Awful picture of me. Great picture of Bainbridge.
I am back in the swing of things after a terrific week in Seattle. In no particular order, some highlights include:
-Biking Bainbridge Island while rediscovering some of my favorite moody, grey-day music: Nick Drake, Emily Haines, Bright Eyes and Her Space Holiday
-Ohhing and Ahhing over beautiful flower arrangements and blackened salmon sandwiches at Pike’s Place Market with Amber
-Catching up with Gwynne in Ballard (fantastic neighborhood a little bit off the beaten path with a seemingly endless amount of locally owned shops, restaurants and bungalow houses)
-My daily, relaxing “routine” on Bainbridge: reading One Hundred Years of Solitude, eating, spending time with Kimber’s lovely family, reading some more, eating a lot more and falling asleep to the sound of the ocean.
-Walking around Ballard and down to the locks on a glorious Saturday morning with Katie and her dog—all while wearing Katie’s too-short sweat pants, my riding boots and a fleece that had me wondering if it was the first one that Patagonia ever made.
-Touring the Seattle Public Library with Amber. I know this sounds boring, but the library downtown is amazing! The architecture, gift shop and views of the city are not to be missed.
Since coming back yesterday, I have caught myself looking out of the window at my office and wishing I was still exploring the pacific northwest. Such a wonderful trip!
According to the Times (via Amber), Vladimir Nabokov's son has decided to publish his father's final unfinished manuscript. Written on 138 index cards (which was apparently the way that Nabokov wrote all of his books), The Original of Laura will be published on November 3rd. When Nabokov died in 1977, he asked that the cards be burned, but his son locked them in a bank vault in Switzerland instead.
