Saturday

A friend from Colorado came to Savannah this week. We got together for breakfast this morning, followed by a visit to the Savannah Book Festival in downtown Savannah. It was in the 70's, sunny, and mild. We went to the talk by Karl Marlantes, the author of Matterhorn, a book I read last summer. He couldn't have been more engaging and articulate. It took him 30 years to get the book published. It's a novel about a marine doing a tour in Nam, all based on the author's experience as a marine. Most of the agents wouldn't read his manuscript because they were so sure the subject matter wasn't marketable. Now it's a best seller. We walked all over the place downtown, enjoying the day, and then Liberto suggested we drive out to Tybee so my friend could enjoy the beach. We walked a long distance along the shore, with seagulls gliding around. Returning to Savannah, we went out for dinner.
I needed a day off from paperwork. I can never catch up, and that's an unsettling feeling.

Shawn texted Liberto during dinner this evening that he is deploying tomorrow night. Even he didn't know exactly when he would go because the Army never tells anyone anything. Liberto is packing to leave for Florida tomorrow morning. He has a seminar in Tampa on Thursday and Friday, so he thought he'd go there early and visit his sister for a few days. He hasn't seen her for a few years.

He'll return next Saturday, just in time for the arrival of cousins Jean and John, always such a pleasure to see.