Downtime. Visiting shops and such here in Bayfield. Dropped in on Madeline Island from mid-morn till two. Breakfast at the Egg Toss Bakery Cafe. Across street from the Stone's Throw. Made bad joke by asking the waitress if there were any cool shops a stone's throw from here. She looked up, and laughed.
The Stone's Throw was indeed a cute little shop. Next door we spied a used book store and quite naturally gravitated there. Susie found Volume 9 of Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi. Signed by Mark Twain, which appears to be genuine. We'll have to research it. (I once bought a used paperback by Erskine Caldwell that he had signed. I disliked the book at the time, and traded it for four books at a used book store in Duluth.)Looked at a biography of Lenny Bruce by Kofsky. Made note to check it out from library.
Also looked at a number of art books for ideas. A book of graphic art by Eugene Berman appealed to me as a source of ideas for my own brush and ink drawing that I have been doing lately. Also found lots of idea stimulants in the many art galleries and shops we visited on Mad Island. Spent time thumbing through a pictorial bio of gangster Al Capone. Seemed as if the book existed to glorify the lawless thug, as if he were a hero. Made me wonder what it is about gangsters, gunslingers and pirates that so appeals to people. I was certainly fascinated by their stories as a kid.
Enjoyed reading the following phrase in Gunther Grass' My Century while crossing the waters on the ferry: "A symphony of snores." It made me think about sleeping in a cabin on a men's retreat many years ago and the range of snoring styles that kept me awake that night.
The forecast was rain and thunderstorms. But the sun has now emerged from Bayfield's dormant sky and blessed the day with warm brilliance.
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