7pm?

It seems so much later!! Did I mention I have to have a root canal tomorrow (the first of two)? I have two Valium tablets, and need to get a third from the endodontist when I get there. They don't use nitrous there, which has me concerned, since I'm nit sure the Valium will be enough. But I'm trying not to think about it. It's an hour's drive away. The only endodontist on our crappy insurance. Wish me luck and no anxiety attacks.

Jen and Dave came down yesterday. They took us out for Nin's birthday, so Nin picked the Crown and Anchor for dinner. Yay for Sticky Toffee Pudding! Also hit the British import store and got Crackers, Christmas pudding, and Mince pies. It was Christmas at the Adobes night, which I've always wanted to do, but no one else was up for it, so I settled for buying a 19th century Californio cookbook at the Cooper Molera Adobe store, and dragging them all to my favourite walled garden behind Portola Plaza.

Good news! Nin was able to trade with a coworker for Xmas Eve! Now both of them can have two days off in a row, so he was eager to trade for that, since neither of them had a two day off segment. Maybe they should let the employees write the schedule, huh?

And last, guess what? I've written the first page of the QoS fic!

7pm?

It seems so much later!! Did I mention I have to have a root canal tomorrow (the first of two)? I have two Valium tablets, and need to get a third from the endodontist when I get there. They don't use nitrous there, which has me concerned, since I'm nit sure the Valium will be enough. But I'm trying not to think about it. It's an hour's drive away. The only endodontist on our crappy insurance. Wish me luck and no anxiety attacks.

Jen and Dave came down yesterday. They took us out for Nin's birthday, so Nin picked the Crown and Anchor for dinner. Yay for Sticky Toffee Pudding! Also hit the British import store and got Crackers, Christmas pudding, and Mince pies. It was Christmas at the Adobes night, which I've always wanted to do, but no one else was up for it, so I settled for buying a 19th century Californio cookbook at the Cooper Molera Adobe store, and dragging them all to my favourite walled garden behind Portola Plaza.

Good news! Nin was able to trade with a coworker for Xmas Eve! Now both of them can have two days off in a row, so he was eager to trade for that, since neither of them had a two day off segment. Maybe they should let the employees write the schedule, huh?

And last, guess what? I've written the first page of the QoS fic!

7pm?

It seems so much later!! Did I mention I have to have a root canal tomorrow (the first of two)? I have two Valium tablets, and need to get a third from the endodontist when I get there. They don't use nitrous there, which has me concerned, since I'm nit sure the Valium will be enough. But I'm trying not to think about it. It's an hour's drive away. The only endodontist on our crappy insurance. Wish me luck and no anxiety attacks.

Jen and Dave came down yesterday. They took us out for Nin's birthday, so Nin picked the Crown and Anchor for dinner. Yay for Sticky Toffee Pudding! Also hit the British import store and got Crackers, Christmas pudding, and Mince pies. It was Christmas at the Adobes night, which I've always wanted to do, but no one else was up for it, so I settled for buying a 19th century Californio cookbook at the Cooper Molera Adobe store, and dragging them all to my favourite walled garden behind Portola Plaza.

Good news! Nin was able to trade with a coworker for Xmas Eve! Now both of them can have two days off in a row, so he was eager to trade for that, since neither of them had a two day off segment. Maybe they should let the employees write the schedule, huh?

And last, guess what? I've written the first page of the QoS fic!

'To Follow the West Wind'

What follows is my Queen of Swords fic. The overall title is To Follow the West Wind, and my conception of it is something like a serial, with somewhat self-contained segments. I have approximately ten segments plotted out, though if all those get written, we’ll all be surprised!

'Santa Elena Welcomes You' is the first story in the series, 'To Follow the West Wind'. This first tale is set in the spring of 1818, with the stories that will follow taking place between 1818 and 1821,
when Mexico declares its independence from Spain.

All of the QoS characters will be featured, along with original characters – hey, it’s me, what else did you expect? I’m going to try and stick with the QoS canon as much as possible. The show is really historically inaccurate, so I'll do my best to blend what the show presented with the reality of Spanish Alta California. Try being the operative word!

One of the things I had to decide when starting this was where exactly the fictional Santa Elena was. My best guess, based on a few tidbits gleaned from the series, is somewhere between Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. Any descriptions of the landscape, flora and fauna, etc., are based on what it actually looks like here, not what it looked like where the show was filmed in Spain posing as California.
As a native of this beautiful part of the state, I hope I'm able to bring a little taste of my home, and Tessa's, to the reader.

A brief synopsis of Queen of Swords can be found here.

I hope you enjoy the story!

Part One of Santa Elena Welcome You

'To Follow the West Wind'

What follows is my Queen of Swords fic. The overall title is To Follow the West Wind, and my conception of it is something like a serial, with somewhat self-contained segments. I have approximately ten segments plotted out, though if all those get written, we’ll all be surprised!

'Santa Elena Welcomes You' is the first story in the series, 'To Follow the West Wind'. This first tale is set in the spring of 1818, with the stories that will follow taking place between 1818 and 1821,
when Mexico declares its independence from Spain.

All of the QoS characters will be featured, along with original characters – hey, it’s me, what else did you expect? I’m going to try and stick with the QoS canon as much as possible. The show is really historically inaccurate, so I'll do my best to blend what the show presented with the reality of Spanish Alta California. Try being the operative word!

One of the things I had to decide when starting this was where exactly the fictional Santa Elena was. My best guess, based on a few tidbits gleaned from the series, is somewhere between Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. Any descriptions of the landscape, flora and fauna, etc., are based on what it actually looks like here, not what it looked like where the show was filmed in Spain posing as California.
As a native of this beautiful part of the state, I hope I'm able to bring a little taste of my home, and Tessa's, to the reader.

A brief synopsis of Queen of Swords can be found here.

I hope you enjoy the story!

Part One of Santa Elena Welcome You

'To Follow the West Wind'

What follows is my Queen of Swords fic. The overall title is To Follow the West Wind, and my conception of it is something like a serial, with somewhat self-contained segments. I have approximately ten segments plotted out, though if all those get written, we’ll all be surprised!

'Santa Elena Welcomes You' is the first story in the series, 'To Follow the West Wind'. This first tale is set in the spring of 1818, with the stories that will follow taking place between 1818 and 1821,
when Mexico declares its independence from Spain.

All of the QoS characters will be featured, along with original characters – hey, it’s me, what else did you expect? I’m going to try and stick with the QoS canon as much as possible. The show is really historically inaccurate, so I’m going to try and do my best to blend what the show presented with the reality of Spanish Alta California. Try being the operative word!

One of the things I had to decide when starting this was where exactly the fictional Santa Elena was. My best guess, based on a few tidbits gleaned from the series, is somewhere between Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. Any descriptions of the landscape, flora and fauna, etc., are based on what it actually looks like here, not what it looked like where the show was filmed in Spain posing as California.
As a native of this beautiful part of the state, I hope I'm able to bring a little taste of my home, and Tessa's, to the reader.

A brief synopsis of Queen of Swords can be found here.

I hope you enjoy the story!

Part One of Santa Elena Welcome You

'Santa Elena Welcomes You' (01/08)

Notes: I need to thank some of the wonderful people on Live Journal who shared their expertise with me on the clothing and weapons of the time. Their help was invaluable. I also thank the extreme patience of my friends, who when they visited me last, got dragged around Old Monterey, revisiting some of my favourite historic gardens so I could soak up atmosphere.

The dance tunes mentioned in the story can be heard on 'Fandango at Sonoma' by Los Californios - The Alta California Orchestra. I had the good fortune to attend an Old California recreation dance in San Juan Bautista where they played (and yes, I wore hoop skirts!) a few years back. It's an excellent CD.

Series notes and a link to a Queen of Swords synopsis can be found here.

Rating: PG13
Characters: Dr. Robert Helm, Colonel Montoya, Captain Grisham, Tessa Alvarado, Marta, OFC
Summary: Dr. Helm and Tessa find someone quite unexpected on his doorstep, and Colonel Montoya plots to use her to his advantage.


To Follow the West Wind - Part One: Santa Elena Welcomes You


( In the spring of 1818... )

Notes and background here.

Part One ][ Part Two ][ Part Three ][ Part Four ][ Part Five ][ Part Six ][ Part Seven ][ Part Eight

'Santa Elena Welcomes You' (01/08)

Notes: I need to thank some of the wonderful people on Live Journal who shared their expertise with me on the clothing and weapons of the time. Their help was invaluable. I also thank the extreme patience of my friends, who when they visited me last, got dragged around Old Monterey, revisiting some of my favourite historic gardens so I could soak up atmosphere.

The dance tunes mentioned in the story can be heard on 'Fandango at Sonoma' by Los Californios - The Alta California Orchestra. I had the good fortune to attend an Old California recreation dance in San Juan Bautista where they played (and yes, I wore hoop skirts!) a few years back. It's an excellent CD.

Series notes and a link to a Queen of Swords synopsis can be found here.

Rating: PG13
Characters: Dr. Robert Helm, Colonel Montoya, Captain Grisham, Tessa Alvarado, Marta, OFC
Summary: Dr. Helm and Tessa find someone quite unexpected on his doorstep, and Colonel Montoya plots to use her to his advantage.


To Follow the West Wind - Part One: Santa Elena Welcomes You


( In the spring of 1818... )

Notes and background here.

Part One ][ Part Two ][ Part Three ][ Part Four ][ Part Five ][ Part Six ][ Part Seven ][ Part Eight

'Santa Elena Welcomes You' (01/08)

Notes: I need to thank some of the wonderful people on Live Journal who shared their expertise with me on the clothing and weapons of the time. Their help was invaluable. I also thank the extreme patience of my friends, who when they visited me last, got dragged around Old Monterey, revisiting some of my favourite historic gardens so I could soak up atmosphere.

The dance tunes mentioned in the story can be heard on 'Fandango at Sonoma' by Los Californios - The Alta California Orchestra. I had the good fortune to attend an Old California recreation dance in San Juan Bautista where they played (and yes, I wore hoop skirts!) a few years back. It's an excellent CD.

Series notes and a link to a Queen of Swords synopsis can be found here.

Rating: PG13
Characters: Dr. Robert Helm, Colonel Montoya, Captain Grisham, Tessa Alvarado, Marta, OFC
Summary: Dr. Helm and Tessa find someone quite unexpected on his doorstep, and Colonel Montoya plots to use her to his advantage.


To Follow the West Wind - Part One: Santa Elena Welcomes You


( In the spring of 1818... )

Notes and background here.

Part One ][ Part Two ][ Part Three ][ Part Four ][ Part Five ][ Part Six ][ Part Seven ][ Part Eight