There’s nothing that makes me feel more like a kid in a candy store than being in a bookstore or in any store that sells books. I love having a stockpile of books on my night table, and even when I’m knee-deep in writing my own book, as I am now, I need to have a book to read. And yes, I did buy a couple of books the day this picture was taken.

 

I’m in my home state of Connecticut doing some book events and enjoying the scenery. I passed this bike leaning on an Adirondack chair in Rowayton and had to stop and take a few photos. This picture really says “summer” to me. 

I liked the reflection of the flag in the window of this shop in Kent. There are some beautiful towns in Litchfield County, with lots of great scenes to photograph. 

I took this on the way to Kent, just a few miles from town. It’s such a peaceful scene. 

Another photo from Kent, taken in town. 

I love the way these kayaks look with all of their bright colors, waiting on the sand for some kids to come along and take them out on the water. 

The red door of this church is striking. I think I was driving through Brookfield when I pulled over and took this. The whole church is beautiful. 

 

 

 

 

I’m in Connecticut, my home state, and I’m happy to be back. There are so many great things to photograph here, like this beautiful red barn I often pass, and these funny chickens that belong to friends of mine. They raise them for their eggs.

 

 

 

 

 

I love the independent bookstore Books & Books. I’ve been to the flagship store in Coral Gables, Florida (in fact, I did a book talk there a few years ago) and it’s a fabulous place, with room after room of books, a courtyard with a full restaurant, more books, a coffee shop, more books, and a calendar of great author talks and signings. (And more books!) There are three stores in South Florida and several other affiliated stores, most of them in Florida. Today I happened to be on my way to an event in Miami and came across the Cafe at Books & Books at the Adrienne Arsht Center. I had a delicious cup of coffee and bought two books, including a birthday gift for a friend. So glad I happened to be driving by that corner.

I went to an interesting art exhibit today and saw some works by Max-Steven Grossman. He creates wonderful “bookscapes” by arranging digital images of various bookshelves he’s photographed. The end result is one huge photograph covered with glass, with lots of interesting titles to peruse – all tied to a theme.

I used to come to this beach when I was a teenager. It’s a private beach, but I had friends who lived in the neighborhood. We loved to swim and jump off the float and sometimes we’d sail around in a sunfish that belonged to one of the guys. One recent afternoon when I drove by here, I saw some kids on the float and it brought all those memories back in a flash.

Well, maybe not.

Yes, it’s James Patterson. The other day I had breakfast at a local eatery with Jim’s wife, Sue, and Kristy, another friend of ours. After we had a long chat, catching up on life in general, Jim came in and joined us. Kristy presented him with these “You Don’t Know Me” sunglasses, which she had seen at an airport and thought would be perfect for him. Jim, who has a great sense of humor, immediately put them on and I took this picture.