A month of Sundays...
October vanished in a whirl of bookfairs and travel and weather. We exhibited at the Seattle Antiquarian Bookfair early in the month; the show opened the day after the stock market plunged 900 points. Weirdly, that seemed to bring out the buyers, maybe because they could actually see something for their money. So of course, we bought many books as well, since we managed to sell off a lot of things we'd had for a while.
Then, after a day of book scouting in the Bellingham area, we parked the van full of books and shelves at Seatac and flew non-stop to Paris (!!!!!11!!) on Air France, which offsets 9 inches of leg room in coach (I think that's about right) by feeding the passengers some actual meals. With free champagne to help get you to sleep and off their hands. I had thought briefly about trying to zip over to London during our festive week, but the schedule was too full. As Audrey Hepburn advised, always rain the first day and never an umbrella in Paris. Lovely, soft drizzle to justify the jetlag collapse although we managed a wander out the 17th Arrondissement to check out the neighborhood where our friends have their tiny flat.
We had breakfast, lunch and dinners with friends of B's and his retired partner, a trip to the Musee D'Orsay, a quick squint at Notre Dame, and I took myself out to the Biblioteque Francaise Francois Mitterand to see an exhibit on modern children's books, "Babar, Harry Potter et Cie" which was charming but not dazzling. the museum is wonderful though, a group of modern buildings shaped like open books wrapped around a private little forest about three stories high. also managed the full on Paris Flea market (skirting the edges to look for books) and a smaller one that included gangs of booksellers under a tarp that's open for business weekends only.
Once back at Seatac, we leapt into hte van and headed for portland where we took a day to recover from more jetlag and I spent an entire afternoon and evening with the amazing rainkatt in which we knitted, tried to spin, played with our fibers, and drank much bubbly with cheese and baguettes. Much holiday knitting is in progress.
We got home a week ago and we're already madly packing for the final two fairs of the year in Houston and Boston (we've never done the Boston ABAA and I'm quite nervous about recouping our investment) but at least I'll get a shot at a Legal Seafood dinner. On the road again on Thursday for two more weeks and then I'm sending B off to Thanksgiving in Utah without me because I've overspent my allowance and i really muct stay home and ship orders for teh holiday season. There could be posting as well as holiday gift knitting during that week.
Lovely restful weekend now that Halloween is over and the rains have come. Yesterday was the first wood fire in the stove insert. I need to lounge in front of it some more.
Meanwhile, fingers crossed for a successful Election Day wherein the US makes history in a good way, and best wishes for a happy November all round. Bye!
Then, after a day of book scouting in the Bellingham area, we parked the van full of books and shelves at Seatac and flew non-stop to Paris (!!!!!11!!) on Air France, which offsets 9 inches of leg room in coach (I think that's about right) by feeding the passengers some actual meals. With free champagne to help get you to sleep and off their hands. I had thought briefly about trying to zip over to London during our festive week, but the schedule was too full. As Audrey Hepburn advised, always rain the first day and never an umbrella in Paris. Lovely, soft drizzle to justify the jetlag collapse although we managed a wander out the 17th Arrondissement to check out the neighborhood where our friends have their tiny flat.
We had breakfast, lunch and dinners with friends of B's and his retired partner, a trip to the Musee D'Orsay, a quick squint at Notre Dame, and I took myself out to the Biblioteque Francaise Francois Mitterand to see an exhibit on modern children's books, "Babar, Harry Potter et Cie" which was charming but not dazzling. the museum is wonderful though, a group of modern buildings shaped like open books wrapped around a private little forest about three stories high. also managed the full on Paris Flea market (skirting the edges to look for books) and a smaller one that included gangs of booksellers under a tarp that's open for business weekends only.
Once back at Seatac, we leapt into hte van and headed for portland where we took a day to recover from more jetlag and I spent an entire afternoon and evening with the amazing rainkatt in which we knitted, tried to spin, played with our fibers, and drank much bubbly with cheese and baguettes. Much holiday knitting is in progress.
We got home a week ago and we're already madly packing for the final two fairs of the year in Houston and Boston (we've never done the Boston ABAA and I'm quite nervous about recouping our investment) but at least I'll get a shot at a Legal Seafood dinner. On the road again on Thursday for two more weeks and then I'm sending B off to Thanksgiving in Utah without me because I've overspent my allowance and i really muct stay home and ship orders for teh holiday season. There could be posting as well as holiday gift knitting during that week.
Lovely restful weekend now that Halloween is over and the rains have come. Yesterday was the first wood fire in the stove insert. I need to lounge in front of it some more.
Meanwhile, fingers crossed for a successful Election Day wherein the US makes history in a good way, and best wishes for a happy November all round. Bye!