Visiting Erin and Rand

(Above: Handmade bookmarks I bought from Erin. See her other calligraphy items for sale in her Etsy shop, Calligraphy By Erin.)

I recently visited my friends Erin and Rand this past weekend. We don't tend to see each other that often anymore, so it was wonderful to catch up; I hadn't seen either of them in almost a YEAR.



Got lots of work done at Rand's library, which has a GREAT children's book section. And I'm not just saying that because it includes all of Ruth's books. I've been working on some picture book ideas lately in addition to my novel writing, so have been reading as many picture books as I can. One of my current projects is a story featuring my Little Nightmare characters. Wish me luck, eh?

Speaking of little monsters, check out the cuuuuute monster guy that Erin and Rand gave me:



I LOVE HIM! Still trying to think of a good name.

The weather turned wet early in the visit so we opted to hang out indoors instead, chatting and watching some tv and eating excellent food. Erin also likes to bake, and I enjoyed mouthwateringly good ginger scones one morning:



Wow, just noticed how HUGE that one scone looks in this photo. It really wasn't that big. I feel compelled to say that because I hoovered four of them. I had one for breakfast this morning, too. Mmm. But I digress...

Erin also took me to one of her favourite craft shops: the Hobby Lobby. Oh. My. This was crafter's heaven, and I could have spent way more time here. Fortunately (for my pocketbook) I didn't. :-)

The more I hang out with Erin, the more I find we have in common.



(Above: one of the cards I made with my new crafty supplies while watching a tv show with Erin & Rand; I gave it to them afterward in thanks for letting me invade their space :-))

I was also happy to see my friend John Kalisz again. Rand introduced us years ago, and we became friends. Ironically, John and I now see each other way more often than I see Erin and Rand. Jeff and John also like each other; the two of them went out for lunch a few weeks ago when I wasn't feeling well.

I was supposed to come home on Sunday, but Amtrak had major problems so Erin and Rand had to put up with me for an extra night. Don't tell them, but I actually made up the whole Amtrak thing just so I could have more of Erin's baking. She kindly obliged with a fantastic apple crisp:



Oh geez. Now I'm hungry again.

You can see more photos from my visit in this Flickr set. Most of these photos were taken with my iPhone.

Many thanks to Erin and Rand for their hospitality!

Comments

[Merav]

We have two of those little creatures too. We call ours Stew and Quiche, after the fan-names for the Stupid Stupid Rat Creatures, from Bone.

[Scott Murray]

Call your new creature "Plop".

Scott