Sunday afternoon found us at Washington Street Books in Havre de Grace, where I dropped off a stack of 1812: Rediscovering Chesapeake Bay's Forgotten War. The book always seems to be in demand there, and a nice fellow named Allen bought a copy as soon as I walked in. He was an Amtrak conductor, with almost 40 years running trains, which I found far more interesting than being an author! Once again, it just proves that the best part of writing books is a chance to meet so many great people.
The bookstore was hopping! Mainly because there was a tournament going on of Magic players in the back room, something like 35 of them. I'm not quite sure how one actually plays this game, but the cards are beautifully illustrated (my son has a few packs). We were surprised that many of the players were twenty-somethings or even thirty-somethings ... I suppose that as with most hobbies or obsessions, it helps to have some disposable income to really get into it. Most of the players were guys, although there was one young woman who had a kind of Goth look going on right down to the black tights and hair tinged red. I know it was only a card game, but she looked like a formidable opponent.
My son and I watched for a while, but it's not much of a spectator sport — watching golf or poker on TV comes to mind. But the players seemed to be having a good time and sharing plenty of comraderie. It's just another example of how a local, independent bookstore provides so much to so many.
Tags:
magic the gathering, washington street books
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