Devon Hunter

After I did the three videos last week in Ft. Lauderdale I went up to Minneapolis for the weekend to visit Jen. It really is a beautiful city for the three-four months each spring/summer/fall that happens quickly between the long periods of winter. I hadn’t been since 1994, and I was very eager to see the place again.

I got two rooms at a downtown hotel, so that Jen and I could have our privacy if needed, and it was conveniently located to all sorts of restaurants and clubs. We had lunch at a nice little Thai place across the street, and we had all sorts of NOM NOM NOM. Very good food! We went to the Art Fair that was happening on one of the major thoroughfares (Jen doesn’t drive, so I got see the city at the leisurely pace of a bus ride, which was very cool in Minneapolis), and we spoke to some very talented painters, jewelers, sculptors, and artisans. One stall was dedicated to some very lovely textiles that I think had been dyed by hand and turned into some very impressive dresses. Very chic!

After that we went to Fogo de Chão, which was around the corner from the hotel. Some time ago, I went to the Fogo in D.C. with a friend, and it was such a nice lunch that I wanted to introduce Jen to the place. It was a pretty damn spectacular dinner feast, and the two of us had to roll down the street back to the hotel. It was fairly obscene how much we ate, but it was so worth it.

The next day we went out to St. Paul, so that Jen could show me around her FABULOUS neighborhood. OMG! I love Cathedral Hill – what a cozy enclave! It was just charming, and Jen’s house is beautiful. The trees in the Twin Cities are very impressive, especially given how short the warm season can be, and everything was so clean. The garden in the back yard was bursting with veggies, and Jen’s porch is perfect for sitting and reading. And that’s exactly what we did. Just enchanting – the houses are all so varied, and each has so much character. I just sat and sipped ice water while Jen perused my latest writing project.

It was such a good time. As with my July, 2010 break, I got home feeling tired from the travel but rewarded from the journey. I really am glad that I am taking time to spend with friends. Seeing places (which isn’t really a large part of my travels, since most of my time is spent in the hotels of various destinations) really makes these trips special. Just as with my friend in Houston who shows me something wonderful in his city each time we go, getting out of work mode and hotel rooms is really feeding my spirit.

I haven’t decided on what to do with my September, 2010 break yet. It might be nice to simply stay put… or it might be time for another adventure.

Okay, so I guess I’d better stop trying to think people aren’t paying attention… LOL

I thought I’d be able to get away with a little experimenting without causing any confusion, but now that I’ve received the eighth or ninth email about it, I suppose I should explain what is going on with October 22 – 25, 2009.

When I advertise I have been placing my ads two weeks in advance. I wanted to branch out to a new city, and thought Seattle sounded like fun. I think I need to start doing three weeks in advance (especially for new cities). The response to my Seattle ad was very low, and so I decided a couple days later to try Minneapolis, but the response there was the same. Bearing in mind that I need to make travel plans a week in advance to get deals on flights and hotels, one week before Seattle/Minneapolis I wasn’t comfortable with committing to either. I chose to go back to a familiar place (which is fine, because I didn’t want to be so far away from home right now anyway – some personal stuff requires me to be able to get home quickly if need be).

Here’s where the irony kicks in: Another week passes, and I have the response level needed to go to either Seattle OR Minneapolis. LOL But I’ve already got commitments in DC, so my current plans have to stand. But the responses I have from Seattle and Minneapolis give me the foothold I need to try again in those places. I wouldn’t have been able to act on either of those ads anyway, because I’d have to get to whichever place tomorrow (and good luck finding a discount on flights/hotels with 24 hours’ notice).

So… For those of you who have written in and asked, “What kind of a whirlwind tour are you planning?” Well… this is what was happening in the background. In summary: I am going to reach further in advance, so as to hopefully avoid this type of confusion in the future. My apologies #1 for presuming no one would notice and #2 for seeming disorganized.