Back on the Block!

Hey, blog fans!  Sorry I've been out of touch for a week.  How did it get to be a week?  Whew, time really does fly! 
I've been getting rave reviews from readers of my new book, I Knew It Then: men and women from Sedona to  New York, California and Louisiana to Canada:  "It's magnificent!" "Hard to put down!"  "You're a phenomenal writer!"  "I didn't want it to end!"  "I laughed, I cried, I loved it!"  It is so rewarding to get this kind of response for three years of hard work on so many levels.  Thank you!
Kathryn, Shasta, and I, along with our friend Cheryl, drove north three hours for a two-day visit to Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell in Page, Arizona.  Antelope is the canyon you have probably seen in photos: the colors, lines, and formations look like the inside of a conch shell.  And after being inside that canyon, I can honestly say I felt that I was at the bottom of a dry ocean.  The most exciting part for me, however, was getting there from the toll booth.  Our pick-up truck was full of folks in the bed, so Cheryl and I rode in the cab with our guide and driver Juana.  (Kathryn had been the day before and stayed in the Highlander with Shasta.)
The sand was soft and dry and we skidded in and on and over ridges.  Juana said, "I'm just up from Phoenix visiting my in-laws, who were short a guide..."  Okay, Juana.  At times it felt like we were floating, at times like we were taking off!  But Juana got us there and back safely and all with a smile on her lovely face!
Got some great photos.
Enjoyed the rest of our time at stunningly bluuue Lake Powell, and Glen Canyon Dam and Recreation Area, part of the NATIONAL PARK System!!  How appropos. 
I have to say it was just as good as the first--or any--time driving into Sedona and pulling into our canyon-embraced driveway to relax and sleep in our oh-so-comfy desert hacienda.  I LOVE WHERE I LIVE!!
Dinner tonight?  Cannellini beans with garlic & sage, salt & pepper, and good green oil; polenta fried to crispy outside, moist inside, Caesar salad, and maybe a glass of chilled Vouvray from the Loire Valley in la belle France!  Still staying slim, I am: Italy is three weeks away!
Enjoy the photos and bon appettito!
Baci, Susanna