Changes In Mid-Stream

I was going to talk today about April being Poetry Month, but right in mid-stream I changed my mind. Just stepped out of that puddle and turned around.
We're getting ready to put up the new displays for April and one of them is titled "Armchair Travel." This is one of those years when I'll be doing armchair travel. Right now it's just easier to stay closer to home.
When I pulled books for the travel display, I was amazed at what I found (not that they were lost, but they are impressive books!).
There's a whole series by Reader's Digest called "Explore America." The two that caught my eye were "America by the Sea" and "Back Roads & Hidden Corners." The colorful pictures in these books are absolutely gorgeous. I sat and browsed through the sea one yesterday, and today I'm looking at the back roads one, which takes me through Vermont, West Virginia, Louisiana, and Oregon, to name just a few places. These books are on the 917.3 shelf if you want to take a peek.
Then I found a very large book by Carl Lowe titled
"Journeys by Rail." You get to see not only the places these trains travel, but you also see what the inside of the trains look like. The journeys take you through North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Again, the pictures are outstanding.
Another really large book (check these books out more than once and you can travel for a whole month!) by National Geographic is "Journeys of a Lifetime." It shows 500 of the world's greatest trips. The book is an inch-thick, and you'll find it so interesting you won't want to put it down.
I did find three smaller books (ones lighter to carry in your book bag) that are of great interest to us travelers.
"Florida Historic Homes" by Laura Stewart and Susanne Hupp is guide to more than 65 notable dwellings open to the public. The pictures are all delightful pen-and-ink illustrations by Patrick Reed. The Alfred B. Maclay State Gardens in Tallahassee is one home listed. It's close enough for you to take a little drive to Tallahassee and see it for yourself. I've been there, and there are always flowers blooming in those gardens. Plus, you'll get to see inside the house.
One book you'll really enjoy is called "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson. Even if you never travel the Appalachian Trail, you'll enjoy this hilarious book as you walk along with Bill and see what he encounters on his hike. It'll put some fun in your reading.
But for those of you who are more serious about your traveling, there's Bill Moyers' "Listening to America," a panoramic documentary that is the result of what he saw and learned in a 13,000-mile swing across the country he took. The book is a vivid chorus of the voices he heard while traveling and the places he became aware of as "A Traveler Rediscovers His Country."
I'll have to write about poetry next time, I guess. Today the travel bug bit me.
Be sure you check out the new April displays. There's something for everyone.