2018 Postcard: China

Happy New Year!

And I want to thank everyone who has sent me postcards over the years. 

I appreciate all of them and I love sharing them with the world. 

2018 Postcard: Ahwahnee Hotel

 Merry Christmas! 

From the Ahwahnee Hotel.

 It will always be that for me, no matter what crazy things are happening at the park.
I guess more recent postcards would say Majestic Yosemite?

Christmas Ornaments 2018

These ornaments were made by my Granny and I have put them together on a wreath to display them

Close up of the candlestick

The Snowman

Santa 

Many of my ornaments were made for me by friends and family here is a snowflake made of paper airplanes

This umbrella is appropriate for Seattle Weather, I believe I bought it in Amsterdam

I saw some ornaments like this made by an artist and they were crazy expensive, and then I found this affordable version

A Suitcase ready to go to Seattle! Perfect for my tree

I have several of these tin ornaments that clip onto the tree branches. They add a dash of color all over the tree

2018 Postcard: Old Mission San Juan Capistrano

Some great postcards from friends and family traveling in California. I love the Missions and San Juan Capistrano is especially beautiful. And I want to thank everyone who sends me postcards from their travels....my theme in 2019 will be places that I have NEVER been! So I am relying on you guys to send me cards from all those places! Like Greece and Turkey and Malta, Moscow and Iceland and Uruguay!!  Rio and Buenos Aires and even places in the United States like Big Bend National Park or Thousand Islands National Park!! Branson, MO and Little Rock, AR!! Fargo, North Dakota!!!

2018 Postcard: Catalina

I would like to go back and spend more time on Catalina. I have only been there once, just for a day trip. Thank you for the postcards!

2018 Postcard: Mountains

As much as I love the ocean, the mountains are also very beautiful. Thank You to everyone who sends me postcards from the mountains.

Books I read in November 2018

The photo above is art made by Jane Mount and you can purchase prints of her work and even create a customized bookshelf for yourself. Just go to her website:  Ideal bookshelf




The Girl in Alfred Hitchcock's Shower by Richard Graysmith (library) The story of the girl who was the body double for Janet Leigh in Psycho. Lots of good behind the scenes info about the movie. The story is a little disjointed and I was getting a little annoyed by it. Some repetition in several chapters, but all in all if you are a fan of the movie, it is worth a read.
Any Man by Amber Tamblyn (library) I really wanted to like this one, but I just could not get over that it was a woman writing the man's voice and it just did not happen for me.
Priceless by Robert K. Wittman (library) a memoir by an FBI agent who solved many art crimes over the years. Very interesting! Highly recommend.
The Double Bind  by Chris Bohjalian (audiobook) I took a road trip to Oregon and listened to audiobooks along the way! This one was about a girl who is assaulted and later works with a homeless man who she finds out was the father of one of her attackers. Lots of twists and turns
The Lion by Nelson DeMille (audiobook) I did not realize that DeMille used some of his characters again, so this is a sequel to The Lions Game. Good thriller set in a post 9/11 world.
Waterway: The Story of Seattle's Locks and Ship Canal by David B Williams (library) I really enjoy learning more about the history of my city. And after taking Kirk and Michael down to the locks this past summer, I realized that there was a lot that I did not know about the project.
The After Dinner Gardening Book by Richard W. Langer This is a charming book that I found in my antique and used bookstore travels. It is about growing plants from pits and seeds from your meals. It was written in 1969.
How Georgia Became O'Keefe by Karen Karbo (library) I did not know a lot about Georgia O'Keefe, so this was an education. She was Awesome!! Karen Karbo has many of these books about famous women and I am going to read more of them! Highly recommend
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman (audiobook) really enjoyed this one! Thanks Diane for sharing it with me!! reminds me of one of my all time favorite books, Flora by Gail Godwin or Fanny Flagg, Fried Green Tomatoes or books by Clyde Edgerton etc.
Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote I cannot believe that I never read this before in my life. I thought it was okay. I found it interesting because I was reading some other books (children's books) written in the same time period and the differences between the writing and characterizations of black people in the books of this era was on my mind.
The River Why by David James Duncan (library) I enjoyed it. It is about fly fishing in the PNW and has a lot of comic elements to it.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents" Stories Not for the Nervous A collection of short stories from 1965. I love this kind of stuff, mysterious and intriguing.
The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison (library audio book) I listened to this one for an online book club that I participate in. Meh, I think they are making a movie or mini-series from it.
Julia Child Rules:Lessons on Savoring Life by Karen Karbo (library) Omg another awesome book about a strong successful woman and how she got that way. Next on my queue is Coco Chanel.



To Be Read:

In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton
Unbound by Julie Kaewert
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
The Witch Elm by Tana French
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

2018 Postcard: Great Cities

When friends and family live in or visit these great cities, I am always lucky to get a postcard!

2018 Postcard: Salt Lake City

I have lots of layovers in Salt Lake City, UT now. I have really enjoyed exploring the city and getting to know this area better. And when friends and family visit, they send me postcards.

2018 Postcard: Bermuda

I have only spent time on Bermuda once, but I would love to go back again. I am so glad that I have friends who go and then send me postcards.

2018 Postcard: Northern California

These three postcards are all from the San Francisco area and on the "southern end" of Northern California in my opinion. I think Northern California is from San Francisco and North, so I would really need postcards from Shasta, Yreka, or Eureka....like that (hint hint)

Books I read in October 2018

The photo above is art made by Jane Mount and you can purchase prints of her work and even create a customized bookshelf for yourself. Just go to her website:  Ideal bookshelf


Bring Me Back by B A Paris (library) I figured this one out pretty early in the story. A psychological thriller, but pretty predictable.
The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook (library) story of an English family during the rebuilding of Germany after WWII. Very good
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy (library) I did a tour of some downtown Los Angeles sites that pertained to the Black Dahlia murder and I am reading more about it, this is a fictionalized account, but it really makes the mystery come to life.
Feed by Mira Grant (library) Zombie horror type thing, it was okay.
Too High and Too Steep by David B Williams (library) about the reshaping of the Seattle topography, when the city was the frontier. Ryan and I did a walking tour (from a book by the same Author) and walked around the area of the Denny Regrade
The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman (library) murder mystery that first ran as a serial in the New York Times. Very enjoyable
Caught by Harlen Coben (audiobook) thriller I listened to in the car. I enjoy Harlen  Coben's stuff and this one was good.
The Dream Lover by Elizabeth Berg.   It was okay.  Not like her other stuff.   It was a fictionalized account of the life of George Sand.  So unless you are a George Sand fan, I probably wouldn’t recommend it. 
Scavenger by David Morrell
Cuba Strait by Carston Stroud (audiobook) thriller about spies in Cuba







To be Read:
Tekwar by William Shatner
Treacherous is the Night by Anna Lee Huber
Transcription by Kate Atkinson
Dear Mrs. Bird by A J Pearce
Waterway: The Story of Seattle's Locks and Ship Canal by David B Williams

2018 Postcard: France

The coast of France is lovely and if you ever get the chance to go, do it! And then send me a postcard.

2018 Postcard: Italy

Italy is an extremely popular vacation spot for my friends and family and I am lucky that they send me postcards.

2018 Postcard: O' Canada

Lots of my friends and family visit Canada and send postcards to me.

2018 Postcard: More exotic locales

Bahrain, New Zealand and Cuba, 3 very exotic and far flung locations!! I am lucky to have such well traveled friends.

2018 Postcard: California Desert

Along the Pacific Crest Trail in Eastern California come these postcards. Thank you so much!!

Books I read in September 2018

The photo above is art made by Jane Mount and you can purchase prints of her work and even create a customized bookshelf for yourself. Just go to her website:  Ideal bookshelf




The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery (library)  Very cool look at Octopuses...I was fascinated and now I need to go to the Seattle Aquarium and pay some attention.
The Good Girls Revolt by Lynn Povich (library) The women of Newsweek sued in the 1960's and come to find out, the discrimination is still going on 40 years later....very illuminating  
Lipsmackin' Backpackin' by Tim and Christine Conners some great ideas and recipes for homemade backpacking food. 
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (library) Very Agatha Christie like murder mystery. Loved it
Secrets of Saffron by Pat Willard (library) This was very interesting. I have been reading a lot of food related books lately. I am going to have to try some saffron recipes. (and this book has some good ones) 
Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance (library) I really enjoyed this one. A memoir about growing up in poverty in Appalachia. 
House of Havoc by Marni Jameson just another how-to book about organizing and decluttering. Some good types....but I am still not sure I am going to make drapes with a glue gun
The Taste of Empire by E. M. Collingham (library) following the expansion of the British Empire by food. Absolutely fascinating. Spices, Tea, Potatoes, Corn, Sugar etc etc. Amazing how much the pursuit of food items shaped the British Empire. 
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell (library) I really enjoyed this book. It is about a woman who was in an institution for 60 years coming home to live with her great niece! 
You're On An Airplane by Parker Posey (library) Meh, I am sort of a fan...but she always seems to play such shrill, busy characters and I got a lot of that from this. I really enjoyed her memories of doing the Christopher Guest films, working with Woody Allen and doing Dazed and Confused. So if you are a fan of cinema, give it a go. 
Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornsby (library) I enjoyed it, one of his best in my opinion. So if you are a Hornsby fan, check it out. 
Natural Causes by Barbara Ehrenreich (library) She is the author of Nickel and Dimed which is one of my all time favorites. Here she looks at "an epidemic of wellness, the certainty of dying and killing ourselves to live longer" I enjoyed it. 
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts (library) about long term world travel. I did not learn anything new really, but he does have some great tips for resources/websites etc to use for finding jobs and lodging around the world.
Under the Red Roof by J. J. McGoffin (library) The story of the Northern State Hospital in Sedro-Woolley, WA. Ryan and I had been hiking there in August and I was intrigued to learn more about it.
First Blood by David Morrell (library) who knew that the Rambo movies were a book first?? It was written in 1972 and it is very good. 
Black Dahlia, Red Rose by Piu Eatwell (library) I recently walked to some of the locations in downtown LA where Elizabeth short was before her death, so I thought I would read more about the murder and investigation. Very interesting.


To Be Read:
Any Man by Amber Tamblyn
The Wedding Chest Mystery by A. E. Fielding
Bats Sing, Mice Giggle by Karen Shanor
Unsolicited by Julie Kaewert
Skeletons at the Feast By Chris Bohjalian

2018 Postcard: Shells

My friends know that I love shells, so I get some shell cards sent to me every once and a while