Really, Really West

By Anna Kathryn Lanier

I know this blog is for Western lovers, but I figured it was time that I did a little blogging about my trip really, really west….all the way from Texas to Western Australia in July.  Last year, my friend Skhye Moncrief and family moved to Perth and this year they invited me to visit.  Aside from the non-stop 17 hour flight (which was just part of the traveling time), it was a great trip!

I first flew from Houston to Dallas, then from Dallas to Sydney and stayed 1½ days, where I climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge and toured the world famous Opera House.  Then I flew cross-country (5 hour flight) to Perth and spent 10 days in the Western Australia.

Here’s a pictorial blog of my trip.

Sydney

Ummm, the Opera House, I think

The Bridge I climbed, see the flags? Yep all the way up to them.

The Opera House at Night

The Opera House, again...oh from a really good view point!

Yea! I made it to the top (and back to the bottom) without falling off.

A room with a view...the Indian Ocean, Perth

The Indian Ocean, Perth

London Street, in Perth

King's Park, Perth in the background

The Perth Zoo

This is a country with lots of rainbows...this is just one of many I saw.

Tingle Trees at Valley of the Giants National Park.

A Tingle Tree.

Cape Leeuwin, where two oceans meet

Whale Watching in the Southern Sea

A Kookaburra 

A video of the kookaburra singing

Petting a Koala (Caversham Wildlife Park)

What's a trip to Australia without petting a kangaroo?

Replica of one of the largest gold nuggets ever found in Australia.

As some have said, it was the trip of a life time and I'm so glad Skhye and family let me come for a visit.  It was well worth the 26 hours of traveling time (one-way, and done all at one time on the way home) and I would love to do it again sometime!

 

I have more pictures on my pinterest page: http://www.pinterest.com/melindaporter60/australia-2013/

Anna Kathryn Lanier
Author, A Gift Beyond All Measure

http://aklanier.com/

Never let your memories be greater than your dreams. ~Doug Ivester 

What does a writer do when not writing?

http://www.laurirobinson.blogspot.com/

I always cringe when asked that question. I believe, for the most part, a writer is always writing. We may not be putting words on paper, but other than when we’re sleeping (and even then dreams are often writing related) a writer is always doing something that has to do with writing. Plotting while driving, building characters while waiting in line and ‘people watching’, taking vacations that include research, attending conference, workshops, and groups, etc. etc.

So, what do I do when I’m not sitting at the computer?

Spending time with my family. That is number one for us. We have three granddaughters, two step-grandsons and three granddogs and lots of family activities. I am one of eight children and my husband is one of four so rarely does a weekend go by when we aren’t gathering at or hosting a family event. 

We have property in the northern part of the state, about six hours from our home, and especially during the summer months, we travel up there as often as possible. 

Our home is five miles from town, and though we don’t have any animals to tend, (other than an inherited little dog) we do have fruit trees, raspberry and strawberry patches, and a garden. (The granddaughters have grown to expect us to keep them well supplied with jams and jellies all winter.)

 Hubby and I are both NASCAR fans. I also enjoy cooking, baking, sewing, crocheting, knitting, wood crafts, reading, flower gardening, and pistol shooting. Oh, and hubby owns an auto repair business he runs out of our home, and I work full time for a senior companion company.  

Therefore, when I’m not writing, I could be doing any number of things, but there’s always a story flowing in the back of my mind.

Books released in 2012:

January 1: Disobeying the Marshal (Harlequin, Mills & Boon)

February 1: Testing the Lawman’s Honor (Harlequin, Mills & Boon)

May 1: The Sheriff’s Last Gamble (Harlequin, Mills & Boon)

May 23: Sing to Me, Cowboy (The Wild Rose Press)

August 29: Sheriff McBride (this had been part of an anthology and is being re-released as a single title (The Wild Rose Press))

September 1: What a Cowboy Wants (Harlequin, Mills & Boon)

September 18: His Christmas Wish (All A Cowboy Wants for Christmas Anthology (Harlequin, Mills & Boon))

October 16: Unclaimed Bride (Harlequin, Mills & Boon)

Release date yet to be determined: A Soldier for Christmas (this had been part of an anthology and is being re-released as a single title (The Wild Rose Press))

The other question I’m always asked is which book is my favorite. They each trigger special memories and hold special places in my heart for various reasons. If I had to choose from the stories released this year, The Sheriff’s Last Gamble is the one that flew onto the page. I couldn’t type fast enough to get that story out, and Sing to Me, Cowboy was so fun because it’s part of the Honky Tonk Hearts Series. See, even in that I can’t choose just one. And of course, the one I’m writing right now is my favorite at the moment. ;)