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Field of Flowers
Oct. 13th, 2008 06:57 pmThis hotel having no wifi really sucks. Here I am again at the lobby computer at three-thirty in the morning. My laptop has all of my photographs uploaded, but no connection, so I'll have to transfer them to a memory stick later and do it from this one.
Likewise the series of articles I've been working on.
At least I've changed the PC desktop background from a nice picture of the Disneyland castle to the above photograph of Floriade in Canberra, which I think is even nicer.
Woke up round nine AM in a hotel room deserted except for an echo of snores. Shower, shave and downstairs to find the BookCrossers finishing up a leisurely breakfast, which we managed to stretch out another hour or so, just hanging out and enjoying each other's company.
Lilgrovers is the (nearly) two year old darling of the world. He is so charmingly cute and sociable, and when he smiles and dimples up, he's got my heart fair in his Oshkosh B'gosh pocket.
Likewise everyone else here, except they don't climb up onto my lap and kiss me square on the lips.
There was a move to church to hear BookCzuk and JavaCzuk sing in the choir, but I'm a devotee of the heathen faith, and I staid behind to do my laundry and toss a half-dozen of Lilgrovers' strides in as well. He goes through a pile of trousers in the blink of an eye, especially if it's a wet day.
Which it was when I was done and discovered Solittletime in the lift, just in somuch time to be picked up by a couple of the lovely locals for delivery to Fleet Landing, a naval-themed restaurant for a long brunch. Spicy shrimp, shrimp and grits and a couple of Anchor Steams. Tipt the young lady waitress with 15% and Tim Tams, which made her day, as she remembered them with fondness from a recent stay in Melbourne. She also remembered Cadbury Fruit and Nut with pleasure, but although I happened to have a bar of that on me, it's reserved for a young lady in New York in a few days time.
On the way back - says a lot for brunch that we finished well past two in the afternoon - we stopt at the charleston Library Sale. Third day, huge auditorium full of books, but it finished at three and even though there were lots of stock available at half price, the few minutes we had weren't enough. Solittletime gathered up enough for a boxfull, but by the time I'd found some reasonable baseball books, it was a bloody long queue and I quietly ditched my four hardbacks. Another time.
Then a lazy afternoon of napping and reading and lobbying.
Dinner was awesome - ribs and pulled pork and barbeque sauce and chips dipt in cholesterol at "Sticky Fingers" before we collected our doggie bag, filled the BookCrossing van with delicious aromas, and headed back, to await the Czuks, Mojosmom and Inkognitoh from their trip to Folly Beach.
Parcels and hugs were exchanged, and my heart felt like someone had punched out a few neat round holes in it as the Czuks climbed back into their vehicle and headed off.
I'll be back one day, with Kerri, but until then, I'll have to live on memories. Happy memories.
Tomorrow will be more holes, as I say good bye to roomie ResQgeek, fellow BC in DCers crrcookie and lilgrovers, and the amazing Solittletime. Mojosmom and I will share a cab to the airport, and then we'll take different planes to different places, amd I'll be alone in transit once more.
My heartfelt thanks to the Charleston BookCrossers for putting this together. Czukie in particular was all but asleep on her feet at the end of what has been a big month for her. A relaxed convention with few low-key activities, aimed mainly at the social aspect. And books. Don't forget the books. It's all about the books, right?.
Like hell it is. It's the people that make BookCrossing. And you'd have to travel a long way to find a better bunch. I love them all.
Likewise the series of articles I've been working on.
At least I've changed the PC desktop background from a nice picture of the Disneyland castle to the above photograph of Floriade in Canberra, which I think is even nicer.
Woke up round nine AM in a hotel room deserted except for an echo of snores. Shower, shave and downstairs to find the BookCrossers finishing up a leisurely breakfast, which we managed to stretch out another hour or so, just hanging out and enjoying each other's company.
Lilgrovers is the (nearly) two year old darling of the world. He is so charmingly cute and sociable, and when he smiles and dimples up, he's got my heart fair in his Oshkosh B'gosh pocket.
Likewise everyone else here, except they don't climb up onto my lap and kiss me square on the lips.
There was a move to church to hear BookCzuk and JavaCzuk sing in the choir, but I'm a devotee of the heathen faith, and I staid behind to do my laundry and toss a half-dozen of Lilgrovers' strides in as well. He goes through a pile of trousers in the blink of an eye, especially if it's a wet day.
Which it was when I was done and discovered Solittletime in the lift, just in somuch time to be picked up by a couple of the lovely locals for delivery to Fleet Landing, a naval-themed restaurant for a long brunch. Spicy shrimp, shrimp and grits and a couple of Anchor Steams. Tipt the young lady waitress with 15% and Tim Tams, which made her day, as she remembered them with fondness from a recent stay in Melbourne. She also remembered Cadbury Fruit and Nut with pleasure, but although I happened to have a bar of that on me, it's reserved for a young lady in New York in a few days time.
On the way back - says a lot for brunch that we finished well past two in the afternoon - we stopt at the charleston Library Sale. Third day, huge auditorium full of books, but it finished at three and even though there were lots of stock available at half price, the few minutes we had weren't enough. Solittletime gathered up enough for a boxfull, but by the time I'd found some reasonable baseball books, it was a bloody long queue and I quietly ditched my four hardbacks. Another time.
Then a lazy afternoon of napping and reading and lobbying.
Dinner was awesome - ribs and pulled pork and barbeque sauce and chips dipt in cholesterol at "Sticky Fingers" before we collected our doggie bag, filled the BookCrossing van with delicious aromas, and headed back, to await the Czuks, Mojosmom and Inkognitoh from their trip to Folly Beach.
Parcels and hugs were exchanged, and my heart felt like someone had punched out a few neat round holes in it as the Czuks climbed back into their vehicle and headed off.
I'll be back one day, with Kerri, but until then, I'll have to live on memories. Happy memories.
Tomorrow will be more holes, as I say good bye to roomie ResQgeek, fellow BC in DCers crrcookie and lilgrovers, and the amazing Solittletime. Mojosmom and I will share a cab to the airport, and then we'll take different planes to different places, amd I'll be alone in transit once more.
My heartfelt thanks to the Charleston BookCrossers for putting this together. Czukie in particular was all but asleep on her feet at the end of what has been a big month for her. A relaxed convention with few low-key activities, aimed mainly at the social aspect. And books. Don't forget the books. It's all about the books, right?.
Like hell it is. It's the people that make BookCrossing. And you'd have to travel a long way to find a better bunch. I love them all.
