Book Review: Red Hook Road

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book really makes me wish that Goodreads let you award half stars because I LOVED this book, I would have given it five stars right up until the end. I felt the end was a bit overly dramatic and rushed which is a shame because otherwise Waldman's writing is excellent. But don't let that stop you from reading this book. Waldman's style isn't for everyone but I think her descriptions and insight into the characters are stellar and a pleasure to read. Don't get me wrong, this book isn't a walk in the park, the opening scene describes a tragic accident but much like her previous book, Bad Mother, Waldman's brutal honesty makes you squirm in your seat a little.



Good Night Moon

Last night's view of the moon through the telescope on the dock at the cabin. Amazing.

Book Review: The Cookbook Collector

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Meh...not my kind of novel I guess. I like more continuity in characters and story lines. What started out as a story about two sisters turned into a chapter about one sister's boyfriend, then his coworker, then the girl his coworker has a crush on etc. I stuck it out for 200 pages before I just decided to move onto one of the several other novels on my night stand.


Camping: Mt. Nebo Scenic Byway

This summer we've been crushed with work responsibilities and as we looked at our calendar for August realized that summer was going to pass without us doing much in the way of recreating. So, last weekend we went camping down by Nephi along the Mt. Nebo Scenic Byway. GOR-GEOUS!


We set up camp and were surprised by the number of cows wandering around. I know, I'm a city girl, you don't have to mock. The funniest thing about the cows was that they started mooing very early in the morning which I found oddly hilarious. Ban dubbed them Nephi's roosters. We also saw deer, woodpeckers, the tiniest hummingbird ever, and early Saturday morning I heard something moving around our tent and couldn't resist the urge to have a peek. It was a wild turkey with three little turkeys in tow.



We did a few hikes and checked out Devil's Kitchen which looks like a small version of Bryce Canyon. We also got out on our mountain bikes and rode along a dirt road that climbed back into the mountains. The scenery was spectacular although the air was very thin at 9,300 ft above sea level. I was sucking air hard. But, the wildflowers, mountain views, and total solitude were worth every bit of exertion.



Concert: Chris Isaak



Yeah, he was SO close that I could have touched him. Instead, I had my camera in one hand and my Blackberry in the other trying to snap pictures with both. We've seen Chris Isaak play before but he always puts on such a good show that we were compelled to get tickets to his Red Butte performance again this summer. If you aren't familiar with his music you should definitely check it out. He's a rockabilly good time, yo!

Here's a video of the song he did as the encore of his concert last week. Enjoy!

Perseid Meteor Showers


This week will be the peak time to see the Perseid Meteor Showers. There will be very little moon light which will make viewing even better. The best time to view the meteor shower will be in the early hours before dawn. If you can get away from city lights that will help too. Sounds like a perfect excuse to go camping! Here is some more information about viewing meteor showers and here you can learn more about the Perseid Meteor showers specifically.
Here's a beautiful time elapse video of Perseid Meteor showers that I found on youtube.

How To Be Alone


This video was made from a poem by Tanya Davis. I've never minded being alone but I know so many who do. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.