Kindlandia: Kindness Begets Kindness

Dear Edythe,
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Colleen Smith, owner of Adelaide’s Coffee and Sweet Shop in Ocean Park on Long Beach Peninsula, Washington, hosted me this weekend for a book reading and signing. Another outpost of Kindlandia, a place for only kind people! You would have loved it!

Adelaide’s is the epitome of a gathering place for community. Whether a guest comes in with their laptop to work on a project over coffee, a family on vacation sits down for a meal, kids of all ages enjoy an ice cream cone, or locals grab a latte and goodie to go, one feels a sense of connection to the place and one another.

Adelaide’s features more than great food and customer service. Over 1/3 of the space is dedicated to a vibrant and inviting display of yarn skeins. Knitting classes meet there and Colleen, the owner and an avid knitter, is also an expert instructor who will join in on classes and often assist a newbie to the art.
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Colleen also gives great energy to promoting local authors. A huge bookcase features resident writers’ books. She regularly hosts book readings and signings. Much time and effort are lavished in preparation before an event. For mine, an article was published in the local weekly paper The Chinook Observer. Colleen notified her personal contacts—especially dachshund lovers. Large colorful posters with photos of me and my Tall Tales were on the doors of the shop to welcome guests.

And what a turnout and successful event! Between Colleen’s prep and my beloved Thom inviting families with children to come in and join the reading—my little nook was rarely empty! 

Over four hours I read my Tall Tales several times, shared the backstories and heard the stories of many guests. It seems stories beget stories, like kindness begets kindness! You can view lots more photos of the event in Album One and Album Two on my Facebook Author Page! 

And Edythe, the best backstory for this event I’ve saved for last. After your Celebration of Life Service in February, Thom and I took two weeks on the Oregon coast to grieve and remember our trips there together. As we made our way back home, we spent a couple days in Astoria, Oregon. On our way out of town, we stopped at a bistro and had the most delightful and instructive exchange with a gracious couple, Diane and Hal. They shared their passion for organizing informative workshops and introduced us to some new authors and the Long Beach Peninsula! In appreciation for their warm manner and meaningful sharing we gifted them copies of my Tall Tales. Diane gushed how one of her close friends, Colleen, who loves dachshunds and owns a shop, often hosts author readings. It wasn’t long before an email invitation arrived from Colleen for a reading!

Just think, this all started because in July 2008 while we vacationed in Yachats you said, “Kizzie, our assignment this week is to each write a Tall Tale!” Edythe, the “Tales” just keep on unfolding!
This morning I received a note from Ragan Myers, the City of Long Beach Tourism & Events Coordinator, who I met at the Adelaide’s Reading (one more of Colleen’s great connections). I’ve been invited to participate with the Long Beach 2020 Books Event for Authors the first weekend in October. I’ve put it on my calendar!