The title of this post is taken, as some of you will recognize, from a John Steinbeck book It seemed an appropriate title in that I am traveling, and not, some have noticed, blogging. For Steinbeck, though, ‘Randy’ is ‘Charlie’ his dog. But I’ll accept that.
I am on a 3000+ mile road trip with my wife and son the goal of which is, in it’s northern extension, Barb’s mother in the ‘thumb’ of Michigan. Along the way, we will see my son and his wife in Northeastern Ohio, my sister and brother and families in Southwestern Ohio, and my daughter and her husband and child in Northern Georgia, where the entire family will gather for their son’s baptism.
As I post it is Thursday morning. A quick log of our adventures thus far may interest a few of you. For the rest, this is at least an explanation why posting is currently infrequent.
Monday we drove 600+ miles to our daughter’s in N. Georgia. The problem was getting through the flooding. We had heard it was bad, but as we approached Atlanta, we discovered that it was so bad that I-75 was shut down through downtown Atlanta. We had to find our way around not only that blockage, but others on our way.
The greatest irony to arise from this was a note sent to my daughter from a Facebook friend noting that the “Noah’s Ark Day Care” near her was closed – due to flooding.
Tuesday found us back on the road, on a nearly 700 mile leg of the journey, bringing us to the shore of Lake Erie. We stopped for dinner at a Cracker Barrel just south of Columbus, Ohio, and asked the waitress if there was a bookstore nearby, as my wife needed a particular book. The intersection was populated with all types of national stores – Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Bed Bath and Beyond, so certainly, we thought, there would be a Borders or something.
No dice, but a couple at a nearby table overheard our question, and directed us (albeit wrongly, but that is another story) on an adventure to a Columbus landmark, The Book Loft, billed as one of the nation’s largest independent book stores. We could have easily gotten as lost in the store as we did trying to find the store, but we had a journey to complete.
And we had the promise of another, similar, bookstore. Our daughter-in-law Alissa works at one of the most wonderful stores in the world – Half Price Books. If anyone wants to start one of these in the Sarasota/Bradenton area, I’d be a customer. We walked out of there with a stack of books three feet high.
On Wednesday night, we took in a Cleveland institution, Melt Bar and Grilled, an entire restaurant dedicated to the grilled cheese sandwich. Yum. (I had the Westside Monte Cristo, which is dipped in beer batter and deep fried. I should say that Barb and I split this!)
Today, we are lounging around. We will probably take a walk to the lake, which is a few blocks away. Later today, we will go boating on Lake Erie, courtesy of the United States Coast Guard.
Tomorrow it is back on the road and on to Michigan. Posting is therefore erratic, and I may not get a chance to post my weekly Friday post on preaching. We’ll see.
Elsa
I don't suppose you'll be passing through Indiana on the way back? Ben and I would love to see you. Plus there are some great used bookstores here!
Gail and Keith
What an interesting journey to date! Keep us posted as you have time. There go your triglycerides with that Westside Monte Cristo deep fried grilled cheese! 🙂 But, I'm sure your many miles of hiking here and there will work that off in no time. Give our love to your various kids along the way. G
MagistraCarminum
You would enjoy a stop in Bloomington… So would I! But we are getting a visit from dil#1's dad this evening, which will have to do. Sounds like a great trip so far… but you didn't tell us which book was being sought and if you found it. Bilbiophiles want to know…
TulipGirl
Ahhhh. . . I was wondering why the quiet here. . .And now curious about the 3 ft stack of books you and your crew have.
Randy Greenwald
How much fun would that be, to pass through Bloomington. However, the trip is already clearly mapped out. No opportunity to check out those stores, or your hospitality this trip. Thanks, though!And, yes, I think the fat content of my bloodstream did shoot up. I've got seven weeks until my next cholesterol test, so, there's time.And the three foot stack of books:for Colin – something like two dozen old issues of Astronomy magazine, a book on 'dragonology', and two Hardy Boys books.for Barb – Michael Connelly, Lost Light, The Narrows, The Overlook, and The ClosersJames Patterson, Cross, and Double CrossJonathan Kellerman, The Conspiracy ClubMichael Crichton, Airframe, Rising Sun, and Disclosurefor Randy – CS Lewis, Surprised by Joy and Till We Have FacesDan Allender, To Be ToldNT Wright, Surprised by HopeBarbara Tuchman, A Distant MirrorJoseph Machelli, The Starbucks Experiencefor Barb and Randy – Cormac McCarthy, The Road (Barb and I want to read it again; read a library copy the first time)James McBride, The Color of WaterP D James, A Mind to MurderThere. That about does it!And like I've mentioned before, to buy a book is to assume one is buying the time to read the book. Hah! Good thing, I suppose, this store is not near us!
Gus/Adri
Re Half price books in Bradenton – Sarasota: If you build it [they] will come.Re PDJames – really enjoy her writing; not certain I've read the one you bought. If you've not read her before, you are in for a treat.–ae
TulipGirl
"And like I've mentioned before, to buy a book is to assume one is buying the time to read the book."That idea has stuck with me. . . And it really is part of my book-buying assumptions. . .Hopefully the hours on the road and time away from the usual routine will give plenty of time to indulge in reading that stack!