Saturday, September 1, 2018

Success: 19 Rendezvous in 33 Days by Rolynn Anderson

My husband and I are hanging out in Henderson, Nevada, because we wanted to see Death Valley to culminate our six-week trip.  That white triangle in the distance is Death Valley...it's really tough to 'show' the valley in a picture.  Go there.  It's magnificent.

For our last stop, we’re staying in a VRBO condo in Lake Las Vegas, a resort community built around an artificial lake.  The place is hopping eight months out of the year; presently, with temperatures in the 100’s, it’s quiet.  In fact, Luna Rossa, an Italian restaurant, our pick for last night’s meal, had very few patrons. The waiter explained the restaurant’s owner had just opened a $355 bottle of wine and was anxious to share it at $25 a glass…for the fun of it!  Oh my!  Delicious.  As was the meal.

So our intricate trip is over: Anacortes and Seattle, Washington; Portland and Bend, Oregon, Incline Village and Henderson, Nevada.  To connect with friends and family was one goal; to see some new sights (Crater Lake, Tahoe, Death Valley) was another.  Our new Acura MDX performed well; everyone we wanted to visit with showed up! (Below, my brothers and sister in front of our favorite Portland restaurant)



Get this.  We visited with 19 groups of people, a total of 69 friends or relatives in face-to-facers.  I can’t believe it! Amazing examples: I met up with one relative whom I hadn’t seen in 50 years; for the family reunion portion in Portland, 14 of us showed up from all across the country.



Yup! The crowning rendezvous was my time with our own, delightful, Jannine Gallant.  (Jannine tells me I’m the first R of P blogger she’s met in person!) When I posted a picture of Tahoe on FB, Jannine reminded me she lived there, and we arranged a meet-up.  Here we’re drinking wine together in a pizza place with a gorgeous view of Tahoe (King’s Beach) whose owner Jannine knows.  I got to meet one of Jannine’s daughters, who happens to work at the pizza place, and heard all about her older daughter’s experiences in college.  Of course we shared stories about writing and marketing.  I also learned about her gorgeous Tahoe, seeing for myself in a drive around the lake what a wonder of nature it is. (Here's a pic of the two of us, Tahoe in the background, as well as a pic of Tahoe's Hyatt, where my husband and I stayed)




Four more nights in Henderson and we’re home.  Can’t wait to get there; so glad we had a successful trip. 

What’s your most successful, surprising, or interesting trip, lately? And/or, who among our R of P bloggers have you met in person?

Speaking of an interesting trip.  Here’s my story about tourist whose plans go wrong, very wrong…in Aix-en-Provence France: CÉZANNE’S GHOST http://a.co/bQdl7jp

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14 comments:

Margo Hoornstra said...

Well I sure can’t top that, Rolynn. What a trip, and meeting Jannine face to face as the kicker! Yay! Last year, we took a one month trip of 19 states in a month. Started with RWA national in FL, the circled around to Branson, Memphis (Graceland) and ended up at a family wedding in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. What a trip! No R of P buds face to face, but I did meet fellow TWRP author Sharon Buchbinder. It is great, isn’t it? You guys are next. LOL

Rolynn Anderson said...

Thanks, Margo. For the amount of years you and Jannine have worked together...amazing you haven't met yet. An R of P retreat/reunion should be on our list of Important Things To Do! 19 states in a month is monumental...loved your choices of destinations.

Jannine Gallant said...

OMG! Horrifying photo of me! LOL It was terrific fun meeting you, Rolynn. I'm glad we got together. As a group, we do seem to be scattered across the country, but you'd think the western contingent could get it together and draw in a few more! I'm sure you're looking forward to getting home at this point! Safe travels.

Leah St. James said...

Can I admit, just for a very human moment, to being SOOOOO JEALOUS? A fantastic trip AND getting to meet a fellow RoP?!?! (BTW, Jannine,I think you both look fabulous.) I've never been farther west than Iowa but would love to plan a RoP get-away/retreat at some point. As far as my travels, this has been the Summer of Dud. Just work, work, work and more work. The only reason I know it's summer is because it's still light out when I leave the office around 6 p.m. Anyway, enough grousing. Despite my jealousy, Rolynn, I'm so happy for you that it was such a successful trip (due in no small part by your exceptional planning!) You've given me an inspiration and something to shoot for, maybe for next year. Happy travels to all! :-)

Vonnie Davis said...

Thanks so much for sharing all your lovely pictures, Rolynn, How cool that you met Jannine. It's all I can do to plan a trip for me although Evie and I are driving to Indiana in October. Both my brother and daughter live in the same area. We'll stay with brother and his wife and I've planned a special day with daughter and her husband. He's always been a big Colts fan and I've bought tickets to a game and bought Colts sweatshirts for the 3 of us. Bart will flip out when I hand him the tickets. I do love football. I've never traveled with a dog before so wish Evie luck.

Rolynn Anderson said...

Jannine, I wish I'd had more time to visit with you as well as learn from you. Still, I feel lucky we rendezvoused and I got to meet one of your lovely daughters, as well. Now I wish I'd returned to eat at the pizza place...the menu was enticing! So, I'm ready to sit at my desk at home and GET ORGANIZED. I did finish my rewrite of the last 50 pages of Fire Is Nice and sent them to my editor. No more time for ogling at scenery and catching up with friends. I've got to get books out there! Thanks for the great visit...we'll do it again, I hope!

Rolynn Anderson said...

Leah, you are a sweetheart to take such an upbeat view of my trip...your tinge of jealousy is a compliment, in my view. Things could have gone so wrong on the trip (I could mention a couple small blips), but you're right...for the most part, each of the 19 visits was worth the time and effort. If I inspired you to strike out next year ofrthe next, for a fun trip, I'm glad. The scenery has been spectacular, but it's always the people connected to their environment that personalize each visit. Another tip: spend 3 or more days in a place...then you'll remember the experience!

Rolynn Anderson said...

Vonnie, call your next book Travels with Evie. (Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, updated) Somehow, your experiences always sound more funny and more fun than the rest of our. You get yourself into the most interesting situations! Can't wait to hear what happens on your trip (and Evie). You're welcome for the pics. You all have to meet Jannine...she's the energizer bunny we all know on this blog...and fun!

Margo Hoornstra said...

Akkk! Senior moment there, sorry. On our trip last summer, I also had lunch with our own Alicia Dean aka Ally Robertson, now my fabulous editor! So that is one Rose I’ve met face to face too. Great experience.

Alison Henderson said...

I've loved all the photos of your trip, but I'm so jealous--you got to meet Jannine! One of these days...

Rolynn Anderson said...

Margo, no worries. I've met women at conferences whose names escape me...all the events muddle together with such a chaotic array of experiences. I understand...and I love to hear about the deep connections you've made with both Alicia and Jannine!

Rolynn Anderson said...

You've got something to look forward to, Alison. Jannine is fun and full of knowledge. We should try for a California retreat some day, for sure!

Brenda Whiteside said...

Late to the party. Wow what a trip. Love Death Valley. How fun to meet Jannine.

Diane Burton said...

Death Valley is such a memorable place. I visited there nearly fifty years ago. (I was a babe at the time. hahaha) It's great you were able to get together with Jannine. I'd love to meet you all (except Margo, whom I've known for years and used to live close to). We share so much here that it feels as though we're all close friends.