Bookcrossing

Horray! I've found a bookcrossing book! It was totally wonderful and unexpected! I was spending in the day in DC, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and warm weather, and took a detour into the sculpture garden on the mall in front of the Hirshhorn.

I hadn't ever ventured into the sculpture garden before. It was lovely, but I always have mixed feelings about outdoor sculpture made of metal. Won't "the elements" cause damage to the sculptures? Maybe that's part of the art.

Around one corner was a lovely rectangular reflection pool. At one corner of the pool, sitting on the edge, was a book in a double ziptop bag. Hmmmm. I went over to look at it, then looked around for someone missing a double bagged book. Two guys and a girl walked by. The exchange went something like this:

We all look at the book in a bag.

me: It's a book. (Call me Captain Obvious)

her: Yeah, there's another one over there (gestures to a park bench)

me: (thinking I'm being punked) I keep looking around for the candid camera. I think someone's watching to see how people react to this situation.

We all laugh politely. They walk on. I regard the book again.

Then a light bulb goes on. I pick up the bag. Written on the side I see "http://www.bookcrossing.com/."

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaim to no one in particular, "It's a bookcrossing book!" Jumping up and down with glee (like my three year old niece) I open the plastic bags like it's Christmas morning. I may have actually squealed with delight.

Remembering myself, I looked up and around. Several people were looking at me and smiling. I figured it was because I had made such a spectacle of myself.

Now, after reading that there was a BC in DC event today, I'm wondering how many of the folks hanging around might have been watching and waiting to see how the book was caught.

I did go over to investigate the other book that was on the bench. It, too, was in a ziptop bag. I decided to leave it for another book lover. Finding this one had already made my day.