Tim and I decided on a "wholesome" July 4th. Normally, as you can imagine, "wholesome" is not really my thing, but we had fun today in Georgetown, a small, historic town about an hour west of Boulder.

Of course, it started with a parade:

If I had known it was possible to drive a marching band, I might have gone for the French Horn while I was in High School like my friend, Nancy.

See? What did I tell ya? Wholesome.

Then, the bucket brigade races:

And, although this was the Fire Department's team, they didn't win. Nope. The one that beat them, in fact, was the only one that put a woman up on the very top. I'll stop now, before I get even less wholesome. Well, OK. Maybe not.

The Police Chief had decreed that anyone "horribly, obviously intoxicated" would be disqualified. I think he must have missed the guy on one team, who after his team finished, dove right into that shallow pool, cutting his head open. Of course, the next team refused to compete with blood in the pool, so it had to be emptied and refilled. Didn't make much sense, but that's what they did.

My favorite team called themselves the "Wet Spots." Not so wholesome, I know. I liked hearing the Fire Chief announce them over the loudspeaker. What do you want from me?

And, what small town would be complete without its eccentric?

We're home now, waiting for the fireworks to start, listening to John Philip Sousa while Tim barbeques lotsa meat (all that wholesomeness sure ignites the appetite).

So, I'll end with some Boulder fireworks pics I took a few years ago:

Happy July 4th, everyone!

When Becky first contacted me to call in to her book club in Winston-Salem, NC, she also mentioned that this was going to be its very first meeting.

Oy! The pressure!

L-R: Jaime, Becky, Margaret, Christy, Tamar, Marie

But, one of the first things this lovely group said put me right at ease: They were drinking my Jubilees. No more worries for me!

Although these seven gals (Jane couldn't make it that night - but don't worry Jane! We didn't talk about you - much) are only randomly connected, it seems they're off to a wonderful start.

I'm always interested to know how book clubs hear about QUEEN OF THE ROAD. Well, Becky's husband is a psychiatrist, and a friend recommended it to her. That friend heard about it from Jen Lancaster's blog. Shortly before calling into this club, I'd found out that QUEEN is in 9th printing. (Don't worry, ladies. Even without my own jubilee, I celebrated.) As I told them, it's really because of book clubs and reader word-of-mouth that the book has done so royally well.

THANK YOU, dear readers.

And ladies, I wish you many, many more thirsty Thursdays!

On the bottom row, kneeling is Julie, redhead Emily (they're sisters and best friends), Joan and Pam.

Back row is Kathryn (Julie and Emily's mom), Karen, Donna (popping her head around Karen’s shoulder), Sonja, Jackie, Myrtle and kneeling behind Pam is Leah.

This book club has been meeting since October '02 in Plano, TX in each other's homes. Initially, they were a neighborhood book club, but then more members were brought in. Emily’s sister, Julie, named them the "Cover Girls" and they seem to have it down: Whoever chooses the book, looks up background information on the author, including how he or she came to write the book, as well as gets discussion questions together. Very organized, ladies!

But, don't think this means this club doesn't have fun: They assured me their Queenly meeting featured a "giant pitcher of apple martinis." Maybe all those martinis are why Emily emailed me this afterwards: When we got off the phone we all looked at each other in amazement over how much fun it was talking to you and what a sweetheart you are.

Oy, Emily. Way to ruin my reputation!

Emily was the one who had the excellent taste of choosing QUEEN OF THE ROAD And, why did she choose it? Apparently, her first book club choice way back when was Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose . Believe it or not, that was actually my own book club's very first book. None of the Cover Girls liked it (except Emily) and she's never lived that one down, so decided to pick "a funny one that no one could argue with." I certainly hope she was right! (And as I told her, I loved Angle of Repose, but we know what my tastes are like. Porcelin Inspirations, anyone?)

Many, many thanks to the Cover Girls for a most enjoyable discussion!

A twenty year book club??? That's pre-Oprah, I believe.

From left to right: Liz (on chair), Charmange (standing), Sharon, Karen, CJ, Sue, Louann (kneeling), and Suzanne (sitting). All drinking Lemon Drop Martinis.

This club in Portland, OR started 20 years ago with a member who is no longer with them. Apparently, she was a "major reader" and "club starter" (loved that). Two of the original members still remain.

After our lovely chat, I tried to find some pictures of Portland from our QUEEN OF THE ROAD trip to add to this blog entry, and I realized I didn't have any. We'd been to that beautiful city before, and on our trip, really tried to concentrate more on places we hadn't been. So instead, I shall leave you with some of my favorite pictures from the Oregon coast:

OK, while this isn't a great picture, it is the Astoria Column, and there's no elevator. Yeah, I climbed all the way up.

Here's why:

Nice view, huh?

Here's Cannon Beach:

Thanks so much for the lovely discussion, ladies, and thanks for the memories!

Tim and I have found another band to stalk.

During the Las Vegas part of our Queenly trip, it was the Motown cover band, Sho-Tyme. We saw them three times during the week we were there. (I recently tried to look them up, as we'll be in Las Vegas in the Fall, but no luck. Look what happens without Royal support!)

Now, it's Chase N The Dream, another funk-filled band (so, I love Motown - what do you want from me?), conveniently playing at several venues near us.

We first saw them at the beginning of the summer at a free concert at the Boulder Bandshell during the Boulder Creek Festival. I thought they were great, but then they did an Earth, Wind and Fire medley and I was hooked!

Last night, they were at The Village (The Prisoner, anyone? The original, not the recent, esoteric-to-the-point-of-who-cares AMC version, please!) at Flatirons Mall for another free concert (so, I love free concerts, what do you want from me?). Tons o' fun. People brought their dogs who also seemed to be groovin'.

I wish I had taken a picture of Willie, the Lassa-Poodle (never heard of this before), for you. He looked like a furry Yoda, perched in his owner's arms, surveying the scene.

(Although Tim took this picture of a llama he encountered on a recent hike:)

Since we were in the neighborhood anyway, we stopped into the Nordstrom Rack. What's up with women's clothes these days? It's all so... blech. I mean super-blech to the feh-squared!

Stacy and Clinton need to do an intervention.

Some of the stuff was just hideous, the rest, completely uninteresting. But... there was this pair of to-die-for designer shoes at half price.

Six inch stilleto heels. What do they want from me? These Stuart Weiztman's are called "Acrobatic." Right. You need to be an acrobat to wear them and not kill yourself. And believe me, those weren't nearly the worst. Maybe when my arches were embryos ...

So, while I was in the Rack I had a good kvetch over the state of women's fashion these days. Everyone needs one - a kvetch that is - once in awhile. Anyone else notice this about women's clothing lately (at least for those of us who by off-the-rack/Rack)? What gives?

Fortunately, we then chilled with Chase N The Dream. I just hope the band doesn't start getting the same terrified look in their eyes I remember Sho-Tyme developing whenever they saw us.