Road trip, anyone?

For the first summer in quite a few years, I will not be vending at the Columbia Festival of the Arts LakeFest weekend.  I will miss the event, but it does open up the possibilities of a late spring getaway.  A young man's heard may turn to fancy, mine turns to travel.

The truth is, I won't get far from home, but while I am daydreaming . . . .



I could hop a short flight across the pond and hit up Charlie Byrne's in Galway, Ireland.  I find driving in Galway more than a little nerve-wracking, so I might get in spitting distance of the bookshop and then wend my way into the nearest pub to steady my nerves.  Having a pint or two before going to a bookshop is not the best way to stay within airline weight restrictions for my luggage coming home, so perhaps that's not the best idea.

I could head south, instead of east, and get my seaside book fix at Bicycle Books in Charleston, S.C.  With over 1,500 feet of shelf space and a staff cat, this is the kind of place in which I could comfortably ride out a hurricane.

Of course, if I found myself with a lot of time to kill, I could head down I-81 on the Appalachian Quilt Trail.  Beginning in southern Virginia and spreading through eastern Tennessee, the trail features over 800 historic, cultural and retail sites.  It doesn't require a passport, but I have a feeling between the local books and fabrics, this might cost as much as an international flight!