Even though my friends were mocking me last night because my eyes were so droopy and I was falling asleep in a loud pub, 5:45 AM seems to be my predetermined wake up time this days. Good Morning Seattle!
I do love Seattle. I’ve often said that if I –-theoretically –couldn’t live in the Bay Area this is where I’d go. It’s got some of my favorite old friends. I like the weather. Seattle has always been good to me.
The Cheese Fest is really no place to sell books. Cypress Grove sold out of cheese on the first day (while I was driving up I-5) so they gave me their whole table. I sold a few books but 1. I hate pushing my book on people like that. I know I can’t stand trying to decide if I like a book enough to buy it when the author is standing right in front of me. It’s not the same without Laurie talking me up while I stand on the side and look sheepish. And 2. People weren’t there to read. More than 50% of the people who picked up the book were looking for recipes and/or pictures. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just not my book, ya know?
Elliott Bay on the other hand, was great. Their new location still has some paint fumes, but the downstairs reading area is awesome and it was packed on a Sunday afternoon. Old friends, cheese friends, LJ friends and strangers were there and I even got asked to do an encore of a specific passage of the book. It was a good suggestion that I’m going to incorporate into future readings.
Checking out a new cheese store this morning, ( The Calf and the Kid) then driving to Bellingham. Day one: so far, so good.
* Confidential to Laurie: I haven’t been gone long enough to write a tour song for you so just pretend I’m Mike Ness. I think this really captures the anxiety. loneliness, and violence of any cheese road trip.
** Apologies in advance for any typos. My fat hands don’t type well on this tiny keyboard and I won’t have time to go back and edit this later.
Gordon ("Zola") Edgar 
Pingback: Cheesemonger tour day one: Seattle - Gordon Edgar at Chelsea Green
Nice to meet you at the Seattle Cheese Festival on Sunday, May 16. You were almost on your way to Elliott Bay Books when we met. I wanted to be there too but couldn’t make it. Good luck with the rest of your book tour!
What an awesome time, I had just read the Taleggio bit the night before and it was just a little more perfect coming straight from the Cheesemonger’s mouth. Thanks for swinging by the shop, hope you enjoyed the Dinah and happy travels!