|
Click
here to see the complete list of Express
stops. Hope to see you on the road! |
Leg 2 Monday, July 11th, 2005 Where we are: on I-80 near Reynoldsville, PA Listening to: Bob & Tom There have been a few events this trip that have given us pause. We're normally too busy chatting away and brainstorming and listening to news radio to reflect on how dangerous crisscrossing this great country of ours can be. Then we're reminded in a vivid, unforgettable fashion. As we were twice today. First, we pass a semi that has gone off the highway on the opposite side of the road. The cab is in tact, even though the entire rig is on its side, so chances that the driver made it out okay are good. Then, a couple of miles farther down on our side of the highway, we spot another semi that didn't fare as well. The load is mangled and nearly unrecognizable, the entire top of the cab peeled back as if by a monster can-opener. Tony and I soberly consider the abandoned wreck, hoping the driver is okay, and reflecting on the many times we've driven in the middle of the night, exhausted and employing every tactic at our disposal to stay not only awake but alert. But in the end, we're all too aware that all it takes is one unintentional droop of the eyelids... I truly don't know how truck drivers do it. Day in, day out. Behind the wheel of a growling, heavy beast, racing toward an arrival time pushed back by traffic delays and a sometimes never-ending line of orange barrels. I think of their families. Of the wives and children waiting for them at home. Of the long hours without human contact when the drone of the engine threatens to lull them into a dangerous sleep. Mostly, I'm on this side of the awareness line behind a weaving truck, hoping the driver stays in his lane so I can get by without incident. But today I say a quiet prayer wishing them all well in their honest, hardworking quest to provide for their families and thanklessly for all of us, seeing that our books make it to stores, and that the latest styles are hung on the racks at our favorite department stores, fresh food on grocery store shelves, and mail in our mailbox. Thank you... Sunday, July 10th, 2005 Where we are: Webster, Mass Listening to: NPR on the approach of Hurricane Dennis Reluctantly -- we wish we had a few more days to stay and absorb more of the history rich area -- we hitch up the Express and head two hours to the west for Webster, Mass and the Booklovers Gourmet. We'd hoped to make it up closer to Boston and Framingham and Natick, both destinations suggested  by
wonderful Barbara Canary who'd emailed us some time back and invited us
to stop by. But last minute plans to meet Georgia Sarianides of Cooking
with Georgia fame and her gorgeous daughter Despina aka Daisy outside
the bookstore at noon before our signing make any additional stops impossible.
(Thanks so much, Barbara, for your emails! We'll cross paths yet...)I can't believe we didn't get pics of Georgia and Despina! I mean, we're always taking pictures of everything, and here we completely forgot the camera in my ever present bag and immediately established a repartee with the two energetic women who are perched to take America by storm with their delicious, easy Greek-American recipes and television show. You see, Georgia is from a small town not far from where Tony was born near Olympia, Greece and after meshing well on a personal level -- so well, we're all wondering if Georgia and Tony aren't related in some way! -- all thoughts of photos and travel logs quickly faded away and we chatted about everything under the sun, including possible fun collaborations in the future. Definitely keep posted for more about developing plans in the months to come! Afterward, we head to the charming Booklovers Gourmet a couple of houses up where we meet the equally charming bookseller Debra Horan and her mother (later her father drops in). She brings us delicious coffee (the store offers wonderful beverages and sweets to customers as well) and settle into the cozy dining area where Kim of Romance Junkies is waiting with her beautiful daughter Sammi. Shortly thereafter her husband and two sons Matt and Billy also come inside, and we spend a leisurely afternoon chatting about books and amusement parks (Cedar Point is only 45 minutes away from us here in Toledo, Ohio and we try to get there every summer, even though nausea-inducing rollercoasters are no longer our rides of choice. The train ride and IMAX theatre are more our speed now<vbg>). From what we understand, a reporter from the local newspaper dropped in while we were chatting and taking pictures and she'll be featuring a shot of the event in a coming issue. So residents of Webster take notice! And remember that Booklovers Gourmet is the place to pick up a signed copy of Sofie, along with make some warm and wonderful new friends and cool off with a delicious iced coffee... Saturday, July 9th, 2005 Where we are: Sharon, Mass Listening to: NPR program on medical marijuana Yes! The sky has cleared and the temps warm up, presenting us with a picture perfect day with which to play. We begin by heading up to Sharon, Mass to visit Merry Cutler and her two Pauls at Annie's Book Stop, a wonderful place we've been looking forward to visiting for what seems like forever. It's everything we imagined and more. We add Tony's baklava to a table filled with homemade cream puffs and brownies and a carafe of none other than Sofie's trademark Nescafe Frappe! We settled in to chat with Merry (while her son Paul3 works the register and her dh Paul is hiding somewhere in the back for the duration). But it isn't long before Kathy comes in with her two angels Christina and Dimitri. Yes, she's of Greek-American extraction and humbles and flatters us with her thoughts on Sofie, which she's already read. Her own yiayia also comes along with Pam (Panayiota), and immediately we all talk over each other in Greek, sharing experiences and trading stories. Reader Donna must think we're all crazy, but she generously and thankfully hangs around anyway, indulging us. A little while later Mary, Carolee and Robert stop in. And so does Dianne, who pays us the ultimate compliment by saying how real our books are. Then who should walk through the door but delightful Dolores Silva of D's Book Service! She and her husband Roy made the trip up from Providence for a visit and we all chat with Merry and Paul as if we're all there for a social visit rather than a signing. Time flies, and again we stay way over our scheduled time, touring Paul's fantastic train collection in the cellar of the store, and visiting the Greek-owned pizza place a couple of stores up (in the area? Check out Pizza Market! And make sure you tell Vicki we sent you). PLYMOUTH ROCK Storm clouds gather again in the afternoon, but at least the temps are warm. We drive to the coast where, it seems, most everyone has the same idea. It is Saturday evening and what better way to spend it than strolling along the Atlantic with Cape Cod stretched out to your right and across the cape, the water calm but awesome cloud formations floating overhead, the tang of the sea air and cooking fish and seafood filling your senses? I don't know. Given that this is the oldest settled area in America, I guess I suspected Plymouth and the cape to be overdeveloped, chock full of modern houses and four-lane highways and strip malls. But surprisingly this isn't the case at all. New England cottages dot the landscape along with horse farms, small towns are indeed small with white-painted churches the center of attention, and the atmosphere remains probably pretty much as it was hundreds of years ago. We're told it's because there are strict zoning laws to maintain the integrity of the area and we're grateful. Bed and breakfasts and quaint not garish tourist shops line the street along the coast. One in particular offers us cozy shelter when the skies finally open up and drench the landscape. Tony and I claim a front row seat and over a shared coffee imagine what it must have been like for those first brave, courageous souls who dared sail across the Atlantic in search of a new life. This as we pursue our own American dream. Awe-inspiring... Friday, July 8th, 2005 Where we are: Plymouth, Mass Watching: weather news Okay, we've done something to anger the gods. We purposely pushed through to the camp in Plymouth, Mass over night so that we could get out and explore the picturesque and historic Cape Cod area. And what should welcome us? Weather that more mirrors autumn than summer. I mean, only a few hours earlier we had the air conditioner blasting. Now we switch on the heat in the Express in order to keep warm because neither one of us would have ever guessed we'd need long-sleeves and jeans. So just as we're watching the approach of Hurricane Dennis set to hit the Gulf -- heading directly for areas chock full of dear friends -- we're eyeing the local weather that's the result of Tropical Storm Cindy, hoping for a warm up so we can actually get out and play tourist, something we haven't done yet in our travels, mostly because we haven't had time. Thankfully the area is due for a warm up the following morning. We head out for the signing in the pouring rain, not expecting many to be out on this rainy Friday night. Marvelous Borders manager Michelle Gilmore in Kingston sets up near the front of the store and we chat nonstop with visitors and store staff, meeting many friendly faces we hope will become more than chance acquaintances! Thursday, July 7th, 2005 Where we are: Toronto & Utica, NY Listening to: NPR on the London attacks Okay, next time we're in Toronto we're checking into our old haunts. This morning marks the third time during our visit that we lose all sense of direction and get lost, this time on our way for a brief visit to Harlequin before heading back to Niagara Falls to pick up the Express then on to Utica, NY for a signing later tonight. We're late arriving, but the agitation of feeling rushed immediately vanishes us when Brenda greets us and takes us around to catch up with a long line of old friends. We can't walk two feet without coming across someone great we haven't spoken to in awhile. Straight off, we cross paths with wonderful Birgit Davis-Todd and Marsha Zinberg, and as we talk, lovely Loriana Scacilotto and Randall Toye join us. If we were to focus on titles, we'd probably be tongue-tied, but everyone has always made us feel like part of the family and titles become incidental. Afterward we move on to chat with another fantastic group in publicity. From K.O. -- who is definitely a knockout in every sense of the word -- Maureen "Mo" Stead, new, welcome addition Megan Lorius, Marleah Stout, Don Lucey, Lyla, Connie and Everil. It's not hard to understand why Harlequin has been so successful for so long. With phenomenal people like these working behind the scenes, the company can't help but be anything but a powerhouse in the industry. We're proud and grateful to be associated with each and every one of them! BARNES & NOBLE, UTICA, NY Thankfully we run into little traffic after leaving Harlequin and make the six-hour drive to Utica, NY without incident. Of course, parking the Express in the bookstore parking lot is a bit of a challenge (which is why we usually leave the Express aka Sofie and her big, fat butt, at a KOA campsite and make the rounds in a baklava-laden Elvis). Our apologies to anyone who was bothered by our blocking the way! Straight off, we're warmly greeted by B&N CRM Amy Dickinson, who shares the news with us that she just had to host us because, get this, her two sons are named Jake and Porter (for those of you in the know, Jake Porter happens to be Sofie's yummy Australian mystery man). Incredible! I mean, what are the odds? Throughout the signing, we meet many of the store staff (go for it, John! We look forward to being one of the first in line to buy your first book), and chat with customers over baklava. One group includes Terry, whose husband is Greek, and she also once lived in Astoria, Sofie's stomping grounds! But there is one person we haven't seen yet. Wonderful Wendi whom we've been emailing back and forth for awhile now in anticipation of our visit, hasn't shown. We're just about to pack up and call it a night when she not so much as breezes in the door, but makes a grand appearance, her son Terrence in tow. I can't tell you how glad we are that we finally meet her! Great bottle of wine aside, she is everything and more than we imagined. Effusive and funny and warm, she entertains us with stories that fall solidly into the "truth is stranger than fiction" category. We lose all track of time end up staying an hour over our regular signing in order to absorb everything that is this dynamo of a woman and her son. Our only regret is that we couldn't stay longer. Thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you to Amy and John and Mary and Terry and the gang and, of course, Wendi and Terrence and the many others we met for making this signing something to remember! Wednesday, July 6th, 2005 Where we are: Toronto, Canada Listening to: Greek CD favs Glykeria, Kouka and Alexiou (yes, a singer, not Christine mentioned below<vbg>) Usually when we come to Toronto we stay in the farther north and it's from there we know how to get around. The 401 and Don Valley Pkwy are old friends, as are Ellesmere and Victoria Park. But this time, for some inexplicable reason (oh, yeah, I remember now: hotel room prices), we say near the airport this time around...and get lost nearly every single time we go out. Last night on our way back to our hotel, we take an alternate route back (rather than Gardiner to 427 to 401 we go Don Valley to 401), and end up on the wrong turnoff. If you've been to Toronto before, then you know if you miss and exit or make a wrong turnoff, well, you're pretty much guaranteed a miles long stretch before the next exit. We finally make our way back to 427 only to get off the wrong exit there and when we try to get back on we discover night time road work has closed the onramp...and the next one...and...well, you get the picture. It takes us over two hours to finally find the hotel (this after literally chasing a police cruiser at one point and not catching him! There was *no one* out, and nothing open, to ask directions). At any rate, we're a little more cautious this a.m. as we head back downtown to meet H.B. Fenn rep Cheryl Westcott to skip around the city in cabs signing stock at area Indigo and Chapters stores, along with a place called The Biggest Bookstore in the World. We have a great time meeting store employees and getting to know Cheryl. And, of course, no jaunt like this would be complete without a couple colorful cab drivers. From the u-turn happy one I'm still convinced is from NY even though he swore he wasn't, to the one who emitted some very offensive fumes that had all three of us hanging our heads out the windows (at one point Tony actually asked the guy if the car ran on natural gas. The question was so unexpected that I ended up howling with laughter. Seriously, I'm usually more tactful than that. But on this occasion I simply couldn't help myself. Oh, and I couldn't seem to stop laughing either, which unfortunately meant I inhaled even more of the noxious fumes). As luck would have it, that particular cab ride came right before lunch. Fortunately, it affected our appetites not at all. Of course, our immense enjoyment of the Thai meal probably had more to do with those with whom we dined. Waiting for us at the restaurant were Heidi Winter, H.B. Fenn Director of Publicity, Leo MacDonald, Director of Field Sales, and Janis, another great publicist. I've said it before, but it definitely bears repeating: we're ceaselessly bowled over by the genuine friendliness and warm support so many we've encountered in our travels have extended us. This applies in spades to the H.B. Fenn group. The lunch meet felt very little like work and more like breaking bread with old friends. Thank you all for...well, everything! Speaking of old friends, later on in the day we headed to the Mandarin to meet up with Brenda and Jim Chin (our Harlequin editor is but one of the many hats Brenda wears in our lives. Kayaking instructor, taskmaster, resident comedienne, and, well, just plain good people are a few others). I swear, the staff of the buffet-style restaurant must cringe every time they see Tony and Jim come in. No matter what price they charge, they'll always lose money on these two! Ah, yes. Today was just about perfect... Tuesday, July 5th,
2005
|
Available
now! |
