Aviation Postcards: The Lighter Side

 A selection of arty and comedy postcards

And for a funny movie about flight attendants, I recommend View From the Top 

https://youtu.be/elF04ebuXHI

Aviation Postcards: Hawaii

 

Aviation Postcards: Antique

 

Aviation Postcards: Seattle

 Back in the day, everyone used to either collect or use postcards. Letters were the main way for people to communicate with others. Nowadays, it’s almost like a joke, due to the fact that you can instantly send a message to someone across the other side of the world. Years ago, about 20 million postcards were sold annually. That number is now down by about 75%, and unfortunately this decline is just accelerating.

Aviation Postcards: United and Continental

 Airlines used to have stationery sets onboard for passengers to use to write home. These postcards most likely came from these stationery sets from United and Continental Airlines. Who would have thought back then that these two airlines would one day merge into one airline! 

September 2022 Books I Read

 

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis Recommended to me by a friend on facebook and I quite enjoyed it. Time Travel and during the 1300's and they come from our future where Pandemics have been rife.  So virus and disease and quarantine are subjects. The book was written in 1992, so Connie Willis was right about a lot of things that may be common in 2054. 

The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie short stories. Christie wrote many stories that were serialized or published in magazines much like Charles Dickens did, then they were collected into books for publication. 

Sparkling Cyanide by Agatha Christie (library) this has always been a favorite of mine and I think it holds up well

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (library) I am really enjoying Connie Willis and will be reading much more by her. This is another time travel book. This time to Victorian England and it makes many references to Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. You don't have to have read that book to enjoy To Say Nothing of the Dog, but it does help.

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (audiobook) read by Hugh Laurie. I immediately started listening to this one once I figured out that To Say Nothing of the Dog had so much in common with this book. It is a fun story about 3 guys traveling in a boat on the Thames. 

The Labours of Hercules by Agatha Christie (library) clever idea for Poirot short stories, paralleling them with the ancient labors of Hercules. 

A Fine Summer's Day by Charles Todd (library) prequel book in the Ian Rutledge series, this one is set prior to the war. So you get a look at Ian before he was damaged by war.

The Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie (library) not my favorite Christie, I am not a fan of the courtroom stuff but some of the other stories are fun (this is another short story collection)

I Met A Traveller in an Antique Land by Connie Willis (library) LOVED IT, gonna buy it, gonna read it again and again. For all you kindle folks and ebooks folks, READ THIS BOOK. And then go buy an actual book. Just saying. 

N or M by Agatha Christie Tommy and Tuppence mystery spying during the war

Saucer by Stephen Coonts (audiobook) found out that this is the first in a trilogy of books. It was entertaining enough for me to want to read the next two books. 

The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff (library) Holocaust story. set among a circus. It was okay

The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie One of my favorites, it is a Miss Marple, but she only shows up towards the end. The main protagonists are a brother and sister who go to live in a sleepy village so that he can recover from a plane crash. Murder ensues! 

Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie Set in Post WWII and with many twists and turns. 

The Guest List by Lucy Foley (library) a wedding is taking place on a remote Island off the coast of Ireland and things get crazy. Another with many twists and turns!! LOL

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid ( library). Fun book with dual timelines.  I like these kind of things. A character’s life branches off into two different directions.  What if? 

Terra Incognita by Connie Willis (library) 3 science fiction stories and they are a lot of fun to read. I especially liked Remake about Hollywood 

Aviation Postcards: Ozark Airlines

 

October 1st is World Postcard Day. Introduced in 1869 as a way of sending a simple message, postcards quickly evolved beyond their practical purpose to become the universal souvenir that brightens everyone's mailboxes.  I hope that more people will send postcards!

Ozark would merge with TWA 

Aviation Postcards: Washington, DC

 

Aviation Postcards: Gander

 

Gander Airport holds a special place in my heart, it is where many flights diverted to during 9/11. There is a wonderful book about it called The Day the World Came to Town by John DeFede. There has also been a play produced called Come From Away about the experiences of the people in Gander during that time. 

Aviation Postcards: Fort Wayne, Indiana

 

The last hikes for Hikeathon 2022

 A terrific end to Hikeathon 2022, I made my goal of 30 miles hiked for the month all while working a full schedule! 

I hiked 2 miles on the Tolt Pipeline trail in Woodinville, WA 

There is the pipeline

On Saturday, I had to run an errand over by Lake Union, so I squeezed in a 2 mile jaunt along the Burke Gilman Trail and through Gas Works Park. 

Walkers on the right, bikers on the left

Apples

And I finished the month with a 3 mile stroll along the Des Moines Creek Trail near Sea Tac, WA

Lufthansa!

I turned around after the waste treatment plant

Another SeaTac arrival

Many thanks to Gretchen, Stephen, Kathy W. Ray, and Holly B. for their recent donations. we are up to $720, my total mileage comes in at 30 miles and I lost 5 pounds this month, just by bumping up my activity level! I've usually only worked on getting 10,000 steps a day, but doing my little 2 mile jaunts 3 times a week helped increase my calorie burn. Woo hoo. 

Washington Trails Association will still be accepting donations thru Sept 7th, You can cut and paste this link to go to my WTA fundraiser page  

https://give.wta.org/fundraiser/3990693

Thanks so much to everyone who has donated! 

August 2022 Books I Read

 

Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg (library) just okay, pretty racy. a version of Oliver Twist or Gentleman Jack, a girl gets by in 18th century England by passing as a boy/man and becomes a infamous thief and escape artist. The modern part of the story about the college professor transcribing the diaries of "The Fox" was not as interesting to me and the story in a story was confusing -footnotes and more footnotes.  

Cheese Deluxe by Greg Palmer  (audiobook) such a fun book to listen to, a memoir very reminiscent of American Graffiti. I highly recommend if you can find it

Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie sort of a "locked room" mystery. Hercule Poirot shows up about mid-way thru to figure it all out. Great atmosphere of an archeological dig

Double Sin and other stories by Agatha Christie (library) a collection of short stories --it includes the Christmas Pudding one, which I think I might start reading every Christmas as part of my Christmas traditions. 

This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin (library) non-fiction on how our brain processes music and how music affects your brain. Loved it and I want to read more by this author. 

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie one of my favorites, so much passion and the setting is perfect

Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie The Tommy and Tuppence short stories, always a pleasure to read.

Girls of Flight City by Lorraine Heath (library) a fun read based on true events when RAF pilots were trained in Texas how to fly by female aviators. 

The End of Craving by Mark Schatzker (library) the science behind why we overeat and over indulge. Very interesting. 

The Hungry Ear by edited by Kevin Young (library) I had to read "something out of my comfort zone" for my library bingo card this summer and poetry is not really my go to...although I enjoy it, I don't read much, especially not modern poetry. I prefer the classics. These are all poems about food and drink and eating! 

The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty (library) fun book by this author about a woman who inherits a house from her ex-husband's family and the mysteries and family issues that ensue. 

I highly recommend.

Racing the Devil by Charles Todd (audiobook) so serendipitous that I listened to THIS Charles Todd while driving around in the car and it features cars and racing. Didn't do that on purpose. 

A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie Miss Marple This is one of the Christies that was serialized when it was first released in 1953, put in magazines/newspapers for several months, like Charles Dickens. 

Over My Dead Body by Rex Stout (audiobook) It is official I am not a fan of Nero Wolfe books. Ugh. It was grueling having to listen to this one over several days as I drove to and from work. 

Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie murder at a resort, Hercule Poirot this time 

The Homesman by Glendon Swarthout (library) a western about settlers on the Prairie just prior to the civil war in the 1800's. I enjoyed it and he is the same author who wrote The Shootist (which was made into the movie with John Wayne) so now I have to go look for that book to read too. 

The Regatta Mystery by Agatha Christie another collection of short stories --these are all from the 1930's and were first published in magazines. 

August is hikeathon month and I am raising money for Washington Trails, we are still accepting donations thru September 7th! 

You can cut and paste this link to go to my WTA fundraiser page  

https://give.wta.org/fundraiser/3990693

or you can send me a check (made out to WTA (Washington Trails Association) or just a dollar in the mail would be very welcome. Thanks so much to everyone who has supported this cause again this year!

to: Amanda Arkebauer PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

Aviation Postcards: Piedmont

I began my aviation career with Piedmont Airlines in April 1989, but really it was at the moment of my birth, I was born in 1966 and that is when my Dad got his job with Piedmont Airlines and was based in Wilmington, NC. So really, I have been a "Piedmonster" my entire life. 

It is hikeathon month and I am raising money for Washington Trails
You can cut and paste this link to go to my WTA fundraiser page  

https://give.wta.org/fundraiser/3990693

or you can send me a check (made out to WTA (Washington Trails Association) or just a dollar in the mail would be very welcome. Thanks so much to everyone who has supported this cause in the past and hopefully again this year!

to: Amanda Arkebauer PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116