August 28, 2012
Last Chance Bride, my latest e-story available on September 4, 2012 from Forever Yours, is a story of a summer wedding. I think the beautiful cover really evokes the summertime.
But, alas, the summer is drawing to a close. And not every bride is a June bride. Take me, for instance. got married on October 1st in 1977 and here is a photo of a very young me entering my parent’s living room just before the ceremony. (I got married at home, not in a church or meeting place.)
Check out the baby’s breath in my ‘fro — a hair style inspired by the wedding scene in the movie A Star is Born with Barbara Streisand. Pretty 1970s huh?
The dress was home made. Mom and I worked on it together. It was cotton organdy over silk taffeta, and it made a nice swishing sound when I walked. We bought the material from Gimbel’s in New York City, back when Gimbels still existed and department stores still had fabric departments. I think the fabric and all of the silk embroidery thread and fancy ribbons came to about $25.00. I did all the embroidery between the tucks on the big leg-o-mutton sleeves using my grandmother’s golden thimble. All the lace was tatted by my Aunt Aunnie and hand sewn in place. Mom did all the machine sewing and all the fitting, using an old-fashioned dress form with my (tiny back then) measurements. We managed to create a wonderful dress with only a few knock down, drag out fights.
So, were you a June bride? Or maybe a mid-summer bride like Sharon Mckee, the heroine of Last Chance Bride?
Whatever the season, I’d love to see you in your wedding dress or whatever outfit you may have eloped in. Sharon certainly had a very interesting wedding dress. Post one of your wedding photos for a chance to win a $25 Barnes & Noble gift certificate and an autographed set of all four Last Chance novels, including the soon-to-be released Last Chance Christmas.
I’ll announce the winner on September 15, 2012.
What I did on my Summer Vacation
August 26, 2012
When I was a child, I spent my summers in a tiny down called Denmark in the state of South Carolina. And that probably explains how Last Chance, South Carolina came to exist — at least in my fertile imagination.
But this year, I didn’t go to South Carolina. I headed for the southwestern corner of Virginia and the Allegheny highlands. And I would have posted all these photos last week as my vacation unfolded, except that I was so off the grid that I not only didn’t have internet, I didn’t even have cell phone service.
Day One: Setting up Camp in Douthat State Park
Our Home away from home
Day Two: It rained. So fishing was put off and we went exploring in the truck. The DH had a blast driving on all those barely paved, muddy roads. We definitely got some mud on the tires. And we saw some awesome scenery.
Let's get a little mud on the tires.
Small Town - Rainy Sunday
Falling Springs Falls -- George Washington was here...
The Humpback bridge
Day Three: The DH went fishin’. I sat in a lawn chair and caught up on my TBR file. Photos of me reading are boring, but the DH looked very nice in that beautiful sweater hand knit by yours truly.
The DH messing with fishing line. Please note the beautiful hand-knit sweater.
Day Four: We spent the day in the canoe and there are no photos because I left the waterproof camera dohicky at home.
Day Five: We took a six mile hike to a waterfall. Not as spectacular as the Falling Spring falls, but situated in a forest of rhododendrons that were so tall you had to walk under them.
Rhododendron Forest -- Douthat State Park Virginia
Small Waterfall
Long, hot hike, icy cold water, pretty pink nails
Day Six: The day dawned perfect and clear. The DH went fishing and left me to laze in bed. I awoke to this view.
The view from my window
After lazing around most of the day I got my act together and made an apple cobbler for dessert. This was cooked in a dutch oven over charcoal. Can you say “pioneer woman!”
Apple cobbler in the pot.
Day Seven: The DH had finally had enough of fishing . . . Okay I convinced him that he needed to diversify his activities. So we went antiquing in Lexington, VA. A lovely little town and the home to both Washington and Lee University and Virginia Military Institute.
Lexington, VA
Day Eight: We struck camp, loaded the canoe on the truck, and folded up the camper and headed for home.
Loading the truck
August 16, 2012
I’m celebrating the soon-to-be-released Christmas in Last Chance, the fourth book in the Last Chance series, and the final book in the Rhodes Family stories, with a Goodreads giveaway of the first book in the series.
Follow the link below to enter. If you’re one of those people who wants to read a series one book right after another. This is your chance. Start with a free copy of Welcome to Last Chance, and you’ll be ready by September 24, when Christmas in Last Chance is available in stores. All of the story questions that were raised in Welcome to Last Chance will be answered Christmas in Last Chance. So you won’t have to wait long . . .
Giveaway ends September 04, 2012.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
