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Napa County Library Explored
I popped into the main branch of the Napa County Library unannounced, as most people do. But maybe I looked suspicious, wandering around, stopping here and there to browse or take a photo. I didn’t think I was being watched until I’d passed the teen reading area. That’s when a guard made himself known. I…
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Minneapolis Central Library’s Special Collections
I didn’t mean to start this series with the Minneapolis (MN) Central Library, it being so close to home. But I used my experience almost-visiting the National Library of Spain as inspiration for my next library visit. Armed with an appointment this time–and a habit of walking into libraries unimpeded–I chose to explore the Special…
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Book Recommendations
What’s on your bookshelf? What are you thinking of reading next? You’ll never guess where I got a great list of book recommendations recently: Perkin’s Restaurant in Bloomington, MN! Yes, Perkin’s, home of the American-Flag-Flown-as-Advertising-Billboard and Pigs in a Blanket. A couple dozen of us gathered in a back room of Perkin’s, set with tables…
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Library Visit Aborted: Not Seeing the Biblioteca Nacional de España
On our last full day in Madrid this past December, I headed to the Biblioteca Nacional de España (the National Library of Spain). My plan was to sit down with a book of poetry or a random selection from the shelves, to wander and get a sense of the place, to take a couple photos,…
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Take a Walk in Yeats Country
We returned to Sligo, the town and the county, to recall the poetry of W.B. Yeats, to walk the area, and to take photos. By good luck and some poking around, we ended up having dinner with a local couple, Damien and Paula, who regularly host Yeats Evenings of fine food, great conversation, and the…