I've not been very regular about posting lately and I've noticed that quite a few of the blogs I follow are also becoming more irregular. No idea why; let's blame the solar flare.
We've been working (irregularly as well) at getting our outdoor seating area trialed. I put up a prototype bench just to see if we thought it might work, then another prototype and now we have a good idea of what the thing will look like. We even went out and bought a bunch of paint so that's serious intent! These are just simple backless bench seats. It's a place where we can go out and admire the sunset on the mountains or the stars in the cold night sky. This is such a lovely valley but you need to get out away from houses and lights to take full advantage of the beauty. It is also a brutal place. 110F (43C) isn't unusual for a few weeks in the summer and 20F (-7C) is our usual low for several weeks in the winter. Earlier this month we had wind gusts of 85 mph (135 kph). Our furniture is being designed so we can leave it out year-round and need not worry about it. It is also designed so that if we decide we don't like it in a year, we can just get rid of it. Minimal investment, maximum utility is our mantra.
I was reading in Glenn's blog how much he enjoyed reading "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat Moon. He was so persuasive that I had to go rent it from the library. My goodness, can that man write! He convinced me I need to read the book from standing in the library reading the first sentence. If you haven't read it, I can recommend it most highly. The author is traveling the back-roads of America in 1978, visiting some amazing places and meeting amazing people. Thank you Glenn!
I also must admit that this sort of travelog is one of my minor addictions. I've even become addicted to Larry the Cable Guy's show on History channel "Only in America". This is certainly NOT the only interesting country in the world but Larry does meet some amazing people while wandering around. The folks he meets are a diverse group; country squirrel hunters, professional fishermen, rodeo clowns and a whole lot more. It is presented from Larry's country boy persona but he manages to ask intelligent questions and is clearly impressed by the difficulty of people's jobs.
I'm going to try to get back on this horse and do more posting. I hope some of my favorite bloggers do the same. Have a good one!
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Sunday, January 08, 2012
Thank Goodness!
I've just realized that it is the second week of January 2012 and I haven't had to write the year yet! Thank goodness, back in the mists of time it would take me at least a month to remember to write the new year. Now the computer takes care of all that nasty stuff for me. I knew computers were good for something.
We are having a quiet 2012 so far. Have only gone into Pahrump three times much less going into Las Vegas. One of our excuses for not going anywhere is the amount of leftover food we have! Making a ham, even a small one, when there are only two of you is basically a silly thing to do. Ham sandwiches, fried ham, ham and cheese omelets, ham stuffed peppers, ham & bean soup - there's a lot that can be done with ham and I'm afraid we are doing all of them. Of course making the ham when we had leftover enchiladas and frijoles from Christmas Eve wasn't a great idea but we were in the mood for ham. I think we have crossed the pass though and can consider buying food again. I'm almost looking forward to it!
We have been having some beautiful weather but that may be at an end. Today it's not really cold but the wind is definitely blowing. It's sunny, of course, we don't have a lot of cloud activity. We have a driveway that goes into the back yard (so we can store the RV back there). I thought the shadows were pretty cool so I took this photo on the last day of 2011.
We have a solid wall with a double gate for the RV and a smaller pedestrian gate in the foreground. The ground is covered with three different types of rock; we are big into xeriscaping wanting to leave the house in our RV and not having to worry about irrigation. When we lived in Florida it seemed every time we left the state our irrigation would spring a leak somewhere. Happily our neighbors would come shut the darned thing off when they noticed it.
For those of you, like me, who enjoy traditional English mysteries, I've only just discovered a woman named Jill Paton Walsh who has taken notes left by Dorothy L. Sayers and written three new Wimsey books. Don't ask why I only just discovered a book she wrote a book in 1998 but it's certainly got something to do with my head and sand. Anyway, I think she did a very good job of writing in the style of Ms. Sayers.
Gotta go do something even if it is wrong. Have a good one!
We are having a quiet 2012 so far. Have only gone into Pahrump three times much less going into Las Vegas. One of our excuses for not going anywhere is the amount of leftover food we have! Making a ham, even a small one, when there are only two of you is basically a silly thing to do. Ham sandwiches, fried ham, ham and cheese omelets, ham stuffed peppers, ham & bean soup - there's a lot that can be done with ham and I'm afraid we are doing all of them. Of course making the ham when we had leftover enchiladas and frijoles from Christmas Eve wasn't a great idea but we were in the mood for ham. I think we have crossed the pass though and can consider buying food again. I'm almost looking forward to it!
We have been having some beautiful weather but that may be at an end. Today it's not really cold but the wind is definitely blowing. It's sunny, of course, we don't have a lot of cloud activity. We have a driveway that goes into the back yard (so we can store the RV back there). I thought the shadows were pretty cool so I took this photo on the last day of 2011.
For those of you, like me, who enjoy traditional English mysteries, I've only just discovered a woman named Jill Paton Walsh who has taken notes left by Dorothy L. Sayers and written three new Wimsey books. Don't ask why I only just discovered a book she wrote a book in 1998 but it's certainly got something to do with my head and sand. Anyway, I think she did a very good job of writing in the style of Ms. Sayers.
Gotta go do something even if it is wrong. Have a good one!
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Valley of Fire
Yesterday we took a day off from doing whatever it is we usually do and piled into the car (with the dog) and visited Valley of Fire State Park. It was really cool.
As you can see, it was a rather gray sort of day but it was comfortably cool and we got to see some really interesting rock formations. It was Red Rock Canyon on steroids. Really I think Red Rock has taller formations but Valley of Fire has a lot more of that startling red rock. There was a small visitor center where you could learn a few things about the geology of the place, some of the plants and animals common to the desert, and a tiny bit of the history of people in this area. It's about 35 miles (55km) north of Las Vegas if you hop on I-15 Northbound. Highly recommended.
Coming home we drove on a couple back roads that were almost completely without traffic. It was really odd to come down this road that was empty except for us down into North Las Vegas. We struggled through traffic for quite a while finding our way out of town. We had almost made it when we heard on the radio that there were two accidents currently being worked: we had passed both of them! It just wasn't a day for speed.
I've been reading a site about self-defense called No Nonsense Self Defense. I like the site. The people seem to know what they are talking about. They are NOT about judo or carrying a knife or gun; they are trying to teach the reader about using his/her head to recognize and avoid dangerous situations. Give it a shot.
Have a good one.
As you can see, it was a rather gray sort of day but it was comfortably cool and we got to see some really interesting rock formations. It was Red Rock Canyon on steroids. Really I think Red Rock has taller formations but Valley of Fire has a lot more of that startling red rock. There was a small visitor center where you could learn a few things about the geology of the place, some of the plants and animals common to the desert, and a tiny bit of the history of people in this area. It's about 35 miles (55km) north of Las Vegas if you hop on I-15 Northbound. Highly recommended.
Coming home we drove on a couple back roads that were almost completely without traffic. It was really odd to come down this road that was empty except for us down into North Las Vegas. We struggled through traffic for quite a while finding our way out of town. We had almost made it when we heard on the radio that there were two accidents currently being worked: we had passed both of them! It just wasn't a day for speed.
I've been reading a site about self-defense called No Nonsense Self Defense. I like the site. The people seem to know what they are talking about. They are NOT about judo or carrying a knife or gun; they are trying to teach the reader about using his/her head to recognize and avoid dangerous situations. Give it a shot.
Have a good one.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Reading corner
Books I've been reading.
For the first time in quite a while I've been reading some non-fiction. A relative loaned me two books on submarines and I've enjoyed both. "Torpedo Junction" by Homer Hickam is the true story of the a little known part of WWII. In 1942 the German navy sent a few submarines to attack shipping off the US coast. They were successful beyond anyone's dreams. The US was doing nothing at all to protect shipping so the subs could just lie offshore and wait until a ship came between them and the lights on the shore. They could then easily see what kind of ship it was and torpedo it if it were big and important enough. It was an interesting story. The author talked to many survivors of the sinkings, ex-submariners in Germany and US Coast Guard sailors of the time. Very interesting and a fast read.
The second book was "Shadow Divers" by Robert Kurson. Another true story, this tells of two men who became obsessed by a sunken submarine they found while diving. It was clearly a German sub but no sub was known to be within several hundred miles of it's position. They spent several years and a bunch of money diving on the sub and researching the identity of the boat they had found. Added to the mystery was the danger of diving at the depths required to reach the sub. Another well researched true story about subs.
Finally, I got "The Club Dumas" by Arturo Perez-Reverte from the library. I found his books in the bookstore and thought it might be interesting. It's sort of a mystery and sort of a thriller. It is beautifully translated from Spanish by Sonia Soto. Reminds me somewhat of "The DiVinci Code" in that I can only follow about a tenth of the references without assistance.
Happy reading!
P.S. "The Club Dumas" turned out to be somewhat disappointing. The person responsible for the murders turns out insane at the end and there is no actual evidence of their responsibility. The motivations behind another character are completely unexplained; even their existance is glossed over. I'll try another of the author's books though because I did like his/his translator's use of language.
For the first time in quite a while I've been reading some non-fiction. A relative loaned me two books on submarines and I've enjoyed both. "Torpedo Junction" by Homer Hickam is the true story of the a little known part of WWII. In 1942 the German navy sent a few submarines to attack shipping off the US coast. They were successful beyond anyone's dreams. The US was doing nothing at all to protect shipping so the subs could just lie offshore and wait until a ship came between them and the lights on the shore. They could then easily see what kind of ship it was and torpedo it if it were big and important enough. It was an interesting story. The author talked to many survivors of the sinkings, ex-submariners in Germany and US Coast Guard sailors of the time. Very interesting and a fast read.
The second book was "Shadow Divers" by Robert Kurson. Another true story, this tells of two men who became obsessed by a sunken submarine they found while diving. It was clearly a German sub but no sub was known to be within several hundred miles of it's position. They spent several years and a bunch of money diving on the sub and researching the identity of the boat they had found. Added to the mystery was the danger of diving at the depths required to reach the sub. Another well researched true story about subs.
Finally, I got "The Club Dumas" by Arturo Perez-Reverte from the library. I found his books in the bookstore and thought it might be interesting. It's sort of a mystery and sort of a thriller. It is beautifully translated from Spanish by Sonia Soto. Reminds me somewhat of "The DiVinci Code" in that I can only follow about a tenth of the references without assistance.
Happy reading!
P.S. "The Club Dumas" turned out to be somewhat disappointing. The person responsible for the murders turns out insane at the end and there is no actual evidence of their responsibility. The motivations behind another character are completely unexplained; even their existance is glossed over. I'll try another of the author's books though because I did like his/his translator's use of language.
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