Notes
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The Goldfinch Book Review
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 I wasn’t sure whether or not I was going to like the Goldfinch. Yes, I used to love bildungsromans (coming of age stories) when I was younger, but now that I am well into adulthood, I was not convinced that a bildungsroman about a male would be relatable to me. Also, the book is about 800 pages long, so it would really need to draw me in if I were to finish it. I only have so much time to read, and so many books on my to do list! The tens of thousands of positive reviews of this book on Amazon were…
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Joshua Tree National Park
During a little bit of morning down time at the Palm Springs conference, I went to Joshua Tree National Park for a hike. I wish I had been able to stay longer! The joshua trees were beautiful. A joshua tree is a spiky tree with oblong arms that was until recently considered to be part of the lily family. It is technically considered to be agave. Whatever family they belong to, they are really cool looking! Two different desert ecosystems come together at the park – the Mojave and the Colorado – so there is such a variety of plants and wildlife here. Most of the photos that I took…
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West Coast In Flight
I recently flew to Palm Springs for a work conference, eTail West. An early morning plane flight gets me every time. I love feeling the earth drop away behind me as the plane lifts into the air, and the peacefulness of rolling clouds below. I was on the red eye, so I kept drifting in and out of sleep. But when we were close to landing, there was fog all around. I couldn’t see any landmarks other than mountain peaks jutting up from the fog like mounds of drowning ice cream. Then the airplane turned, the fog parted under its wings, and all of a sudden there was the Pacific…
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Link Love Friday: Ten Things to Get Excited About
1. What makes popcorn Pop? 2. Puffed quinoa recipe – great for baking into chocolate bars. 3. Organic Paleo chocolate bar recipe – made from coconut oil and chocolate powder. 4. It’s the weekend, let’s surf please. Looking for the glassy long waves. Calavera suit holds up 5. Make your own hammock – this would be great to take along on our surf trips. The pineapple pattern on this handmade hammock is so beautiful. 6. Make your own hammock chair – to hang up in a living room. 7. Sunglasses season spy optics 8. Ideas for wrapping Father’s Day gifts 9. What type of sunscreen is harmful 10. DIY rope basket…
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Clear Skies Stargazing
The sky was finally clear driving back from the beach, so we stopped at the George Observatory to look at the stars. The roads and land around the Observatory is pitch black. Artificial lights aren’t allowed because they interfere with the visibility of the night sky. Once we arrived, there were signs everywhere that said “Beware of Alligators.” Be warned. Run in a zigzag if they chase you. They can’t turn well, but can run very fast in a straight line. See Orion on the left? That’s my favorite. Chris likes to talk about the stars and harmonics. Last fall in South Padre, he showed me how to zoom in…
