tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31911700552164244012024-03-21T20:34:21.396-04:00Barrie's BlogJottings on the (mainly) positive side of lifeBarriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-70198067766082402282011-09-20T12:35:00.000-04:002011-09-20T12:35:52.669-04:00Recent Reads...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQHplO12xIh3dLblt3r3vW_GAhQDo0AmrUYHS8vZyZGClJ6PQWO2X7sMdyY0vW3ywm5wSXOC6WY1Ufo1vzHL1qAfHBNjI50abfaq-nGk6UF5SHKK-7WGcj-lokQhC-TOWyVEip9Ixj2hO/s1600/DSCN0791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQHplO12xIh3dLblt3r3vW_GAhQDo0AmrUYHS8vZyZGClJ6PQWO2X7sMdyY0vW3ywm5wSXOC6WY1Ufo1vzHL1qAfHBNjI50abfaq-nGk6UF5SHKK-7WGcj-lokQhC-TOWyVEip9Ixj2hO/s320/DSCN0791.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Echoes from the Dead by Johan Theorin</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I recently spotted an article on the Guardian website titled <a href="http://gu.com/p/3xqta"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #0b00ae; text-decoration: underline;">The Artists' Artist: Crime Writers </span><span style="font: 16.0px Arial; letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #0b00ae; text-decoration: underline;"><i>Five crime writers nominate their favourite living author in their field</i></span></a>. There are several very good looking tips including one from Ann Cleeves recommending a Swedish author’s first book, Echoes from the Dead by Johan Theorin. I immediately checked the catalogue of my local <a href="http://www.rockport.lib.me.us/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #0b00ae; text-decoration: underline;">Rockport Public Library</span></a> and there it was on the shelves and available for borrowing. I scurried over to the library forthwith, borrowed the book and was just about glued to it from beginning to end.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It is a slightly unusual mystery/crime novel in that a conventional style “detective” is not part of the story. The plot unfolds in the present - in this case the mid 1990s - and in many “glimpses” into the past. The scale of this novel is exactly human and is so familiar to the reader because of its understated ordinariness. The island is a co-character in the plot and provides both continuity and a wonderful almost dream-like atmosphere that one associates with childhood memories of glorious summers by the sea.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I hate to talk about the plot because I wouldn’t want this little review to be a spoiler for the real thing. But what I can say is that Johan Theorin manages to create for the reader a very gentle but relentless momentum to his unfolding story. I found so much more than just a “who-dunnit” in this unique book. I discovered (yet again) the magic of the memories of childhood; the slow healing of terrible loss and pain; the frustrations of the frailty of aging and the the power of love and reconciliation.</span></div>
Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-21225418263828689282011-08-24T10:14:00.000-04:002011-08-24T10:14:10.869-04:00Recent Reads: The Alice Behind Wonderland by Simon Winchester.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vXPlJMcCSFeT3ulsKbOe3YnhE3LRwYuZsK13uUmYjAbMq9uH-AJujvl8RVh5EE-Pbp31ONo5Eo5AnUC3AjvXtDTmPEJQy8VbyYOju8YfStTaxLLjyTpkU8BXynHh-szD8DBiGVllDhPQ/s1600/DSCN0782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vXPlJMcCSFeT3ulsKbOe3YnhE3LRwYuZsK13uUmYjAbMq9uH-AJujvl8RVh5EE-Pbp31ONo5Eo5AnUC3AjvXtDTmPEJQy8VbyYOju8YfStTaxLLjyTpkU8BXynHh-szD8DBiGVllDhPQ/s320/DSCN0782.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font: 18.0px 'Times New Roman'; line-height: 20.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px;">This is a marvelous little book of just 110 pages including “suggestions for further reading” and the index. Simon Winchester is a superbly interesting, informative and readable writer and this book is no exception although the title may be a little misleading. We do learn a little about the very real girl who was in part Lewis Carroll’s inspiration for writing Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but we learn far more about the man behind the Carroll nom de plume: Charles Dodgson. In particular we learn about Mr Dodgson’s obsession with the then brand new art and science of photography. Charles Dodgson mastered the then extremely difficult techniques of preparing for, photographing, developing and producing prints that were every bit as good as professionals of the day. And he did this as a hobby whilst continuing to teach mathematics at Christchurch College, Oxford. </div><div style="font: 18.0px 'Times New Roman'; line-height: 20.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Simon Winchester has no time for pondering the obsessions many of Dodgson’s biographers regarding Dodgson’s perceived “interest” with young children. Instead we learn that Dodgson’s almost idyllic early childhood combined with his love of the science of photography equipped him to become a natural and enchanting teller of fantastic tales that both children and adults have adored ever since.</span></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-40206521034382667072011-06-28T11:40:00.000-04:002011-06-28T11:40:33.500-04:00Recent Reads: A Touch of “Chain Reading...”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivCXkzDvG4F342Kdgyf_A66jjrftS64hCknPuR1QTVZhN4RCctG94BCtlClTfW8ul99BUneQmlWWaJ4a8nH-hHBrr5UYPEBme5brWUxGXJroxELKjv1UPB-wya5cgjMXUrJr8oLDIkOq_/s1600/DSCN0704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivCXkzDvG4F342Kdgyf_A66jjrftS64hCknPuR1QTVZhN4RCctG94BCtlClTfW8ul99BUneQmlWWaJ4a8nH-hHBrr5UYPEBme5brWUxGXJroxELKjv1UPB-wya5cgjMXUrJr8oLDIkOq_/s320/DSCN0704.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br />
<div style="font: 14.0px Helvetica; line-height: 16.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><u>The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie & The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag: both by Alan Bradley.</u></i></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Helvetica; line-height: 16.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Oh Joy! a perk of starting a series with the third and most recently published novel in a series is that one can nip back and enjoy the first two. Whilst galloping through A Red Herring Without Mustard I was enjoying the novel immensely but I knew I was missing much of the detail and history in the blur of excitement. Now that I have read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and segued straight into The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag, my enthusiasm for Alan Bradley is undiminished and I find his writing is as good for me as a week at a rejuvenating spa might be! </span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Helvetica; line-height: 16.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I have also learned a lot about the world of Flavia de Luce, our protagonist. For instance the family retainer, Dogger (full name: Arthur Wellesley Dogger), is not in fact ancient but is a survivor of a lengthy imprisonment in prisoner of war camps in south east asia as well as suffering the infamous Death Railway forced labor march between Thailand and Burma. So, in the 1950 setting of the novels, Dogger is only five years removed from those harrowing ordeals, and no wonder he appears often to be aged well beyond his years as well as being an obviously immensely intelligent man struggling with what was then known as “shell shock.” One of the most touching details of the novels is Flavia’s almost wordless moments of sitting or just being with Dogger and without the need to spell it out you know that Mr Bradley conveys almost magically the deep balm that they both provide for each others’ souls.</span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Helvetica; line-height: 16.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Meanwhile Mr Bradley has such fun dipping into his encyclopedic knowledge of the “golden age” British crime writers style and mannerisms, and then creating these delicious confections of plots, characters, dialogue and post war (World War II) nostalgia seasoned with down-to-earth grittiness. I particularly am fond of Gladys, Flavia’s trusty old BSA bicycle. Gladys is not only an object, she is also a character thanks to Flavia’s wonderful imagination, “Gladys’s tires were humming that busy, waspish sound they make when she’s especially contented.” (From the Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag, page 56 of the US hardback 2010 edition.)</span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Helvetica; line-height: 16.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If you want to spend a few hours raising your spirits and refreshing your outlook on life I suggest a little acquaintance with Ms Flavia de Luce!</span></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-63623442113093606692011-06-24T16:50:00.001-04:002011-06-24T16:52:15.704-04:00VS Ramachandran: The neurons that shaped civilization | Video on TED.com<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/vs_ramachandran_the_neurons_that_shaped_civilization.html">VS Ramachandran: The neurons that shaped civilization | Video on TED.com</a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">TED Talks are a great web resource. I confess that I first discovered the site by skimming through the weekly Viral Video Chart at </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">http://viralvideochart.unrulymedia.com/</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> which can too frequently, for me, be an exercise in egregious attention deficit time wasting. Anyway a while ago I stumbled upon Ken Robinson’s wonderful talk Changing Educational Paradigms </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms.html</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> and I instantly became a fan of the TED Talks website.</span></span><br />
<div style="font: 14.0px Helvetica; line-height: 16.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I have featured a brief talk by V.S. Ramachandran, the director of the Center for Brain and Cognition at the University of California, San Diego. I find him very compelling. His presentations are not glitzy or full of high tech media materials. His passion for his subject matter along with his precise content organization enthralled me and helped to make sense of a subject, neurology, which I would ordinarily have thought was “beyond” my powers of understanding.</span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Helvetica; line-height: 16.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I chose V.S. Ramachandran’s presentation above because it was both excellent and brief. Check it out and you too will be a fan of TED Talks!</span></span></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-40627640742108230862011-06-16T09:44:00.002-04:002011-06-16T09:55:06.618-04:00Recent Reads: from the front lines!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPR6-zP3a8Y6x6n31DF8_cfb9oDd2RWHOpLx51FGgHBCC0omCLnYWU1rF_E8bRY0Jr-JwC3y4GwLhCPgq_gvn-31GnTBKHDr-7IkJJ7UWJxqtMxTrDwwigvey53Nr_Xab_nugXf5ZwaAT/s1600/DSCN0699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPR6-zP3a8Y6x6n31DF8_cfb9oDd2RWHOpLx51FGgHBCC0omCLnYWU1rF_E8bRY0Jr-JwC3y4GwLhCPgq_gvn-31GnTBKHDr-7IkJJ7UWJxqtMxTrDwwigvey53Nr_Xab_nugXf5ZwaAT/s320/DSCN0699.JPG" width="277" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: large;"><b>A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley</b></span><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This is less of a review and more of a “dispatch from the front lines” as I’m only about one third of the way through this wonderful book.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I think this is the 3rd Flavia de Luce novel in the fiction section of the wonderful </span><a href="http://www.rockport.lib.me.us/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Rockport Public Library</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">. I have resisted dipping into these delightful books largely because of a prejudice of mine: generally I have stayed away from novels set in Great Britain that are by authors who are non-British. Thankfully Mr Bradley has provided that “on the road to Damsacus” </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">moment </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">that has shown me what a load of old piffle my snooty attitude has been.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Alan Bradley is from Toronto, Ontario and now, after a long career in broadcasting and teaching, is “retired” and seemingly writing more that full time from his home in British Columbia, Canada. He seems to have read and stored away in his mind every mystery/crime fiction novel between Arthur Conan Doyle and Barbara Pym and also to have read and retained every “classic” piece of children’s adventure literature from Robert Louis Stevenson to Enid Blyton and beyond. Not only has he done this but he has the most wonderful ability to channel the spirit of the fiction in Girls Own Paper via the likes of Angela Brazil.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Of course, it’s one thing to read but entirely another thing to write. Alan Bradley has tremendous fun creatively snatching snippets of style from many of the above sources, or at least I suppose he has!</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The result is a rip roaring tale narrated by the eleven year old Flavia de Luce, the youngest of three daughters of a widowed ex army officer and now full time philatelist who has inherited the family estate consisting of a decaying stately home with a very few elderly retainers. Mr Bradley gives clues that the time period is between 1948 and 1951.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Flavia shows robust signs of being just as eccentric as her father and late mother, Harriet who died ten years previously in a climbing accident in Tibet. She has taken ownership of her great uncle Tarquin’s laboratory, situated in a remote wing of the house, and is well on the way to becoming an avid amateur chemist. She is precocious but extremely endearing to the reader. She has a strong propensity for getting mixed up in all sorts of adventures, many of which involve assistance from the local constabulary in this fictional bucolic, decaying segment of a county in deepest rural England.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Enough said - I must get back to Flavia’s fabulous yarn!</span></span></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-2985938819118907202011-06-13T13:52:00.000-04:002011-06-13T14:13:44.173-04:00Recent Reads<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUeOkfs6u7RxHzzcWwuCpaqBbChorrdsWiyh3gdUSQaBozx_qgRjTxoYVIgkEhqTwYCe4mCwQn1onfO5OgVeVNk-6vaOJKYL9Yi3aZyjCDIH8FvCG9QQeeY46tRC3o3FWLqChjhuPxaPz/s1600/IMG_3255.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUeOkfs6u7RxHzzcWwuCpaqBbChorrdsWiyh3gdUSQaBozx_qgRjTxoYVIgkEhqTwYCe4mCwQn1onfO5OgVeVNk-6vaOJKYL9Yi3aZyjCDIH8FvCG9QQeeY46tRC3o3FWLqChjhuPxaPz/s320/IMG_3255.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617764306519893298" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">I’m very pleased to relaunch Barrie’s Blog with this “Recent Reading” page.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> can hopefully be found in the non-fiction section of your local public library (Dewey Decimal category: 996.9). It is a history of the Hawaiian Islands from the arrival of the first New England missionaries in 1823 until the annexation of the islands by the United States in 1898.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ms Vowell is a vocal performer. She frequently can be heard on National Public Radio. In this side of her career she is witty, an excellent story-teller, engaging and intelligent. This is the second of her books I have read and I can report that her writing - in book form - demonstrates all her qualities as a performer plus an ability to convey empathy for both her heroes and villains alike. In Unfamiliar Fishes the “hero” is Hawaii itself. Her villains, as I see it, are human greed, xenophobia and many other “base” qualities of those who have inhabited, visited and lived on these islands from the mists of its early history until now.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ms Vowell is unafraid of revealing her personal bias but she is also unafraid of empathizing with both people and ideas that are obviously not her cup of tea.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">She shows us that she has researched widely and deeply to write this story but she tells us the story not in a staid scholarly manner, but as if she and her reader were having a delicious tropical drink in a cafe on one of Hawaii’s beaches and just chit-chatting away the time.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I’ll say no more. I don’t want to spoil the pleasure of reading this book for you. I’m sure you have already guessed that I am a huge fan of Ms Vowell’s performing and writing!</span></span></p>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-85330893709148341732009-11-19T10:31:00.000-05:002009-11-19T10:35:10.897-05:00Recent Reads<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDGEQZQfX2Xpf7KFcGuX6QyITc_bZQCheGW1PxxgT4wI54zhi0dCje8I6PqJxOvXT8fAln0yGkI0ewV0FsREFL9N1MMNbqR4Ksti561Z_aQBNtM3cSHj-IYRIpAPcwb5HxBri-2tyxKid/s1600/DSCN0057.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDGEQZQfX2Xpf7KFcGuX6QyITc_bZQCheGW1PxxgT4wI54zhi0dCje8I6PqJxOvXT8fAln0yGkI0ewV0FsREFL9N1MMNbqR4Ksti561Z_aQBNtM3cSHj-IYRIpAPcwb5HxBri-2tyxKid/s400/DSCN0057.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405838370682140386" /></a><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The Wrong Mother by Sophie Hannah</span></b></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Ms. Hannah is the queen of the first person dialogue. Her characters speak directly to you with passion and wit, and they draw you in to their worlds with the momentum of a runaway train. You are going so fast that you pick and choose characteristics, tics, moods and motives which at first seem straightforward and unequivocal. Only there is a clever catch. Maybe you’ve presumed wrongly; maybe you have assigned more weight to a verbal “turn of phrase” than you should have; maybe you should reassess what you have assumed and take a somewhat more relaxed look at the big picture? At some points the central characters appear almost like clones of each other, but are they? Ms. Hannah’s skill is in her nuanced portrayal of reaction and emotion. You know there is something going on in the text that you cannot quite grasp, just like an itch you can’t scratch. Mercifully she does turn up the lights at the conclusion and lets you see the cast sans makeup! A superb read.</span></span></p>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-49496237696825801572009-11-06T08:44:00.000-05:002009-11-06T08:54:14.595-05:00Oh Joy!I stumbled upon a corker of a music video. I found it at <a href="http://viralvideochart.unrulymedia.com/chart_keyword/Bands_and_Artists?items=100">Unruly Media's</a> Top 100 music videos where it is currently #73. I witnessed the contagion of sheer joy that is seen in the two performers. What a breath of fresh air for a slightly dull November morning!<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; white-space: pre; "><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CcsSPzr7ays&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CcsSPzr7ays&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></span></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-49045561621094968502009-11-04T16:59:00.000-05:002009-11-04T18:20:14.198-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0AWkIHGg75COZOgnjOGWjPca2CBXQTW-G1iUUi_KydZr69IHt3XW6xURkAuk5OTtNPoAldEJ8PqK0eVeXK6dRmOKyjf-W9miemoG-GY3CNUxuah2DE6MIOxivX84PzJB1Nms51XCy8krM/s1600-h/IMG_2147.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0AWkIHGg75COZOgnjOGWjPca2CBXQTW-G1iUUi_KydZr69IHt3XW6xURkAuk5OTtNPoAldEJ8PqK0eVeXK6dRmOKyjf-W9miemoG-GY3CNUxuah2DE6MIOxivX84PzJB1Nms51XCy8krM/s400/IMG_2147.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400372670591977746" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtBB_vq44hzzlE_uEmv9vhHfEJjp4mjqDNAv0YZC8QW8Zoef9Y2Uc9e7z_FJIPxhGuWZ2VnJ0z4tEiesOrOZJJBCSeEhuuhwdMb7Z-ZUf6bIaGIP-nb3qenn5nMmzmbr0Hr45NUS2jTYx/s1600-h/IMG_2145.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtBB_vq44hzzlE_uEmv9vhHfEJjp4mjqDNAv0YZC8QW8Zoef9Y2Uc9e7z_FJIPxhGuWZ2VnJ0z4tEiesOrOZJJBCSeEhuuhwdMb7Z-ZUf6bIaGIP-nb3qenn5nMmzmbr0Hr45NUS2jTYx/s400/IMG_2145.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400372661626103858" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjgSPB88vbwplfvKsKHMub1l2DFl66VD85Tk9VBTAEFBSaxy6vyKCVNgcZK4KqLfwwH8kEXPihTJYpRZ9ikAe2HEPvFyU7RFh1EJNf1Z3Y5vWX94GrrXgR3_ru-XJzWpWpkdrGHwDWnqy/s1600-h/IMG_2131.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjgSPB88vbwplfvKsKHMub1l2DFl66VD85Tk9VBTAEFBSaxy6vyKCVNgcZK4KqLfwwH8kEXPihTJYpRZ9ikAe2HEPvFyU7RFh1EJNf1Z3Y5vWX94GrrXgR3_ru-XJzWpWpkdrGHwDWnqy/s400/IMG_2131.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400372656863564578" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjgSPB88vbwplfvKsKHMub1l2DFl66VD85Tk9VBTAEFBSaxy6vyKCVNgcZK4KqLfwwH8kEXPihTJYpRZ9ikAe2HEPvFyU7RFh1EJNf1Z3Y5vWX94GrrXgR3_ru-XJzWpWpkdrGHwDWnqy/s1600-h/IMG_2131.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Early November brings clear skies, damp cool soil covered in golden and ruby leaves and nights closing in.</span></span></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">All the more reason to be overjoyed at our intrepid carpenters' skill and speed as they frame up our addition.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Tomorrow we choose roofing shingles and the crew expect that they'll be stripping our old roof and laying down the new roof next week.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Meanwhile I spent the day at our community garden plots where I pull carrots which are small but delicious either raw or cooked, and turn the soil getting ready to put the garden to sleep for the winter.</span></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-16192262716077257962009-09-25T08:06:00.000-04:002009-09-25T09:27:34.928-04:00Found musical gems and related musings...<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Although I am a deeply cynical person - certainly when it comes to the fickle fads of our media driven world - I am sufficiently curious and engaged to not only experiment with my little blog but to sample the frequently real and inspired talent out there on the world-wide-web.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This morning I was reading/watching Mercedes Bunz's excellent Viral Video Chart post in the </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2009/sep/24/viral-video-charts-dance-baby-and-more-freaky-films"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Guardian on-line edition</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> and somewhere in my meanderings came across a link to the </span><a href="http://www.playingforchange.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Playing for Change</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> web site.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Playing for Change is a slick but heartwarming entity that was founded to support music education especially in politically and economically challenged areas of the world. The production values are so high that is often hard to know whether a given segment (see the video below) is of a stunning street artist or is of a celebrity musician who has volunteered their time for the project.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I just hope that the street musicians are benefitting from this as much as the PFC organization.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Us-TVg40ExM&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Us-TVg40ExM&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Some of my correspondents will know already that, some time ago, </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I was blown away by the wonderful performance, posted on </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">You Tube of the Chooky Dancers from Elcho Island of the coast </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I see from the associated videos that they have been discovered and</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">have even appeared on </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=AU&hl=en-GB&v=-nv0cALYV18&feature=related"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Australia's Got Talent</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">. This may well be</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">good news for these talented young men but for me it is</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">diabolically awful to see such amazing talent reduced to</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;font-size:large;">a carnival side show. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;font-size:large;">Yikes, I've just realized, I'm one of the imbeciles in the</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;font-size:large;">sideshow audience!!!!! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/O-MucVWo-Pw&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/O-MucVWo-Pw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span></span></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-35036061780182239702009-09-21T07:48:00.000-04:002009-09-21T08:24:38.717-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagfCYmEPVTB9StmDwfoggo_ob9lHPCmdVYc96AyG75cR9Rqiu7vQ77YwOAfy-RRK7VUffMVpM37zH6I-t86kmgM6z4xl7kY3CTzHTwU6kw2sB-jBUSYFLBCaoW3kQgmGgWFcsQEsMR0LQ/s1600-h/IMG_1604.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagfCYmEPVTB9StmDwfoggo_ob9lHPCmdVYc96AyG75cR9Rqiu7vQ77YwOAfy-RRK7VUffMVpM37zH6I-t86kmgM6z4xl7kY3CTzHTwU6kw2sB-jBUSYFLBCaoW3kQgmGgWFcsQEsMR0LQ/s320/IMG_1604.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383895496246872594" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I have been walking past this plaque for ages and have not noticed it. The other day I did notice it and have since become a little bit obsessed by it.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">It seems to me that while we are in a period of rebuilding our economy right now, the Great Depression of the 1930's will remain the mother of all depressions (I hope).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">So many wonderful projects came out of the Works Progress Administration and in a small way the little bridge across the Megunticook River on Knowlton Street at its junction with Mechanic Street in Camden, Maine is worthy of consideration and appreciation just as we appreciate the many more dramatic projects of the era - I'm thinking of the development of accessibility for all to our great National Parks.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I just love what seems to me to be the enduring beauty of this little plaque. The typeface is just wonderful. I have sought help in learning more about this typeface design. Luckily for me my brother Rory's good friend Brett Jordan over in England is a typography boffin and he is in the process of enlightening me. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I am very grateful to Brett for this help, and would be grateful indeed to anyone reading this who could help me in further research regarding design in the period of the WPA!</span></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-54589384638476971112009-08-18T12:27:00.000-04:002009-08-18T23:03:50.834-04:00Summer Sonic Tonic<div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxKy6fDZ28n_H-wYBNRkLuWwXxBkvw74v9Tb9emfo4tDgJDG2WE_Fcved6Pqi1nBWtsFDA4YyB7EYmcHrbhGg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div><div>A perfect convergence of weather, people and music took place on Sunday, August 16, 2009 at the Waterfall Arts campus on Kingdom Road in Montville, Maine.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ian, my superb spouse's younger son is visiting from Brooklyn. He brought about half his band, 12,000 Trees, to a gig at Waterfall Arts. The 12,000 Trees line-up: Ian on percussion and electronic thingies, Brett on trombone and vocal, Sky on guitar and vocal, Yuko on guitar, Alison on percussion and recorder, Mekiko on keyboard and percussion, Zak on guitar and percussion and Pam on percussion and birdcalls. </div><div><br /></div><div>Other bands included the Belfast Fiddlers and two more fiddle ensembles.</div><div><br /></div><div>All in all, a superb way to spend a summer Sunday afternoon!</div></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-28081593952355179412009-08-05T20:09:00.001-04:002009-08-05T20:22:37.737-04:00Moose freed after being caught in Camden building - Bangor Daily News<a href="http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/114516.html">Moose freed after being caught in Camden building<br />- Bangor Daily News</a><br />We were blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding just around the corner from us yesterday morning! I am glad the moose was let loose in a (hopefully) safe place later in the day.<div><br /></div><div>This post illustrates the gritty semi wilderness side of Camden that not many people are aware of. Thank goodness that handling this sort of incident is just all in a days work for Camden's finest!</div><div><br /></div><div>Shared via <a href="http://addthis.com/">AddThis</a><br /></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-36360901559012281032009-08-02T17:41:00.000-04:002009-08-05T20:32:21.759-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrb_QVE9iOn65NP5waf4nPMRepT3RNJvQqF4DtBUxJJ4EzDSePCA1NkmnzMm_Ek721K222gvT4_5shs55wmGJ_o6T8kFEypMHIukSlHV51lNTBpabaIQFalOiD1nQvOhmNfYTOdgp3p-D/s1600-h/DSCN2060.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrb_QVE9iOn65NP5waf4nPMRepT3RNJvQqF4DtBUxJJ4EzDSePCA1NkmnzMm_Ek721K222gvT4_5shs55wmGJ_o6T8kFEypMHIukSlHV51lNTBpabaIQFalOiD1nQvOhmNfYTOdgp3p-D/s320/DSCN2060.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366641720783547842" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Drop-dead deals?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Spotted in West Bath, Maine</span></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-84298577293320647322009-07-30T22:55:00.000-04:002009-07-30T23:22:32.397-04:00Shelter Institute house tour, July 30, 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpnOAkwUa0ZsJtIeMstg0W5AF4sIAfk2lQ4p1AqAno5OlCgrSnxm-7hcY8lhOF1lWaat7016LZC4TmuCeAn0nROoavgXWBjAvyBeUyeBQJ69OOBL5KDBGbjYH0bl4ju5vqORUS3lHVOE-/s1600-h/DSCN2024.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpnOAkwUa0ZsJtIeMstg0W5AF4sIAfk2lQ4p1AqAno5OlCgrSnxm-7hcY8lhOF1lWaat7016LZC4TmuCeAn0nROoavgXWBjAvyBeUyeBQJ69OOBL5KDBGbjYH0bl4ju5vqORUS3lHVOE-/s320/DSCN2024.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364458585596234098" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Woolwich, Maine</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We are wrapping up the Design/Build course and are privileged to enjoy the charming generosity of six Woolwich homeowners who have allowed us to pour over their homes. All six homes have been either built by SI faculty or by SI graduates. The homes range in age from 1 year to 30 years. Some have remained with their original owners and some have changed hands several times. Although all share the one concept of the timber post & beam frame, each one is utterly unique - bearing the stamp of individual or successive owners. They do all share an accessibility of scale which seems to encourage people to explore their own creativity in decoration and choice of materials.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Check out the link to my Flickr page to see some details of the homes that tickled my fancy.</span></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-10082656186817900032009-07-26T21:47:00.000-04:002009-07-26T22:58:14.138-04:00Three Swedish Connections<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-xOv3MOQI75W1b99-cxbtjRy1R352jFZqlHzjl3MWuen08KDjcEcpeMtRPWmjXIDLMl92S4a6t2BkHaahyphenhyphenAYos4kr6xf52I9KSAvwNxqhBDyFePc3Y6sJ9dW1OJKLalByLQfELdlEU21/s1600-h/DSCN1873.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-xOv3MOQI75W1b99-cxbtjRy1R352jFZqlHzjl3MWuen08KDjcEcpeMtRPWmjXIDLMl92S4a6t2BkHaahyphenhyphenAYos4kr6xf52I9KSAvwNxqhBDyFePc3Y6sJ9dW1OJKLalByLQfELdlEU21/s320/DSCN1873.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362967982332254674" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjteSBj5MttgVhZyVzUC7i3-icTTAaRlmR_NeGdw-8EDbSVZsc5ZfIFB4SHqFZABwOTmjkan8S1m-GmX1VTtTb_b5No2Bs3PE1aRjngD-nvh8i1se8N94toahmYdL9kZGIMsTkwg85GOypS/s1600-h/DSCN1847.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjteSBj5MttgVhZyVzUC7i3-icTTAaRlmR_NeGdw-8EDbSVZsc5ZfIFB4SHqFZABwOTmjkan8S1m-GmX1VTtTb_b5No2Bs3PE1aRjngD-nvh8i1se8N94toahmYdL9kZGIMsTkwg85GOypS/s320/DSCN1847.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362967974383386162" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13ee_TxB6IXPwk6O3kx78Vwfnct_UM0vUWdC2Ecb7ExhcjCHaQHHR1Pi5MAYbiPwz4hzrP0WN4tdD7oKiZYkff66R28hUeEmdvs9t-Y0VI_wzYlKBI8cLp2a05PzlonA-2K525i7riciA/s1600-h/DSCN1877.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13ee_TxB6IXPwk6O3kx78Vwfnct_UM0vUWdC2Ecb7ExhcjCHaQHHR1Pi5MAYbiPwz4hzrP0WN4tdD7oKiZYkff66R28hUeEmdvs9t-Y0VI_wzYlKBI8cLp2a05PzlonA-2K525i7riciA/s320/DSCN1877.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362967972474332258" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQYw4-E88uDMcE25bZhjRB0kJ6Me7cErxWvyYgFbgKvtJdzUTKl9zRbq4oPcwX_dUKvKVZ3luu0HrCN0sf830zH6efYYBUS4jiU10SOC8rv_7tv1Cv-iBcz6QSq3RinUkGhE2Eqd9oIUZ/s1600-h/DSCN1905.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQYw4-E88uDMcE25bZhjRB0kJ6Me7cErxWvyYgFbgKvtJdzUTKl9zRbq4oPcwX_dUKvKVZ3luu0HrCN0sf830zH6efYYBUS4jiU10SOC8rv_7tv1Cv-iBcz6QSq3RinUkGhE2Eqd9oIUZ/s320/DSCN1905.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362967968005936434" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:large;"><b>Saturday, July 25, 2009 - Arrowsic Island, Maine</b></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I spend the morning watching the folks at Hennin Post & Beam raise a structure. Before I know it I am pounding nails fixing 2" X 6" tongue & groove planks to beams. Myself and five other students at the Shelter Institute Design/Build course are observing and at times participating in the raising of this small building and the owner has very generously allowed us to put our own unique marks on his property.</span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">As the posts and beams go up I notice Pat Hennin, the Hennin clan's somewhat eccen<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">tric patriarch, controlling a superb </span><i>Swedish </i><i>Volvo crane truck</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> l<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">ike a ballet master effortlessly moving his pupils through the air and placing them just so at centre stage. Only he is shifting his bulk-bought </span><i>BooForssjo Swedish lumber</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> into exactly its correct position on the slab foundation.</span></span></span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Later in the day I rendezvous with my <b><i>Swedish-American Bra Fru <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">(</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Good Wife!) and we meet up with students and members of the Hennin family for supper at the delightful Five Islands Lobster pound for a very pleasant, relaxing supper.</span></b><br /></span></b></span><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-70558788010831595202009-07-21T07:10:00.000-04:002009-07-22T06:59:57.386-04:00Back to School!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOh7aFkDvp3fSmdIRDNxIwRiI1RHvXkS589Ir_qnFExNx918WChPQvLjSKF3MZnCF_vDTjAOjtq-HNNF1ubTfJ4loo-X3vB28vF0d9jkadXtBUCkzx5qAUf5eIDGG0cTpl59cnlCt_lfPa/s1600-h/DSCN1788.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOh7aFkDvp3fSmdIRDNxIwRiI1RHvXkS589Ir_qnFExNx918WChPQvLjSKF3MZnCF_vDTjAOjtq-HNNF1ubTfJ4loo-X3vB28vF0d9jkadXtBUCkzx5qAUf5eIDGG0cTpl59cnlCt_lfPa/s320/DSCN1788.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361234142461592434" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">It's day 2 of the Shelter Institute Design/Build course and we are preparing our foundation.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We're having another of those soft rainy days that have been so familiar during this Maine summer.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Check out my Flickr photo gallery for more pictures of the class having fun with heavy and wet equipment!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Shelter Institute's fame is spreading far and wide: see the link to a recent Financial Times article - <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/24802c2a-459e-11de-b6c8-00144feabdc0.html">http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/24802c2a-459e-11de-b6c8-00144feabdc0.html</a></span></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-21746597447624846142009-07-02T12:39:00.000-04:002009-07-02T13:19:08.199-04:00Recent Reads<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjkAmkm9supKgtbTzRe2rLeqgvDmUGzivaPkKSEnzmfDWWE2fvvVA9Pb1zl2nGjdvlQtbCz2v2koNLUefxAjc_0RGi5uOLPxBFZ_0C6IZMjD6by9-k0SKZ995DXsQPfR76KGJBg0URN27/s1600-h/DSCN1697.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjkAmkm9supKgtbTzRe2rLeqgvDmUGzivaPkKSEnzmfDWWE2fvvVA9Pb1zl2nGjdvlQtbCz2v2koNLUefxAjc_0RGi5uOLPxBFZ_0C6IZMjD6by9-k0SKZ995DXsQPfR76KGJBg0URN27/s320/DSCN1697.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353903679500472578" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The Likeness </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">by Tana French<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I sometimes have the greatest difficulty getting into a book. I'm never sure whether it is because of the mood I am in or the jumble of thoughts whirling in my mind at the time. With me it is unlikely that it is because of any imperfection in the author's style or content. I can say this because some of the best books I have read have been difficult for me to get started and then to build up that crucial (for me) momentum of absorption and interest that gets me glued in for the duration.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Tana French's </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The Likeness</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> is one such book for me. And what a book! Ms French delves deep into her characters' psyches and chooses fascinating themes to explore so one gets a great deal more than just a good </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">who-dunnit</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">. Amongst the many aspects of the book that had me enthralled was her exploration of charisma emanating from people whose characters are deeply flawed and her examination of the ease with which we can become caught up and controlled by the magnetism of another person. It is her skill to enable the reader to personally identify with her characters in an internal deeply personal way.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Ms French has an ability to almost magically draw the reader into her descriptions of place and character. It's that peculiar lyricism of her writing - like water flowing over mossy pebbles - which is so very, very Irish and which is so intoxicating for the reader. Well, I can't speak for others but she surely intoxicates me! </span></span></div></span>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-5937329946048167672009-06-26T09:40:00.000-04:002009-06-26T09:59:33.208-04:00Magic moments during a very rainy month of June!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5u490FE8XOrqHer6X57QpGB8LIkfkFTOLgdSwftokCAsrOWWlDRGobGW3OuX3O4t-AbRFGKZdI0YlZtB0c1qL7hwPsRx1OGcKlOUBHDlpq97BmGJGNdJyXKYstfhuEU-I2lRTeUweBPA/s1600-h/IMG_0841.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5u490FE8XOrqHer6X57QpGB8LIkfkFTOLgdSwftokCAsrOWWlDRGobGW3OuX3O4t-AbRFGKZdI0YlZtB0c1qL7hwPsRx1OGcKlOUBHDlpq97BmGJGNdJyXKYstfhuEU-I2lRTeUweBPA/s400/IMG_0841.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351631345085310130" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">Vinalhaven, June 25th 2009</span><br /></div></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">My Passionate Partner and I had just arrived at the PP's First Born and his Glorious Girlfriend's summer holiday rental cottage when I stepped out onto the porch to unlace my boots and was rewarded with the above sight. I could hear the chatter of the crew's voices muted by the fog, otherwise the only sounds were the many birds twittering in the woods behind me. A gently magical moment of many during this wet, wet June.</span></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-80406923312168282552009-05-29T13:57:00.000-04:002009-05-29T14:51:38.903-04:00Recent Reads<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1cRzyUHOkPSIezSFKI4H4pul40IxhkPZO1n3ke3vTXq5zOsnhMFSZ_zxzm6sNjRYXbMgt5OmyNlzv8-5uXzEndIZNRgtEFxXqZCvYwA2ML6gU1UEXP1WiG1r-vp9nRpMM6feDKJkxBpi/s1600-h/DSCN0387.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1cRzyUHOkPSIezSFKI4H4pul40IxhkPZO1n3ke3vTXq5zOsnhMFSZ_zxzm6sNjRYXbMgt5OmyNlzv8-5uXzEndIZNRgtEFxXqZCvYwA2ML6gU1UEXP1WiG1r-vp9nRpMM6feDKJkxBpi/s320/DSCN0387.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341308147855814818" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">From the wonderful Rockport Public Library: Nicholas Drayson's </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">A Guide to the Birds of East Africa</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div>I'm taking the liberty of putting this book down halfway though and declaring it a miniature gem! </div><div><br /></div><div>How could you not love a story where, on page 2, our protagonist is reminiscing about his first <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Sports Day</span> (circa 1959) in which he is party to a very dramatic mishap involving a cricket ball in his hand being grabbed by a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Kite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">black kite</span></a> but in a self deprecatory way goes on to say, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"Of course it wasn't quite accurate that he had no memories of the javelin throwing. Few would forget the incident with the Governor General's wife's corgi."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div>This is a gentle book in which gentle humor is mined from the deeply personal lives of characters gallantly trying to continue a courteous and polite society within a greater reality that is not by any means always gentle.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mr. Drayson, in my view, takes some liberties with the language spoken by characters. By language I mean as in English, Swahili, Hindi, Gujurati etc. I have friends who hail from Kenya who whilst speaking perfect English to me, immediately lapse into Hindi (or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinglish"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Hinglish</span></a>) when chatting among themselves. Mr. Drayson's Kenyan Asian characters continually speak and think in an English frozen in time and place, the same time and place that P.G. Wodehouse uses in a great many of his stories! However, it is the prerogative of the writer to take such liberties, thank goodness, as without them it would be a far less charming book.</div><div><br /></div><div>Part of the joy of reading is to skip from one genre to another and appreciate each one because of the sheer variety of writing styles and formats that are so available to us, thanks to such institutions as the Rockport Public Library which incidentally has the most amazing calendar of events within and without the library's four walls. </div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-66664151687196330492009-05-28T11:02:00.000-04:002009-05-28T11:19:24.227-04:00Recent Reads<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ftfvc8SbfLGShD8AnWejj28aS-7-rlESDTQg9grE3Tbi88p5SVsQuAtPuDxC9uYOn5WQ0X5mkEXV4nwwhbKxudbehMngdZ1gySpLf9XfZY5NfV6Zp9MTmJGJPcBsw3dZbfgAoaW-gb61/s1600-h/DSCN0386.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ftfvc8SbfLGShD8AnWejj28aS-7-rlESDTQg9grE3Tbi88p5SVsQuAtPuDxC9uYOn5WQ0X5mkEXV4nwwhbKxudbehMngdZ1gySpLf9XfZY5NfV6Zp9MTmJGJPcBsw3dZbfgAoaW-gb61/s320/DSCN0386.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340892493348700418" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; line-height: 20.0px; font: 18.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.stieglarsson.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</span></a></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; line-height: 20.0px; font: 18.0px Times New Roman; min-height: 21.0px">Rumor has it that my reading preferences now lean towards translations of Scandinavian <i>mystery</i> authors and that this may be on account of a certain Swedish American presence on the home front, namely my <i>bra fru</i> or good wife in our lingo. After reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson I say, “Absolutely right - and bring on even more translations!”</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; line-height: 20.0px; font: 18.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">This is a rip roaring read, guaranteed to keep one up at night. The author, who sadly died in 2004 at the age of 50, has a wonderful knack of weaving stories within stories in such a way that I really had difficulty putting the book down. At the same time I noticed myself slowing my reading pace down considerably towards the end of the book because I did not want it to end.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; line-height: 20.0px; font: 18.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I have just discovered that this is the first novel in a trilogy. Yes it is sad that the author died so young but he has certainly left very rich material for his growing readership.</span></p>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-81443061493872322782009-05-26T09:38:00.000-04:002009-05-26T09:48:47.277-04:00Dept of Unintended Photography<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHEM1zhQf03p-rxMmhkZ_yfJ8FgkpNaKywGsgMwmIWkDuyesHDL9JFqK-4soLS5p-b0-j_zg3iyoHKdk8S5xT0Xr-8XdP_HJ9oXCqN4d4QiJEK__p4Hb6BtVkaBUPCnxfBCifsJLHDPOC/s1600-h/DSCN0366.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHEM1zhQf03p-rxMmhkZ_yfJ8FgkpNaKywGsgMwmIWkDuyesHDL9JFqK-4soLS5p-b0-j_zg3iyoHKdk8S5xT0Xr-8XdP_HJ9oXCqN4d4QiJEK__p4Hb6BtVkaBUPCnxfBCifsJLHDPOC/s400/DSCN0366.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340127370750523282" /></a>Here I am trying to photograph our cat, Hazel who is luxuriating in a window. Although this was a complete failure I rather like the photo. Early morning light reflects brightly on the house while the background shows some of that lovely dappled light one sees before the sun gets too high. Click on my slideshow to see a somewhat better image of this and other efforts.Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-31757133141743238142009-05-19T10:43:00.000-04:002009-05-19T12:53:58.761-04:00Good morning!<div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwfa0lb3nUYNbYkV6ZQloGYKF8BsGmPDc5P2w71Ru9mSNDomLWGE2wMYQAuNBIb0ji53zp0XJUpGSmXwnsYnQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div><br /></div><div><div>This is my second attempt at using the movie function on my camera and it shows! No, I am not in pain, just squinting into the sun! I'll keep these vignettes short and sweet - one minute or a tad over a minute - in the future.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I am excited that the microphone picked up the bird song. We welcomed our first hummingbird of the season to our garden on Saturday, May 16th. This morning whilst having our first cup of tea of the day we heard a loon. In the morning with no traffic we can hear clear down to the mighty Megunticook river. There are still way too many bird calls that I do not recognize but I am working on it!</div><div><br /></div><div>Keith, Daniel, Mark, Ben, Keiran, Dominic, Jim, Rory, Martin and all you men of Chester, UK: this splendid lawn could be used for putting practice - know what I mean, there are some ducky golf courses dotted around magnificent Midcoast Maine!</div><div><br /></div><div>Au revoir,</div><div><br /></div><div>B</div></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-86515651347074888142009-05-15T13:23:00.000-04:002009-05-15T14:37:29.462-04:00B's pick of the web week<div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6xgxkxqqUH0&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6xgxkxqqUH0&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I'm indebted to Jon Henley for his article in the Guardian, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/may/15/blackpool-advert-paris-tourism-otpot"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Blackpool, je t'aime</span></span><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#000099;"> </span></a>published on the 15th May, 2009.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Arial; min-height: 18.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The young french woman in in pearls suddenly finding her appetite for "casserole de Lancashire 'ot pot" is thoroughly charming and the retro videography portrays a Blackpool that I remember clearly from visits over 35 years ago. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Arial; min-height: 18.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I would like to think that I would not be disappointed if I went back today. This is, maybe, wishful thinking on my part but three cheers to <a href="http://www.visitblackpool.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Visit Blackpoo</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">l</span> for coming up with this delightful video!</span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;"><br /></span></div></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191170055216424401.post-17615201783825196422009-05-12T07:17:00.000-04:002009-05-14T13:36:58.111-04:00Things that go bump in the night<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">There is a tiny chest of drawers which doubles as a step up to our bed for the most elderly of our three cats (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Caligula: at almost 2000 years old is one of the few remaining Roman era cats still alive, curiously a sex change occurred sometime in the middle ages, Caligula is now a she</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">). The chest/step is on my side of the bed and the surface of the step is about one foot from the floor and about 1' 6" below the surface of the bed.<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I had never given this little artifact much thought - that is until last night at about 2:00 am when my body came into contact with its rather sharp front edge. Moments before I had been asleep and experiencing a particularly frightening dream involving severe teachers wearing stained and ancient religious robes in decrepit Dickensian dark classrooms and corridors. Moments before waking I had leapt from a hiding place to avoid being caught. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">That was it. I was then brutally awake and aware of a burning pain in my right hip, there was a loud crash and I was on the floor with the little chest of drawers leaning on its side against me and most of the bed covers on top of me. My DW (darling wife) was sitting up clutching what remained of the bed covers and wondering what on earth had happened. Later DW told me that as she woke up all three cats jumped in unison off the other side of the bed as I moaned on the floor!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I don't appear to be seriously damaged although I have a corker of a bruising mass just under my trouser belt line on the afore mentioned right hip. I'll spare you the digital photograph, spectacular though it is.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I'm intrigued. I must have fallen out of bed as a child but I have no memory of doing so. This is the first time that I can recall that this has happened to me, but I imagine (and hope) it is not uncommon. Curiously my Mum used to tell us boys that if we ate cheese too close to bedtime we would have nightmares. What do you know? I had indeed enjoyed some slivers of a particularly nutty and delicious flavored parmesan (on special at Hannafords) not long before retiring to bed the previous evening.</span></div>Barriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161081223002474279noreply@blogger.com0