Shepherdstown
Shepherdstown is located in Jefferson County, West Virginia, in the lower Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River. I spent a lazy afternoon roaming German Street, the main street for shopping. This quaint area boasts a delightful array of boutiques and specialty shops.
I was interested in antiquing, visiting my share of stores, and of course, did much window-shopping, too. I spent a significant amount of time in Four Seasons Books, an independent bookstore. I was impressed with their selection of old and new books, purchasing six, but wanting more (in case you didn’t know, bookstores can be addictive).
I am excited to be reading Legendary Authors and the Clothes They Wore (Terry Newman) and Come On In – 15 Stories About Immigration and Finding Home (Adi Alsaid).
For fun, when I visit a bookstore, regardless of the books I plan on purchasing – the first one I see, I buy. It can be a hit or miss, and if it’s the latter, I gift it, hoping it will find the hands it was meant to be in. This time around it was The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse. It’s a short story I’ll read at the beach next week. The illustrations, several are like elaborate doodles you would find on a dinner napkin at a restaurant – very cool.
Of course, I had to do a little innocent people-watching too, a favorite pastime of mine. In watching others, you are more than likely going to see yourself, and in looking at you, maybe you can find a way of better understanding your world. I always do. Well, most of the time.
What I really liked most about the day was walking, which is the most overlooked and neglected form of exercise because for many it sounds too easy to do any good, and that’s where they are wrong.
It costs nothing to walk, requires no partner or expensive gadgets, but will burn nearly the same calories as jogging. It does not burden the body. If done in calm, peaceful surroundings, like a park, trail or country road, or in a quaint area, like Shepherdstown, it will reduce the stress in your mind and body. I guarantee!
Thank you, Shepherdstown for working your magic. My day – well, it was fabulous. – paerki
