Best Books I Read in 2019

I read 37 books this past year. In 2018 I read 35 books. I'm happy with the total. If I try to read too many books, I end up reading faster and not remembering what I read. I did notice that there is a lack of meaty books. I suppose I'll aim for more of that genre in 2020. I'd also like to read more classics this coming year. I keep track of my reading at Goodreads.com.

Here are the best books that I read this past year. Unfortunately, it is a small list!

1. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny and others in the series.

I enjoy a good mystery. Last year I started reading the Inspector Gamache books. They are set in the province of Quebec in Canada, usually in the village of Three Pines (fictional.) The world of Three Pines is pretty enticing. This books are more about human nature than about the actual mystery. I like to listen to Louise Penny books as read by Ralph Cosham.


2. Picadilly Jim and Eggs, Beans, and Crumpets by P.G. Wodehouse.

These books can lift anyone's spirits. Well, maybe anglophiles like me, anyway. Funny situations. Eggs, Beans, and Crumpets is a collection of short stories. In Picadilly Jim, a rich playboy hides his identity behind an alias but ends up impersonating himself.


3. The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

I enjoy a thriller once in a while and this one was good. I read it while travelling to Victoria to visit my parents. I finished it on the way back and was then stuck without anything much to do on the Clipper ferry ride!

The simple summary? A recluse spends her time watching movies and watching the neighbours. A new family moves in across from her. She sees something she thinks is a murder. What did she actually see? What is real and what is imagined?

4. The White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America's Deadliest Avalanche by Gary Krist.

This book is about an historical event that happened in Washington state in the now defunct town of Wellington in 1910.

"The never-before-told story of one of the worst rail disasters in U.S. history in which two trains full of people, trapped high in the Cascade Mountains, are hit by a devastating avalanche." 

The book club that I'm in right now read this a few years ago (before I joined the club). It was educational and kept my attention throughout. I listened to this book. I did take the physical book out of the library so that I could see the maps and photos. That is one problem with audio books.


Honourable Mentions:

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

There were some good ideas but I found this book a bit repetitive. It is a long book. It seems like something a teenager should read more than a middle aged woman like me.

Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini.

A friend recommended this for listening on our summer road trip. Only my hubby and I really listened to this. We never finished it. I should go back to it. It reminded me of The Scarlet Pimpernel since it is set during the French Revolution. A compelling and funny story which was written in 1921.



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Christmas 2019 Wrap Up

Our Christmas card photo

On December 23rd we went to downtown Seattle as a family. We stood in line for about an hour (maybe more?) to see the gingerbread creations at the Sheraton Hotel. The theme was elves. I was thankful for the boys' good attitudes even though the wait was pretty bad.

Elves and the Shoemaker

Elf the Movie

Tree. 

All of those lights above are inside of candies!

North Pole

Next stop was the Fairmount Hotel with a beautiful tree in the lobby.

Then we went upstairs to the Teddy Bear Suite. This is for me, of course.

They have a life size gingerbread house near the entrance.

We had lunch at Specialtys, another tradition for us. Next we went to Pacific Place mall but were disappointed to find it under renovation. We walked through Nordstrom and saw these lovely trees.

Our last stop was the model train display in the window of Macy's. Macy's is closing its downtown location in 2020 so I wanted to make sure we saw the trains.

I love having family traditions. C really wanted to bring a friend along but no one was available. I got in over 6,000 steps that day!

In the evening, I searched around to several stores for a turkey. It was a challenge finding one the right size. Next year I'll have to look earlier. Jonathan finished his Christmas shopping on Dec 24th. He found that the crowds were light and it was quite peaceful.

We went out for dinner (before church) on Dec 24th to Stanfords. J and I felt like the youngest adults there! We knew that a package was being delivered while we were there so J left briefly to check on it. Porch pirates are a risk this time of year.

Our church met in the gym this year since we outgrew the smaller chapel last year. The service was very well attended. We sang about 6 carols with scripture interspersed. There is a short message and then we sing Silent Night by candlelight. We had our photo taken by the trees that Linda and I decorated.

In the evening, I phoned Mom and Dad. We played Taboo as a family. The game went very well.
On Christmas morning we had bacon and egg strata that I made the day before.

My hubby bought himself a car in early November so he didn't get any big presents under the tree.

C received an electronic drum set which allows him to practice his drumming without a lot of noise.

A received a graphics card for his computer that will help him with video editing. He also got a new computer monitor which is also better for editing. He asked for airpods (which are super popular) and got them. We just hope he doesn't lose them! I did the "box inside a box inside a box" thing for wrapping them.

my gifts

I received a scarf from one of the families of a boy on the robotics team that J coaches. A very thoughtful gift! My larger presents were the Wise Men to add to my Willow Tree nativity set, a perfume sampler, and an attachment for my phone so that I can take macro photos (super close up) and also wide angle shots. Svetlana (J's colleague) takes really cool close up nature photos so I'd like to give that a try. I also got honey from the honeycomb - a unique gift that J and the boys found.

I'm so thankful for my hubby's help in preparing Christmas dinner. I don't know how some people do all the cooking alone. Here is my place setting.

I bought the tablecentre from Costco.

Our table full of food.

The turkey:

Here is a photo of our tree. It isn't real this year. I think it is funny that sometime I think "oh, do I need to water the tree?" Old habits die hard.

remember you can click on it for a larger photo

Our chimney needs cleaning out so we can't have a real fire in our fireplace. There is a wait for a chimney sweep until February! We had to find the firelog channel on TV. We listened to the Queen's message, as per our tradition. Here are the boys wearing their Christmas crowns (after opening Christmas crackers).

Some other Christmas activities that I/we did this year:

- Ladies Cookie Exchange with ladies from my church. I didn't get any cookies made in time to participate. I did enjoy sampling a few cookies and seeing what people brought.

- I did some crafting. I decoupaged some wooden blocks using some Christmas scrapbook paper. Here they are displayed on my little shelf by our front door. The nativity at the top I bought from Dayspring.com

- We went to see the lights at Evergreen church. The weather was super nice that night. They go "all out" there. Free hot cocoa, free cookies, a model train set up, faux snow falling at various times, a light tunnel, and a huge light display which is synchronized to music.

It is sad when the Christmas music is no longer on the radio. I did some shopping today (Boxing Day) and found some good bargains on things I look forward to using next year.


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Mushroom Hunting at Lord Hill Park

Back on October 27th, a Sunday afternoon, J and I went out to Lord Hill Park (near Snohomish) where we met up with a colleague of J's (her name starts with S) who is a mushroom expert and a great photographer. I follow her on Instagram and enjoy all the close up photos she takes of mushrooms. She brought her young son along and he was an expert at spotting mushrooms.

We went way off the official paths and found an amazing amount and variety of mushrooms.
I learned a lot from S and had a lot of fun. I don't know the names of all the mushrooms we spotted. In time, I'll get better at identification.

S took this photo of J and I taking photographs.

These are coral mushrooms. They are actually really small.

These are "boring" mushrooms but boy, did we find a lot of them in one place!

I think this is an oyster mushroom.

These mushrooms were my favourite, due to their colour.

It was pretty dark in the forest so many of the photos I took turned out blurry. S used a macro attachment (clipped onto her phone) to take close up photos. I've asked Santa for one for Christmas.


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September Birthday Visit

Both of my parents have birthdays in September. In 2018 and 2017, I visited to celebrate my mom's birthday. Her 90th was in 2017. This year I went to celebrate my dad's birthday.

It was sunny every day in Victoria and only rained at night.

I took the Clipper. The ride up was pretty exciting. The waves were super high. I enjoyed the ride. I'm thankful that I don't get seasick, at least not on the Clipper. I wish I had taken video of the waves but I didn't have a window seat.

Friday night Dad and I walked to the White Spot for dinner.

On Saturday I rented a car. That was a misadventure. I walked all over downtown Victoria to try to find the rental place. I think I walked over 1,000 steps. I rely on my phone for directions and I don't use the phone in Canada due to the high roaming charges. I'm thankful that the weather was sunny and warm during that time I spent wandering around.

Once I had the car, I did a little shopping. I always like to go to Bolen Books. I got a jigsaw puzzle since that is my current pastime. I do that while J watches TV. I went to Mercedes Lane but didn't find anything I liked enough to buy.

In the late afternoon, I drove my parents along Dallas Road to enjoy the beautiful sunshine and views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains. We had dinner at the Blue Crab to celebrate my dad's 86th birthday. Mom and I had salmon. There is an amazing view from the windows.

We had chocolate cake from Save On Food which was delicious. We watched a Canadian Football League game. On Sunday I took my parents to their church. Their pastor preaches great sermons and I enjoyed the music.

For lunch we had hoped to go to Murchies but many streets nearby were blocked off and we couldn't get close to the restaurant . I found out later it was the annual B.C. Law Enforcement Memorial parade for fallen members.

Our second choice was Swiss Chalet. After lunch I grabbed some donuts to take home for my boys from the Tim Horton's next door. They have a small hockey stick for the door handle. I love it!

I returned my rental car (Toyota Corolla) and got a taxi to take me to the Clipper Terminal.

The boat ride back was very calm. Almost boring! This is the lighthouse at Odgen Point which the boat goes by on the way out of Victoria Harbour.

I'm thankful for my parents and their long lives.


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First Class at Last

C achieved the rank of First Class in Boy Scouts. Monday night (Sept 23rd) was Court of Honour where merit badges are awarded and ranks presented

This was an achievement to celebrate. It wasn't easy. The toughest part was the swimming requirement. J and I took C to swim lessons at multiple locations to various teachers over the course of several years. This time last year C was taking lessons twice a week after school.

Here is the list of ranks:

1. Scout
2. Tenderfoot
3. Second Class
4. First Class
5. Star
6. Life
7. Eagle

Now that C is at First Class he will be in leadership positions, including leading his patrol which is comprised of lots of younger scouts. C got 3 merit badges that he worked on at summer camp. Chess; Signs, Signals and Codes; and Leatherwork.

This Court of Honour was super long! We didn't finish until 9 pm. Some of the leaders and boys climbed Mount Rainier this past summer so that was something to celebrate and reflect upon.

Also, there was a group that went to Philmont which was a 2 week adventure of hiking every day and doing high adventure things.

Many boys are aging out which means they will turn 18 and will now longer be a boy scout. Some will be Eagle Scouts.

I have to record the tale of the travelling neckerchief. A neckerchief is an important part of the Boy Scout uniform. One of the older boys was missing his and he was part of the flag ceremony at the beginning. He borrowed's C's. Then C needed it back for when he stood at the front for the presentation of his rank. Then this other boy needed it for photos of the group of scouts aging out. Then at the end of the night, C needed to get his neckerchief back to go home!


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Life is Sweet 5K Fun Run

I participated in my first 5K on August 24th. It was a fundraiser for the Pregnancy Resource Center in Everett. It was their inaugural run. A came along with me. I was pleased to see a good turn out. There were 183 participants according to the PRC. There were plenty of walkers, like me, of all ages from little tykes to senior citizens. The run was held on Centennial Trail in Lake Stevens and it is a flat course. There were many stations with water and donuts along the way. We received medals at the finish line. They had a raffle for prizes at the end. I won a small pack of donuts. Next year I hope to see more people from my church there.


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Canadian Rockies Vacation 2019 Days Seven, Eight, and Nine

Day Seven.

We got a late start leaving our Calgary hotel. Sometimes it is hard to keep track of where the key card is and who has it. It was a little sad for me leaving Calgary. We got coffee from Tim Hortons in High River. I was happy to find a grain elevator in southern Alberta. They are pretty rare now.

Our main destination on day seven was Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump in southern Alberta.

What is a buffalo jump? Before horses were introduced, First Nations peoples used jumps to kill buffalo/bison. Buffalo runners would drive them over a steep cliff (36 feet) and the bison would be killed as they landed. The buffalo runners would disguise themselves as wolves or bison. The Head Smashed In title refers to a young man who wanted to watch the hunt from below but was buried under the falling buffalo.

There is a museum that explains buffalo hunting and First Nations culture.

They used every part of the buffalo after it was killed.

We visited on a Wednesday so we got to experience Drumming and Dancing. My favorite was the older lady who was very regal.

Another dancer.

Drummers.

There was crowd participation at the end, which we didn't join.

We continued on to the Crowsnest Highway. We had lunch in Pincher Creek at Harvest Coffeehouse.

I took lots of photos of the Alberta sky, which I miss.

We changed drivers in Frank, Alberta. Frank is the place where a devastating landslide happened in 1903.

J drove through extremely heavy rain in the mountains. We saw some lightning. We arrived in Cranbrook, BC. We had a little trouble getting the right room at the Best Western. We had supper at Mr. Mike's which was across the street. Good food. I had a lobster avocado salad.

The colour of the hotel's pool was green so we skipped that!

Day Eight (Cranbrook, B.C. to Spokane)

We had a reasonably priced hot breakfast from restaurant inside the Best Western. Omelettes for less than $10. Our wait at the U.S. border was 30 minutes. We stopped in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, for coffee and baked goods at Under the Sun. It is both a charming store and a coffee shop. I'd go back there if I'm ever in that region again.

We stopped in Sandpoint, Idaho, which is one of our family's favourite places. We had lunch at Trinity at City Beach. We ate outside with a view of the beach.

I laid out on Sandpoint City beach for an hour and read a book.

We drove to Spokane. We stayed at the Centennial Hotel which was unfamiliar to us. It has a very modern interior. We hung out in and out of the beautiful, large pool in the sunshine. I wanted to stay another day at this spot!

Day Nine (Spokane to home)

I woke up early. I think I was still on Mountain Time. I got tea from the lobby and read newspapers.

Breakfast from McDonalds. A did some driving in eastern Washington. We had lunch in Moses Lake at Taco del Mar. We stopped at the Thorne fruit stand. We got home at about 4 pm.

This was our longest vacation we've every had. I think J survived! :)


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