The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. -Robert Frost “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” We did some traveling this spring and summer – through Idaho and Washington, Montana and Wyoming, Colorado and…
Category: interests
oregon coast
We did a short trip to Eugene, Oregon and the Oregon coast this January. This is NOT the ideal time to visit due to the rainy weather. However, the weather reminds me of the South Island of New Zealand, west coast of Ireland and Scotland. The light with the stormy skies was magical.
eagles – january 2023
I have been trying to get decent eagle photos in Coeur d’Alene for the last 14 months. Finally 2 weeks ago I was able to get good light while there were plenty of eagles hunting for Kokanee salmon in the lake.
and every morning the road home gets longer and longer
Another great short story by Fredrik Backman. Helped me understand dementia better. One of my idols once said, “The worst part about growing old is that I don’t get any ideas anymore.” Those words have never quite left me since I first heard them, because this would be my greatest fear: imagination giving up before…
the deal of a lifetime
Be prepared to have a lot of assumptions questioned if you read this short story. If the first few lines interest you, read the book rather than the highlights here. This is a short story about what you would be prepared to sacrifice in order to save a life. Your hometown is something you can…
robins
Saw a blush of robins on the walk today. Read up about them, some facts stood out: -Robin eggs are blue due to biliverdin. -Robins are the most common vector for West Nile Virus -While they eat insects in the spring and summer, in the winter they survive on berries (see photos below). Sometimes they…
the border – a journey around russia – erica fatland
A good book to understand Russian and Baltic history and geopolitics. Excerpts: The sound between Big Diomede and Little Diomede, which is part of Alaska, is barely five kilometres across, but the International Date Line runs down the middle. In winter, when the sound is frozen, it is in theory possible, though of course strictly…
finding meaning in the second half of life – james hollis
Plan to read this again for my 50th birthday. This is definitely a book that needs 2-3 readings before the message sinks in. I LOVE how he starts the book: This book is not a typical “how to” book. My chief desire is to stir thought, trouble sleep, and provide some wider perspective. It will…
walking in wonder – john o’donohue
More Celtic wisdom from John O’Donohue. “So many people are frightened by the wonder of their own presence.” One of the reasons that we wonder is because we are limited, and that limitation is one of the great gateways of wonder. Martin Heidegger said that when you can conceive of a frontier you are already…
gratitude – oliver sacks
A small collection of essays that Sacks wrote just before he died. Worth reading. LAST NIGHT I DREAMED about mercury—huge, shining globules of quicksilver rising and falling. Mercury is element number 80, and my dream is a reminder that on Tuesday, I will be eighty myself. I often feel that life is about to begin,…