Little Black Guidebook

Print from Etsy teconlene

Théière Japonaise en fonte Chushin Kobo * Le Palais des Thés via http://www.helloneest.com/

I’m off for a weekend Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love and home of my Grandparents. The 23 hrs of flying that it will take me to get there is the result of Alaska Airlines route map and partner airlines selections, but should be a great opportunity for me to finish my book.

No, I’m not a budding author. You can tell travel is more of a passion that writing by how often I update this blog. Instead of leaving our photos from Europe languishing inside the computer or buying a digital picture frame that I’ll never use I’m using iPhoto to make a photo book. I know its more stuff in the house, but it is really our only souvenir of the entire trip, and that’s not that bad. Plus when people ask to see photos of our trip we can take down a nice hardcover book for them to leaf through instead of whipping out a computer screen.

We’re home and sorting through the pictures. When you’re carrying everything on your back like a snail through the world you travel light. We took only photos and a few postcards home. Even our couch surfing hosts and European friends were surprised when they saw our luggage or lack thereof.

Hubby finished his book basically on the flight over and was lamenting that he didn’t pack more. I handed him the iPad and told him to download another book through Amazon Kindle. We both love the tactile feel of paper and I don’t think he ever would have done this at home, but on the road with no other option he picked up the iPad downloaded his book and read it and 2 others on the trip and loved it!

Now that we’re home I’ve been thinking more about the stuff that fills our life. Books in particular. We’re both voracious readers and always are reading something. Some books are like old friends and will never be discarded, but after having the experience of actually reading a full novel on the iPad it isn’t as necessary to cling to our $0.99 paperbacks. Tom Clancy can always be downloaded or borrowed from the library and doesn’t need to fill my shelves at the house.

One small change in our house, but a fundamental shift in the “I might want this someday.” category.