So I had a wonderful mostly busy 10 days visiting the west coast.
I attended the HWA Stoker/World Horror Convention weekend in Portland, Oregon, then stayed overnight with a friend. While in Portland, I sampled too much chocolate (and I’m not even that interested in chocolate), ate a voodoo donut that only impressed me with the fact that the chocolate icing on top somehow dribbled all over an offwhite vintage blouse I was wearing.

 

Then on to San Francisco, where I stayed overnight with my lovely Tachyon publishers. We ate wonderful Japanese food that night.

Tuesday I was picked up by another friend who took me shop shop shopping all over Oakland, checking out most of the vintage clothing shops (where I bought a 40s dress –my decade–and a gorgeous short black kimono with spider webs all over it, in white. (photos hopefully will show up somewhere–I wore it to the Nebula awards. )

Lots of good food including Vik’s Chaat–Indian street food-for lunch, dinner with some local folk at Ippuku in Berkeley (highly recommended) that had fabulous grilled Japanese food with Summer Snow sake.

Finally my friend Ysabeau Wilce and I drove down to San Jose for the day Saturday the 18th where we both sat on panels, socialized, and then attended the Nebula Awards…

Photos of everything (out of order, alas) here: http://tinyurl.com/pyf5oza