The Birthday goes on....and a new bookstore

The birthday goes on…yesterday’s four-hour fishing trip on Lake Lewisville, with a guide, was apparently a raging success. Jordan reports they caught twenty-three fish, and she herself caught four. Quote: Jacob had a blast. Then they went to Jacob’s other grandparents for a Mexican feast and birthday cake.

The fun continued today when Christian took Jacob and a friend to a golf course—haven’t gotten the report on that, but from the picture it looks like a success. I was a bit dismayed that they got a cart—in my day (you know, ancient times), the virtue of golf was that you walked. Okay, I know it was hot today, but then again, I remember Christian telling me fishing is not an aerobic activity. Neither is golf if you ride in a cart.

For me, a lazy Saturday with a good book. I’m reading a novel called Cooking for Picasso. Apparently at some point, during his bitter divorce from Russian ballerina Olga, Picasso went to the south of France and rented a villa. His one wish was to remain anonymous. He ordered his food from a small café, and the owner’s teenage daughter, Ondine, was tasked with bringing it to him every day at noon. The relationship that developed is only part of the story, though I haven’t gotten very far into the work.

But it seems that the Ondine/Picasso story, which is probably true, is wrapped in a contemporary story—and mystery—told by Ondine’s granddaughter. So far, I’m enjoying it.

Hooray! Fort Worth has another new independent bookstore. Commonplace Books in the West Bend shopping area had its grand opening today, after three weeks of a successful soft opening. It’s a pop-up store, designed to last a year unless it becomes a raging success and they decide to stay longer. Jordan and I went to explore in the late afternoon. This is not a store where you go for the latest NYTimes bestsellers. The selection of titles is offbeat, sometimes obscure, and always fascinating. Books are not categorized by genre in the usual manner but by categories of the owners’ design—the Intentionalist, the Achiever, the Explorer the Historian, and so on. Jordan found a book that really intrigued her: Around the World in 80 Cocktails. We know people for whom that would be a perfect gift. She also found books that she thought would interest Jacob, and the salesperson talked with us about her younger brother and what he is reading.

A bonus: a lovely dog wanders the store. Agnes is a cross of poodle and Bernese mountain dog, big, gentle, and quite shy. Occasionally she gets frightened and searches for Caitlin, her owner who will be manning the store daily.

I had searched in old purses and other hideaways at home until I found a presentable business card, which I presented when I introduced myself as a local author. My hope is they will be curious enough to google—my web site gives some credibility. Anyone can walk in and say, I’m a local author. Hope they investigate further.

Inner Fort Worth has at least one other indie bookstore—Leaves, which is south of downtown (in the newly trendy South Main area) and sells tea and books. I would like to visit and intend to, but the reviews we have read suggest that the tea offerings get the most attention and the books are secondary.

On the way home, we detoured by Railhead, and I brought home a chopped beef sandwich and cole slaw for my dinner. A Texas treat.