Q: What do two retired librarians do on a hot Saturday in July?

A: Attend a day long event, “Books to Leaf Through This Fall ” listening to local indie bookstore owners preview their picks of this year’s new books in : Literary Fiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Local Authors and Mystery/Suspense categories. Friend Margaret treated me ~ an early birthday (Nov). In addition to a list of potential good reads, we were also excited to learn about the four bookstores.

The event was sponsored by the Smithsonian Associates and held in the Ripley Center on the Smithsonian Mall. The Center is unique in that it is a round building on ground level and all the meeting, exhibit and office space are three floors below ground.

After the program, we each went separate ways (we  take different Metro trains home).  I moseyed across the Mall to the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden & Restaurant, ordered a decaf  iced caramel latté and watched the fountain spray. T’was all very refreshing and relaxing.

Saturday, I clocked 11,523 steps/4.43 miles. I’d walked to the Metro station in the morning and started to walk home from the Metro station in the afternoon; got about 2 blocks and a bus pulled up. I jumped on for 2.5-3 blocks and then walked the short distance to the house. Needless to say, Sunday I was a tad on the worn -out side; I was pretty sedentary. Today, I am resting … tho’ I did go for my daily walk. Tomorrow I may’ve recovered.

Cheers~