Jayne Hitchcock here – is it just me, or did Spring turn into Fall then magically into Summer? What crazy weather! Even so, the tourists are flocking to my town of York. We live on the main road to the beach and see them flying by the house on the weekends. School is running late this year, but by June 20th traffic will be crazy as usual.

What I love most about this time of year is when friends or family come to visit, such as my husband’s daughter, her boyfriend and his grandmother, yesterday. They drove from western Massachusetts and as soon as they got here, we decided on what to do for the day. First was the Wiggly Bridge and Steedman Woods. Our Siberian Husky, Phoebe (who you all know as the Cyber Crime Dog) recently had cataract surgery, so with the “cone of shame off” we brought her along. We walked all the way across to John Hancock’s Wharf and the George Marshall Store & Gallery. They were taking pictures like crazy. My husband and I enjoyed being “tour guides.” It’s always kind of fun to see your town through someone else’s eyes.

We got some subs from Hannaford, ate, then headed over to York’s Animal Kingdom (I remember it being the Wild Animal Kingdom when I was a wee one) for a round of mini golf. Nothing like a little competition and people watching to get you going, ha ha!

After that, they wanted to shop for souvenirs, so my husband and I would wait outside the shops they went into and talked to local merchants we knew. All the while, I was people watching, cataloguing accents, phrases, clothing, attitudes, etc for possible future use in my writing. Who says writers aren’t always “on point?”

We caved in at the Kettle Boys and got some pizza flavored popcorn and bacon horseradish – should be interesting. Talked to the owner – he seemed relieved to talk to locals.

Do you get the same feeling where you live? It’s kind of like a secret society, isn’t it?

If you live in a touristy town, do you do the same thing when you have visitors? Have you used any of your people watching in your stories?

And people always wonder where I get my ideas from.

P.S. Phoebe is doing great – surgery went well and she can see again. We only opted for it because she was just eight years old. If you want to follow the whole saga, check out a page we did for her (and please share if you can).