One of the best parts of having four children—and there were many best parts—is visiting them as adults. So that’s what I’ll be doing for the new few weeks, first in California and then Hawaii. And no, none of them has yet had the good sense to relocate to our fiftieth state, but after California, it’s only a hop, skip and jump for a quick getaway, right? Okay, maybe not, but definitely closer to California than to Florida or New York.

So off we’ll go. The first time we visited our oldest son I came away with enough research and ideas to write The Swallow’s Nest. This time I’ll just be recharging. We’ll be house and dog sitting, and since Monterey County is dog friendly, Dash will be doing lots of sightseeing along with us. Dash is a “double merle” Australian shepherd, which means both parents were merles. Breeders should know better since the pups are often born with problems, but Dash is one of the luckier whose problems are manageable. We are lucky to have this little guy in our family.

Another good thing about having four children? Three of them have dogs, even though we no longer do. So we now get our dog fix without vet bills. My son and daughter-in-law also keep bees. I don’t think we’ll be doing any serious cuddling there.

What I will be doing is relaxing. Our summer’s been packed with good things, but my husband and I are both ready for some quiet time. I’ll check in when I can, probably with photos. Meantime I hope that your summer has also been busy, productive and most of all happy.

While I’m relaxing and maybe thinking about my next book, what will you be doing? I hope it’s something wonderful, too.