Mad Hatter & Co

Heads up!
This review is *not* about «Alice in Wonderland» although it could be because…
Johnny Depp is sooooooooo, soooooooo mad in the current film by the same title which was held over again and again at the Rose Theatre.(We saw it in Walnut Creek, but that’s another story.)
Port Townsend *loves* this kind of madness. Artsy, blowsy, brilliantly artistic, funny, down-​home, home-​made Madness. But this review isn’t about the movie…
Its about my hat.
I bought it at Port Townsend’s «Mad Hatter & Co» and it cost a very reasonable $ 25.00. I tried on virtually every hat in the store before I decided on this (not-​very) necessary purchase.
There were handmade boiled felt hats adorned with roses, top hats, knitted hats, top hats, warm-​your beanie hats, Sunday-​go-​to-​meeting hats… in fact, there were so many hats that I was sure that the kindly shopkeeper would eject me from the premises before I made my final selection.
Not so. She was kind, patient, and clearly used to all sorts of people trying on her hats. LIke the Chesire cat, her smile was a mile wide…
Which was lucky, because on the day I was there, people were wandering in, trying on a hat or two, consulting with their fellow travelers about which hats would be appropriate for which occasion… and the shopkeeper was keeping her cool nicely, serving one and all without a sense of hurry.
*My* hat is perfect for me. Its a black velvet cloche with a wild red print lining, and can be cleaned easily I am told.. Its also water-​proofed. In Port Townsend, as in much of Washington, you are going to need Scotchgard on your tamoshanter…’cause the chances are very good that it will rain, if not today… then tomorrow.
And most importantly, my hat is *very* Port Townsend. WIld, wonderful and wooly. I hope the other folks in the store were able to find a hat that suited them as well.
After all, it was April 1^st…
And although the Census folk *were* counting all of the heads in Port Townsend on April Fool’s Day, most of us were not really there at all, having been counted previously in some other city or state. More’s the pity… because
As they say in PT…
«We’re here because we’re not all there.»
Give Mad Hatter & Co. a go… you too, will smile like a native if you do.
VBG