Marriage and Moving

I think Dave Barry had it right. A marriage that survives a move... is pretty strong.

I mean OMG!!!!

All of our stuff won't fit on the truck. We have a deadline of around 4-5 p.m. today. Time to call the trash pickup guy. Time to make some hard decisions.

Time to decide if we take the kids and the dogs. And bicycles. And chairs we've meant to have refinished for the last 15 years. I say trash em. Trash it all (well, not the kids and dogs I guess). I've found stuff that we haven't touched since the last move. WE DON'T NEED IT.

Slept on an air mattress last night. With a leak, so by morning we were sleeping on the floor. We've still got a good 10 hours of hard labor ahead of us, plus a four-hour drive. THEN we get to unload.

Ok time to buck up and stop complaining, I know.

Sigh... back to the salt mines.

And the big move is on, finally!

Picking up the truck today, loading, signing one contract tomorrow at 1:00 p.m., and leaving town for good tomorrow afternoon.

Am I sad? A little. I was born in St. Joseph, lived near here while growing up, and lived and taught here for the last 5 years. But I won't miss the town much. I'm too familiar with her faults and shortcomings. It's past time for a change, both for me, and for the town.

So... for the next 3-4 days, I'm prepared to work like a slave (and of course it's supposed to be 'summer' weather for the first timethis month, heh). Hopefully by this time next week, we'll be unpacking boxes and settling into a new house, a new town, and making new friends.

Wish me luck.

Honors Conservation Camp

This is a week long camp jointly sponsored by the University of Missouri's School of Natural Resources and the Missouri Department of Conservation. During the week, 32 competitively selected high school students (only students between their junior and senior year are eligible) visit two prairies, the woods, a lake and go on an overnight campout and half day float trip on the Meramac River. They listen to and participate in lessons on prairie management, forest management, lake and stream fish management, climate and atmospheric studies, small mammal trapping, electro-shocking fish, putting a camera on a deer, shooting a rifle, a shotgun, and a bow, and for the first time this year, a lecture on Henry Rowe Schoolcraft's explorations of southern Missouri; all while keeping extensive notes, reading selections from the conservation bible: The Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, and writing reflective journal entries on what they have observed, read, and how it all ties in to their own life experiences. As groups they put together and perform a 25 minute presentation on their experience on the last day of the camp.

If this sounds like a lot to do.... it is! The students typically will work until 10-11 at night, and get up at 6 in the morning for the next days activities. As you might expect from any group of 32 teenagers, there is grumbling. Occassionally a student will be selected that may not... exactly meet the high standards (students are selected based on ACT scores, their written essay, and school GPA). That's where the facilitators come in, teachers that come along and act as chaperones and cheerleaders. Sometimes these students just need some encouragement.

My job this year was as curriculum co-coordinator of the program. My particular specialty is the journaling aspect. I teach about, guide, and grade the student's journals. I get to select the best overall journal and give out the plaque. I cannot say that I've ever had a more challenging and enjoyable job. As I told the program director, I will do this as long as they will let me... and I didn't say it, but it's true, I'd do it for free.

Pictured above is a shot of Meramac Springs just below the bridge in Maramac Springs Park. The name is not mispelled here... there are two parks, one is Meramac and the other is Maramac. I'm sure there's a story there...

Joanna Brady...My Hero!

Seriously! This lady, imagined in the fertile mind of author J.A. Jance, has been through hell..literally.

SPOILER ALERT!!

First, Joanna's husband (a deputy sheriff in Cochise County, Arizona) is shot (gutshot no less) and is later finished off in the hospital by the same drug cartel assassin. Joanna tracks down the killer and his contacts within the sheriffs department and kills him after a shootout in which the current county sheriff is also killed. END OF BOOK ONE.

Joanna, at the urging of family and friends, runs for county sheriff and wins. This occurs a mere month or so after her husband was murdered. As she is settling into her new job, she stumbles across another double homicide, and ultimately ends up witnessing (causing?) the death of two more people. END OF BOOK TWO.

A month or so later, trying to get some much needed experience and training, Joanna sets off for Phoenix to go to police school. While doing so she runs afoul of a serial killer who just happens to have a connection with the training facility in which the school is held. Again, she witnesses (causes?) the death of the killer, is involved in the death of her head instructor, and the near-death of a new friend, as well as nearly losing her daughter to the serial killer. END OF BOOK THREE.

Don't get me wrong... I love these stories. Joanna is a great character, the setting is great, and the cast is varied, interesting and often humorous. I look forward to the rest of the series and will also try Jance's other series featuring a much better known sleuth, P.D. Beaumont.

But.... I gotta say, I think Joanna needs a vacation, and some therapy. I mean, after all, her husband was murdered, she has personally killed at least two men, has witnessed the gruesome death of at least 4 other people, and has nearly lost her own daughter to a psychopathic serial killer. All within about a two month span. On the plus side, she's made lots of new friends, discovered a long lost brother, and apparently found the ability within herself to shrug off horrific experiences that would leave most of us sitting in a quiet room staring off into space.

May Reading List

Lots going on right now, trying to move, finishing up school and summer school. I'm also preparing for Missouri Honors Conservation Camp this coming week. Both kids playing ball tournaments every weekend...whew!

And I finished 14 books in May, maybe a record month for me. That brings my total for the year up to 44 which easily puts me on track for my goal of 100 books. I've been using Bookmooch quite a bit, finding new authors and series to read. I've recently started J.A. Jance's Joanna Brady and Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon series, and have books from Nevada Barr, James Carlos Blake, William Kent Krueger, Steve Hamilton, and David Meadows. As well as continuing with Bernard Cornwell and Patrick O'Brian.

Anyway here's the list for May with, as always, comments and short reviews.

Sibley's Birding Basics by David Allen Sibley; a nice introductory birdwatching book. If you've been following my posts, you'll notice that I spent quite a bit of time watching birds this month. Due in large part to finishing this book.
Murder With Peacocks by Donna Andrews; only slightly spoiled by my having read a later book in the series.
The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva
Mississippi Jack by L.A. Meyer; the best story yet in this series. Jacky Faber is one of my favorite characters.. resourceful, intelligent, talented, and humble.
The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly
The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula LeGuin; it took me a while to finish this short book. LeGuin has never been a favorite author, despite her reputation and despite the status of this trilogy as a classic.
The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich; interesting perspective on living below the poverty level
The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte
Electronic Echoes of the Mind by Wade Kimberlin; I obtained this book as a review copy from the authors wife. She and I conversed over on SFFChronicles and she asked if I would review the book. I read it...and enjoyed it! I wasn't sure about the dialogue in the beginning, but the story line and plot were built up satisfactorily and the conclusion was dramatic and left me hoping for more. I'll look for the sequel...
The Real History of the American Revolution by Alan Axelrod
The Opal Deception by Eion Colfer
Eagle Blue by Michael D'Orso
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

On Moving...

Making the decision to move your family 460 miles to a different town is a lot easier than the actual act of doing so. And while we agonized over making that decision (seriously the wife and I were popping zantac like M&M's there for a bit), selling and buying a house, packing our stuff (my God how much STUFF do we have anyway?), and getting the timing right for closings on houses and moving trucks etc...

Well anyway, we won't be doing this again for awhile. I swear.

The good news is that we've got an offer for our house. It's not a great offer, but we're taking it. The real estate market news is worse by the day and we've already committed to buying another house. We'll swallow the dollar loss and find a way to make it up.

The last week of June will be hectic and crazy. Hopefully we'll be able to enjoy July.

Warblers Warblers everywhere

Wow! I went out with a group of 12 or so, led by Backyard Bird's Mark McKeller early Sunday morning. We went to Weston Bend State Park, which is a beautiful spot located in the bluffs along the Missouri River. I was hopeful to see a few new birds, warblers mainly since I lack any kind of expertise in identifying these beautiful birds.

I was also accompanied by my 78 year old father, which was actually quite special for me, since he has moved to Texas and I don't get to see him as often as I would like.

We had a great morning of birding, spotting a dozen or so varieties of warblers and vireos, along with some understory birds. I picked up 11 new birds for my list, which was quite bit more than I had hoped for. The highlights (for me at least) may have been the great looks I got of Blackburnian and Chestnut-sided Warblers (pictured above).

Pewees and Catbirds

When I was a child (say 8-15 or so), I knew that my parents liked birds and birdwatching. I would look through the bird guides left lying on the coffee table and admire birds like the Indigo Bunting and the Orchard Oriole. Then I would go outside and play and ride my bike and never ever see a bunting or an oriole. I thought they were rare birds, only seen in the wild by expert bird watchers.

I've since biked, hiked and camped in numerous parks and wilderness areas around the country. Never saw a bunting or an oriole. Wasn't really looking very hard, but still, you'd think I would have noticed them if they were there.

Until this spring. I've been out birdwatching 4-5 times in the month of May. I've seen Indigo Buntings every time... even though I didn't recognize the bird the first time. I've seen Orchard Orioles several times. Yesterday I went to Lewis and Clark State Park near Atchison Kansas. I thought the orioles must have been following me, but I finally concluded that there were just a lot of them.

I did see 3 new birds. Pictured above is the Yellow Warbler. I saw several of these pretty birds. I also got a good look at a Grey Catbird (pictured below), a somewhat reclusive bird. And finally, I saw a pair of Eastern Phoebes (or maybe Eastern Wood Pewees).

These three bring my life list total up to 83 birds. Am hoping for 100 by the end of the summer. It's getting harder to find new birds ... but I am missing a lot of water birds, and am going out to a marsh Sunday. I should pick up several there.

Two For One

I've just finished reading The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. What a marvelous introduction to a series of books! Set in Botswana, an African Republic which, I confess I know little about, a wonderful African lady sets up her own detective agency and... investigates. These stories are charming and illuminating. Mma Precious Ramotswe, our heroine, has incredible insight and cleverness into human nature. I look forward to future installments of this series.

Also another cover comparison. I own the US bookclub version, pictured on the right. But I admire the UK version on the left.

The Last Coyote

Michael Connelly (and here) is a powerful writer. His Harry Bosch series has been nominated for and won several writers awards. I didn't pick him up until last year, and as I slowly work through the 14 books in the series... I'm both regretful for waiting so long and thankful that I have so much to look forward to.

I've just finished the 4th in the series, The Last Coyote. Previous books have Harry finding his father, and I felt that the description of that meeting may have been several of the saddest pages I've ever read. In this book, Harry starts digging into the death of his mother. Again quite sad. Future installments are almost certain to include more (The Black Echo already did to a degree) episodes from Harry's Vietnam days.

I can't wait.

Furthermore, he has another character, Mickey Haller, who he introduced in The Lincoln Lawyer, a book that won the Macavity and Shamus awards and was nominated for the Anthony and Edgar awards. I've not read that book, but did listen to it (see blog entry here). Connelly is still adding to both series with both characters. His latest books are The Overlook and The Brass Verdict. Hopefully someone will pick up the movie rights.

Pictured above is the Mark Twain Hotel, Bosch's residence after events in The Last Coyote.