On Saturday my husband and I went to the local historical society to attend an antiques car show. My husband thought of it as a nostalgic trip because he saw cars similar to his first car, his parents’ cars, cars he’d admired when he was young. I did that, too, but I had another agenda. I’m always looking for images that will inspire me, or that I can refer to while I’m writing a novel. So, I whipped out my tiny camera and began snapping photos of the cars and even the old buildings that are being refurbished by volunteers.

The setting was perfect–a lovely park with a small lake, old houses and general store, a museum, and in the backgroung music from the fifties and sixties blared as more cars rolled in and found a spot to park.

Of the cars, my favorite was a cream-colored Bentley. I could see one of my characters driving that car in England, as Elizabeth George’s protagonist, Detective Lynley, does in her mystery series. I also loved the old oil truck, and thought I could use that in one of my time-travel stories.

I wonder if I’m the only writer who multi-tasks when it comes to sightseeing.