On July 10, LOTS of friends and family surprised me during the reading at Plymouth Library. It was a stormy evening but that didn't keep my 'down home' folks away. My sixth grade teacher (Ms. Sexton) caught me off guard with a poster I drew for her in 1980 and my seventh grade teacher (Rev. McNair) gave a great introduction before I spoke.
On July 14, I attended a smaller version of the famed Somerset Homecomings at Somerset Place (an antebellum plantation near, Creswell, NC, my hometown). There were period craft activities which my children loved and descendants of slaves moved from Somerset to Alabama in the late 1800s. It was great connecting with family. Selling books is good but connecting with people is even better.
You can read more about Somerset Homecomings here.
During the week I spent time with my mom, grandmom, aunts, uncles and cousins. We visited Ocracoke (via ferry!) and splashed in the waves to our hearts content.
All in all, it was loads of fun. Being away from home for such a long time was tough but I didn't miss doing dishes and cleaning house one bit. The In the Making Tour isn't over yet. Not by a long shot. I'm just taking a breather. Check back soon and don't forget to enter the summer contest. See my web site (LLHargrove.com) for details.
Here are the pix from the week (all but the last picture are from the Plymouth, NC reading:
