Hi You all.   I know, in the South, they say Y'all but I am still a Wisconsinite at heart.

I WAS back from Chicago yesterday morning and home by noon.  However ---- Guess what---- Leslie and Bill are visiting and we have been having such great visits and all.  And frankly, last night, I was just to darned tired to post.

IBAM was wonderful.   My talk went well, got lots of good feedback.  I even sold one of my cookbooks and traded my poetry books with another author for HER book.   It was great.   Heard so many wonderful talks at the Literary Salon and sat in on a panel discussion by three authors ( Ken Bruen, William Doyle and Turtle Bunbury).  Ant this was just Saturday.  Sunday brought more lectures, after a lovely, poorly attended Mass, in the auditorium.   I finished off the weekend with a concert by the winner of the IBAM music award winner, Tommy Fleming. 

I am so grateful to my friends, Frank and Sharry Avilla for transporting me back and forth from the hotel to the Irish American Heritage Center for those days, they are truly special  I got to meet the son of the Person of the year and Visual Arts person of the year.  Remember the black and white painting of Che on the red background.  That is Jim's.   His son is adorable and a charmer.  I have his card and he has mine so I hope to hear from him.

Loved the big expensive awards dinner and learning about and meeting the awardees.  

A wonderful experience - again.

Got home and found out that Leslie and Bill had come a day early just to be on vacation.  We have been just soaking up the family time.  Bart came over this afternoon and the five of us, Bart, Barb, Leslie, Bill and myself all went out for dinner tonight.

More to come.   I LOVE having people in the house.   Nicky likes it too as long as they don't stand up.   Kind of a private joke but he gets afraid of Bill every time he stands up, I wonder if it is because his is so tall?  Loves him when he is sitting down.

Oh well

More tomorrow. 

Dia dhuit

Mary