Rita Golden Gelman - Female Nomad

July 16, 2001 - I’m still working hard in two directions. First, at interviewing on radio and tv and an occasional newspaper, and second, at trying to put together my National Nomad Tour. The problem is coordinating. I’m traveling in a car and my flexibility is limited.

I’m getting wonderful e-mails from all over the country inviting me into homes and asking if they can do anything for me. I’m answering everyone and saying yes to all. I’m planning to stay with my e-mail book friends as much as possible and fall back on Servas in between. And I’m excited to have local people helping me with speaking dates and bookstore and media contacts. But trying to arrive on the second Tuesday of the month when an organization has its monthly speaker…….or getting a fabulous invitation for a book-author luncheon in March when I am going through that state in November is very frustrating. I’m paying my own expenses and I can’t do lots of flying.

So today I’m sitting with my latest e-mails and trying to stay longer in some places and skip others. Originally I thought I’d keep most of my driving to under four hours a day. Now I’m up to six on some legs. (If I drive from Gallup to Phoenix and skip over Flagstaff, I’ll have more time in Phoenix, where I’ve heard from lots of people. And if I go all the way from Phoenix to San Diego and from LA to Santa Cruz, I’ll have longer drives but more time in the San Francisco area.)

Apart from the book…..yesterday I went to an auction in the village of Easton, NY with my friend, Maria. I loved the excitement, the auctioneer’s patter, and the hamburgers from the van, but I couldn’t believe the prices people were paying for things. Like $2,000 for old advertising postcards and $1,500 for two tattered dolls with missing limbs and broken skulls. A stuffed cow about six inches long with a missing eye and broken leg brought $500. The furniture that I thought was beautiful brought half of what I thought it was worth.

The weather here in upstate NY has been gorgeous. Cool and sunny.

OK, back to the itinerary revisions.