Hoping you’re all well as we’re heading into the last quarter of the year.
I’m still “BOND’ing” and have no idea how I can just move forward to something else. There was just so much more to talk about. We never talked about location, or bond movie songs, or the legendary movie starts …. I could go on and on … but *sigh* let’s move on.
FREE WEEK!
And what is my humble little mind coming up with? Well, as I’m writing this, I’m sitting in a little cabin in Lakes Entrance. LE is a small place along the Gippsland coast, east of Melbourne. Yes, I had to drive through the big city to get here. LOL. Which sounds a little silly, because I used to like the big city driving. I used to work in Frankfurt, which had quite some traffic every morning to offer. Anyway, the traffic didn’t worry me. At one stage I was a bit concern
ed about my girl sitting next to me when we went across the West Gate Bridge as the knuckles turned nearly white (tall bridges aren’t her thing!), but the kicker for me was when we went through the tunnel and nearly crawled along at some stage. And suddenly the whole car shook. It honestly did! So trying to stay calm, after all I AM THE PARENT, I started to sing along One Direction. It always makes me laugh, their lyrics are beyond hilarious, but don’t tell my girls. LOL. Anyway, shaking car. Turned out, we had one of this truck next to us, which had so much horsepower it rumbled through the tunnel with a big attitude. You would not believe how glad I was to “see the light” at the end of the tunnel 😉
So, Lakes Entrance is a small fishing port with about 4,500 people living there, near a man-made channel connecting the Gippsland Lakes to the Bass Strait. We love it here and although a long drive, it’s worth coming for only a few days. The girls and I love the beach, and we always try to do the walk to the “entrance” to spot the seals and dolphins. And every time we just sit there, amazed by the spectacle in front of us.
My current WIP is set along the NSW coast, but, yes I admit, Lakes Entrance (and Mirrimbula as well) is always in the back of my mind when I’m writing.
What’s your favourite spot you like visiting and why?
Angela Schroeder
Patricia Kiyono
Elaine Cantrell
Jeff Salter
Joselyn
Tonette Joyce
Four Foxes, One Hound 
Iris, my favorite getaway spot is Mackinac Island in the strait between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan. It’s a beautiful spot (even though it’s quite the tourist attraction) and fairly unspoiled since you can only get there via ferry (or by snowmobile over the frozen lake in the winter). There are only a few motor vehicles on the island: a couple police cars and an ambulance. All the other traffic is via horse, carriage, bicycle or on foot. The Grand Hotel on the island was the site of the movie “Somewhere in Time” as the decor is like stepping back into the late 1800’s. It’s a lovely place, surrounded by beautiful blue water, and one of my favorite getaways.
LikeLike
Oh Stephanie – it certainly does sound beautiful. I wonder whether that’s the island Susan Elizabeth Phillips used as a setting in one of her books.
I’m not kiddin’ you we were talking about the Michigan lakes only 10 mins ago and how beautiful it is there, and how amazing it apparently looks when they’re frozen! I will have to google some pics 🙂
Thanks for stopping by. I always like to hear about other people’s favourite getaway spot!
LikeLike
I have to admit, Bond Month is going to be impossible to follow well.We’ll just have to deal with the let-down, but you gave us a good start!
The picture is BEAUTIFUL,Iris! I LOVE the sea, but have been land-locked for more than 30 years.I never should have left the coast,(which is why the first novel I am writing involves ocean, boats and beaches!)
Although , when I lived out west in the U.S. ,(Idaho and mostly Colorado), the day trips to the mountains were wonderful,I will always carry a torch for the sea,(Now,If I can make that Greek Fire…lol!)
LikeLike
I love the sea as well … Probably one of the reasons why I moved to Australia 😉
I’ve seen pics of Colorado and it looks beautiful. Definately on the “to do” list for our next trip!
LikeLike
I guess I’m a little crazy, because my favorite getaway spot is downtown Chicago! I have friends and family there, and when I need to get away from the drudgery of life here (although things are pretty good since I retired from most of my jobs) I like to drive or take the train to Chi-town and see the sights, visit with friends and extended family, and take in a show. I think it’s just the change of scenery that does it for me.
LikeLike
Not crazy at all, Patricia! We all have to have different tastes. I remember back home it was a big thing when we went to Frankfurt or Cologne. We loved it.
LikeLike
Oh, gosh, NO,Patricia! I feel like I have been in exile in the small town I’ve lived(?) in for the past 19 years…given a chance,I’d head to downtown Chicago in a heartbeat!!
LikeLike
I don’t like small tunnels or high bridges either. And the older I get, the less I can tolerate them.
You’re right that we have other 007 topics to examine. Maybe next spring we can set aside some time to delve in to the SONGS, LOCATIONS, PLOT-LINES, and whatever else we left out.
Maybe favorite 007 colleague (within MI6).
I don’t really have a favorite spot to visit, but I know there are several places I’d like to return to. Among them would be some of the national parks out west, like Yellowstone and King’s Forest.
LikeLike
you’ve made my day, Jeff …. another bond month next year?
As for the bridge and the tunnels … not my thing either, but west gate bridge is nothing compared to some of the ones in the US ! The tunnel however …. that was a bit eerie …. 😦
Where’s King’s Forest ? Have to google that one!
LikeLike
My favorite place to visit is Reno, NV! I love the hustle–bustle and gaming venues. (I’m a card player) 🙂 That said, it’s a nice pace to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there. LOL! Why? Because if I lived there, it would lose its unique appeal for me.
enjoyed your post, Iris! I can hear you about your daughter’s white knuckles. high places make me grip onto the nearest object of stability for my LIFE!
LikeLike
We never made it to Reno on our recent trip to the US. Close but then we decided to go straight to the coast …. 😉 …. we didn’t like Vegas and had the idea it’d be similar and skipped it.
Yes, high places seem to be a lot of people’s worst nightmare!
LikeLike
Reno is NOTHING like Vegas, Iris. I don’t like Vegas, either. Heights never bothered me until after my injury and my vision was messed up.
LikeLike