Meet My Driver

Meet my driver, traveling companion, guidance councilor, next door neighbor and all around great girl Elena.  I have been blessed for over 20 years  of friendship with her and her husband. The two of them have provided me with unending support and love. 12 years ago they created Zoe, my audience and swimming buddy.  I started telling her my stories when she was two, while swimming with her on a family vacation.

Four years ago, my husband and I bought the house next door while visiting on vacation. Since then, I have become serious about writing and illustrating picture books by joining the SCBWI and attending as many conferences and classes that I can. At first I went on my own but this has a few draw backs. The first being I HATE to drive! Honestly, I have not gone to event because I just did not want to drive, I really hate driving!

Elena loves it, hence she always drives and I am the GPS.  We go old school and insisting on maps so we can explore!

Secondly, I would always go and come back again with no time spent to see something of the area I was in.  I have spent years in a lot of different places and never seen anything because I feel I have to get there and then home again. Elena is never in a rush to get here or there while traveling. She is a master of the Sunday drive and can stretch that 2 hour dash home into a day long extravaganza of living life to it's fullest.


Yesterday, we were returning from Keene, NH.  I had attended the Keene State Universities 2014 Children's Literature Festival. I absorbed a lot of information during the day, listened to five fantastic presentations  that all opened my eyes in different ways. As a plus, I toured an incredible collection of  PB art; talked to author Richard Michelson about dogs;  and ran into the talented Gina, who is a fellow pre-published writer illustrator and a new friend.  All of which was wonderful in itself but without my meandering driver/friend I would have missed this...

A view from the top of Pack Monadnock

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The Boston view - You can see the city on the horizon

and during the lunch break I would not have walked over to the next building on campus to watch a match of women's volley ball. The Keene State girls were an impressive site. Go Owls!

We also stayed a few nights, walked around the town, had some fabulous meals and a lot of laughs.

We topped off the weekend with a little shopping. I purchased a serious pair of hiking boot! I hate to drive but I recall I love to hike!