I am extremely happy to report that last Monday, mystery author Nancy J. Cohen and I helped raise over $5000 to benefit Komen For The Cure Breast Cancer Research. We held the signing at The Melting Pot, which is a fondue restaurant here in my town -- yes, that includes dipping strawberries and other dessert treats into to-die-for thick, creamy, melted chocolate! No wonder the restaurant packed in over 200 hungry customers, all women because this was one of their monthly Ladies Night Out events which always benefits a good cause, like this one or St. Jude's Hospital. So thank you, Missy at the Melting Pot, for inviting Nancy and me to be a part of your very successful night!

And ladies, please don't put off having your yearly mamograms!

Well, it would appear we're not going to escape Fay as easily as we thought. Apparently, even though the center of the storm, or the eye if it were better organized, is going to pass over Florida's west coast, all the worst weather is on the eastern side -- which will pass right over South Florida. Fay hasn't even arrived yet, and already our screened-in porch has begun to flood and my husband just went outside now that the first rain-band has passed to lower the pool level. It also means that the first day of school today was cancelled and probably tomorrow as well. Up north they get snow days, we get hurricane days.

The good news is that as long as people stay off the roads (please South Floridians, STAY HOME TODAY!!), Fay shouldn't be life-threatened or cause much property damage except possibly where there's flooding. The other good news is that the expected 5-10 inches of rain should bring Lake Okeechobee -- for those of you who don't know, our main source of water -- back up to acceptable levels after a really bad drought. Hey, there are reasons Mother Nature does what she does. She just never promised she'd make it convenient for us.

So, my fellow Floridians, be safe, be smart, don't do anything stupid and hey, enjoy some time at home reading a good book! If storms make you nervous, open a nice bottle of wine.

 

We did it -- we got out of the state of Florida for a few days! Our niece up in Buffalo got married last weekend, so we went up for that and snuck across the border a couple of times into Canada to see Niagara Falls and all the other neat stuff kept tucked up in American's Attic. Just kidding, Canada! I LOVE Canada, whether I'm out west in Alberta's amazong Rockies, or even further west in the beautiful city of Vancouver, or east in Ontario, as we were last week. It's a beautiful country, and Canadians are just so NICE!

I grew up in the Northeast, but this was my first trip to Niagara Falls. I expected to be impressed, but I was blown away, especially when we rode to the base of the Horseshoe Falls on the Maid Of the Mist. If you really want to experience the tremendous power of the falls, you have to ride the Maid of the Mist. It was like being in a scene from a disaster movie, and I half expected to be swallowed up by the walls of water at any moment. It's an awesome experience! Exhilarating!

The Horseshoe Falls (Canada side) seen from the top of the Skylon Tower across the street. Pay no attention to the dates on these pictures -- that's just me not knowing how to work my camera!

American Falls from the Skylon Tower

Looking downriver from the Horseshoe Falls

 

Me on the Canada side, American Falls in the background

The Skylon Tower, modeled after the Sky Needle in Toronto

Lunching across the street from the Falls

On the Maid of the Mist. Yes, we look funny in our rain ponchos, but yes, WE NEEDED THEM!!

Moving into the Horshoe, although not quite all the way in yet. We had to put away our camera as we moved closer to the Falls or they would have been ruined by the water. It hits you in sheets, almost like being outside in a hurricane. Really wild, heart-pumping FUN!! A trip to Niagara Falls is not complete without a trip on the Maid of the Mist!

Double Rainbows on the ride back to Buffalo

Rainbow over downtown Buffalo.

We also had a wonderful time seeing family again, and the wedding was lots of fun. But speaking of hurricanes, we're back in Florida and whaddaya know, we're watching the advisories on Tropical Storm, possibly Hurricane, Fay. She's forecasted to hit the west coast of Florida and we'll probably only experience the outer bands of wind and yuck, but as the news reporters keep drilling into us, we are in the "cone of death" as we fondly refer to it, and one never knows for sure how the storm track might waver as it gets closer. We can't do anything but stock up on a few supplies (because no matter what, we stand a good chance of losing power over the next couple of days) and wait and see what happens. Should have stayed in Buffalo!!!

With both our daughters up in Tallahassee earlier this summer -- one taking a summer class and the other at the Florida State School of Music Orchestra Camp, my husband and I actually got the chance to do a little exploring by ourselves. We've lived in Florida for over twenty years now, and to tell the truth, we haven't seen a fraction of what this state has to offer. Like most other people, we always tended to think either beach or theme parks when it came time for vacation, but there are some secrets about Florida that totally break that stereotype.

For instance, there is a town about a half hour northwest of Orlando called Mount Dora that will make you feel as if you've just stepped back in time to the Victorian era. It's shady and lush, dripping with Spanish moss and filled with turn-of-the-century charm. The streets are lined with antique shops, interesting little boutiques and unique, personally owned restaurants -- no chains! Hurray! We had lunch at an Icelandic themed restaurant called the Frosty Mug and honestly, the sandwiches are the best I've had anywhere! I mean, where else can you get smoked salmon and brie, or grilled chicken with walnuts, raisins, coconut and apples? These people are thinking outside the box!

Mount Dora Inn on the Lake, with it's wide veranda where visitors can sit in wooden rocking chairs and sip cool drinks in the afternoon while looking out at the view of the lake across the way.

The lake actually gives a seaside feeling to the town, even creating a nice breeze off the water, which combined with the big old trees, keeps things a little cooler -- relatively speaking, of course!

After Mount Dora, our explorations brought us back to Tallahassee, where we had to pick up our daughter from camp. Our older daughter has been attending FSU for two years now, but I never knew about the Old City Cemetary until a few weeks ago when I read Heather Graham's THE SEANCE. In it she mentions the cemetary and its resident ghost, Elizabeth Beau Graham. Of course, the city's official stance is that this is merely a rumor -- that's their story, and they're sticking to it! Anyway, below is a picture of me visiting "Bessie's" grave. It's rather impressive, isn't it?

Like the rest of Tallahassee, the Old City Cemetary is shady and lush. It's also a fabulous record of Tallahassee's long history, including two areas where Civil War soldiers are buried, both Confederate and Union. Viewing their graves was really a moving experience. It makes one stop and consider the sacrifice both sides made for family, country and the things they believed in. In the cemetary also lies the first black minister in the state of Florida, as well as victims of a yellow fever epidemic that swept through inthe 1800s.

Our next stop brought us to the Indian Mounds Archeological Park. About 800 years ago, Native American built a village with about six huge mounds used for temples, important residences and graves. There's nothing there now but these very obvious mounds that rise steeply from the ground. The park is a beautiful place to hike and picnic.

That's me on the way down from the largest of the mounds, accessed by a staircase that I'm pretty sure the Native Americans didn't enjoy in their time. I wonder how they got up and down?

Below is nearby Lake Jackson. Yes, I said lake, not swamp or slightly wet grassland. Lake Jackson, which is pretty vast, sits on a series of sink holes that tend to open up and suck in all the water from time to time. That, along with our drought this past year, has left Lake Jackson nearly empty. Right now there are boat ramps leading down to nothing but grass and dry land. Florida continues to surprise me...

So what did we do with the rest of our free time? We went to Disney World and the beach, of course!

Yes, this past Saturday, about 40 friends and I got sexy down on South Beach. HUH? you ask! All those people? And CNN didn't cover this?

 

It was a fascinating and eye-opening day -- or maybe I should say eye-POPPING, since fellow Florida Romance Writers, friends, spouses and I spent the afternoon at the World Erotic Art Museum. When the idea first came up to tour the museum and the hold a panel and booksigning there, it sounded like fun but I really had no idea what to expect. Would I be walking into some kind of kinky sex arena, a den of iniquity? Would my innocence be forever lost?

 

Not so! WEAM, as it's called for short, opens its modest, unassuming storefront entrance onto busy Washington Ave. in South Beach. Inside there's a diminuative lobby ending at the doors of a mysterious elevator. The faint of heart might hesitate to step inside that elevator and push the up button; they might wonder, as I did, what exactly might be lurking up above. To them I say, Be brave! Be adventurous. And be prepared to be amazed. 

 

The quick journey will bring you to a 12,000 square foot museum made up of wrapping corridors and multiple rooms, each celebrating its own particular theme in sexuality. Paintings, sculptures, books, and items ranging from the practical to the whimsical, ancient to modern, tiny to huge – like the giant carved four-poster bed or the, uh, anatomical stature painted gold to set off its larger-than-life glory – brings the viewer on a graphic journey through the history of human sensuality.

 

You could say that the images captured in the artwork depict every sexual "angle" imaginable -- and the human imagination turns out to be vast and varied! Perhaps you're wondering if some of those images made me blush. Well, they might have except that I don't blush that easily.

 

But even at its most explicit, the museum exudes a sense that this is art and in no way pornography; that the displays depict what life is all about, essentially. Piece by piece, the exhibit has been lovingly put together by the owners over a period of about 18 years, and it's impressive indeed.

 

After our tour, I sat on a panel with fellow writers Zelda Benjamin, Jianne Carlo, Mary Ricksen, Lyn Armstrong, Linda Conrad and Mona Risk to talk about sensuality and sexuality in romance novels, from sweet to erotic. I learned a lot that day, and I hope our audience did too! And I hope that if you ever find yourself in South Beach, you'll take time to visit WEAM.