I stopped in Lewisville for lunch and took a few minutes to visit The Enchanted Cottage, a store that sells cardmaking and scrapbooking supplies. A lot of manufacturers are fazing out wooden rubber stamps, but they're still my favorite. I bought three.
Staying
I stayed at the Winston-Salem Marriott and I was rather surprised to find myself rooming in a Gringotts vault.
Art-o-mats are wondrous things--old cigarette vending machines re-purposed into art vending machines. I saw several while staying in Winston-Salem and bought six pieces of art. Most are gifts, but the tulips are for me. They'll fit rather nicely on my Betty Neels bookshelf with other pieces that remind me of England or Holland.
Vendors
I met a great many vendors and exhibitors at the conference. Of note, I chatted with a woman from the Southeastern Library Association. New members can join for just $10 so I decided to join. Thrift Books gave me a $10 gift card which when paired with the 15% off I received for signing up for an account allowed me to order three books that had been languishing on my Amazon wishlist for $3 total. I enjoyed chatting with the EBSCO and Novelist reps. I joined the EBSCO rep for coffee the next day and discovered that we grew up about thirty minutes from each other and are likely distant cousins. What are the odds!
The eats
I ate at the Bull and Butcher in the Marriott (B and B Burger), Xcaret (Poco Loco), Finnegan's Wake (Fiona's Special Rueben and hot tea), Camino Bakery (Triple Cinnamon Scone and Chai Tea Latte), The Tavern in Old Salem (Chicken Pie), Yamas Mediterranean Street Food (Chicken Rice Bowl), and at the conference center on the last day (chicken). I also walked down to Black Mountain Chocolate to buy some tea to take home. It was such a brisk day that I also ordered a Muddy Chai Latte. It's a regular chai tea latte with the addition of chocolate syrup. I think my favorite meal was at Yamas. I love Greek food. I also really enjoyed the irony of ordering hot tea at a pub. The waitress was great...she kept bringing me hot water.
I didn't do too much shopping while I was in Winston-Salem. I bought postcards at Mast General Store and The Old Salem Village gift shop. I bought three bags of Chad's Chai loose leaf tea: Chad's Red Chai, Cocoa Mate, and CPR at Black Mountain Chocolate. I had the CPR at Finnegan's Wake and it was delicious.
Two librarian friends and I spent a great evening at Bookmark's Footnote Coffee and Cocktails. The event was "Anne Bogel and Charlie Lovett In Conversation." I've been a fan of Anne's blog and podcast for years and couldn't believe she and I would be in the same town at the same time. Prior to learning about the event, I didn't know Charlie Lovett. He's a Winston-Salem author who also has a podcast. In preparation for the event, I read his book that they were going to discuss, The Bookman's Tale. I enjoyed it and I'm currently listening to another of his books, First Impressions. Anne and Charlie signed books after the event. I don't buy a lot of new books, but I bought her book I'd Rather Be Reading and had it autographed. The bookstore had a great mural as you walk in one of the entrances. I took a pictures of a few of my favorite characters.
On the way home...
...a beautiful sunset!
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