My recent forays into the red states have yielded some highlights apart, of course, from the obvious one of a 24 hour visit with The Glamorous One and her family. The best find in Florida, at least until they solve the riddle of the stolen election, was the Sandbar Grill [2602 Bayshore Blvd, near Curlew Road] in Dunedin, Florida. It looks like a trailer in the parking lot of a strip mall but the food is absolutely great. The fried shrimp was fabulous, especially with the spicy apricot dipping sauce. The fries were really, really good too. A standout in Arizona was one of the best bookstores I have ever seen. Bookman was everything that a bookstore should be—huge, low key, fun and packed with treasures old and new. I picked up As She Climbed Across the Table, an early effort by Jonathan Lethem, Madeline L’Engle’s Circle of Quiet as a nod to the Smithie and one other that I can’t recall but that looks hugely promising. Business travel can be grueling but having uninterrupted stretches of time to read--priceless!