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Views of the Neighborhood – Gaucho Winery

~ John W. Howell ~ 56 Comments

This is the second post as a result of a day spent with my daughters. We visited two winery locations. This is the second winery visited.

El Gaucho Winery in Texas is a social location in Texas for wines made from grapes grown in Mendoza Argentina. The Texas location is meant to feature the Argentian wines and to provide a comfortable venue for gatherings. You can find out more about the winery here.

Views of the Neighborhood

The main sign lets you know this is a piece of Argentina.

The winery is on top of a hill. This is the shot at the top.

Lovely flowers.

A welcome sign and view of the valley.

Activities area as seen from inside the tasting room.

The menu. We tasted the Malbec Classico. It was delicious.

A few decks in the event area.

Outdoor kitchen featuring a wood-fired bread and pizza oven.

A look back toward the tasting room.

Kids play area, including teepees.

An observation and event deck. This winery had a party written all over it. I’m going to keep my eye open for events.

Views of the Neighborhood – Visit to Moon Valley Nurseries

~ John W. Howell ~ 81 Comments

I know the Producer, and I seem to be fixated on nurseries. Last week we had to visit another in the quest for an olive tree and Artichoke Agave. Our landscaper was having a difficult time finding them, so we thought we would help in the search. I hope you enjoy the quest.

Views of the Neighborhood

Here is the main sign.

Views of the neighborhood

Parking lot with big trees.

Views of the neighborhood

The entrance.

A sign warning about falling trees Also, check the price of the Italian Cyprus – $12,000.

The greeter. She has to be brushed every night.

Love Hibiscus.

Cute farmhouse-like building.

Pathway through the jungle.

Clearer path.

Trees to go.

High wind victim.

The nursery is on an old putt-putt golf course.

Some Italian Cyprus.

Small utility building.

Lovely roses and Lantana. Moon Valley did have olive trees and Artichoke Agave. We gave the landscaper the Nursery name and location. He knew of that firm and liked that we did the footwork.

Views of the Neighborhood

Here is the olive.

And the Artichoke Agave

Views of the Neighborhood – Book Fair McKinney Texas

~ John W. Howell ~ 61 Comments

Today’s neighborhood visit is in McKinney, Texas, which is a four and one half hour drive from my neighborhood. The book fair is sponsored by Texas Authors as part of the Texas Author Book Fair Network.

 

I decided to stay in an AirB@B in McKinney. It was in the country and very quiet. I loved the bench backrest. It was a tailgate.

McKinney Book Festiful

This is the welcome tray. Made me feel at home.

McKinney Book Fair

Other authors and I got together for dinner. Award-winning author Jan Sikes and I got a chance to catch up. She and I are both members of Rave Reviews Book Club. It was great seeing her again.

McKinny Book Festiful

The auditorium where the event was held.

I thought it would be interesting to take a shot of the room before it was set up. You can see it is a lovely room.

Here is the room almost filled.

McKinney Book Festiful

Another  shot of the floor

A shot of my booth. I had a great location next to the stage.

 

For John H.

~ John W. Howell ~ 19 Comments

I was surprised this morning by a very kind act on the part of Andrew Joyce. He titled a beautiful photo For John H. There could be many John H’s who would love this title but I’m taking it as my own. You know Andrew. He’s the writer’s writer and master craftsmen of words. His latest book is titled Mahoney and is sitting on my Kindle tempting me to break sequence and get to it now. You can visit his other books at https://www.amazon.com/Andrew-Joyce/e/B00EUCFDTM. Thank you, Andrew

Andrew Joyce's avatarAndrew Joyce

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Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Author Update – #Reviews – S.A. Harris, Geoff Le Pard, John W. Howell and Gwen Plano

~ John W. Howell ~ 10 Comments

Gwen Plano and I are being featured on Sally Cronin’s Cafe and Bookstore along with S.A. Harris and Geoff Le Pard. (Both worth knowing) If you have not visited Sally’s blog, you are missing a treat. Her daily features are not to be missed. Take a moment to check out her line up of events. She also offers indy authors an opportunity to participate in many promotional opportunities. Thank you so much, Sally.

Guest Post: Interview by Sergeant Joe Friday

~ John W. Howell ~ 21 Comments

Today I am with L. Marie today being interviewed by Sergeant Joe Friday. L. Marie has a lovely site which you should visit often. She is also giving away a copy of The Contract for which I thank her. Thank you so much, L. Marie

L. Marie's avatarEl Space--The Blog of L. Marie

L. Marie here. A strange man calling himself Sergeant Joe Friday strong-armed me invited me to share this interrogation interview with the awesome John Howell. Enjoy!

I’m Sergeant Joe Friday. My partner is Frank Smith and I’m a cop. I was working the day watch in and around the county of Los Angeles. It came to my attention that one John W. Howell had finally left the safe confines of Texas and was due to arrive at Los Angeles International Airport this afternoon. Since Mr. Howell has long been on our list of persons of interest, we decided we needed to intercept him at the airport.

There we were standing around waiting for the arrival of the plane from Austin. My partner had gone to the snack bar for a coffee while I busied myself with the paper. Just as I was about to get to the score of…

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