You know your friendship is super-trusting when your best friend allows you to drive her SUV* in a strange city. (I normally drive a Miata!) So, I drove in Seattle for the first time ever today. Met up with a new friend, Maria Dahvana Headley, for coffee. Yammered at one another so much we lost track of time -- always a good sign in a starting friendship. Can't wait to hang with her some more in the future.

Am enjoying my little vacation quite a lot. Everyone has been extremely nice. Liz Argall suggested an Ethiopian restaurant (Jebena Cafe in the Northgate neighborhood) and it was wonderful. Liz, Melissa and I chatted and ate until we were stuffed. (Melissa says that it isn't that I've a Mid-western pallet. I've a inexperienced one. That was nice. I enjoy spicey food, but I do not like jalapenos. I just don't.) Tonight I'm having dinner with Leah Cutter and Melissa and her husband, Brian. (Mmmmm fresh seafood.) I've plans with Kat Richardson and Cherie Priest and Liz Argall on Wednesday. And I've a couple of other folks I want to see before leaving town. So glad that everything is going so well again this time. Went on a looong walk in a park with lots of super tall trees, 500,000 shades of green, steep hills, lakes, the ocean, boats, and snow-topped mountains. (I swear I expected to see Katniss drop down from a tree limb.) Sooooo happy. I wish I could pop over to Canada and visit with Aidan, but alas, I didn't bring my passport. :(
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* But it's the nice kind -- the real kind, not the prissy, luxury vehicle disguised as a jeep boxy thing. Her's is a vehicle that is actually taken car camping or driven in the mud. It's set up to be cleaned inside with a garden hose. No. Really. *That's* a Utility vehicle.