August Reading

Books I read in August:


Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery rereading these classics
Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason (library) Murder mystery/thriller liked it alot
Misquoting Jesus by Bart Ehrman  explores how scribes, through both omission and intention, changed the Bible over the many years as it was written down over and over again
 The Searchers: The Making of An American Legend by Glenn Frankel (library) The story of making the movie and the true story it is based on
 Z: A novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Fowler (library) loved this fictional account of Zelda's life
Winged Obsession by Jessica Speart (library) like the Orchid Thief except about butterflies
Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery it is always nice to take a paperback along on a camping trip
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (library) fun, very lifestyles of the rich and famous
Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire (audiobook) I am not a huge fan of Maquire and this is his version of the Snow White story
How Lincoln Learned to Read by Daniel Wolff (library) I quite enjoyed this one
The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner -thriller that Ryan passed along to me when we were out and I forgot to bring a book to read
Mariposa Road by  Robert Michael Pyle (library) about a Butterfly big year
 Pure Drivel by Steve Martin (audio book) listened to in the car on the way to trailheads
A Single Shot by Matthew F. Jones (library) really liked it. Reminded me of Winter's Bone and has a forward by that author too!!
Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir (library)The Story of Lady Jane Grey, who I only knew from the movie,  Lady Jane. She was Queen for nine days after the death of Henry VIII and his son Edward
The Sinner by Tess Garritsen (audiobook) listened to on my way to and from Mt. Rainier this month One of the better Rizzoli and Isles stories I think so far
The Telling Room: A tale of love, betrayal, revenge and the World's Greatest piece of cheese by Michael Paterniti (library) It's about cheese and Spain and everything else the title implies I liked it a lot 
The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton Disclafani (library) mysterious and interesting, lots of sex,  I enjoyed it
Ape House by Sara Gruen (audio book) ugh, just okay, probably would not have finished it if it were not on audio. some of the characters annoyed me
You can't drink all day  if you don't start in the morning by Celia Rivenbark (libraray) hilarious a Modern Southern Erma Bombeck!! I am getting everything else she was written to read now
You Don't Sweat Much for a Fat Girl by Celia Rivenbark (library) I am loving these, laugh out loud and I have to read portions to whoever will listen
Joyland by Stephen King (library) enjoyed it, carnivals are creepy like clowns are creepy
Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld (library) loved it about twin sister who are psychic
The Quick and the Dead by Louis L'Amour - made into an HBO movie and I enjoyed it quick read
The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel (library) the movie will be out this fall--great history
Bless Your Heart, Tramp by Celia Rivenbark really these are too funny



26  books read this month





 Ryan and I just finished up our hiking in August for the Washington Trails Association. We are still looking for pledges to contribute for the protection and maintenance of Washington State Trails. Please consider making a donation, no amount is too small!!  You have until September 8th to make a contribution. Just follow the link posted below. Thanks so much!! http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1468&AID=2449&PID=369509

Monday's Postcard: Shenandoah

Shenandoah National Park is such a wonderful place. The Appalachian trail runs right through the park and it is a lovely place to go hiking. I have enjoyed all my visits to this area in Virginia.

Ryan and I are hiking in August for the Washington Trails Association. We are looking for pledges to contribute for the protection and maintenance of Washington State Trails. Please consider making a donation, no amount is too small!! Just follow the link posted below. Thanks so much!! http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1468&AID=2449&PID=369509

My Edward Gorey Spool rack Necklace Holder

I just recently visited the Edward Gorey House in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. One of the things that impressed me in the house was a spool rack that Mr. Gorey used to hold his necklaces. He was quite Mod in his fashion sense and had many necklaces and he kept them on an Antique Spool Rack.

I was inspired. I hope to find an antique spool rack one day, but until then. I happened upon a rack at JoAnn's Fabrics yesterday and decided to give the whole concept a try first. Here is a spool rack being used for it's intended purpose.

I think I will be very happy at how this keeps my necklaces untangled and on display! I also put some bracelets on there and I have plenty of space for more necklaces too!!

This would be great to hang on the wall in your bathroom as I have done or in your bedroom or closet! And even though this is a new rack and not an antique one, I am pretty happy with the way it looks.

Gotta get 15.5 miles in only 4 days!!

A rainy Thursday at home in Seattle and I hiked 3 miles at Saltwater State Park while home on a layover. I need to do 15.5 miles before the end of the month to make my goal of 60 miles this month. That does not sound like much, but I only have 4 days budgeted between working to do it. So I have to average 4 miles a day for those 4 days. Piece of cake you say?? I think it is definitely doable for me. Oh and Ryan and I need to raise another $180

I spent Friday in North Carolina between trips and did not expect to do any hiking. But to my surprise while out shopping with my stepmom, I saw this greenway trail just across the street from the shopping center. So while she was busy in Stein Mart, I was able to add a mile to my mileage total!!! Woo hoo

Sunday back in Seattle for a layover and I dashed over to Dash Point State Park and did 4 and 1/2 miles on multiple trails. Once you get away from the beach, there is a vast network of mountain biking/hiking trails. This being a gorgeous, sunny Sunday, there were a lot of folks on the trails. Happy to say that the mountain bikers were very courteous to the lowly hikers in their midst!!

On Monday I was able to do 5 miles on the Soos Creek Trail in Kent!

Tuesday was another gorgeous day and I did 2 miles at Lincoln Park on the Beach trail and the Bluff trail.

Ryan and I are still asking for pledges to contribute for the protection and maintenance of Washington State Trails. We just need another $180 to make our goal of $1,500. Please consider making a donation, no amount is too small.  Just follow the link posted below. Thanks so much!!

http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1468&AID=2449&PID=369509

Monday's Postcard: Fire Lookouts

I have always loved firetowers and Ryan and I have hiked up to several, I would still like to spend the night in one someday.



 These photos are from a hike that Ryan and I did to a Fire Lookout in California. The haze in the photo of  Ryan surveying the view is smoke from a fire that was in the area!  Hopefully I can do another hike to a firetower for the WTA hike-a-thon this year.Ryan has already been to several as he hiked the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier!!  Ryan and I are hiking in August for the Washington Trails Association. We are looking for pledges to contribute for the protection and maintenance of Washington State Trails. We are about $270 away from our goal.  Please consider making a donation, no amount is too small!! Just follow the link posted below. Thanks so much!! WTA Hike-a-thon

A Wonderful Wonderland

On Thursday, Ryan and I drove out to Mt. Rainier so he could start his Wonderland Trail hike. The Wonderland Trail circles Mt. Rainier for 93 miles.

This is not Ryan's first time hiking this trail. He did some of it in 2004 and then hiked the entire trail in 2005. This year he'll be hiking around counter-clockwise and he started from the Sunrise trailhead. I hiked along with him for a while and then returned to the car, so I got in 2 miles for Hike-a-thon. The pictures really do not do it justice. The view of the mountain, the blues of the sky and water, the green trees and all the colorful wildflowers are just amazing. "And live alone in the bee-loud glade" kept running through my mind because the air just hummed with bees among all the flowers.

I had to leave and return to Seattle and work that night. I worked the flight to Philadelphia arriving at 6am and then immediately got on the 7:30 am flight back to Seattle. It was full and myself and another flight attendant had to jumpseat home. This means that there was not a regular passenger seat. There are extra flight attendant jumpseats (from back in the day when we had more crewmembers to do the service on the aircraft. For example. this particular aircraft is worked by 3 flight attendants but there are 5 seats for crew in the cabin) and these seats are available for us to sit on during the flight. It makes the galley very crowded! The other downside is that when I take the jumpseat, I cannot sleep on the flight. By taking the jumpseat, I am essentially an additional crewmember and as such cannot sleep.     

So by the time I got back to Seattle I was pretty much wiped out. But it was such a lovely day, I could not resist getting in some more Hike-a-thon mileage. I was not up for a trek through the woods, but a nice flat stroll along the Alki Beach Trail in West Seattle was just perfect. I started at Jack Block Park. If you have never been to Jack Block Park, I highly recommend it. There is an observation deck that has views of the port and interpretive plaques explain activities at the Port of Seattle and maritime shipping technology.

Walking down along the waterfront on the Alki Beach Trail, there is tons of stuff to see. At Seacrest dock, you can often see divers in and out of the water. This is the dock where the West Seattle water taxi arrives. There is Marination Mai Kai restaurant and bicycle and kayak rentals too!

I hiked around Duwamish Head and after 2 miles returned to my car for a total of 4 miles hiked. Thunderstorms rolled it that night and I thought of Ryan out on the trail around Mt. Rainier!

I drove up to Mowich lake on Saturday to meet him.

A day with a 40 percent chance of rain, so it looked pretty dreary. I did 3 miles of hiking along the Wonderland trail looking for Ryan, but when I heard thunder again, I headed back to the campsite and tent to wait for him under shelter. He arrived before dark and it mostly drizzled and misted all night.

The next morning, we ran into a group of Hike-a-thoners going out to Spray Falls!

I  hiked another 2 and a half miles along the Foothills Trail in Buckley, WA on my way back to Seattle and another day of work.

Home again on a layover and I did 4 miles on the Longfellow Creek Trail in West Seattle. This trail follows the Longfellow Creek through a mostly urban environment.

Ryan and I are still asking for pledges to contribute for the protection and maintenance of Washington State Trails. So far we have raised over $1100 and we are well on our way to our goal of $1500. Please consider making a donation, no amount is too small.  Just follow the link posted below. Thanks so much!!

http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1468&AID=2449&PID=369509

Monday's Postcard: Happy Birthday!

This day is the birthday of my Grandmother Arkebauer. I was named Amanda after her.














 Ryan and I are hiking in August for the Washington Trails Association. We are looking for pledges to contribute for the protection and maintenance of Washington State Trails. Please consider making a donation, no amount is too small!! Just follow the link posted below. Thanks so much!! WTA Hike-a-thon

1st week of Hike-a-thon 2013

Got a great start to hike-a-thon. I was able to accumulate 13 1/2 miles this week and Ryan and I have raised over $1,100 Woo hoo Thanks so much to Kathy and Lisa who were instrumental in getting us to the $1,100 mark!!  We still have 23 days to raise money to make our $1500 goal and get in more mileage! I am hoping to get to 60 miles this month...which would be a new personal best for me.

On August 1st, Ryan and I hiked in Discovery Park together which has not happened in several years of hike-a-thons. Usually Ryan is off hiking a long distance thru hike and I don't get to join him very often.  We got to reward ourselves with a Red Mill hamburger too!!

August 2nd, I hiked in the Soaring Eagle park and saw evidence of trail work....probably suspended due to the rain that day. They were building a turnpike on the Pipeline Trail.

August 3rd, I hiked the Interurban Trail in Milton, WA.  This is part of a Rail to Trail line that follows the original Puget Sound Electric Railway that operated from 1902 to 1928 along this route, connecting Seattle and Tacoma. 














Then I had to work a few days, but I was back out on the trails on August 6th with a 2 mile hike at Mercer Slough in Bellevue. I did the Bellefields Trail and the Heritage Trail around the Blueberry farm there, practically right in the heart of the city!!

I saw a bunch of folks doing the "canoe trail" and the best part was checking out the farmer's market for dinner fixin's :-)

Ryan and I are looking for pledges to contribute for the protection and maintenance of Washington State Trails. So far we have raised over $1000 and we are well on our way to our goal of $1500. We only have 23 more days or so to hike our miles and raise the rest of our money. Please consider making a donation, no amount is too small.  Just follow the link posted below. Thanks so much!!

http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1468&AID=2449&PID=369509

Monday's Postcard: Colorado 1938

"Longs Peak, Altitude 14,255 feet, from the Big Rock Point, On the Trail Ridge Road"




"Road down the western side of Flagstaff Mountain, Boulder, CO"
These postcards are from 1938 according to their postmarks.

Trail Ridge Road is the name for a section of US Hwy 34 and is the highest continuous highway in the United States. It is also known as the Beaver Meadow National Scenic Byway, it goes through Rocky Mountain National Park from Estes Park, Colorado to Grand Lake, Colorado and crosses the Continental Divide at Milner Pass.

Flagstaff Mountain is located just west of downtown Boulder, Colorado.
It offers stunning daytime and night-time views of Boulder, Denver and the surrounding mountains. There are hiking and bike trails, picnic areas, the Summit Nature Center, and an outdoor amphitheater.

Ryan and I are looking for pledges to contribute for the protection and maintenance of Washington State Trails. So far we have raised over $1000 and we are well on our way to our goal of $1500. We only have 25 more days or so to hike our miles and raise the rest of our money. Please consider making a donation, no amount is too small.  Just follow the link posted below. Thanks so much!!

http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1468&AID=2449&PID=369509

July Reading

 

Books I read in July:


Lonigan by Louis L'Amour -- Western short stories
DB by Elwood Reid --ficitional account of the D.B. Cooper story (library)
The Case of D. B. Cooper's Parachute by William Sullivan (library) another fictional D. B. Cooper story, fun, a little convoluted, but we love this author for his Oregon Hiking Guides!!
The Grass is always greener over the septic tank by Erma Bombeck --just for fun
When you look like your passport photo, it's time to go home by Erma Bombeck- fun I have not read these since I was a kid nice to revisit and still funny
The Secret Life of Objects by Dawn Raffel (library) loved this, highly recommend!!
Silken Prey by John Sanford (library) big fan, love these fast moving thrillers
Six Years by Harlan Coben (library) big fan, this is a fun thriller, quick read with a happy ending!!
Then Again by Diane Keaton - A memoir by Diane Keaton enjoyed it Thanks Julie for giving it to me
Rivers West by Louis L'Amour -another easy read by L'Amour with some nice Louisiana Territory history...always fun when Pittsburgh, PA is considered a "western town" 
Horns by Joe Hill (library)-- Stephen King's son does it again with a creepy book!!
Murder After Hours by Agatha Christie-- a Hercule Poirot one
If I Stay by Gayle Forman (library) YA Yes I cried!! I recommend
Am I Alive? by Sandy Purl- story of a flight attendant who survived a crash in 1977
Big City Eyes by Delia Ephron NYC lady relocates to Maine
Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson A prequel to the Anne of Green Gables books, I loved it and if you are a fan, I highly recommend it.
The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway Volume II (audiobook) enjoyed it while driving around Lake Tahoe
Trouble at Lake Tahoe by Carolyn Keene A Nancy Drew mystery set at Lake Tahoe, cracked me up!!
Djibouti by Elmore Leonard (audiobook) about a documentary filmmaker doing a piece on Somali pirates-okay
Bacchus and Me by Jay McInerney a collection of articles about wine by McInerney. I learned a few things
The House at Belle Fountaine by Lily Tuck (library)Short stories, loved it
The Night Gwen Stacy Died by Sarah Bruni (library) two kids on the lam take on the personas of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, I really liked it and will look for more by this author
God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question--why We Suffer by Bart Ehrman (library) I really enjoyed this book about Faith, mainly because I agree with the author's view--would be a great book club book, could raise so many questions to debate!!
The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel (library)non-fiction about you guessed it, the astronauts' wives
Winterdance by Gary Paulsen (library) about running the Iditarod, a true story good for dog lovers
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery had to reread it have reading the prequel earlier this month!!
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett have seen the movie, but never read the book til now

 27 books read this month

Ryan and I will be hiking in August for the Washington Trails Association. We are looking for pledges to contribute for the protection and maintenance of Washington State Trails. Please consider making a donation, no amount is too small!!  Just follow the link posted below. Thanks so much. We are already over halfway to our goal of $1500 Thank you Holly, Rejan, DeAnna, Jennifer and Steve for those latest contributions!! And I will be listening to more books on tape during those drives to the trailheads!! :-)

http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1468&AID=2449&PID=369509