Connections

Those of us who love words and books have been there, or have dreamt of being there, that perfect independent book store where the books are beautifully curated, there are little hand written notes from real people who have read the books. You soon  know which books you want to read and want to buy them(lots of them) and wish you could also buy extra time to read them too. You also find other volumes that you sense will take you away from tastes you've become comfortable with and fire your imagination and your heart with something fresh and different and new. They tempt you, you buy some of them too. Stores like this shouldn't be rushed - oh and places like this play music that remind you that life is beautiful and evoke memories and have comfy chairs, simple but calming flowers sit in blue glass vases, and there is coffee and cookies - the coffee never spills and the cookies crumble, but never down your clothes or on the books.
 
Well we didn't visit a book shop like that today, but we did visit the craft beer equivalent at Elizabeth Station with Cynthia and Phil. I didn't count but there were more than 300 beers lined up in the coolers, 20 guest beers on tap, Bob Dylan Classics played, I was in beer heaven. Too many beers, so little time…..
 
Linda and I have started our holiday in North America with an overnight stay with blipfriends in Bellingham, Washington State. A little under 24hours but those of us who have made virtual friendships real here on blip will not be surprised that we had a rich time, that there was coffee, tea, beer and cookies, fine food and so many stories. Stories of our lives in macro and landscape, laughter and sadness, of beginnings and endings, of love and life, of our families now and before we were born, of working and retiring. The sun shone as we toured the town, places and stories I recognised from blip, and soon we were moving on to the next place. Thanks Phil and Cynthia for your warm and generous opening of your home and hearts. We were blessed.
 
So moving on we had a wandering son to collect from the bus depot, 10 weeks into his round the world trip, Benji is hitching a ride, a bed and some free food with mooma and pops. Driving north across the border and to the ferry to take us to Vancouver Island we began to catch up, we were treated to an English style Friday night motorway experience - 1mile moved in 80mins  - Benji's acquired wisdom from his travelling - everything can be sorted, everything happens for a reason was uttered (which I considered respectfully being as he hadn't use the dude word ), we arrived 30mins after our ferry had departed, but managed a later ferry, arranged to book into our accommodation after they'd closed up and all was well again..everything can be sorted.
One of my recent resolutions was to watch more sunsets. Catching the later ferry, we sailed into the sunset. Benji and I leant on the rails out on deck and stayed with the sun as it set, and unrushed….reconnected
 

Blipped foto - Phil and the beer menu.