A book, a tour, a couple of random thoughts

Thanks to the good folks at Arcadia I can share the cover of my book with you.  This book writing has been a curious experience.  The most common question - how long did it take you to write the book.  With the twin question - how long have you done research for the book.  

The first answer is - about 8 months.  I learned that writing a book is a lot like riding a roller coaster.  You know when get strapped in, but the rest is pretty fluid.  So... technically you can figure out when you signed the contract, but, at least for me, the actual writing goes in fits and starts.  Some days I was able to get a lot written or self edited.  Other days found me wandering about the internet.  End dates are easier because there is a final date when you can no longer edit and you must send the work to the publisher.

The second question is harder to answer with any accuracy.  I started the research a bit by osmosis.  I met people, asked questions, heard a lot of answers, which luckily led to more questions.  I learned a lot over a decade.  There are still many questions that I have yet to answer; much to be researched.

Took a tour today led by Gregory McReynolds.  Wandered/rode around the foothills above New York Drive, above the Eaton Canyon Golf Course as Gregory pointed out geographical features and homes that date back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.  

I love spending time with my "historical" comadres and compadres.  There are areas of investigation that they have followed that lead me to explore things in a different way.  Maybe they share some fact that turns a conclusion of mine upside down or they ask me about something they assume I might (should) know and that causes me to do some heavy investigation.  It also enlightening to learn that as I get older I don't need to chase every item of interest.  Sometimes it is a good thing to simply listen.

Spinning in Time

So this is not time travel, but memory travel.  

Went to the San Marino Historical Society today and read some the court papers of Victoria Reid, baptized Bartolomea Comicrabit, wife of  Hugo Reid.  

If you think that that was a confusing sentence but were able to get to the end of it and have it make some sense, you would enjoy reading this document.  

After reading this one document I was left wondering who paid for the case?  What took place before it reached this level?  How valuable was the land? 

It was intriguing to read that Abel Stearns, spouse of Arcadia Bandini de Stearns (later de Baker) was the interpreter for Arcadia.  My friend Gary and I are going to look at this in greater detail to get a better sense of how things happened in the case.