Elderblogging Friends in Person

Back in May, results of the TGB survey of elderbloggers, 50 percent said they had made friends through blogging and 27 percent said they had met at least one blogger in person. In the past month, I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with four bloggers.

Stan James of Wandering Stan (and a founder of Lijit) is, in his 30s, hardly an elderblogger, but he has become a good friend since we met in Seattle at the 2007 Gnomedex conference. This visit was his second long weekend with me here in Portland. In between rainstorms we drove up to Wiscasset for lobster rolls at Red’s Eats. That’s Stan on the far right.

It doesn’t feel like there are 30-odd years between us and from our first meeting, as sometimes happens, it was as though we had known one another for years. It was nice that he likes the name of this shop in Wiscasset as much as I do.

A couple of weeks ago, Citizen K and his wife, Premium T – who live in Seattle and keep eponymous blogs – stopped by on their way to New York City after visiting K’s father in northern Maine. Over brunch, we talked politics (of course) and books and places we’ve been and people we’ve met.

It’s such a shame we all live to far apart, but good to know that when next I travel to the west coast, there are people I look forward to seeing again.

Last week, I spent three days with Alexandra Grabbe and her husband Sven in Wellfleet on Cape Cod where Sandy runs a bed and breakfast – Chez Sven.

It’s a beautiful, 200-year-old house where Sandy cared for her mother during her last year and half which she recounted in her blog, By Bea’s Bedside, where I first became acquainted with Sandy online.

The place is surrounded by gardens…

And I even had just-picked raspberries for dessert one evening, a fresh treat I’ve not had since childhood.

Sandy was generous with her time. On a tour of the town and surrounding area, we stopped by the ocean…

And went by the local library, the hub of community activity in Wellfleet, says Sandy, which you can see from the bulletin board of upcoming events.

Sandy managed to snag free tickets for us to a new play, The George Place, at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater (W.H.A.T.). All three of us decided the play needs work, but it was an enjoyable evening out.

Sandy and Sven were warm and comfortable hosts, providing me with not only a lovely mini-vacation just before winter descends, but a chance to get to know another elderblogger in person.

Plus, there was this peculiar, little shrine just down the dirt road from Chez Sven. I’ll blame it on old age that I can’t remember the story Sandy told me about its origin – maybe she’ll stop by and explain in the comments.

[At The Elder Storytelling Place today, Linda Carmi explains the importance of Yoga Schmoga.]