Monday, February 8, 2016

The Complete Sailor by David Seidman


 

An excellent book, with enough clear, detailed explanations to help the beginner to enjoy sailing, the intermediate sailor to expand his or her horizons, and the old salt to learn a few new tricks or at least enjoy the lovely illustrations and philosophical musings. I've read a peck of books on sailing in my time and this one is one of the few I'd make room for on the narrow bookshelf of a boat. Perfect for relaxing in a protected anchorage somewhere ....

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Herbs

Some herbs from the garden, tied for drying. Rosemary in the back, not sure what the one in the front is - spearmint, maybe?

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Finished The Son of Neptune

Given how popular these books are, I wasn't expecting much, but after reading three of them, I have to admit, he's really on to something here. It's not Tolkien, but it's still a lot of fun to read. He spaces out the revelations just right to keep you turning pages, and you can really care about the characters (if not the situations, for obvious reasons). I especially appreciate the way that all the heroes struggle with feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. Also, it's a pretty quick read, so you're not investing a lot of time in it.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Book Response: Just One Thing

By Rick Hanson. This one held a lot of promise, aspiring to connect Buddhism and modern brain science. It does this to a certain degree, but to me it stays distressingly close at times to the antagonist of The Antidote, positive thinking. I'm going to re-read it, because there's some good stuff in here, but if you try it, do stay alert.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Hummingbird Cupcakes

Sydney and Isaac surprised us with these wonderful cupcakes. They substituted peach for pineapple, and they came out delightful. They even washed most of the dishes....