From City Lights to Blue Ridge Osandu

River: We have been on the road for a few days now. And it seems we traveled back in time. Okay - so we traveled around two rock slides and every switch back in the world to get there - beautiful, curvy - worth it.
An old photo Shellie found of Sylva


Shellie: This way to the children’s corner!



River: So now we know Shellie was tripping through the Hundred Acre Woods while I was getting the jeep washed. (BUT she (the jeep that is) feels so much better. (Of course wandering  through Pooh Corner would make anybody feel better too!)

Shellie: It was interesting to find this photo in a scrapbook and find that City Lights Bookstore was originally built by a doctor as both his home and office.



Shellie: Another great photo of the early days of the store. The boy in the lower left? That would be none other than Chris, the current owner!

The lady on the right side of this newspaper clipping is Kathryn Stripling Byer, former Poet Laureate of North Carolina. She graciously allowed River and I to stay in her writer’s loft above the bookstore. The next day I found one of her poems in the City Light’s scrapbook and was captured by it! So captured that I got footage of me reading it—no doubt without doing it the justice it deserved, but I could not let the opportunity pass. Kudos to you Kathryn.

River: Did you get that? Strange coincidence? The boy on the left is standing in the bookstore that he would one day grow up and own. The woman on the right would become the Poet Laureate of N.C. and possess one of the coolest hide-aways a writer could hope for. Threads that bind us, invisible in their making, time travelers we are one and all!

(And we will be uploading Shellie reading this incredible poem on YouTube as we move on down the road. Right now you can find the clips from Cowan's Book Nook.)







 River: This is Jeremy and Carey that made a special trip in to City Lights to visit with us on the radio and in Video Interviews. Stay tuned for more from these great smiles!


River: This is Chris in real live modern day. A great host as well and thanks for all your kind attention!




River and Shellie: Of course we didn't miss the chance to snap a few random shots around town that caught our eye. One thing for certain - Sylva is a town that we will revisit!




River and Shellie: Yes, it's true - they mean it. You just sit there and HONK YOUR HORN and they will come right out to you. We released Books Into the Wild here, picked up soup and slaw, and headed off to Waynesville, NC




River: THis is where we landed.




Shellie: And we had homemade peanut butter cookies waiting. A little sugar for the visit with Blue Ridge Osandu Books.



River: And yes, we packed sleeping bags and pillows. And tomorrow night we may be under the freezy stars but tonight we sleep all cushy cozy.

Shellie: Our lovely hostess who has paid attention to every possible detail.





River: Then we stepped out to meet these great folks and talk stories, books, and books about stories.












A special Thank you for making our visit memorable!


Stay tuned for great words from Margaret on her passion about this thing we call the written word!