Dear Reader Column 03-07-08

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Dear Reader,

"It's so good to read with friends" and the other evening it was a lot of fun to eat Mexican food with a friend, too. Alicia reads at the book club and she'd sent an email asking if I'd recommend some tasty local restaurants "that were easy on the pocket book", because she was going to be in Sarasota overnight on business.

I was happy to oblige but when I was making a list of my favorites, including El Toro Bravo, I realized that it had been awhile since I'd eaten one of their Chimichangas and maybe I needed a night out on the town myself. So I extended an invitation, "Would you like to go to dinner with a crazy writer?" And what do ya' know Alicia accepted my invite.

On the way to the restaurant I must admit that I felt a little nervous because I started thinking, 'I'm meeting a reader so I should make a good impression, be on my best behavior, kind of like first date rules; no elbows on the table, don't say anything too outlandish, make Ms. Manners proud.' But then it dawned on me that since Alicia reads my column every day, it was a little too late to put up a polished facade--she knows everything about me--good and bad. So I just relaxed and after courteous hellos, soon we were double-dipping taco chips into the same bowl of homemade salsa and talking like old friends.

The conversation never lulled, work, hiking in the mountains, hobbies, pets (Alicia and her husband have five dogs, four standard schnauzers and one border collie), clothes, and of course books and writing. Dinner wasn't a disappointment, the food was great and for dessert Alicia and I blew bubbles in the restaurant and I asked our waiter to take a picture. It was a delightful, relaxing evening. If you'd like to see a photo of "dessert" go to: http://tinyurl.com/22uzap

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read (and eat Mexican) with friends.

Warmest regards,

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.DearReader.com