C.J. and I went out for breakfast in Benicia this morning, which we usually do on Sundays whether I’m on summer break or not.  Afterwards, we wondered round Charlie’s Attic where we found this cool pop-up book about Columbus.  It’s from 1960, so I won’t bother reading the text. I bought it for the pop-up anyway.  I know all about Columbus.

The cover features a turning ship’s wheel with a cut out that reveals a world map showing the routes he took across the Atlantic.  Pop-ups, something no e-reader will ever come close to achieving.

We’re basically in between things this week.  School’s out. Nothing to do. Waiting around until June 28 when we head to Brooklyn for 20 days on a cross-country cat-sitting gig.  So, yes, we did have to track down pet sitters to take care of Clovis and Floyd which was much harder to  do than I thought it would be.  Everything’s in place; now we’re just waiting to leave.

I’m not taking my Chromebook this time.  I’ll have my Kindle and my iPhone so I won’t be off-grid, though that does sound attractive.  The iPhone has replaced all of my cameras at this point, so I “need” it now.  I may take my Holga pin-hole camera just for fun.  We’re going to Coney Island which would be a good spot for pin-hole photography.  The Kindle and Jane Austen are all I’m taking book wise this time.  I’ll be buying lots of books while in New York so no need to take a bunch on the plane.

Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility is the first book in the Jane Austen Read All A-long which starts July 1.  You can join in the fun by going here.  While I don’t plan on blogging while travelling this time around, I will put up a couple of robo-posts so everyone can leave their comments and links to their reviews. I will post mine when I get back to California later in July.

I find I am really looking forward to reading Jane Austen again.  It’s been a few years since I last read her.  I’m supposed to get my new reading glasses later this week.  After breaking my old pair a few months ago, I’ve not been reading nearly as much.  You don’t miss your water until the well runs dry, as the song says.  I’m telling you, invest in reading glasses.  It’s worth it.

Meanwhile, I’ll be posting another new favorite book later this week, probably tomorrow.  Leonard Gardner’s Fat City.  It now ranks up with Ham and Rye, Day of the Locust, and Ask the Dust as one of the best books about California’s underbelly.  I’ll say more about this in my post.

More to follow…..