There once was a fellow named Wright...

There once was a fellow named Wright,
Who could travel much faster than light.
He started one day
In a relative way,
And returned on the previous night.

It happens in September up here but--

October

~Rose Fyleman

The summer is over,
The trees are all bare,
There is mist in the garden and frost in the air.
The meadows are empty
And gathered the sheaves-
But isn't it lovely kicking up leaves!

John from the garden
Has taken the chairs;
It's dark in the evening
And cold on the stairs.
Winter is coming and everyone grieves-
But isn't it lovely kicking up leaves!

Longest day of the year

Sunrise today:     4:11 am.
Sunset tonight:   11:45 pm.
for a total of 19 hours and 33 minutes of daylight.

Albuquerque Training

The Iditarod--"The Last Great Race"

Last weekend we went to the official start (or restart) of the Iditarod dog-sled race in Willow, Alaska.  On Saturday they had the ceremonial start in Anchorage--but that one is just for show.  The real race is from Willow, Alaska, to Nome, Alaska.  Officially the race is 1049 miles (but the 49 is because Alaska is the 49th state), but the actual distance is around 1100 miles.

There was quite a crowd of people on the frozen lake (Willow Lake) where they start.

Flags of the Nations of the mushers (From left to Right--Alaska, Norway, Jamaica, Canada, Germany, and USA).

We hiked about 1/3 of a mile out onto the lake before they started to find a good spot.  The mushers left in 2 minute increments.

Flat Stanley watches a dog team and musher race by.

Justin and Flat Stanley wait for the next team.

Sometimes the dogs wear little booties, so their paws don't get too cold.

Off to Nome...

Shadowrise--Volume 3 of Shadowmarch

Yesterday, I received a copy of Shadowrise: Volume Three of Shadowmarch By Tad Williams.

I promise you I will have a complete review of the whole series (up to this point--one volume remaining) as soon as I can.

The Love House Book Club

In January 2007, I subscribed to Audible.com.

Last summer I got a Kindle from Amazon.com.

Since then I have read quite a few books, discovered several new Authors (new to me), and have generally been reading quite a bit lately (Sorry TV).

In the spirit of this I have decided to post views and reviews of books I have read (or look forward to reading).

I am currently reading --

     The Eye of the World (Book 1 of the Wheel of Time) -- Robert Jordan 
-- Reading aloud to Justin.  I must say, I enjoy this series.  I have listened to all of the books from Audible.com and they are enjoyable.  I love the voices of Michael Kramer and Kate Reading (the narrators).  I am reading this myself to Justin (age 10) from the Kindle and I am getting more out of it this go round.  I will write more about this series later.

     The Dragons of Ordinary Farm -- Tad Williams & Deborah Beale
-- Reading aloud to Kenley.  I was excited to see that Tad Williams and his wife Deborah Beale teamed up to write this series for young people.  Tad is in my view one of the most amazing authors ever.  Kenley (age 7) is enjoying this book.

     Golden Fool: Tawny Man Trilogy -- Robin Hobb 
-- Reading aloud to Laura (age ##--I'll never tell).  Robin Hobb is an author we discovered with a Kindle freebie  (it's not free anymore).  We have read the Farseer Trilogy, the Liveship Traders Trilogy, and now the Tawny Man Trilogy, all set in the same land.  Robin Hobb's writing style is very character driven and it is easy to get pulled in.  However, sometimes her books can be emotionally draining.  I will write more about her other books soon.

     Shadowmarch: Shadowmarch: Volume I -- Tad Williams
-- Reading to myself.  Just started, but already love Tad's descriptive abilities in this story.  I will write reviews of Tad Williams' other books soon.

    The Final Empire--Mistborn Book 1 -- Brandon Sanderson 
-- Listening to Audiobook (unabridged).  I found out about Brandon Sanderson when he was asked to finish the Wheel of Time series after the death of Robert Jordan.  I just started listening, will give feedback later.

So there you have it.

Our world may be a giant hologram - space - 15 January 2009 - New Scientist

I'm still trying to digest this.

Our world may be a giant hologram - space - 15 January 2009 - New Scientist