Respite from Rain

By some mistake of air currents, the sun actually forced it's face through the rain clouds for about an hour. I quickly took advantage of what I then hoped would be an all afternoon phenomenon. Hurried out, umbrella along just in case, and quickly walked to R's office to fax something and then the post office to mail a couple envelopes. She suggested we have an early lunch on Main Street. Good idea.

Main Street of this major summer tourist attraction as one would expect is full of restaurants. The one R. wanted to try was not open so we went across the street to another where we had Cajun tuna cakes on a green salad [with many mild raw onion rings under the very spicy, very crumbly but quite delicious tuna cakes. A new idea, a new taste in tuna. We liked it a lot. As we sat looking out the window the umbrellas appeared again.

We decided I should not walk home in the rain but she had another hour of work. No prob. Across the street is Tim's used books store of surprisingly large dimensions with a wonderful variety of serious books as well as one long, long wall of junk beach reading paperbacks. I have avoided the store since my move here knowing I cannot go in without finding books I didn't know I wanted but suddenly wanted very much. I did know I wanted more about Isabella Bird's adventures in the Rockies. I read a short selection early this year, loved it, wanted more. There I found it. I've seen Bill Bryson's early travel book about the US but read only one short excerpt about Iowa, I haven't purchased it before but now wondered why I had never read it since I his writing and personality are delightful. I did not know about The Diblos Notebook by James Merrill -- a fascinating non-novel/novel in notebook form. And so it went, another travel book, a book of interesting poetry. In short six books for under $25, half were hardbacks. I DO have space on my bookshelves having ruthlessly given away books when I moved. I must avoid Tim's Books as much as possible because it is likely any trip in there would yield a similar haul. With books, as with quilting fabric stash, I'm trying to use up not stock up.

So I've had a successful rainy day. Now I'm totally ready for the sun to reappear and the clouds to vanish. I'd love to sit on my little patio with the book I've just started -- no, none of the new ones although one of them will probably be next in line. For now it's Simon Winchester's, The Professor and the Madman which I've long been meaning to read. A bang up first 30 pages so far. And a novel by my bedside