Katie and I were scheduled to give a presentation in Columbia, South Carolina this past Monday.
We did.
We rocked it.
With all due modesty, our slides were that best of the bunch. Which was all Katie's doing. She made slides that flipped like pages in a book. She had slides with audio embedded. She had slides with video embedded. She had slides with flashy lights and bells and whistles. The girl can make slides!
I just had to stand up there and blabber on about what we have been up to in the past year. Anyone who knows me at all, knows that this is what I do best. Blabber on and on and on. I story tell. Or as my banner says, I baffle with bullshit. What can I say? It's a gift.
So Tuesday morning Katie and I are at loose ends. The presentations that are scheduled for that morning are ones that really don't interest us and the carb-loaded breakfast at the hotel isn't what either of us are wanting eat. Cue, searching on the smart phones for someplace to eat. I find a place that according to customer rankings on Food Spotter looks pretty good and according to Google maps is only 1/2 mile from the hotel. Easily doable.
NEVER trust Google maps. Turns out the place was 1 mile away. Okay, still doable but not what we were expecting without coffee fueling our systems. We finally get there. The breakfast is good. The coffee is bottomless. All is now right with our world.
At about the same time as we spot the elusive restaurant we spy a used bookstore. Using my persuasive bullshit powers ( I try to only use them for good) I convince Katie that after breakfast we must stop in for a little look-see. One never knows what treasures await in used bookstores (or used anything stores).
Katie makes the first find. A 4 volume set of opera books for kids. Who knew? Opera is Katie's area of research and these were just unusual enough to pick up.
While Katie is settling up her purchase I walk into what the owner calls the Rare Book Room and begin poking around. That's when I find this...
Pretty!
An artist portfolio book. I'm intrigued. I open it up to find this...
A booklet with a lot of French words.
I'm more intrigued.
And confused.
My French is rusty.
Okay, my French is very very rusty.
From what I could get out of it this was a series of lithographs done after the artist's death in 1953.
Then comes the best part.
These...
10 original mat-framed lithographs in near perfect condition.
I fall instantly in love with them and send off the following photo-text message to JR:
$275 for a set of first edition lithographs. Can i have them please?
Please!
The next text JR gets is:
Got them for $200.
The bookseller and I cut a deal and I walked out of the store a very happy woman. I never do things like this. Oh sure, I'll buy a piece of art from a street artist or a rare book for $30 but never do I drop $200 without some serious discussion with JR. But, like I said, I fell for these...hard. I knew nothing about the artist, still don't really (I'll do my homework tonight), I didn't know if this was a good deal or not, I just knew that it was a complete set and I loved them. I figured for $20 a piece I could frame them and give them as gifts at the very least.
So all in all, I say that Katie and I had a very good trip.
What have you all been up to while I've been gone?
Love,
M
