Jackets zipped, hoods up, cameras clenched in cold fingers, we stared at the waters as our boat chugged into the cold July wind blowing over Resurrection Bay. The boat captain had announced a pod of humpback whales ahead, and we weren't going to miss this. Whale watching wasn't high on the list when my family members and I started talking in January about visiting my nephew in Alaska. Sean, age 22, has been spending every summer for the past five years in Healy, Alaska, volunteering his … [Read more...] about From Glaciers to the Sea: An Alaskan Road Trip
Return to the River
Crayfish, turtles, and snakes— they were as much a part of our camping weekend as the campfires, tents, and trains. For the second June in a row, our family camped on the banks of the Juanita river for a weekend. This year, because of the dry spring, the river was much lower than last year. My nieces and nephew spent hours wading and swimming in the shallow water. Cordell said, "Almost every big rock has a crayfish under it if you turn the rock over." Several of us were standing … [Read more...] about Return to the River
First Furniture Restoration Project
Underneath the chipped paint and tarnished, dated hardware, was the desk still a piece of furniture worth saving? I had no experience in furniture restoration, but I decided to find out. My sister bought the wooden desk many years ago at a yard sale. After a few years in her house, Brenda freshened it up with coat of blue gray paint, which eventually chipped. When she and my brother-in-law remodeled their house recently, they decided the desk would have to go. "Anyone want it?" Brenda posted … [Read more...] about First Furniture Restoration Project
Thrifty Shopping
The Lucky Dog might sound like a place where Blackbeard or Frodo would pop in for a bite of meat pie and a mug of ale, but instead it's New Holland's most cluttered thrift store— where the fine line between antique and junk is thinner than usual. My friend Melissa and I were out for a day of thrift store shopping, and Lucky Dog was our first stop. Decisions started as soon as we entered the thrift store from a side street— the double doors inside the entrance were plastered with numerous … [Read more...] about Thrifty Shopping
My One Hundred Books List
"Want to do a hundred book challenge with me next year?" said one of my friends in late 2021. I couldn't refuse a goal like that, so throughout the year I was reading and listening to books every chance I got. My friend dropped out, but I did make it to a hundred. Most of them were normal length books (I read a few children's books and gift books when I saw I was falling behind schedule). Here's the list, with short summaries and my favorite books in boldface. (No links, I was too lazy for … [Read more...] about My One Hundred Books List