back...

Tucson was lovely, and the ladies and gents at the new Tucson RWA chapter were welcoming and nice. They let me give my talks sitting down with a pillow at my back, and didn't fall asleep while I yakked. I love giving talks and teaching about writing and the publishing biz, so I probably go on longer than I should. But I want to be thorough and make sure everyone understands!

My husband went with me so we could do a weekend getaway to celebrate our anniversary. We stayed at the Arizona Inn, a historic inn built in the 1930s, one of those where all the Hollywood stars of the day stayed when escaping Hollywood (or while filming Westerns; many old Westerns were filmed in and around Tucson). Anyway, a wonderful retreat, and apparently good for my back.

The inn is tucked into a quiet neighborhood right in the middle of town--you'd never know there was a city around you once you're in the grounds. Nice room with a private patio and a gate that led to the street so I didn't have to walk far to the car. Lovely old-fashioned, manor-house atmosphere.



To continue the travelogue, we ate at my favorite sandwich shop, Beyond Bread, which nicely wasn't packed to the gills like usual (but it's summer, no one's in town). Also finally found Cafe Poca Cosa, one of the best Mexican restaurants on the planet. They let us in even though we didn't have reservations, but I think that's because we passed the test of actually finding the place. Tucked in a back street in downtown behind a parking garage, between two one-way streets, no sign on it, argh. A challenge but worth it.

There were so many things I wanted to try that we finally decided on the "let the chef pick" platter. She has good taste, I loved every bite. (It was tamale pie, shredded beef in tomatillo, and chicken with spanish peanut sauce. With fresh corn tortillas. My, my.)

Now back home, back on the diet, and getting back to work. :-)