On this perfect Fall day, Angel Joe and I got on the tandem recumbent and bicycled to downtown Boulder. Our agenda, to return some library books, have lunch at the Farmers Market, and people watch until our eyes were tired.
I took pictures, not only because I enjoy it, but because pictures are a great excuse to hand out bookmarks with my blog address on them. 
At the Farmers Market, we bought food and ate at the outdoor tables near the Dushanbe Teahouse.
This woman and her companion (husband?) bring their birds to the Market in a nylon backpack cage, then park the birds on the railing and have lunch with them. The birds are very well-behaved and don’t say much. Those beautiful tiles in the background are the outside wall of the Teahouse.
Here’s a shot taken from the north end of the market, looking back.
See the little boy in a stroller, contemplating his pumpkin? Here he is, enlarged for your cooing pleasure.
Next we went to the Boulder Bookstore, so I could drop off the buttons I had made for the staff. These are to promote the Oct. 22 signing I’m doing with Lynda Hilburn and Carrie Vaughn. Lynda writes vampire books set in Denver, Carrie writes werewolf books set in Denver, and I write elf books set in Boulder, so as local authors, “we bring spooky home.”
I was overjoyed to see they had a display of our books in one of the front windows!
Bound to Love Her is the purple one on the left.
It’s CU’s homecoming weekend, so the Mall was packed and the buskers out in force. This is Magic Ray (Ryan Miller), who was doing close-up magic and contact juggling. He’s going to be traveling through Australia, New Zealand and Thailand soon. Super nice guy.
Going on, we have the Psychedelic Tourist. I don’t know if you can read his sign, but it says, “I Will Vote for Obama for (spare) Change.
I posed with the Golden Cowboy. This picture doesn’t fully capture the gleam. Man, he was gold.
We closed out the afternoon by listening to an outstanding bluegrass band, Lonesome Traveler.
I also met Emmy the Shih Tzu. Emmy’s owner told me that the rawness on her back legs wasn’t from her haircut, but from where the vet inserted the IVs for the anti-venom and meds. A rattlesnake bit Emmy two weeks ago, but after two days in the hospital she perked right up, and was out today, enjoying the balmy air. Yay, Emmy!
Tags: authors, books, Boulder, contact juggling, paranormal romance, parrots, pets, Shih Tzu, urban fantasy
October 18, 2008 at 5:27 pm |
Esri: The buttons for the Boulder Bookstore employees are so cool. You’re a doll to get them. And how awesome that our books are in the front window! Yay. It will be a blast.
hugs, Lynda
October 18, 2008 at 5:29 pm |
Why is this the first time I’m learning about your signing on the 22nd?
October 18, 2008 at 7:35 pm |
You’re right, I’m a slacker. Come see Linda and Carrie. Their books are both set in Denver! As for me…you’ve already bought the book once. Do you really need another copy?
October 18, 2008 at 8:06 pm |
Love that photo of you and the Golden Cowboy – you’re so photogenic, damn you!
Have a lovely day!
October 18, 2008 at 8:11 pm |
You’re so sweet! I have many extra years of practicing.
October 19, 2008 at 9:45 am |
I love those buttons, Esri. How cool, and very seasonally appropriate.
October 19, 2008 at 10:12 am |
Esri, thanks for sharing. What a fun day! You make people watching look like fun. Love all the great pictures…cute birds, beautiful tiles, darling little boy staring at his pumkin, cute dog with the second chance at life!
Loved seeing your book in the bookstore and the buttons, too. You’re so clever!
Loved it all!
October 19, 2008 at 10:16 am |
Hi, Trish and Theresa! There’s never any shortage of pix to take in Boulder, but this was a particularly fruitful day.
I wish I’d know what I had with the little boy pic. I just held the camera up and snapped, but I see his mom is smiling right at the camera. She would have loved a copy, I’m sure. Pooh.
October 19, 2008 at 10:33 am |
What a great day, Esri. I envy you that lovely scenery! The birds are Eclectus Parrots and they come from the Solomon Islands. The colors actually differentiate between the sexes. One color is male, the other female and both gorgeous. Not known as big talkers.
And Yay for Emmy! A snake bite on a dog that small could have been deadly.
Cool buttons and what a great idea for a book signing. Wish I could be there!
October 19, 2008 at 10:35 am |
Hey, that’s interesting about the parrots! We couldn’t get the green one to look up, but it was equally showy, in mottled green and turquoise. Also, it had a two tone beak in yellow and orange, kind of like a candy corn.
Lynda Hilburn came up with the idea to group the three of us in a signing, and she arranged it with that pre-Halloween date. She’s very good with promotion.
October 20, 2008 at 8:39 am |
It’s not about buying your book a second time. It’s that since I bought the book, I should be on your marketing email list. Aren’t you sending notices to your email list?
October 20, 2008 at 8:52 am |
Aside from personal friends like you (who already have the book), my email list is composed of out-of-state people.
The bookstore sent out 200 postcards for me. I put that list together from Chorale people and former skin-care clients, and that list had to be *pared down*. So I kept it to people who wouldn’t already have the book.
October 21, 2008 at 5:16 am |
Have to agree – the buttons rocked! Fun day!