Yosemite for Hike-a-thon!!

This year Hike-a-thon started out with a bang as Ryan and I traveled to Fresno, CA on August 1st and then drove to the Nelder Grove in Oakhurst, CA to camp out and hike among the Giant Sequoia Grove there.                                                          

The next day we got into Yosemite Park early to snag a campsite for the next 4 days and Ryan hiked from Tuolumne Meadows to Tenaya Lake. I did a mile around Tenaya Lake and then just relaxed. 

August 3rd, Ryan started his trek of the John Muir Trail doing Vernal Falls and on to Tuolumne Meadow, I just went to the Falls and back to visit Yosemite Village in the Valley. 

I arrived in Tuolumne Meadows to pick up Ryan and I had some time to spare, so I hiked out to see Soda Springs in the Tuolumne Meadow for another 1.5 miles.

On August 5th, we hiked to Tuolumne Grove together      

 Then Ryan did a few more miles across Tuolumne Meadow to the Tulumne Lodge. I hiked out a half a mile and back while waiting for him to arrive.

 On August 6th. I left Ryan to continue on the John Muir Trail all the way to Mount Whitney. As I left Yosemite, I stopped in the Wawona area and did the Meadow Loop Trail for 3.5 more miles for hike-a-thon.

So far I have a total of 12.5 miles for Hike-a-thon and we have raised $419 dollars for the WTA.  We are half way to our goal!!

Just click "Sponsor Me" to make a donation. Thank you in advance for your generosity! And for those folks who don't want to send money thru the internet. The old fashioned way of writing a check and putting it in the mail works too.  Just make checks out to WTA and you can send them to me at PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA 98116  Many Thanks to Jennifer and Janet who made donations this week!!

Stories from Hike-a-thons Past

Ryan and I have been participating in the Washington Trails Association Hike-a-thon every August for the past 12 years and we have some really interesting stories. Like the year when I slipped on a beach log and gave myself a black eye!!

soon to be a black eye

Beach Logs Can KILL!

Then there is the year when my sister and I were hiking on the Olympic Peninsula and my car broke down and had to be towed back to Seattle on the FERRY!

getting towed on the ferry

Hike-a-thon is Off to a Rousing Start

The year that we got most of our miles hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Excited to be on the PCT

Last Miles for Hike-a-thon 2010

And the year we did a backpacking trip up the Tubal Cain Trail to see the remains of a 60 year old airplane crash

debris near our campsite

Week 4 of Hike-a-thon 2014

I can't wait to see what adventures this year will bring!! Just click "Sponsor Me" to make a donation. Thank you in advance for your generosity! And for those folks who don't want to send money thru the internet. The old fashioned way of writing a check and putting it in the mail works too.  Just make checks out to WTA and you can send them to me at PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA 98116

July 2016 Reading

Temple Grove by Scott Elliott (library) About a grove of trees in the Olympic National Park. The author weaves a fictional story about a logger who wants to make money from the timber and the environmentalist who is out to stop him. Having hiked and traveled through the area alot, I really enjoyed all the local flavor in the book.
Bait and Switch by Barbara Ehrenreich (audiobook) About the corporate job market. I listened to this one on audiobook while driving to and from trailheads to go on hikes and to pick up and drop off Ryan for his hiking!
The Pedestrians by Rachel Zucker (library) a book of poetry, not bad, but I think I liked the Ellen Bass poetry better. If I like Ellen Bass now, I guess I cannot pick one of her books to be "out of my comfort zone" LOL
The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson (library) I am still fascinated by all things Swedish and on a hot day, reading descriptions of snow is so refreshing! This is a short book, but complex. It was just okay
Looking for Alaska by John Green (library) on the list of banned books because of a sex scene. You can follow this link to see what the author has to say about it!  I liked it but it is just as sad as The Fault in Our Stars. So be warned!
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler (library) A girl gets a job as a server at a fancy NYC restaurant.  Reminded me a lot of Kitchen Confidential, but more about the waitstaff than the cooks. I enjoyed it.
All the Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister (library) Supposedly there are more single women now than in any other time in history. Women are staying single longer before getting married and women are choosing to remain single rather than have a boyfriend. How this has all evolved over the years is fascinating.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (library) How did I skip this one in school? I thought I had read it, About the experiences of a black family with particular emphasis on the perception of beauty equaling light skin and blue eyes.
Trophy Hunt by C J Box. (library) Jack the Ripper style killings plaque Wyoming, but Joe Pickett is going to figure out the mystery.
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory ( audiobook). Still trying to figure out this period of English History.  Gregory does a good job of making it come alive for me.
Shock Wave by John Sandford ( audiobook) a Virgil Flowers book on CD.  I have gotten addicted to having a book on tape going when I am driving around alone in my car.
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton (library) Edith Wharton is one of my favorite authors and I needed to pick a book that was over 100 years old to read for my library bingo card. So this was my choice! Reading Book Bingo Again, it is set during winter and there is much snow!!
The Lover by Marguerite Duras (library) I read this book years ago when the movie came out. So I am rereading it now for the Reading Book Bingo  I had forgotten that I did not like it so much. I think the movie that was made from it was better. It skips around so much, past, present, it can get confusing to really follow the narrative. But I think too, that that is the point. Sometimes it is almost like poetry, but maybe that is just because it is a translation of another language? This is the Barbara Bray translation of the book.
The Secrets She Keeps by Deb Caletti (library) I enjoyed this one, part of the story is set at one of those dude ranch places that people used to go to in Nevada back in the day and I found that fascinating. Reminded me a bit of Elizabeth Berg's style (I am a HUGE fan of Elizabeth Berg)
Before the Fall by Noah Hawley (library) Private airplane crash with two survivors I really liked it. Lots of twists and turns to find out what happened.
Unprocessed by Megan Kimble (library) about her year of trying to eat only unprocessed food, despite living in a city on a budget. I have been trying to eat more unprocessed food, so this topic fascinates me. And it is extremely similar to the 100 mile diet idea (of eating items that come from within 100 miles of where you live) It can be a real challenge and I live in an area with great access to farmers markets year round.
The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell (library) similar to The Almost Nearly Perfect People that I read earlier this year. More of my fascination with all things Scandinavian. I really liked it and laughed aloud quite often while reading.
Lies Across America by James Loewen (library) I absolutely loved this book about historical markers across America and the things that they don't get right!! I'll be reading this authors other books as well!!
He's Gone by Deb Caletti (library) ok, now reading everything that she has ever written!! This one about a wife whose husband disappears.
Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas okay, chalk up another author that I am going to have to read everything that she has ever written. This one also gives me an Elizabeth Berg vibe. This particular book is set at a Japanese Internment camp in Colorado during WWII. Mostly about the young girl who lives on a farm right next door to the camp.
I Loved, I Lost, I made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci (library) I really enjoyed her descriptions of her NYC love life and I got some really great ideas for pasta dinners!! LOL My favorite line from the book might be: " My imagination had the flexibility of a thirteen-year-old Chinese gymnast."


For those of you who are supporting Ryan and me for the WTA hike-a-thon this year, Here is the link to our donation page! Hike-a-thon

Monday's Postcard 2016: Wine

I liked these comedic postcards about wine, they make me laugh, so I bought them for my collection

 For those of you who are supporting Ryan and me for the WTA hike-a-thon this year, Here is the link to our donation page! Hike-a-thon  Thanks to Da Kool Kats and Margaret for their donation!!!

Will this be the year??? Will I go to Yosemite???

That is the Plan

I am 50 years old and I have never been to Yosemite.....my friends go, my sister goes, I get postcards from Yosemite all the time, but I have never been......until this year.....for Hike-a-thon 2016 I am going to Yosemite!!!

 Ryan is hiking the John Muir Trail and I am going with him for the start....which is in YOSEMITE!! So my first hikes for hike-a-thon this year should be in and around Yosemite.

 Can you tell that I am excited???

Just click "Sponsor Me" to make a donation. Thank you in advance for your generosity! And for those folks who don't want to send money thru the internet. The old fashioned way of writing a check and putting it in the mail works too.  Just make checks out to WTA and you can send them to me at PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA 98116  Thanks so much to Jean, Jennifer, Diane and John who made donations this week!!

Monday's Postcard 2016: Photographer Audrey Heller

I really enjoy this Photographer's work. Audrey Heller has whole books full of these pictures that she creates. And I was lucky to find some postcards of her work.
For those of you who are supporting Ryan and me for the WTA hike-a-thon this year, Here is the link to our donation page! Hike-a-thon     Thanks so much to Barb, my Uncle Frank, and Erica F. For your recent donations!

Hike-a-thon 2016!

Life with Ryan is always an adventure! And our trips for Hike-a-thon 2016 should be just as exciting and unexpected as any of our other adventures together!!

I can't wait to see what adventures this August will bring!! Just click "Sponsor Me" to make a donation. Thank you in advance for your generosity! And for those folks who don't want to send money thru the internet. The old fashioned way of writing a check and putting it in the mail works too.  Just make checks out to WTA and you can send them to me at PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA 98116

Monday's Postcard 2016: Bullwinkle

                                                    
   One of my favorite cartoons!!  All kinds of cartoons can be found on postcards.

For those of you who are supporting Ryan and me for the WTA hike-a-thon this year, Here is the link to our donation page! Hike-a-thon

It's time for the WTA Hike-a-thon

This August, Ryan and I will be participating in the Washington Trails Association Hike-a-thon.

channeling the mysterious Ghost at the Waterfall vibe

Now that is a nice smooth trail!

Each year we hike lots of miles of trails and we solicit lots of donations from our friends and family to help protect and maintain the trails in Washington State. (Thank you to Sharon and Slade for already making your contributions this year!!)

Goofing around!

 Ryan is currently hiking on the C & O Canal trail and the Allegheny Heritage Trail to go from Washington, DC to Pittsburgh, PA!! Once he is finished with that, he will start on the John Muir Trail in California and will be doing that trail thru much of August. I plan to hike trails in the Seattle area and perhaps a bit of California if I can get the time off to join Ryan at the end of the John Muir Trail.

Always

 Obviously, it is a cause that is dear to our hearts. And we hope that you will help by supporting us with our hike-a-thon efforts. Just click "Sponsor Me" to make a donation. Thank you in advance for your generosity! And for those folks who don't want to send money thru the internet. The old fashioned way of writing a check and putting it in the mail works too.  Just make checks out to WTA and you can send them to me at PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA 98116

Monday's Postcard 2016: Nancy Drew

I can never get too many Nancy Drew postcards. These are two that have been sent to me by friends. Some what appropriately because yesterday was the anniversary of Mildred Wirt Benson's birthday. Mildred wrote the first Nancy Drew books back in the 1930's.

For those of you who are supporting Ryan and me for the WTA hike-a-thon this year, Here is the link to our donation page! Hike-a-thon Thanks so much to Kim F. For being the very first person this year to contribute!!

Monday's Postcard 2016: Sea Life

                                                  
 These Postcards are from Asia, but again, they could have come from just about anywhere!



For those of you who are supporting Ryan and me for the WTA hike-a-thon this year, Here is the link to our donation page! Hike-a-thon

June 2016 Reading

The Spider Sapphire Mystery by Carolyn Keene  Yes, I still read Nancy Drew books. This one was actually written by Harriet Adams in 1968.  I belong to a book club that reads the Nancy Drew books and discusses them!!
Agatha Christie's Miss Marple by Anne Hart A "biography" of the fictional Miss Marple. If you are a fan, this is a must read. She has one about Hercule Poirot that is now on my TBR list as well.
Winterkill by C J Box There is nothing better than reading a book set in the Snowy Winter of Wyoming during a hot summer day!!
Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart (library) Oh I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it. Set in NJ in the 1900's so if you are a Downton Abbey fan give it a try, also if you are a Girls Series Collector, this one is a lot of fun,
Empire of Things by Frank Trentmann (library) I liked this one, although often it felt like homework, like I was reading a textbook. But I found the subject very interesting. The history of the consumer and how we are compelled to buy and collect things.
They Do it with Mirrors by Agatha Christie (audiobook) One reason I like to "hear" books that I have already read before on audiobook, is like why I can watch a Shakespeare Play over and over again. I like to hear the different voices of the book done differently and I sometimes see something new in the plot or characterization that I might have missed reading. I like how it becomes a little different in my head, my imaginings of the place or the people.
The Longest Night by Andria Williams (library) a fictional account of a nuclear accident in Idaho Falls, ID in 1961. I liked it and I am often intrigued by so much of the history of the USA that we do not know about. Three Mile Island you know about, but 3 people died at the accident at Idaho Falls and no one knows about it.
Girl About Town by Adam Shankman (library) a fun book (I think this is a YA title) set during the depression in Hollywood. With a fun heroine and hero who join forces to solve a murder mystery. I liked it
Breaking Wild by Diane Les Becquets (library) another cold weather book to read on a hot day. It is about a female hunter who gets lost in the Colorado Wilderness and the female BLM search and rescue ranger who hunts for her. I really liked all the detail about the search process and the hunting process (not being a hunter myself)
The Wind Done Gone by Alice Randall (library) a spoof of Gone with the Wind, from the point of view of the slaves. Very interesting/entertaining
Extreme Prey by John Sandford (library) The latest Lucas Davenport thriller. It concerns a threat against a presidential candidate. I liked it as usual and read it in about 6 hours!
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (library) I recently watched the TV series based  on this book and really enjoyed it. About an English Family who go to live on a Greek Island.
The Life and Times of Hercule Poirot by Anne Hart. This one is the Biography of Hercule Poirot. If you are a Christie fan, check these books by Anne Hart out. Very enjoyable.
Pilgrim with No Direction by Brian R. Murdock  In anticipation of hiking the Portuguese Camino de Santiago later this year. I got this book about a guy hiking the trail It is wonderful. I loved it and now I am looking forward to the hike so much more!! The guy is really funny and I laughed out loud several times and had to read parts aloud to Ryan, I am even going to give you a link where you can buy the book (Kindle or paperback) cause I liked it that much!! Just click on the name of the book!!
Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons by Ann Rinaldi So my car breaks down and I was lucky that I have a few books in the car that I save to trade into Little Free Libraries that I see around town. This book had come out of a Little Free Library and had not made it into the house yet!! So I was happy to read it while I waited for the AAA guy to come save me. It is a YA book about Slavery
The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (audiobook) I had not read this book in several years and it is really really interesting. It concerns the murder of the boys in the tower by Richard the Third.  Tey's Inspector Grant is laid up with an injury and spends his convalescence trying to figure out the truth of this historical murder.
Trespassing Across America by Ken Ilgunas (library) So I saw this one at Third Place Books in Seattle and picked it up thinking that it was going to be mainly about his hike from Canada down to Texas across America...well, it is really about the XL pipeline that they are proposing to build to bring oil down to the ports in Texas from the oil fields in the north. So I was ready for a lot of environmental preaching. Surprise!! This is still a very interesting hiking story and I learned about the pipeline and why it is a bad idea.
Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben (library) I am a fan of Harlan Coben and this book no exception. He writes a good thriller.
Manzanar to Mount Whitney by  Hank Umemoto (library) This is a book about a Japanese American man who was interned at Manzanar as a boy and dreamed of hiking Mount Whitney (which you can see from the camp) and the hike he makes later in life to fulfill that quest.
The Girls by Emma Cline (library) one girl's story of getting swept up by a cult. I am always amazed at what people will do to be liked and accepted as part of a group. Maybe because I am introverted, I never felt this aching need to be part of a group. I could be content to be by myself.
Like a Beggar by Ellen Bass (library) a book of poetry and if you have been following my blog entries for some time, you don't see much poetry here. I am not really a poetry reader. I LIKE poetry. But it takes slow and contemplative reading and I just don't do that. I usually tear thru books just soaking them up like a sponge. Poetry wants you to wallow in it. Or at least that is my take on poetry. So WHY am I reading poetry all of a sudden? Well, I am participating in Reading Book Bingo at the Seattle Library this summer. It is a cool summer reading program for adults where you have to read certain things to fill in your bingo card. So I needed Poetry and I needed "something out of my comfort zone" and I needed something by Seattle Art and Lectures participants. What this means is that you are going to see more poetry in my reading list next month as well!! LOL cause Poetry will help fill all three of those squares! So about these poems. I really liked them. I LIKE the classics like Frost, Yeats, Longfellow, Wordsworth, etc. But usually the "modern" poets I don't like so much. exceptions are Sylvia Plath, Dylan Thomas and Robert Service. So I was not prepared to really enjoy these as much as I did!! I would definitely read more Ellen Bass.

Monday's Postcard 2016: The Far Side

 A couple of my favorite Far Side comics on postcards. The Ship of Fools/Car of Idiots has been on my bulletin board for YEARS!!

Monday's Postcard 2016: Weddings

                                    These postcards were sent to me to announce weddings!

Monday's Postcard 2016: Cats

                          These Cat postcards were sent to me from a friend in Europe.

Monday's Postcard 2016: Antique Aircraft

                 I love these old aircraft themed postcards and I am always looking for cards that are        aviation related when I am at antique malls. I just had an opportunity to have empathy for those of you who have trouble finding postcards. Ryan and I were vacationing in Dallas, TX and we visited several touristy spots and the postcards were either very expensive ($1) or they were not very interesting and I had trouble finding anything that I wanted to send to anyone!! 

May 2016 Reading

Heat Lightning by John Sandford A Virgil Flowers mystery. I enjoy these and I usually have a few paperbacks in my luggage when I travel. This was one that I turned to while flying at the beginning of May.
Because of Winn-Dixie by Katie DiCamillo Some friends were discussing this book and I realized that I had not read it! So easily remedied. Read it quickly in one day.
Journey To Munich by Jacqueline Winspear (library) the latest Maisie Dobbs novel. Love it
Savage Run by C J Box another Joe Pickett novel as I make my way thru this series
The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson (library) I always enjoy Bryson's observations about life
Mrs. Houdini by Victoria Kelly (library) I like the book and the story from Houdini's wife's point of view, however, I was a little annoyed at the back and forth from the story of how they met and lived with the things going on after Houdini's death. I would have prefered a more linear story. I would just be getting into their relationship and the author switches to the flimflam artists that duped Mrs. Houdini later in life. Just start understanding that and switch back again. Annoying.
Maphead by Ken Jennings (library). Yes the Ken Jennings who won at Jeopardy!  Loved this book. Totally awesome, all my Letterboxing friends need to run out and get it ( if only to get mad over the geocaching chapter). And I thought of my friend, John, who used to work at Caltrans when I read the Roadgeeks chapter!
Coronado by Dennis Lehane  a collection of Short Stories by one of my favorite authors
The Widow by Fiona Barton (library) good suspense and pseudo mystery Not as good as Girl on a Train or Gone Girl, but not bad
Inspector Cadaver by Georges Simenon I recently saw Maigret Sets a Trap on ITV in the UK and so now I am intrigued by Inspector Maigret. This is one of many books featuring this sleuth by Georges Simenon
Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon. This is the guy who wrote The Strange Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. I liked this book too.
Boar Island by Nevada Barr ( library) the latest Anna Pigeon mystery. This one takes place at Acadia National Park in Maine.
The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter ( library) story of a girl who spent her teen years institutionalized and her life as she tries to live in the real world, Coming to terms with the mother who had he locked away
A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin (library) this is a collection of short stories and it is wonderful.  I loved just about every single story love love loved her prose, her use of words to paint a picture in my head.
Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown   My sister gave me this book and I had to hurry and read it before the movie comes out!! About the University of Washington crew team and their journey to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Very Good I went back and forth from reading the book and listening to the audiobook in my car. The audiobook is awesome just because it is read by Edward Hermann.
Face Off  ed. by David Baldacci an awesome collection of short stories. From the Thriller Writers of America. Each story has a famous protagonist from one author combined with the famous protagonist of another author, with the two authors combining forces to write the story. I thought it was a pretty interesting gimmick and really enjoyed it!!