About 28 years ago, before I returned to school for my Ph.D. in English at the University of Massachusetts, I worked as a technical writer at Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories in Richland, Washington. I met my partner, Valerie, in graduate school, and, in one of those odd coincidences that makes for a good story, she is the sister of the wife of one of my best buddies from my Richland days. Okay, so it’s not that great of a story…but it amuses the four of us, in-laws and out-laws.
So when my buddy, Lance, and his wife, Terri (Valerie’s sister), offered to host a book party for me at their home on the Yakima River, I was really pleased to be able to meet new readers and to see some old friends from back in the day. Terri is a serious gardener and the weather was gorgeous, so the setting was perfect:
View from the Yakima River
Along with some old friends from my Battelle days there were several folks there with North Dakota and South Dakota connections, and lots of homesteading stories. One guest even had a picture with him of his homesteading grandmother on a (really good looking) horse. It was a fun crowd of avid readers. Good readers, good food, good wine, cold gin and tonics…perfect. Thanks, Lance and Terri!
On the patio, post-reading
Happily signing books
Max, Terri and Lance's Bernese Mountain Dog. He's beautiful, but their other dog, Scout, is the perfect one.