I’m homesick for South Dakota. Had our last visit been a while ago, the feeling would be understandable. But we just got home 3 days ago, so the homesickness is puzzling. The best explanation is how absolutely perfect our trip was (a week in Spearfish and a week on our friends’ ranch in Harding County), with a couple notable imperfections. You’ll soon see why, even with the imperfections, I’m homesick for South Dakota.
The Many Perfect Bits
- Participating in the South Dakota Book Festival in Spearfish was a dream come true! The workshop I presented was well-attended. So was being part of a diverse panel of mystery writers. Nat Cassidy represented horror Shannon Baker. represented adventure, and I represented cozy mysteries. We had so much fun talking about our craft and answering questions posed by the moderator and audience members.
- At the Festival, I met one of my favorite mystery authors, William Kent Krueger. He endorsed See Jane Dance!, and I may or may not have cried while thanking him for his kindness. Hiram took a picture of us while I fan girled.
- The weather was gorgeous in Spearfish and Harding County. The leaves were beginning to turn in both places. We took in the colors on a drive through Spearfish Canyon. A week later we did the same thing in the Cave Hills located in northern Harding County. On our last night there 1.5 inches of rain fell overnight. Rain is a blessing in semi-arid Harding Country whenever it falls. Local ranchers consider 1.5 inches in October to be perfect weather, and we do too.
- The West River Cousins Reunion organized by one of my two West River cousins. We three cousins and our three patient spouses gathered for lunch one day and talked for five hours straight. Then we had an impromptu boat ride at Lake Sheridan in the Black Hills on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. What a blessing to be together and remember our parents, grandparents, and our large extended family!
- Hiram and I saw many old friends at the Camp Crook Volunteer Fire Department BBQ near the end of our stay in Harding County. Several of them recounted hunting stories from the 1970s and 80s. Some of their hunting tales will make their way in the seventh book in the West River Mystery Series. Whether they do or not, listening to what people said will add depth and color to Book #7. Being with our friends was wonderful. Saying good-bye to them was hard. They are the main reason I’m homesick for South Dakota already.
- Thanks to many hours driving across South Dakota and down time built into our trip, I was able to approve the final proofreading edits to the See Jane Ride! manuscript and send it to the publisher for type setting. Arriving home without that deadline looming was a great stress reliever.
The Imperfect Bits
- Hiram’s 50-year-old root canal gave up the ghost a couple days before we drove home. The tooth split, but didn’t come out and it wasn’t painful. Setting up appointments for fixing it seems to be a full time job!
- We were about to head out on the final leg of the trip home on Monday when I tripped and split my chin open on the asphalt. Hiram bandaged it up, I called our local doctor, and was in his office getting three stitches an hour after we drove into town.
Not only did I bring home a scar for a souvenir, the experience could show up in a future See Jane book. What more could I ask for?
