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Decades ago, I came up with the epithet for myself of “Writer/Traveler.” I don’t do as much traveling as I’d like these days, but I still find it apt.
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In 2020, I started my Patreon with the intention of showing more of my traveling side. There would be monthly planning blogs and reports from the road. My husband and I had plans to go to Guatemala that year. I was seriously considering going to Bali for my birthday. When I laid out my year in January, I had NINETEEN trips scheduled.
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Well, we all know what happened in 2020. I didn’t end up traveling much at all. Made the January and February trips and that was it.
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However, we’re traveling this month. Driving down to Colorado Springs to attend as well as teach at the Superstars Writing Conference. https://www.superstarswriting.com
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I’m kind of used to car travel, as for the past couple of years I’ve been making regular trips down to see my niece in Portland. This is a bigger trip. Longer. And my husband is coming, which complicates things. (Not in a bad way.)
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One of my continued struggles is to not overpack food. Whenever we’d go camping, I’d end up taking enough food for four people for a couple of weeks, as opposed to two people for five days. I understand the reasons for that behavior now, and am better.
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Still probably overpacking, but that’s okay.
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So this last week I smoked a couple of batches of summer sausage (which turned out AMAZING). I also grilled a top-round roast. Hubby made nut bars, one batch with dried fruit, one batch with chocolate and peanut butter. Hard boiled eggs. Salami. Cheese. Homemade Ritz crackers. (The texture isn’t the same to the store-bought brand, but the taste is identical.)
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Then there are the other snacky things, like chicharrónes, nuts and dried fruit, powdered bone broth, jerky, etc.
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The hotel room comes with a mini-fridge, so we’ll be able to keep things cool.
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There are all the other things we’re packing. At one point, I was traveling frequently to Las Vegas. I have a small humidifier, that we’re bringing to keep the hotel room a bit more humid. All the various electronics plus their charging cables. Knitting projects. Etc.
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Then we start in with the personal items, like medications and supplements. Clothes and shoes. Winter gear and lots of layers.
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Fortunately, I have a truck with a large backseat, which will be stuffed full.
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I’m excited about going out on this adventure. A bit anxious as well, because driving and traveling and all the things.
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I’ll be sure to pick up postcards for my Patreon people. And I’ll tell y’all about some of the travel next week, if I have the energy, etc.
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ION, of course, I’m still knitting.
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The yarn in the current project means a lot to me. My mother was an expert knitter. She also had Alzheimer’s for the last five years before she died.
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During that time, she started a number of sock projects. She could do the toe, and work her way up to the heel. Then she’d quit.
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For all but one of those projects I unraveled what she’d done and gave away the yarn. This one sock project I finished the heel and was about half-way up the calf when I stopped. I kept thinking I’d get back to it, but I never did. It was a striped sock with the two different colors.
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So last year I finally admitted defeat and unraveled the yarn, telling myself that I’d find the right project for it eventually.
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This hat is what I came up with. This is practice because eventually I plan on doing an entire octopus sweater.
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I recently started, but I think you can get an idea of what the hat will eventually look like. I’ll possibly get a lot done on it because I can knit when I’m in the car.
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And here’s a picture of the pattern.
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And I think that’s it for me.
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Daring starship captain? Check.
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Best friend/deadly assassin? Check.
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Though it was never Rosey’s dream to make first contact with living aliens, she seems to have stumbled into it.
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Which side do the Humans get involved with? Can they avoid this conflict all together? Or is their introduction to alien politics going to involve space fleets and battles?
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Alien War—the last of the Live Alien Contact series—brings all the conflicts, cons, villains, and good guys to a final resting place. Dreams are fulfilled, romance blooms, and oh, yeah, the bad guys finally get their comeuppance.
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If you need to catch up, we're putting the Jessica Keller Starter Kit on sale for just $2.99. If you've already read it, consider gifting it to a friend. Purchase the books, email info@knottedroadpress.com with your friend's email address and we'll send it to them.
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Begin your adventures with Jessica Keller and the Alexandria Station universe in this epic, military space opera box set.
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This box set is available ONLY on Knotted Road Press.
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Jessica Keller could win the war--if only they'd let her!
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“Edge of the seat excitement...a wonderful tale.”—Philadelphia Weekly Press
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Contains the following complete novels:
Auberon
Queen of the Pirates
Last of the Immortals
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