Q's from Murderati's contest

*** Many Thanks to Fran for the link and her very sage answers ***
I'm posting these here for two reasons, one - to pass them along, as well as a referral to Murderati, and 2- to save to answer later.
(I haven't been blogging lately for a variety of reasons, but commit to getting back to these this week.)((Updated 1/04/2010))

1) Who's your hero?
I have had different answers to this over the years, and I don't know if I can narrow it to one now. I have often said either my Mom or my Dad, and perhaps the truest thing I can say right now is both of them. They have not only persevered and overcome a number of challenges, which is why I have named them before, but they continue to provide a great example. They have really mastered the "aging gracefully" thing, and continue to be productive and self sufficient now at 82 and 87. Dad still mills lumber and builds cedar chests and other beautiful wood items. Together they put in a big garden and harvest and Mom cans and freezes the results. I hope that I can be as good at life as they are.

2) What was the very best day of your life? (Aside from significant others/ marriages and births of children.)
The best day? Boxing Day 2009 maybe? We had a gathering at Mom and Dad's that inlcuded my sibs and their children, unfortunately the steps weren't there, but all the rest and Andy's wonderful Miranda. It was a real blessing to see all of them all together, from my son, who at 29 is the oldest grandchild, to my sister's 6 year old.
Or maybe the Spirit of Grace concert before Christmas - part of the day went south, just the interpersonal relationship stuff, but he rest was splendid, and the concert was a huge success, even raising $700 for Chrissie's school.
It appears that I have a lot of best days.

3) If you could go anywhere, right now, obligation-free, without stress, etc., where would you go?
I would go to Australia. I loved going there with my daughter's band and would like to see it without benefit of the whole 150 members of our party. Melbourne, which reminds me so much of Victoria and Vancouver, really warrants more time to explore and so does Sydney, and everything in between :-) I loved the people, who remind me of my Canadian cousins, fun and much less inhibited than us (their country wasn't founded by Puritans - it shows). It was pretty amazing to stand on a glorious golden sand beach watching the waves splashing in the sun, wrapped in coats and hats, to realize that the only thing between us and Antactica was 2,000 miles of water.

4) Which two characters would you love to see meet up for a road trip? (can be anyone in literature... anyone at all)
OMG - Claire and Jamie, and that way for sure I'd know that among the 3 of us there would be 2 super adaptable, creative and inventive survivors in any situation.It doesn't hurt that one is a Dr. and the other a Scot.

5) If you could pick the traits of a favorite character to adapt in your own life, which character and traits would those be, and why?
Right now my favorite character is Clair Frazer - she is smart, inventive, adaptable, a capable survivalist and according to her creator, tall and beautiful (I've got the tall part already). For the folks who only read mysteries, you probably won't know her, but she's a good person to read about, and I can't wait until the next installment, which is much like being on a road trip or equivalent with her and her family.