Time Out

There’s only one best dog in the world, and every boy has it.  I’m not sure who said that first, but I heard it first from Jan. And as in most things, she’s right.

I’m that boy.

My dog and I have been practicing retrieves, a canvas dummy thrown or launched over land, and she’s getting better each day. But then, she’s the best dog in the world, isn’t she? A floatable one over water is great fun to watch, but she needs more confidence in water.

After weeks of 100+ temperatures and oppressive humidity, we had three days of relief. A fresh breeze at sunrise, fresh local peaches and coffee may well salvage what threatened to become a miserable summer vacation. Today the steam is back.

This vacation provided an opportunity to visit one of my favorite bookstores, The Book Bank. It’s known on-line as Crawford’s Nautical Books, and you can visit it at HTTP://www.crawfordsnautical.com/. Gary and Susan Crawford buy and sell what they call “watery books”—anything related to the sea, boats, ships, navigation, fishing, sailing, voyages, islands, or otherwise watery. They have a wonderful collection, and I could spend hours wandering through their rooms.

My other favorite is The Book Escape in Baltimore, which also offers new and used books. It’s co-owned and operated by Andrew Stonebarger,  a wonderfully patient man who allows customers to wander about as long as they like while he remains available at a respectful distance. He’s been hugely helpful in finding unusual books I needed for research.  

What a comfort to have a cozy book store nearby!