Mr. Newton Conquers California

Library at Hearst Castle
San Simeon, California

I read this morning from Derby Day. Mr. Newton is in California. He visits Huntington Library, Hearst Castle, the redwood forests, and San Francisco. Since I have been to all those places, albeit some 40 years after him, it was fun to revisit. He stayed at Hearst Castle as a guest of Mr. Hearst. I didn't have that pleasure. I had to buy a ticket. But it was worth it to see how the really, really rich live. Can you fault Mr. Hearst for wanting to surround himself with so much beauty? Some did.

Newton writes that he headed straight for the library as soon as he had the chance. As a book collector, he would certainly be interested in what books the wealthy man owned. He recounted a couple of times when he was bidding on books at an auction only to lose out to Mr. H as he was known at the auction houses.

I hosted a Mother's Day brunch at a private club for a friend and her mother and another friend whose mother lives in another state. My mother was there is spirit only. This was my third Mother's Day without her. We toasted mothers living and dead and settled in to enjoy the food and the conversation.

I regaled the three - my captive audience - with tales of the Grand Southern Literary Tour to great acclaim.

I planned on curling up after the brunch to read State of Wonder. Alas, that was not to be.

The friend whose mother lives elsewhere came back to my house to retrieve her car. She came inside. We had tea. We talked. And talked. Next thing we knew it was 5:30. No afternoon of reading for me. But friends are friends and we hadn't been together for a while so it was time well spent.