Bookstore Trip & Comic Epitaphs

While perusing Pinterest, I've learned about a town in Wales called Hay-on-Wye.  It's also known as the town of books.  It has over 300 hundred bookstores!!  Just this little town full of books!  Katie and I took a road trip recently and spent the day in a small Minnesota town, shopping for used books.  There were at least three really great book shops (I can't imagine over 300!)  The above photo is Katie in the back of a shop that just kept on going.  When it seemed like you were at the back of the store, there'd be some little doorway and then here's this whole other room full of books.

This is the front of that same bookstore.

You know how there are stories or movies where characters get locked into some fun place overnight; like a department store or a candy store or a museum?  What would be the most fun place for you to be locked in overnight?  I guess I don't have to tell you mine - you're looking at it.  Especially if I had light and caffeine.  Here are some of my fun finds of that trip:

In the book of epitaphs, I learned that Benjamin Franklin used the pseudonym Poor Richard or Richard Saunders to write Poor Richard's Almanack.  I feel like I should have known this but...I didn't.  Interesting.
The Bat-Poet is a book illustrated by Maurice Sendak - one I'd never seen before.  And the blue book is full of fun-to-read-out-loud poems - try this one - then try it fast.  It's fun...try it...

Thinking About Writing Again

Maybe you don't remember...it's been awhile... but I was writing a book.  The main character in my book is named Claire.  I've been working with Claire for years but we keep hitting these spots where she starts driving me crazy.  Well, not her exactly but the whole process.  So, then I put all my files away.  But, always, things come around again, start nagging in the back of my mind.  Do you have something like that?  Something that you know you're going to do, you want to do, and you know you should just buckle down and do it already and yet you don't?  I called my writing pal a few months ago and said "I'm done.  I'm hanging up my hat".  This past weekend, though, I pulled my files out and...I'm very tempted to start in again even though I know it'll drive me (and everyone around me) crazy!
I made a coffee cake and, of course, some coffee and read through some of what I've got already.  I still like it.  The coffee cake I made was from a recipe, written on an old fashioned recipe card by a co-worker from college.  She made this cake often and brought it to work.  I've tried making it before but it just never turned out.  This time, though, it turned out perfect and was delicious!  Here's the recipe:
Irish Tea Cake
1/2 cup butter                  1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar                      1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs                              1 cup sour cream (1/2 pt)
2 cups sifted flour             1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
Let butter soften.  Cream butter, sugar, eggs.  Sift dry ingredients.  Add 1/3 flour mixture to butter/egg mixture.  Then add 1/2 sour cream an ix.  Repeat.  Add last 1/3 dry mixture.  Blend in vanilla.
Topping--
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
In greased & floured pan, put topping over butter.  Repeat twice.  Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes.