Bermuda and Vacations on the Mind

This morning, when I arrived at City Dock 7:00 a.m. sharp, owner Steve Duffy already had my coffee ready when I strolled through the door. He’d spied me tying Grace up to one of the iron chairs outside.
Today my only walking companion was Grace. Peter was already on his way to an early morning meeting.
Walking back up Main Street I tried to count the proportion of shops that are now empty, waiting for new occupants when the weather gets warm. This seems to be the cycle I’ve observed over the years. There is always a certain amount of attrition after the winter holidays, economic downturn or not. Tiffany’s Epiphany is now empty. Did the larger store beside them, Paradigm, that recently opened chase them away? I can only speculate the variety of reasons why a store may choose to close it doors.
At the top of the hill Barbara Cooper (wife of Orlando Rideout) and a friend are on their way down the stairs to grab a coffee in Starbucks, in the basement of Maryland Inn. I see Barbara walking almost every morning, going down Main Street as we are walking up. She has a nice smile.
“I’m enjoying that article about you and your husband in the magazine,” she calls out.
Article about me and my husband? I’m puzzled.
“The beautiful island. Your vacation.”
“Oh Bermuda!” I now realize she’s talking about the travel article I wrote on Bermuda in the February magazine. Once again the idea that people love looking at scenic pictures and reading about places they think they might want to visit is reinforced. Last year’s travel story on Costa Rica (February 07) elicited more personal feedback from acquaintances and friends then anything else I published last year. We all like to dream of where we’d rather be. Wouldn’t it be great to be in Costa Rica right now? I look at the window and see it’s started to rain, a cold damp rain.