Close to home – Kandy Shepherd

I love to travel but for various reasons (most to do with dollars or shortage thereof!) sadly no travel plans were made for this year. Most sadly, I didn’t get to the Romance Writers of America annual conference in Florida. It’s been a cold winter in my part of Down Under and I was looking enviously at peoples’ social media posts from the hot summer in Orlando and feeling sorry for myself.

But then I had to go spend some time in a town not too far from my home town in Sydney, Australia. My daughter was on a university placement at Lake Macquarie, near the city of Newcastle less than two hours drive away. We drove up and spent a few days with her. While it wasn’t a vacation, it was a lovely short break in a part of the world I hadn’t visited since I was a teenager. (And that's a long time ago!)

We loved the sea birds on the dock of our motel

We stayed in a family run motel right on the lake, which is more of an inland sea. Each morning we woke to a glorious view of the ever-changing sky and water. 

There's something about palm trees to give a vacation feel!

We went for walks on fabulous beaches that were practically deserted in winter.

There's something moody about a beach in winter!

 And we ate wonderful food at cafes and restaurants not far from our motel. 

This caramel stack was demolished in minutes!

It made me appreciate how sometimes the nicest places to visit can be not far from home.

Do you have a favorite place to visit or vacation that’s not too far from home?  I’d love to read your comments!

Kandy Shepherd’s most recent book Conveniently Wed to the Greek is a May 2017 release from Harlequin Romance in North America; Mills & Boon Cherish in the UK; and Mill & Boon ForeverRomance in Australia and New Zealand.

Kandy Shepherd is a multi-published, award-winning author of contemporary romance

and women’s fiction. She lives on a small farm in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia, with her family and a menagerie of four-legged friends.

Visit Kandy at her website

www.kandyshepherd.com

Connect with Kandy on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram

We stayed at the Squid's Ink Motel at Belmont, NSW Australia.

My Top 5 Holiday Essentials

Seeing as it's Summer holiday season, and as you read this I will be somewhere hot by a swimming pool, I thought I'd share with you the essential items I pack in my suitcase.

1.    Teabags- Although I adore travelling and am an intrepid and inquisitive tourist, you cannot beat proper British tea. The impersonators sold in every other country never come close to a decent cup of Twinings, so I always pack a box in my suitcase and carry a few in my handbag for emergencies! Especially in America. American tea is the absolute worst.

2.    Double the underwear- I’ll grant you this is a weird quirk, but the thought of running out of clean knickers terrifies me. And I always buy new for a holiday- just in case the baggage rips open and my undies are displayed to the world.

3.    Kindle- I’ve never been particularly fond of watching films on planes. The screens are so small, there is so much engine noise and the other passengers and crew distract me from the action by wandering backwards and forwards down the gangway. Yet with a book, all that nonsense evaporates as I lose myself in the story.

4.    A decent pen- I can’t be doing with filling out landing cards or other documents with those cheap and nasty biros they give out. I like a fat gel pen. In blue.

5.    The TripAdvisor app- Choosing the right restaurant can be a perilous business at the best of times, abroad it can be catastrophic. I always pick eateries offering the local cuisine, with at least 40 reviews on them. That way I assume that all the reviews are not just from friends and family. No matter how good they are, any review that tells me tells me a restaurant offers a great selection of British or American dishes they are avoided like the plague. I want my food to be an adventure too. If I wanted to eat Shepherd’s Pie, I’d stay at home.

Why not take one of Virginia's books with you to the beach?

Lisa B. Kamps: Falling In Love With a Seal...

Not that kind of SEAL, although there's certainly enough reasons to fall in love with them, too. And I actually got to train with those SEALS once, too. Well, kind of. But that's a story for another day!

This time, I mean real seals. Or rather, sea lions. Yes, I'm talking about those sleek majestic creatures that plow through water and make those cute woofing-barking sounds.

My husband and I went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, a few weeks ago—our first trip there. And yes, we did the sightseeing and tequila tours and the whole beach-and-pool thing. But I wanted to do something else, a bucket list item: I wanted to swim with the dolphins.

You see, I used to work at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and got to see the dolphins every day. But I ran the retail operations there so that was all I got to do: see them, wave to them, play with them through the glass. So yes, a bucket list item was to actually swim and play with the dolphins, up close and personal.

So we did. And yes, it was wonderful! A real dream come true. If you get a chance to do it—do it!

I know, you're asking yourself what this has to do with sea lions. Well, when we checked in for the dolphin swim, they asked if we wanted to add on the sea lion adventure. I glanced at hubby.

                Me: You want to do the sea lion thing?

                Hubby (giving me a weird look): Really?

                Me: Yeah, it'll be fun.

                Hubby (rolling his eyes): Not really, no.

                Me (maybe kind of pouting): But I want to!

                Hubby (shaking his head and trying not to laugh at me): Then go ahead. I'll just watch.

                Bingo! One sea lion adventure coming up.

I really had no idea what to expect. Maybe a quick intro to learn about them; maybe lean over and toss them some disgusting raw fish or give them a quick pet. I was honestly clueless. I mean, everyone talks about the dolphins but I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk about swimming with the sea lions.

Let me tell you: I am so glad I did that impulsive add-on because I had more fun with the sea lion than I did with the dolphins!

Maybe it was because I didn't know what to expect. Maybe it was because I was the only person there. I don't know why, I just know it was way more fun than the dolphins!

It started with meeting the trainer, Jesus. He went over everything, gave me a lesson about sea lions, talked about conservation and rehab, told me what we were going to do. Then he introduced me to Marina, the female sea lion. A quick jump in the pool (which was a lot colder than I was expecting!) and it was play time!

Marina was the perfect hostess: cute and cuddly, smiling and winking, giving me hugs and kisses. Seriously. And we're talking real hugs here—there aren't any other kind when a 450-pound sea lion decides to give you a bear hug! And maybe she had fish-breath but with her diet, I can't really blame her.

 Marina giving kisses and lots of hugs!

I left the sea lion adventure with a new best friend, and memories of a lifetime. I also walked away with a lesson: bucket lists are great and I think everyone should have one. But never underestimate the lure of an impulsive adventure!

Oh…this has nothing to do with anything but I thought I'd do a shameless plug here as well. My newest release, PLAYING THE GAME, just came out on February 14. PTG is the launch title in a new hockey romance series, The York Bombers, and is already getting some great reviews! You can read more about it by checking things out here.

And just so I'm kind of tying things in here: comment below with some of your bucket list items (planned or impulsive) and I'll choose one random winner to receive a digital copy of Playing The Game. I'll post the winner's name in the comments on Tuesday morning, 2/21.

Until next time!

Lisa