A Bradbury Afternoon

Ray met Kelli.  Kelli met Heather.  Heather met Ray.

I wouldn't know about, well, really know about Ray Bradbury if it weren't for Kelli.  Kelli is a lifelong fan of his, in her youth she would sit alone with his books and find herself feeling comforted by his words.  She would journal about him, think about him, sing about him.  I'm sure this is still the case for her.  Me?  Sure, I knew about his big deal titles.  But had Kelli not intervened I would never have read things like The Martian Chronicles or Dandelion Wine. Such incredible books.

Right now Kelli's in Ray's hometown - Green Town in Dandelion Wine, Waukegan in real life.  She's there by coincidence.  And by coincidence she and I missed crossing paths in Illinois by just one day.  Life is strange sometimes.

Well, a couple of months ago and right before Kelli, Dave and I did this, Kelli and I decided we needed to honor Ray's recent passing by enjoying Kelli's massive Bradbury collection.

Lately Kelli's been sharing this Bradbury quote.  "I never liked lobster in my life, and mainly because I’d never tried it. On my eightieth birthday I tried it. I can’t say I’m greatly excited over lobster still, but I have no doubt as to its taste now, and I don’t fear it. I dare say death will be a lobster, too, and I can come to terms with it."

Here's to you, Ray!

H