? And where does J.D. fit in all of this? Tempers flare until a raging inferno jeopardizes the Black Horse Campground and the lives of those connected with it.

Amy M. Bennett is the author of The Black Horse Campground mystery series. She currently works as a cake decorator in Alamogordo, NM and a "vino slinger" with Noisy Water Winery in Ruidoso, NM. End of the Road, her first Black Horse Campground mystery, started as a project for National Novel Writing Month in 2009. It won the Oak Tree Press 2012 Dark Oak Mystery contest. This book and her second book in the series, No Lifeguard on Duty, were both awarded The Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval.

She and husband, Paul, currently reside in Bent, New Mexico, with their son, Paul Michael, who grew up believing that having a mother who writes mystery novels is normal.

Visit her website at: http://www.amymbennettbooks.com/ and The Back Deck Blog at: http://amymbennettbooks.blogspot.ca/

Sexual Harassment in Novels

Today, fellow author and friend, Janet Greger (J.L. Greger), talks about writing sexual harassment in novels.

 

Sexual harassment is common in the workplace. #MeToo moments are a way to build empathy in readers for characters and to show, not tell, about what motivates these characters.

The following is an excerpt from the mystery Games for Couples. It’s closely based on a real incident. The character is describing “her longest moment” more than twenty years later to her current partner:

 

“I seldom speak of it. I was an assistant professor at Michigan State and up for tenure. My department head called me at five and ordered me to come to his office at five-thirty. When I arrived, the main office was empty and dark. There was only a desk light on in his attached office.”

 

I closed my eyes and remembered. “My department head was standing in front of the big arched window in his office watering his fig tree, which was at least five feet tall. He turned to me and said, ‘The campus tenure committee doesn’t think you are ready for tenure unless I provide more details. I don’t want to bow to their whims.’”

 

Sanders (the character’s partner) was silent but he put his hand on my shoulder.

 

“I remember I was angry. I blurted out, ‘I have twenty publications in scientific journals—more than enough to win tenure.’ My department head said, ‘They agreed but doubted your teaching credentials.’ I was even angrier as I pointed out that I’d received a small teaching award and had favorable reviews from my classes. He said, ‘Yes, but I didn’t include that info in your file because I didn’t think those details were necessary. Now I’m too busy to bother.’”

 

Sanders grip tightened on my shoulder.

 

“My department head stepped toward me and said, ‘There’s an easy way... to gain my cooperation.’ His brown eyes stared expectantly at me as his right hand reached toward me. The next minute was my longest one. Each second felt like an hour.”

 

You’ll have to read the novel to learn the character’s response, but her comment below gives insight into the long-term effect of the incident.

 

“I forgave that department head years ago. What I couldn’t forget was what I learned about myself… That minute changed me.”

 

Advice for writers: Dramatic moments, like the above #MeToo moment, should not be overly long or overpower the pIot. They are simply tools for developing multi-dimensional characters. As an author you want to build empathy, not sympathy, for the character.

Games for Couples has interesting characters and a strong plot. Here’s a thumbnail sketch:

 

A biotechnology company is desperately racing to develop cultured meat products—meat made from cells in a test tube—-before their competitors. Disaster strikes. A subject in a clinical trial testing one of their new cultured meat product dies. Was his death caused by sloppy mistakes made by the biotechnology company, sabotage by a competitor, or hidden past incidents?

 

In this mystery, four women react differently to sexual harassment but all are changed by their #MeToo moments. The book is available on www.Amazon.com.

J. L. Greger writes is a biologist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison who consulted internationally. The pet therapy dog Bug (shown in the picture) in her novels is exactly like her own stoical Japanese Chin. https://www.jlgreger.com

LOSING ONE’S PUBLISHER

 

Today, fellow writer, John Lindermuth, writes about what happens when an author loses a publisher. We were both published by the same independent publisher who died. It was a challenge for all of us.

 

What's a writer to do when they lose a publisher?

It's a dilemma many of us have faced. It was the situation confronting me with the death of Billie Johnson, publisher of Oak Tree Press. Regaining the rights to Fallen From Grace and Sooner Than Gold, the first two books in my Sheriff Tilghman mystery series published by Oak Tree, was not a problem.

What to do with the books did pose a problem, though.

The two obvious choices were to find another publisher or self-publish. I've always preferred to work with publishers and didn't feel confident in having the technological skills needed to do a good job of self-publishing.

Fortunately, Lawrence Knorr, my publisher at Sunbury Press, had published The Bartered Bride, third book in the series, and he agreed to reissue the first two books under Sunbury's Milford House imprint.

Dilemma solved.

We'd hoped the books would have been out sooner, but the pandemic and other issues slowed the process. Fallen From Grace and Sooner Than Gold were released on January 31 of this year and are now available from the publisher, on Amazon, and from other popular outlets in both print and Kindle formats.

 Sheriff Sylvester Tilghman is the third of his family to serve as sheriff of the small Pennsylvania town of Arahpot in the waning days of the 19th century.

As Fallen From Grace opens, Syl is a man focused on two problems: finding a new deputy and convincing Lydia Longlow, his true love, to accept his latest marriage proposal. The murder of a stranger in town suddenly makes his life more complicated.

In Sooner Than Gold, he confronts a murder victim with too many enemies, a band of gypsies hunting a man who stole one of their young women, a female horse thief, and other problems while still trying to convince Lydia to marry him.

The books were popular with readers in their first inception, and I believe, for those who haven't read them, lovers of cozy and historical mysteries will enjoy them. Oh, and I might mention, By Strangers Mourn'd, a fourth book in the series will be coming next.

Here's a short blurb for Fallen From Grace:

The 19th century is coming to a close, and Sheriff Tilghman is focused on his two biggest problems: Finding a new deputy and convincing his true love, Lydia, to marry him.

But his problems are about to get more complicated.

The town’s usual tranquility is shaken to the core.

A stranger has been killed.

And one for Sooner Than Gold:

It’s the summer of 1898. The nation, just coming out of an economic slump, has been at war with Spain since April. And Sylvester Tilghman, sheriff of Arahpot, Jordan County, Pennsylvania, has a murder victim with too many enemies. There’s Claude, who is found standing with a knife in his hand over the body. There’s Rachel, a surly teen who admits she intended to cause harm. Then there’s the band of gypsies who claim the victim is the goryo who stole one of their young women. If this isn’t enough to complicate Tilghman’s life, add in threats to his job, a run-in with a female horse thief; scary predictions by a gypsy fortuneteller, and the theft of Doc Mariner’s new motorcar, plus, plenty of good eating, church-going and socializing. And, before all is over, Sylvester solves the crime and even comes a little closer to his goal of finally marrying longtime girlfriend Lydia Longlow.

J. R. Lindermuth is the author of 19 novels, including eight in the Sticks Hetrick mystery series set in a fictional rural community near Harrisburg, PA. A retired newspaper editor/writer, he is now librarian of his county's historical society where he assists patrons with research and genealogy. He has published stories and articles in a variety of magazines, both print and on line. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and is a past vice president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society.

Additional information on his books and writing is available at www.jrlindermuth.net

THE IRISH SIDE

Several years ago, I wrote about some of my Danish ancestors. My dad’s mother was Irish, and her family is interesting, too.

My second great-grandmother, Margaret Lyons, was born in Skibbereen, Cork, Ireland in 1843. She arrived in the US in 1853 when she was nine-years-old with her parents, Timothy Lyons and Catherine Lane. Both were from County Cork, Ireland. (I have traced their families farther back, but I will write about those who came to this country.)

In 1861, She married Edward Eamon (or Joseph—records differ) Connolly, born in 1834 in Carrickmacross, Monaghan, Ireland. He was twenty-seven, and she was eighteen.

Their daughter, Catherine (Kit or Kate) Connolly, born in 1862 in Danville, Illinois, was my great-grandmother.

She married Thomas Anthony McNamara, born in 1860 in Streator, Illinois in 1881 in LaSalle County, Illinois. She was nineteen-years-old and he was twenty-one. I have no photos of Thomas.

They had seven children, of whom my grandmother, Margaret Imelda, was number five. She was born in Streator, Illinois in 1897.

In 1915, when Margaret was eighteen-years-old, she married Henry Ramsbottom Lund in Utah. He was twenty-nine. (I think my brother resembled the photo below.)

Their marriage was a bit of a problem because he came from a Utah Mormon pioneer family, and Margaret’s family was Catholic. Grandpa once told me he had a shotgun wedding. “Her brother came after me with a shotgun!”

They moved to Nevada, where my dad, Henry LaRay Lund, was born in Ely in 1916.

Grandpa grew up on a cattle ranch in Spring City, Utah. He was also a blacksmith and a talented cabinetmaker. During the Great Depression, he was never out of work. (He worked in the smithy behind his house until about two years before he died.)

Grandpa’s older brother homesteaded in Alberta, Canada. He had a large ranch. So, Grandpa packed up his family and moved there.

While living on the ranch, my two aunts, Rose Imelda and Mary Evelyn, were born.

The family moved again, this time to California to join several of Grandpa’s siblings.

When Dad was six, Rose was three, and Mary Evelyn was eighteen months, their mother died. (I was told the photo above was taken after their mother passed away, and she was added.)

The children were sent to live with Grandpa’s older sister, Sarah Edith. She had raised Grandpa and several of his siblings after his own mother passed away when he was nine-years-old. (She had given birth to thirteen children.)

When Rose was old enough to go to school, the girls moved in with their McNamara aunts in Alhambra, California. Dad lived with Aunt Edith in Riverside, CA, and Grandpa lived in Hawthorne, CA. They didn’t see him often.

When Dad was fourteen and ready to start high school, he returned to live with his dad. When Rose entered high school, Dad brought the girls home. He saw to it that both finished high school.

Dad married my mother, Vera Mary Methven, in 1942. He was twenty-eight, and she was twenty-four.

Dad was serving in the US Army in WWII at the time. Until the end of 1945, they were apart.

Dad returned home, and in 1946, I was born. In 1949, my brother, Ronald Travis Lund joined the family.

We moved to a brand-new house in Alhambra, California in November of 1948, just months before Ron was born.

Dad died in 1954. I was seven. Ron was four.

When Ron passed away in August of 2020, we found an outline for a book about an idealized childhood among his things. Larry and I decided to complete the book. Since we all grew up in the same neighborhood, the memories in the book include both of ours as well as my brother’s. The book, Dominic Drive, was published in January of 2021.

I wrote about more than my Irish roots, but they led to my being where I am today.

Are you interested in your own genealogy? I have done extensive researched on mine and Larry’s. We have found many surprises along the way.

A PERFECT DISNEY DAY

 My grandmother took my mother, brother, and me to Disneyland in August of 1955 to celebrate my ninth birthday. I LOVED it! Larry’s family went for the first time in March of 1956 and visited to celebrate his brother and his birthdays nearly every year when they were growing up. Larry’s love affair with theme parks began with his first visit as well.

When we were dating, we went there several times. One of those times inspired a scene in Larry’s book of short stories, Lakeview Park. You can find it in the chapter on “George.”

The scene takes place on the Matterhorn ride. They have since changed the ride vehicles so each passenger has a separate seat. Larry was sad to see the changes.

We also attended the first and second New Year’s Eve parties in the park. They were sponsored by local radio station KRLA. Since they were new at the time, not too many people went. However, by the third year, ticket prices went up, and many more people went. We stopped going.

But our love for theme parks took us on the adventure of our lives. (We call ourselves “theme park junkies.”) Larry was hired as a Project Engineer for the Universal Studios Japan theme park. I was offered a job in the Osaka office to commence once we arrived in the country. We lived there for thirty-one months, and wrote a book about our experiences. This launched our second careers.

We visited Disneyland throughout our daughter’s childhood. She loved it as much as we did. She even worked there for five years as a second job, during which time, we bought annual passes each year (the unlimited ones with parking included). Often we called each other at work. “Do you want to meet at Disneyland for dinner?” I’d contact Kim to see when she would get her dinner break. Then we would drive to the park to see her.

In 2005, Kim’s company moved her to Dallas, Texas. She obviously had to give up her job at Disneyland. In addition, they raised the prices outrageously. We decided not to renew our passes.

In 2021, for our anniversary and my birthday, we decided to complete one of my bucket-list items: to spend a night at the Grand Californian Hotel. I loved the building the first time I saw it. It was inspired by the Ahwahnee Hotel at Yosemite, a place I had always wanted to visit. We spent two nights and got park tickets for three days.

After this wonderful getaway, we realized how much we had missed our park passes. So, we deiced to get new ones—despite the outrageous prices.

The only way to make them worthwhile was to go at lest twice a month, and we have. I also call it “theme park aerobics” because we walk many miles each time we go.

Last Tuesday, we went to the park. On the bus from the Toy Story parking lot, we met a neat couple. We discussed what the park was like in the early days. We were able to tell them about our book, Dominic Drive, which contains a description of a family trip to Disneyland in 1964. This trip is totally accurate as to the rides and attractions which were there at the time.

Because we go often, we don’t have a major agenda of rides we have to go on. We decided to head for the Jungle Cruise. We had a delightful young woman as captain. She had a few new jokes, so it was fun.

Pirates of the Caribbean was closed, so we detoured through the French Quarter. Ever since we got our new passes in October, we have been trying to get reservations at the Blue Bayou Restaurant. No luck. However, since the ride isn’t working, they put a wall on the ride side of the restaurant. To our surprise, we got reservations! We used to celebrate special occasions there. Since Larry’s birthday was the week before, we were thrilled to be able to go there to celebrate.

We went on the Haunted Mansion (with a new scene) and the Mark Twain paddle-wheeler. We met Doogie, who is one of the operators. We had a great conversation with him.

As we were getting off, we noticed they were bringing the three-masted ship Columbia online. They haven’t run this one for quite some time. So, after lunch, we went back to ride it. We met a couple of nice ladies from Canada and enjoyed talking to them.

We boarded the train and discovered they were running the caboose. We asked and were allowed to ride in it. Took the train around the park and met some other nice people.

Our passes allow us to change parks after one o’clock. So, we crossed over using the monorail to get to Downtown Disney.

We love to stop in the hotel lobby to listen to the piano before we go to California Adventure. Just as we got there, we noticed someone getting ready to play. We recognized her as our friend, Peggy Dusquesnel. We have known her for years and loved her playing. She asked what we wanted to hear, and she did about twenty minutes of our favorites. What a special treat!

We stopped in California Adventure, but all the wait times for the rides were especially long. The place was packed because of the Wine & Food Festival. Since it was already after three o’clock, we decided to head home.

The entire day was filled with Disney magic and charm.

My Sis’s Angel

I first met my “sis” when I was two years old. My family moved into our new house in Alhambra, California two doors away from Kathleen’s family. There were lots of kids in the neighborhood, so we always had playmates. Over the years, Kathleen and I remained good friends. 

Suzanne Van Clief, Diane Graham, Kathleen Murphy, Susie Tabulara, me, Carol Provinse

She was my maid-of-honor when I got married, and I was her matron-of-honor. 

1965 Wedding Kathleen, me, Larry, Virgil Thomas

On June 18, 2020, I received a message from Kathleen’s husband: “After a month-long illness, Kathleen entered eternity early this morning at Huntington Hospital. 75 years 9 months.”

She had been hospitalized after many months of physical difficulties. I got to speak with her a few days before this message. She was upbeat and talked a lot about going home and all the things she intended to do when she got there. She went home, but not to her earthly home.

We shared many interests, but one of them was our love of angels. We both had LOTS of them. Nearly every room in my home has angels in it somewhere. Many rooms have multiples. This is the secretary in the entrance. There are also more in the entry and the living room. One of my guest rooms is full of them.

A couple of these were gifts from my daughter. Most others were from friends. 

Two belonged to dear friends, now deceased.

We promised Kathleen we would spread a few of her ashes in Ireland. We plan to do it soon.

Yesterday, we met her widower to receive the ashes. In addition to those, he brought me some other items that were hers. Among them was an angel. “I know you also collected these and thought you might like to have this one.”

I was delighted to receive it. It now sits in my downstairs guest bath. This one is Baccarat crystal and sits on a lighted base. I love the way it looks, and I will always think of my own angel in Heaven every time I see it. What a thoughtful and precious gift.

 

Left Coast Crime

 Are you going to Left Coast Crime in Albuquerque on April 7-10, 2022?

It’s a conference for mystery writers and readers.

You can help support Great Little Libraries in New Mexico.

 

Background on Great Little Libraries Program. In 2019, the State of New Mexico identified its fifty smallest public libraries in rural areas. These libraries are on pueblos, in unincorporated towns, or in towns with small commercial sectors. Thus, municipal tax support is usually non-existent, and the New Mexico Rural Library Endowment Fund provides a maximum of $2,500 a year to individual libraries. Most of these libraries were created by grass-root efforts of citizens in the community and function with no paid employees.

Community public libraries are a valuable resource in any state. However, they are particularly important in New Mexico because the state ranked 50^th in K-12 education programs in 2018.

Croak and Dagger, the New Mexico chapter of Sisters in Crime, created the Great Little Libraries Adventure to help these fifty smallest public libraries several years ago. We try to supply these libraries with books by our authors and offer to do programs and displays for them to encourage reading and writing. The board for Left Coast Crime agreed to adopt our Croak and Dagger Program in 2021. Thus, all funds raised at the charity auction and all books left over from the Left Coast Crime conference in Albuquerque on April 7-10 will be distributed to New Mexico’s fifty smallest libraries. So, be sure to donate books and bid on items if you attend the conference. For more details on Left Coast Crime see: https://www.leftcoastcrime.org/2022.

Libraries may use the funds for materials, services to support community literacy, or infrastructure challenges that inhibit the library’s literacy mission. Croak & Dagger will request a brief report from each library about how the donation has addressed literacy initiatives in that community.

Learn more about rural towns and pueblos in New Mexico. Although many of the pueblos of New Mexico are famous for their pottery and casinos, agriculture is still a major source of income on the pueblos. If you want to get in the mood for your visit to Left Coast Crime or just want to learn a little about rural life in New Mexico, read a book about the problems in New Mexico agriculture today.

Life is tough on the pueblos of the Southwest. Opportunities and water are always limited. In the thriller, A POUND OF FLESH, SORTA, life gets a lot tougher on the Acoma pueblo when the plague hits the livestock and one man is killed in mysterious accident in a nearby meat packing plant while another disappears. Scientist Sara Almquist thinks she has clues to solve the mysteries if she's not killed first.

Book at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560

J. L. Greger was a faculty member in the College of Agriculture and Life Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for many years and was involved in a number of outreach program in rural areas. She is now an active member of Croak and Dagger, the New Mexico chapter of Sisters in Crime. https://www.jlgreger.com

Coming Home

 I always love it when our kids come home to visit. This past couple of years have been challenging, what with Covid and travel restrictions.

Our Japanese “son,” Toshi, used to come to California on business several times a year. He extended each trip by a few days so he could come to Dana Point for a visit. He was actually here with us the day foreign travel was shut down in 2020. We suggested he just remain here, but he said he had obligations in Japan. He flew out that night, and we hadn’t seen him since.

We all bemoaned his inability to travel during the time he was gone.

However, he is now fully vaccinated, and the restrictions have been lifted—or at least lightened. He arrived on May 3 for over three weeks with us, and we were so happy to see him!

When he comes, he brings two laptop computers and continues to participate in Zoom meetings and to do work while he is here. I keep urging him to take a REAL vacation. Also, because his clients are in Asia, most of his meetings are late at night or in the wee hours of the morning. Sleep is a luxury for him!

He has many friends here in Orange County and San Diego. So, while he is here, he plans visits to see them. We still have three cars, so he uses mine during his stays.

If he goes out drinking with his friends, he always texts me to let me know he is spending the night where he is, rather than driving home. I appreciate his thoughtfulness and consideration.

While he was here, we went to Disneyland with him one day. We were pleased that he could get a ticket and that we could make reservations for the same day. We had a great time!

He took several early morning walks at the marina with us, and we enjoyed having him. On his last evening, we took the Bluff Top Trail (or the Hide Trail) just before sunset. It is short, but it has gorgeous views of the harbor, which we all enjoyed.

Larry meets several of his friends via Zoom a couple of times a month. Most of them are retired, and some live away from California. Since Toshi knows most of them, Larry invited him to join them for a meeting.

He was very impressed. He said his father is retired, but he has no relationships with any other men since his retirement. Toshi wants to create a template for the kind of group he observed here. He wants market it to companies as part of their retirement packages as a way for former employees to stay in touch. I certainly hope he can find a way to make it work.

Since he knows many of our friends, he attended a number of events and church with us.

Like our daughter, Kim, Toshi has favorite restaurants to visit while he is here. One is our favorite, The Harbor Grill in Dana Point Harbor. We enjoyed a lovely dinner there with him.

He also wanted an American steak before he left. We had a meal at the Claim Jumper. He and Larry each ordered a different steak and then shared them so they could taste both.

He always has items to purchase while he is here in California. This time, he bought two pairs of driving shoes. Several years ago, we bought him a pair. He told us they are now worn out.

He also looked for T-shirts. He likes simple ones without designs. He found a couple he liked.

One Saturday morning, we went down to the Outlets at San Clemente for Cars and Coffee. He loves fast cars, and there were plenty of them for him to look at. Afterward, we ate brunch at Ruby’s Diner.

His stay was over far too quickly. He flew to San Francisco, where he planned to spend a couple of days. Then he took two days to visit the Napa Valley. He swore he was taking a real vacation while he was there.

He will fly back to Tokyo in a couple of days from San Francisco. He hopes to be back here again in a few months. We certainly hope this will be possible since we thoroughly enjoy having him.