Book adventures...
On Saturday, I got an email that a Bookcrosser had released a book at my old high school not a block from my house. Not only that but it was a Star Trek book, and while a lot of them are complete crap, a Trekker since toddler-hood like me could not pass that up. I got Gareth to put his shoes on and we rushed over - John, of course, had to give me a hard time as we were going out the door - like he wouldn't rush off to Santa Ana on two minutes notice if he heard his favorite rare wood was marked 50% off.
We walked over to my alma mater, and I checked out all the tables in the quad, but alas, none of them contained books. We also looked any other place on campus with tables, since she had only specified "a table in the courtyard," which could have meant several places. No luck. There was an event going on in the stadium, and a lot of foot traffic, so someone must have beat me to it.
So we contented ourselves with strolling around the campus, and pointed out various places I had hung out when I went there. The auditorium/Tower is looking the worse for wear, I think it was last painted/repaired sometime before I attended, so I'm sure it's overdue. The paint is looking patchy, there is graffite next to one of the lower Tower windows, and several places where concrete has flaked off and the rebar is showing. It doesn't help that the school itself stencilled "Skateboarding is Against the Law" on the wall in 10 inch high black lettering, not very neatly.
Then we went to the adjacent park and Gareth pretended the play equipment was a fire truck, and I swang in the swings. We picked up a few pine cones on the way back, while I scoped out some places to possibly release books in the future. I've only done one so far - letting go is kind of hard.
KO lent me Carl Safina's Song For a Blue Ocean, which promises to be an illuminating read. I started it last night and I already love his writing style - in the first chapter, he makes a flight with a spotter pilot over the Gulf of Maine sound like one of the most beautiful experiences in the world. Working for the agency I do, I have some first hand experience with some to of the problems he discusses. He used to participate in a mailing list of the American Elasmobranch Society that I belonged to. KO's copy is signed by him; of course, it says, "Best Fishes..."
We walked over to my alma mater, and I checked out all the tables in the quad, but alas, none of them contained books. We also looked any other place on campus with tables, since she had only specified "a table in the courtyard," which could have meant several places. No luck. There was an event going on in the stadium, and a lot of foot traffic, so someone must have beat me to it.
So we contented ourselves with strolling around the campus, and pointed out various places I had hung out when I went there. The auditorium/Tower is looking the worse for wear, I think it was last painted/repaired sometime before I attended, so I'm sure it's overdue. The paint is looking patchy, there is graffite next to one of the lower Tower windows, and several places where concrete has flaked off and the rebar is showing. It doesn't help that the school itself stencilled "Skateboarding is Against the Law" on the wall in 10 inch high black lettering, not very neatly.
Then we went to the adjacent park and Gareth pretended the play equipment was a fire truck, and I swang in the swings. We picked up a few pine cones on the way back, while I scoped out some places to possibly release books in the future. I've only done one so far - letting go is kind of hard.
KO lent me Carl Safina's Song For a Blue Ocean, which promises to be an illuminating read. I started it last night and I already love his writing style - in the first chapter, he makes a flight with a spotter pilot over the Gulf of Maine sound like one of the most beautiful experiences in the world. Working for the agency I do, I have some first hand experience with some to of the problems he discusses. He used to participate in a mailing list of the American Elasmobranch Society that I belonged to. KO's copy is signed by him; of course, it says, "Best Fishes..."