Books

I think I've read more this year than I have in the past 10 years.  To circumvent immense boredom that is bound to occur if I posted a blog on each book I've read, I thought I would compile a book list using an assortment of random categories.

Lakeside Reading

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

• The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson

Books that Made Me Think

• Counterfeit Gods - Timothy Keller

• Now, Discover Your Strengths - Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton.  This book comes with an online assessment that highlights your five main areas of strengths.  After reading mine I certainly make a lot more sense to myself and I feel kinda dumb that I couldn't see this in myself before.  It's like when I "discovered" I had straight hair - seems kinda obvious now, but I was naively oblivious before.  

•  A Million Miles in a Thousand Years - Donald Miller

LL's Author Recommendation

• Saturday - Ian McEwen  A incredibly "knowledgeable in all things English" friend of mine recommended McEwen to me.  I have always enjoyed her recommendations and so I started with Saturday.  

Most Surprising Page Turner

• The Host - Stephanie Meyer.  This was a two night read for me.  I'm not into teenaged vampire love and would have never read this had it not been recommended by two co-workers.  Plus, I didn't realize who the author was until night two.    

Short Stories

• Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle  You can download this Sherlock Holmes App (Sunscroll) and read Sherlock Holmes for free.  I did at times, however, get annoyed with Watson's constant praise of Holmes intellect.

• My Best Stories - Alice Munro.  I thought I enjoyed the short story genre.  So I read this well known Canadian author.  Turns out I don't like story's of small towns and Canadian history.  

Most Disappointing Read

• An Echo to the Bone - Diana Gabaldon.  This is the seventh book in the Outlander Series.  These are long books and seven books makes a long series, but I've developed a literary crush on the main character.  I thought this was the last book in the series and was looking forward to the ending.  But the ending was left open ended and was not at all what I expected.  Plus, sex between fictional characters in mid life just isn't as hot (at all) as when they were in their twenties.  

Books I Bought For My Son and Then Borrowed

• Octavian Nothing Traitor to the Nation - M.T. Anderson

• The Lost Symbol  -Dan Brown.  I've always enjoyed reading a Dan Brown novel, not to be confused with the New York Times best-selling author Dale Brown.  A mistake I made when I ran into McNally on afternoon and grabbed some books to bring with me to the lake.  

(Not So) Secret (Anymore) Author Crush

• Blue Like Jazz- Donald Miller.  

Further Reads on Spirituality

• Plan B:  Further Thoughts on Faith - Anne Lamott

Non Fiction

• Empire of Illusion  The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle - Chris Hedges

• Hot, Flat, and Crowded - Thomas L. Friedman

• How to Be a Better Foodie a Bulging Little Book for the Truly Epicurious - Sudi Pigott

• Memories, Dreams, Reflections - Carl Jung

• The Age of the Warrior: Selected Writings - Robert Fisk

Book That Did Not Disappoint My Expectations

• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot.  

In Progress

• The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells. I miss reading to my son at night, so I've started to again and I don't care that he's a teenager and not a little kid anymore.  I'm gonna read, and he's gonna listen.  

• Beloved - Toni Morrison

• Searching For God Knows What - Donald Miller

• Sundays at Tiffeny's - James Patterson

~b~

Blackstrap

After coming home from the city after August Extra Long, my friend drove straight to Blackstrap and set up her RV.  I had to return to work, but the weather was just too nice and so I made a brief appearance at work on Tuesday and then headed back out of the city.

The campsites at Blackstrap were nice and large and the campground was fairly quiet.  The nicest part was that because Blackstrap is so close to the city a number of friends ended up coming for evening BBQ's, an afternoon of tubing, or to stay and camp for a few days.  

The weather was beautiful and after a week of rain, I'm glad I took summer holidays when I did.  

We went fishing one morning:   

This is me "fishing" . . . I did manage to catch a pike, to reward my hard effort and all.  

When I returned from fishing, I found this note waiting for me back at the campsite:

One of my favorite memories is getting together with friends and preparing a meal together.  It wasn't anything fancy, just a mix of leftovers from both campsites.  But I loved spending time making a meal and sharing it together.  Plus, I was very happy that I didn't have to make the fire.  

~b~

August Extra Long

I'm not really sure when time started to fly, but if feels like it was just a few days ago that I headed out of the city to the lake, and somehow, it feels like forever ago that I was at the lake.

I had taken the friday before August Long off, to make it an extra long weekend.  I had just gotten over a horrible week of being sick so I decided not to go camping.  Instead, I planned a Friday morning breakfast date and a quick trip out of the city on Saturday.  By lunch I was sitting outside reading a book and soaking up the warm sun, when my friend phoned and again, asked me to go to the lake.  I listed off my excuses as why I shouldn't go and as I heard myself speaking I realized how lame I was really sounding.  I told her, I would think about it.  One nap later followed by a few hours of picking up supplies and packing and I found myself in the passenger seat of a Pathfinder, heading off to Atton's Lake.

I wasn't too impressed with the park itself and the facilities took some getting use to.  The sites are open and the nights were loud.  But the beach was nice, the water was warm, and the lake bottom had no sea weeds.

After over a week sick in bed, it was nice to spend a lot of time outside.

I met some nice cows.  They were one cute posse, but they kept advancing on me, eyeing me up and down, so I didn't stay long enough to find out their names.

We drove into North Battleford one afternoon and watched the chuck wagon races.  I loved how the announcer yelled "Hwheel to Hwheel they race" (think Stewie saying Cool Hwhip) and "It's hotter than Arizona pavement here".  I loved how the outriders held onto the chuck wagon horses and then did this quick hop which bounced them onto the backs of their horses.

Close to Atton's lake is Little Bushy Lake where my friend's significant other's brother's, father-in law lives.  He knows all the good fishing spots and we spend some time catching perch as the sun drifted slowly into the horizon.

Poundmaker Reserve is also on part of Little Bushy and they have set up a Historical Centre and Teepee Village.

We got up early one morning and I discovered the joys of drinking a morning coffee while sitting out on a boat catching fish.  I'm sure it helped that the fishing was insane.  We caught 65 perch between the two boats in just a few hours.  I found myself popping out little fish eyeballs (With my bare hands!) so we could continue using bait to fish.  I did try to find the "most dead" fish (ie, the ones not flopping around) and then gave them a little rap on their little head on the side of the boat.  And I did silently hope that these fish were in fact truly dead, or at least had no feelings of pain.  I think I've come a loong way: from not being able to put the bait onto my own hook (lest my hands get all gooby), to popping out fish eyeballs.

I'm glad I headed out of the city, I had great weather, great company and a great time fishing.

~b~