Been really busy writing synopses the past few days, having wonderful friends read through them and point out the weaknesses so I can revise before sending them to my editor. I want them to be solid before I start working on the first chapters of each proposal.

But here are, finally, the final photos from my trip to San Francisco. These are from the day after the conference was over. I had an extra day in town to play tourist since I couldn’t get a spot on that day’s train, and I’m glad I couldn’t. Terry McLaughlin, fellow Noodler and Harlequin Superromance author, was my tour guide and drove me through some lovely areas of Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties.

A view of Napa Valley from one of the zillions of wineries.

We made a longer stop at the Rubicon Estate, a winery in Napa Valley owned by Hollywood director Francis Ford Coppola. The Coppolas live on the estate, so this is where Sophia grew up.

When you arrive, valets take your car and you walk up the red carpet.

Here’s me in front of Rubicon. Terry and I spend a nice bit sitting in the shade eating sourdough bread and drinking granita, a very tart frozen lemonade type drink.

After leaving the wine country, we headed for the coastal area and Muir Woods National Monument. I love National Park units, and I love trees, so I was in heaven.

It’s a bit of a standing joke that I’m a tree hugger (really), so what else did I do? Why, hug a really big redwood, of course.

After walking through Muir Woods and making a stop at the gift shop where I purchased a T-shirt for myself and one for my sister’s birthday, a redwood bracelet and earrings, postcards, and fridge magnets for the folks, we headed for Muir Beach.

I braved the cold water to stick my feet in the surf. That didn’t last long. Brr.

Then we drove up to the Muir Beach Overlook, which was stunning and very windy. This is the path down to the point of the overlook.

And to the left you can see the beach where we’d stood a few minutes before.

Here’s me at the point. I resisted the urge to face the ocean, with the wind in my hair, and yell, “I’m king of the world!”

See what looks like clouds on the horizon? That’s actually the fog sitting atop the water, making its way toward shore. I’d never seen fog like that before.

So that’s it, my photo journey through San Francisco. I had a great time and want to go back again so I can do the things I missed this time — including Fisherman’s Wharf and riding a cable car.

Fabulous pal Terry McLaughlin took me touring through some gorgeous parts of California today. We drove out of San Francisco and headed for Napa Valley and the rest of the wine country. It’s a very pretty area, and we stopped and walked around Rubicon, a lovely winery in Napa Valley owned by movie director Francis Ford Coppolla. We also drove through the pretty little towns of St. Helena and Yountville before heading toward the coast and Muir Woods National Monument, where I saw my first redwood trees. Very pretty park, and I loved the woodsy, cool, verdant smell, which reminded me of parts of the Smoky Mountains. After taking a walk through the woods and a detour through the gift shop, we headed for Muir Beach and the Muir Beach Overlook, both part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The view form the overlook was gorgeous. I could see lots of the rocky coast and the really odd view of the fog settled over the ocean out in the distance rolling toward shore. It looked like clouds sitting on top of the water.

My train leaves in the morning, so I better turn in. I’ll check back in later in the week, when I’ll start sharing some of the more than 150 photos I’ve taken on my trip.