Friday, April 17, 2015

Spring!!

I woke up this morning to rain.  I think it may have stopped by now but it will be raining off and on all weekend.  I don't really mind...good knitting weather, of course! And the rain here is soft not like the teeming rain of Florida we were used to. BUT...yesterday was perfect!!  Sunny and warm but not too warm!  A perfect Spring day.  Perfect for cherry blossom viewing and walking around the Tidal Basin in DC.  Take a look!



 The blossoms were beautiful but not at "peak", that would have been Monday of this week.  Still, we really enjoyed seeing them, so did many, many others from all over the world.  There were tons of people but it never felt too crowded.


 This old gnarled tree was amazing to see! I wonder if it's one of the "old" ones.
There were so many helicopters flying about, too. That's the Jefferson Memorial.


Four mounted police were standing in the shade...so I joined all the tourists and took a picture with one.

Then we found this lovely garden of spring flowers...tulips and daffodils!!  With the sun shining on them, the color was spectacular! 




 I think the ones we planted in our garden are this red/orange variety.
 I love this purple/yellow/orange combo...I should try to dye yarn that color!

 All those pictures of me...I thought you'd like to see one of Mike!  We're sitting on the wall surrounding the basin having a snack. The wing was blowing, knocking the petals off the trees...cherry blossom snow!

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Got your library card?

Ten for Tuesday...I know, haven't done this in a while, huh?
It was suggested on another blog I follow that we do the last 10 books we've read (in no particular order).  So get out your library card...here goes!

1. The Client by John Grisham.  Grabs you right in the beginning and never lets go. It's about a kid who accidentally hears a confession to the murder of the most sought-after dead body in America.  And as in most Grisham books, there's a kick-ass lawyer.

2.  Hour Game by David Baldacci.  It's a Maxwell-King mystery novel.  These are two ex-secret service agents who now work as private investigators.  He's sensitive and she's the one with the gun.  They are wonderful together. A fun read with a great ending.

3.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  All the hype about the movie prompted me to read the book.  I had never heard of it before the movie hype.  The book shifts back and forth from his telling of the story to her telling of the story.  It's creepy.

4.  I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson.  I've read so many of his books and they're all delightful.  He's a kind of travel writer but his books are about so much more than travelling.  His adventures and observations are laugh out loud funny.  Many times I read the funny passages to Mike because they're too funny to keep to myself.  This book is about his returning to America after living 20 years in Britain.  I highly recommend any of his books.

5.  The Giver by Lois Lowry.  A futuristic book on how emotions, history and memories are cared for.  It's an interesting take on what the future could be like.

6.  The Maze Runner by James Dashner.  I usually try to read books that Justine likes too.  She's a voracious reader and has many books.  It feels good when someone wants to read a book you recommend, so I try to read some of her books.  This was one.  It was ok but of course left you hanging so you'd want to read the sequel.  Someday.

7.  Blood Will Out by Walter Kirn.  I heard about this book listening to NPR.  It's a true story about a fake upper-crust aristocrat who almost gets away with murder.  It was good...a little dry but good.  Amazing that it really happened.

8.  Prince Lestat by Anne Rice.  I should probably warn you that I am a Lestat junkie.  Totally love him.  This is another in the long list of vampire novels by Anne Rice.  I loved it!!  Loved all the new characters and how they come together to save their existence.  A great ending...now to wait for the next one.

9.  Doctor Sleep by Stephen King.  Ok, technically I'm only half way through this book.  Hey!  It's scary...I'm working up the nerve to finish it.  What?  You've never been scared reading a King book?  Liar.  This one is about Danny Torrance, all grown up, screwed up and trying to straighten himself out...then stuff happens.  Danny?  You don't remember him?  He's the kid from The Shining.  Remember that scary book many, many years ago. It was the first King book I read.  I was in high school.  I graduated in 1980, yes, that long ago.



10.  Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. I've read this before, a couple times.  It's such a wonderful book.  It takes place in Savannah, Georgia, which I've visited a couple times.  I think it helps to fall in love with a book when you're been to the place it takes place in, don't you think?  The characters are outrageous! The story is non-fiction. It's a raunchy good read.  I very often re-read books I love.  I'm enjoying this one again...