Thankful Sunday

 I am thankful to live in the US.

The scouts getting ready for the flag ceremony.

Yesterday, Ward, Wally, Theo, and I ran/walked in a charity race. The race is sponsored by the Rotary Club, and the proceeds go to families with unexpected medical expenses. It is a fun family event that has a real sense of community to it. Before the race started, the Boy Scouts did a flag ceremony during which we said the Pledge of Allegiance, and then we sang the National Anthem. I found them all quite moving, as they reminded me how lucky and thankful I am to live in America. 

Of course, there are problems and disagreements here, but the passion that comes with those is because people care. So, for the privilege of being an American, I am thankful.

WV Trip, Travel Day

Ward and I just returned from a five-day trip to West Virginia. As most of you know, that is where I grew up and where many of my relatives still live. Returning to West Virginia and places from my childhood gives me a special feeling of familiarity and belonging. I haven't lived in WV since I finished college, but it is still home. I think that happens with most people, but West Virginians may have an even deeper connection to their roots. It's like we find the hills and the backroads and all is right with the world. 

I don't go back as often since my parents passed away, but we usually make it there once a year or so for a family reunion, or unfortunately, a funeral. Those trips are hurried and exhausting. So, I decided that I wanted to visit with no particular agenda and for more than a day or two. I made that happen this week.

The drive to our destination takes about 5-6 hours, and we were in no hurry, unlike some other times. The halfway point is around Morgantown, WV, home of my alma mater, West Virginia University. Most of the time our stop here is a quick one for gas and a bathroom. This time, I wanted to see the trail that has been developed along the Monongahela River in the middle of town. 

It had been raining most of the trip, but cleared up just as we reached Morgantown, so we took our chances and left our rain jackets in the car. The first part of the trail is a park, and the later part is a rail trail. Here are a few things we saw on our walk.

The trail starts out with a bridge over Deckers Creek, which joins the Monongahela at this point. 

Along the bridge, we saw a new-to-us Princess tree. Apparently, it is invasive and host to the dreaded spotted lantern fly. But it was impressive to see.

There is a 1,500-seat amphitheater facing the river where they have a free concert every Friday night during the summer.

Some of the old buildings along the river have been repurposed, and some have not.

However, the WVU women's rowing team has a new building.

Inspiring words for the day: "Those who keep trying cannot be defeated."

The "Singing Tree of Diversity" art.

Over three hundred people made leaves for the tree, and they are supposed to represent that the strength of a community is derived from its diversity.

More inspirational signage.

and there were gardens along the way.

After our walk, we headed for our next destination--the Don Knotts statue. Don is from Morgantown. I love the nod to his character, Barney, with the hat.

On our way to see Barney, we spotted another fun mural.

Then it was back to the highway for some serious driving, reaching our destination by late afternoon, just when we planned.

This post is already longer than I had intended, so I'll pick back up on the next post.

Until next time...

Thankful Sunday

 I am thankful for a quiet morning.

Surprise lilies blooming among mums.

In a short while, Ward and I are leaving on a trip for a few days to visit family and friends. Soon, we will be hustling to finish up the last-minute preparations. But before that, I woke up to see the last of the sunrise and take a walk around the yard. The bees and bugs were already at work, but the birds were unusually quiet. Maybe they were preparing for the rain that is coming soon. 

White spider on allium

Getting ready for a trip is always busy, so for the few quiet moments I had this morning, I am thankful.

Rocks and Minerals

 Wally recently discovered a new store, GTC Rock Shop, that he was totally fascinated with. He told Ward and me that we needed to visit, and he and Theo gave me a gift card to the store for my birthday.

We did visit, and what an experience. The store is advertised as a science education center, and they hope that someday they can sell enough to become an educational non-profit. They have case after case of crystals and rocks, educational toys, jewelry, a panning activity, and a classroom with a museum. I expected a few rocks and crystals for sale, but got much more. One could spend hours just studying everything that was there.

I didn't choose anything to get on this trip. This visit was more of an overview of what the store was like. And as I told my sons, I had to figure out what we had in all of those boxes of rocks we have in our basement. Did I mention that I have a degree in geology and Ward has one in geophysics?

Here are a few pictures from our visit.

Amethyst (purple quartz)

Citrine (orange quartz)

The minerals were identified with name, chemical formula, and place of origin. I thought it was a nice touch that they added the country's flag in the description. If you look closely, you can see them.

The classroom.

The classroom had display cases of various things, including this one of minerals and how they are used in our everyday life.

As I said, I wasn't sure what was in all of the boxes of rocks in the basement. I know we had gotten rid of some, but it seemed like every time we did that, we would find another one. I unboxed them last week and did a first-order sort of fossils, crystals, ores, and rocks (unspecified). We're not sure what we're going to do with them now, but Ward may build a coffee table with a glass top to display some of them. Unfortunately, we don't know where many of them came from, what they are, or why we collected them. Eventually, some of them will find new homes. We certainly don't want to put them all back in boxes to hide in the basement for more years. Here's what I found.

Fossils, both plants and sea creatures.

Ores and some specific rock types.

Crystals

There was no obvious reason why we kept these rocks.

And we had a few other things with the rocks, like arrowheads and these Civil War cannonballs.

Sorting this all out is going to be a big job, but we will figure it out eventually.

Until next time...

Book Reviews

 Here are a few things I've been reading lately.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, Adult fiction, 1948.

What it's about: I Capture the Castle is a coming-of-age story for Cassandra and Rose in the 1930s, and is told through Cassandra's journal entries. Their family moves into a run-down castle in England, and their mother dies a few years later. Their father, who had great success with a novel, has writer's block for years. With no money coming in, they sell off most of everything in the house and live in isolated poverty. Two young men inherit the castle, and the one next door and complex relationships follow.

What did I think? The story is rich with detail, and you get a good feel for the family's day-to-day lives. I missed visiting with them when I finished. However, as romances develop, I did get a bit tired of Cassandra's teenage angst over unrequited love. I would recommend this book if you like relationship narratives over action stories. It is an easy read, but not a quick one. The details and the longer sentence structure make it apparent that this book was written over 70 years ago, when longer sentences and paragraphs were the norm.

What did others think? The book is considered an influential classic by some and has appeared on several "best of" lists. There have been musicals and movies made from it. I watched a BBC film based on I Capture the Castle after I read the book and enjoyed it. Although it was beautiful to watch, it lacked the depth of the book, and I wondered whether someone who hadn't read it would understand the motivations behind some of the characters' actions.

City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim, Adult fiction, 2024.

What it's about: City of Night Birds is the story of Natasha, a world-renowned Russian ballerina, and her beginnings with a difficult mother and absent father. It chronicles her journey to the top and the relationships that both hindered and propelled her art. It is an intimate look into the competitiveness and intensity of Russian ballet.

What did I think? I thought it was an interesting story that kept me reading. There were many Russian and ballet references that I didn't know anything about that occasionally slowed me down, but didn't have a major impact on the novel. The story starts in the present day (2019) when Natasha is trying to make a comeback and flashes back to build her story to that point. The switches in time were not well signaled and confused me at times, but even with this, the story was easy enough to follow.

What did others think? City of Night Birds was a pick for Reese's Book Club and had a starred Kirkus review. Amazon and Goodreads gave it an A-.

My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney, Adult fiction- psychological thriller, 2025.

What it's about: In the small town of Hope Falls, Eden returns from a run to find out the locks have been changed to her house and her husband has a new "wife".  Neither claims to know her. She desperately tries to find some way to identify herself. Six months earlier, Birdie in London receives a fatal diagnosis and inherits her grandmother's house in Hope Falls. When Birdie receives the date of her death from a company that claims they can accurately predict it, she returns to her childhood village to live out her final months. When Eden goes missing, Birdie partners with the local policeman, Carter, to figure out what happened. The story twists and turns, and you're not sure what's the truth and what's not. Everyone is hiding something.

What did I think? I wouldn't say it's great literature, but it's definitely a page-turner. Each character has their own chapters, which helps keep the story straight. This is not a book I would have picked up on my own, but it is next month's book club selection. I'm glad it was because I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

What did others think? The book has been on multiple best-seller lists and received almost uniformly positive reviews. Hundreds are on the waitlist for it at the library. 

Afterlight by Caleb Nolan, Adult/Young Adult poetry, 2026.

What it's about: Afterlight is about a troubled young man's journey through adolescence into adulthood. Each poem is a vignette that combines together to tell his story. The poems are autobiographical as Caleb struggles with an absent father and the early deaths of friends, among other things. They should be read in order.

But it's more than that. Here's a more detailed explanation from Amazon:

Told through the voice of one of the boys who left and is later looking back, Afterlight navigates the silences left by absent fathers, early deaths, and a God who doesn't speak. Interwoven throughout are letters to saints and biblical figures: pleas for intercession and understanding that echo the speaker’s search for grace amid violence and loss. By the book’s end, the lost boys and the saints share the same hallowed space, their stories entwined. Written in plain, unsparing language, these poems reveal the tenderness within troubled masculinity and the ache of trying to love what has already vanished.

What did I think? I found these poems full of emotion, often through simple, sparse language. My heart ached for the turmoil felt by the author. 

What did others think? Afterlife won the Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry.