πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 21: Mountain

Mount Rainier while under sail in Commencement Bay (2006).

Mount Rainier from the water

πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 20: Ice

The winter before we moved full time to Arizona.

Currently reading: The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin πŸ“š

Finished reading: Desperation by Stephen King πŸ“š

Maybe not one of Mr. King’s best efforts, but it was entertaining, and the ending came together better than I expected. β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†

πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 19: Birthday

A puppy for my son’s 13th birthday back in 2015. Happy memories.

A boy and a Puggle puppy

πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 18: Mood

Tonight’s camp site here in the Mojave National Preserve has put me in a good mood. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Campground, Mojave National Preserve

πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 17: Transcendence

La Ventana Arch, New Mexico

La Ventana Arch, New Mexico

πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 16: **flΓ’neur**

πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 16: flΓ’neur

Today’s photo theme reminds me of Vacilando, which I learned from this passage in Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck:

In Spanish there is a word for which I can’t find a counterword in English. It is the verb vacilar, present participle vacilando. It does not mean vacillating at all. If one is vacilando, he is going somewhere but doesn’t greatly care whether or not he gets there, although he has direction. My friend Jack Wagner has often, in Mexico, assumed this state of being. Let us say we wanted to walk in the streets of Mexico City but not at random. We would choose some article almost certain not to exist there and then diligently try to find it.

Square in Madrid, Spain

πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 15: Small

I’ve never felt quite so small or felt part of something quite so large as when standing on the lip of the Grand Canyon. It truly is one of Earth’s wonders.

Grand Canyon

πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 14: Cactus

Saguaro Cactus along a hiking trail in Arizona

πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 13: Page

A random page from The House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. Definitely the trippiest book I’ve ever read, yet poignant and incredibly memorable. In sailing, we say it’s the journey, not the destination that matters. Same with House of Leaves.

Pages from the House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski.

πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 12: Magic

Picture of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 11: Sky

πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 10: Train

Hobo bunnies waiting on a train in Ladysmith, British Columbia.

Wild rabbits in Ladysmith, British Columbia

πŸ₯“ Day 9: Crispy | prompt submitted by @rom

As an antidote to yesterday’s prevention theme, here’s a flashback to breakfast aboard our boat with crispy bacon and donuts from the Lyme Kiln Cafe in Roche Harbor. Yum!

Bacon and donuts

πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 8: Prevention

Photo of vitamins

πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 7: Well-being

Keeping a journal for mental health

Currently reading: Desperation by Stephen King πŸ“š

Tackling the remaining Stephen King books I haven’t read. I usually read fiction on my Kindle, but I have the hardback of this one. I forgot how heavy and unwieldy some of Stephen King books can be!

πŸ“· April 2024 Micro.Blog photo challenge, Day 6: Windy

Gale force winds aboard MV Indiscretion.

Nordhavn 43 Trawler in gale force winds

Finished reading: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan πŸ“š

I loved this short, spare novella. In 109 pages, Keegan puts you squarely in the mind and body of its protagonist, Furlong. You feel the pangs of long-ago childhood angst, the chill of an Irish cold spell, the ugliness of small town bigotry, the warmth of a coal stove, the despair over the human cruelty. The Irish dialogue felt more like music or birdsong, making me wish my own language wasn’t so ordinary and flat. I felt sad to leave Furlong’s side after so short a visit, but the tale and ending was told in just the right way, with just the right words. β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜