I was going to make this entry about why I love living in Seattle (which I do) but then I started thinking about fun places we've visited so far, and decided to make it about my other places. You know, those places that you say, "Hmmm, it would be really fun to live there.....or stay there for a few months..." Except, of course, I love Seattle.

New Orleans. . I absolutely love this city. It's not just one thing; it's all the little things together. The people are friendly and love to talk. The food - well, I could write an entire entry on the food alone. Even 99.9 percent of the dives have fabulous food. But it was the spirit of the city that got to me. Laid back, with an interesting past. Modern buildings, and a few blocks away, one of the oldest buildings in the US. City, but with the country not so far away. I could see why so many writers stayed there for a time - it made me wish for a few months to just hang out and soak it in, and write it down.

Hawaii. There is nowhere quite like Hawaii - part of the US, and yet apart. Like visiting a living jewel in the ocean, lush, exotic, fabulously beautiful. Utterly laid back - you go on island time when you are here - there is no hurry. There is always something to do, but you can also just relax, and kick back on the beach with a book and a cool drink and that's as much a good time as anything else. And the feeling that, with all the tourists, there are also real things too - the roadside shrines, and the even older placeds.

Oregon Coast. Beautiful beaches, not too crowded. Another area that makes me long for a few months to just rent a house on the beach and write, write, write. There isn't a lot to do, but it's a great place to unwind, walk on the beach, watch the surf, hang out.

Vancouver B.C.. I would put Vancouver in my top three favorite cities. It is vital, diverse and an altogether fabulous place to visit. The people are friendly, and polite. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world - even prettier (I hate to admit it) than Seattle. And it's also more hip (oh, I hate to admit that too). What can I say, my mom's parents were both Canadian citizens. Great food, interesting nightlife and places to go during the day, both for tourists and the people who live there.

Eastern Washington. My dad's family were pioneers here, as well as in Oregon. There is a part of me that loves it over there, the bare hills, the fields, the smell of mint in the air and the crickets at night. The way the lighting moves over the valley during a storm, and you can see it for miles away. Now the area my dad grew up in is becomeing a bunch of chi-chi wine appellations - and it's a good thing for them.

Northern California. There is something about it that is mesmerizing - the sea, the beaches. Farther inland the history - the old mining camps and dusty little towns that make you want to stop and get a cool drink and hang out in them for awhile. The real towns, not the tourist towns.

Now, these are places I would want to live, or at least stay for awhile. I'm sure there will be more - I plan to travel a lot in the next 40 or 50 years.