I was running late.

My first event of the book tour for INN BY THE LAKE, set for Swallow Falls State Park on Friday afternoon, and I wasn’t going to make it on time. I could tell as soon as I got near the entrance it was a busy day at this gorgeous state park. There was a line of cars waiting to get in and from my vantage point not a single parking space left near the trail to the falls.

“We’ve had people waiting for you,” the DNR staffer said when we pulled up to the entrance gate.

What?

I had hardly parked when a group of women came up to talk to me. They’d read about the book tour in the Garrett County Republican and made plans to come by. As a community journalist for a very long time, I was glad to see people still read newspapers.

My sister Mary Pat came with me to help me set up and we rushed to get books on the table, and Hershey kisses in the bowl.

What fun we had talking about what Deep Creek Lake has meant to our family and to our new friends. It seems this beautiful place with its gentle mountains, hemlock forests, glittering lake and breathtaking vistas had captured a lot of hearts. It’s always wonderful to meet people interested in something you work hard to create, isn’t it.

Looking forward to another day of talking about my book and this great corner of the world.