The Beach House

 The Beach House was written by Rachel Hanna. The story revolves around Julie. Julie has two daughters in college and she is looking forward to having an empty nest with her husband of 21 years. Instead her husband comes home from work and tells her the marriage is over and his girlfriend is having a baby. Julie decides now is the time to follow her dream of living on the beach. She buys a house sight unseen. When she arrives she realizes this house needs work to be habitable. After a couple months she gets a call from a hospital in Boston. Her husband has been in a bad car crash and she needs to come to make decisions for him. For the sake of her daughters she goes to help him. There she learns that the girlfriend is not interested in taking care of a broken man. She reluctantly agrees to help him for awhile, until he is discharged from the hospital. He tries to convince her that they should stay together but he's lying. Once she figures that out she leaves him and goes back to her beach house. I was rooting for Julie to get what she wants out of life and, in the end, she does.

Bittern

Then we went to the Minnesota River Valley National Wildlife Refuge. We wanted to hike yesterday but a rainstorm came by and we couldn't. Down at the bottom  a family was looking in the water. I asked what they were looking at and they pointed to the bird on the log. They thought it was a heron. I explained that it is an American bittern. I thanked them for showing me because this is only the 2nd one I have ever seen.

 

Illusion

After the airline museum we headed to the Mall Of America to see the Illusion Museum. We spent a couple of hours going through all the illusions. While I don't like large malls, I do enjoy an illusion museum.

 

Northwest Orient

Today a friend and I met to tour the Northwest Airlines museum which is located on the 3rd floor of the Crown Royal Hotel. Remember their commercial jingle? Northwest Orient (gong) The Fanline Airlline. They had the gong there and I got to hit it. That was fun.

The guy behind the desk was married to an employee of 30 years. Now he gets free plane rides for life. Lucky man!

 

So Brave, Young, And Handsome

Leif Enger is one of my favorite Minnesota authors. He grew up on a farm near Osakis. He still lives in Minnesota. So Brave, Young, And Handsome is a western type novel. A writer named Monte befriends another man near his home. The other man turns out to be a fugitive from justice. The man wants to travel to California to apologize to his wife for leaving her twenty years ago. Monte goes along for some adventure. As they are traveling by train, a conductor recognizes the friend. An ex-Pinkerton agent names Charles Siringo has been searching for this man for decades. The friend manages to escape but Siringo takes Monte with him to keep looking. Sometimes he keeps Monte handcuffed. They travel to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado together. Monte just wants to go home now. He hasn't done anything wrong and he is sick and tired of traveling with Siringo. This author has an innate skill at story telling. 

The Sea Keeper's Daughters

 The Sea Keeper's Daughter, written by Lisa Wingate, is her third book set in North Carolina. I didn't know I was reading the third book in a trilogy until after I finished. The main character is Whitney Monroe, a restaurant owner in northern Michigan. She learns that her step-father is in the hospital in North Carolina so she drives there to help. She doesn't get along with her step-father very well. She didn't know that the building he lives in belongs to her. He lives on the third floor. The house was once a hotel owned by her grandmother. Several shops are on the first floor. The shop owners are concerned that she is going to sell the building to a developer who wants to tear it down and build a high-rise. Whitney needs to raise some cash pronto. Another restaurant owner is foiling her plans to open a second restaurant. He has the county licensors in his pocket. Leaving her cousin to hold down the fort in Michigan she tries to make sense of the situation at her grandmother's house. She finds some old jewelry, a ruby locket, an old scrimshaw necklace, and some papers written by her grandmother's sister. Whitney did not know her grandmother had a sister. The sister, Alice, worked for the WPA during the depression. She wrote down stories of the people living in Appalachia for the government. Whitney brings the jewelry and the letters to a local museum and gets enough cash to save her restaurant. The museum is thrilled to have the letters and the artifacts. Whitney is a likeable character and I enjoyed reading her story.

Yellow Face

R.J. Kuang is the author of Yellow Face, a  literary novel about literature. Best selling author, Juniper Song is not who she says she is. She chose another name for her second novel. But she didn't really write the second novel. When she was her friend's apartment they were having pancakes after a night of drinking. Her friend choked to death on a pancake. After the EMT's hauled her body out, Juniper snuck into her office and stole the book. She rewrote the book. She changed the book. But still, this is a scandal. Actually she got away with it a lot longer than I thought she would.

 

Land Of Milk And Honey

 Land Of Milk And Honey was written by C Pam Zhang. This book won the Good Reads award for science fiction in 2023. A young chef is living in California. This story takes place in the near future. Her mother dies. She sees a job application for a chef in the only part of the world that is not covered in a poisonous smog. She gets the job, flies, with the cat, to Italy, where she cooks meals for other people. Unlike the rest of the world this place has real food like fresh strawberries, salads, and fresh meat. The rest of the world is relying on a tasteless powder mis of soy and flour. She talks to her employer on the phone but doesn't meet him. His daughter comes to the house and together they get to know each other. Years later the place is shut down and the owner is put in jail. The chef goes back to California with her cat and lives out the rest of her life there. This story is about codependency, unequal rights between economic status, and at what point would you break your moral compass. The writing was lovely.

The Wind Knows My Name

I have read 3 or 4 of Isabel Allende's book and this was another good one. The Wind Knows My Name tells the story of 2 orphan refugees. Samuel was 4, living in Vienna with his mother and father, when war broke out. He was sent by train to Holland and then took a boat to England.  He spent a few years in bad situations until he met a Quaker couple who took him and loved him like a son. His parents were killed in the war. As a boy he was a talented musician. He even took his little violin to England. He studied music. He wanted to learn more about jazz so he moved to New Orleans where he met the woman who would become his wife. They settled in San Francisco and had a daughter. In 2017 in El Salvador a young widow and her nearly blind daughter decide to emigrate to the United States because a local security guard will not leave them alone. He has already shot the young mother. At the border they get separated and the 7 year old nearly blind Anita Diaz is put in some bad situations. A local social worker and a lawyer from San Francisco are trying to help her get out of foster care. Eventually they find a distant aunt living in San Francisco with Samuel as a cook/house keeper. Eventually Anita moves in with her aunt and Samuel and together they share their experiences of war, becoming orphaned, and surviving on hope. This was a great story. Both Samuel and Anita benefitted from their coming together. 

Crook Manifesto

 I have read a couple of Colson Whitehead's other books and I think he is a great writer. Crook Manifesto is set in Harlem during the 1970's. Starting in 1971, furniture store owner and fencer of stolen goods, Ray Carney is trying to keep his head down. Trash is piling up in the streets, the city is about to go bankrupt, and a shooting war has broken out between the NYPD and the Black Liberation Army. Ray goes on the straight and narrow until his daughter, May, really really really wants tickets to see the Jackson Five concert. Next it is the Bicentennial year and Ray wonders how to celebrate that. By the end of the book the year is 1976. Crooks abound but so do politicians who really are crooks who haven't been found out yet. Some crooks can be kind and some politicians can be outright nasty. This was a very entertaining, if not violent, read.

The Cheesemaker's Daughter

I read The Cheesemaker's Daughter today mostly when I was outside walking around a lake. One chapter at each bench I would say and then go on to read four or five chapters. The author is Kristin Vukovic. The story takes place mostly in Pag, Croatia. The daughter lived in New York so some of the story is there. She comes back to Pag after she separates from her husband. The father's cheese business is not doing so well. Their cheesemaker doesn't have the talent of the previous cheesemaker. Their Soviet era machinery is starting to break down and parts must be custom made. Marina, the daughter, lives with her parents and her younger brother. Her father always said he would leave the factory to his son but the son is not interested in cheese. He is interested in soccer. Her father had a feud going with the other cheesemaker on the island. He was his cheesemaker first and set up a competing business. When they go to cheese festivals in Paris or Italy, the competitor's cheese wins a prize. After reading this book about sheep cheese I want to go to Croatia and buy some.   

When Women Ran Fifth Avenue

This book, When Women Ran Fifth Avenue; Glamour And Power At The Dawn Of American Fashion was published on January 1st of this year. The author is Julie Satow who grew up after the invention of shopping malls and discount clothing stores like Walmart or Target. In New York City three women rose to the top. Hortense Odium of Bonwit Teller, Dorothy Shaver of Lord and Taylor, and Geraldine Stutz at Henri Bendels are the three women who ran the stores into successful high end shopping experiences. So this book is a biography of the three women but also a book about business and history. This book was well researched, comprehensive and interesting.

Remember These Drinking Birds?

I didn't know you could still buy them. We had one of these when I was a kid.

The grand girls had this in Pennsylvania.

 

Half Of A Yellow Sun

 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie grew up in Nigeria which is where her book, Half Of A Yellow Sun takes place. This historical fiction novel takes place from 1967 until 1970 which is when civil war broke out in Nigeria. The Nigerians fought the Republic of Biafra. Many people of Igbo descent were killed. Planes bombed or strafed villages. Many people in the Republic of Biafra were starved to death. The story is told by two sisters born into a wealthy family in Lagos. They chose to give up the wealthy lifestyle. Olanna chooses to live with her lover, a revolutionary professor in a smaller village. Her twin sister, Kainene, takes over her father's business as he and their mother escape war to go to London. Kainene has a white lover, a journalist named Richard. Thirteen year old boy named Ugwu is the house boy for the professor and Olanna. When war breaks out all must leave to escape the trouble. The hardest part for me to read about was the starving children with puffed up bellies and their hair falling out.

The Midnight Library

 I enjoyed reading The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. This is a fiction novel with some fantasy involved. The story revolves around the decisions made by Nora Seed. Nora considers herself to be a complete failure. She quit the band with her brother. She quit studying glaciology.  She quit the relationship before the marriage. Even her cat died. Her mind is full of regret and misery. With the help of an old friend (her librarian in elementary school) Nora gets to see how her life would have turned out if she hadn't quit the band, quit studying glaciology, quit the marriage, and saved the cat. Gradually her regrets are erased Now Nora has to figure out what is the best way for her to live.

Elena Vanishing

I read Elena Dunkle's memoir, Elena Vanishing, which was co-written with her mother Clare B. Dunkle. The book starts when Elena is 17. She is living in Germany with her parents. Her older sister is having mental health problems like drinking, cutting, and running away. Elena strives to be very good getting top marks in her school, volunteering at the hospital and completing extra curricular activities. She is somewhat of a perfectionist plus she has anxiety. She handles her anxiety by reducing her food intake. She begins to loose weight. Elena's inner voice tells her she is a fat slob, that those french fries have too many calories, that she must do better. Eventually she is hospitalized but the treatment doesn't help. Her mother takes her to a hospital in Texas where they used to live and he isn't much help either. She spends the next 5 years in and out of treatment. Only when some her her close friends in treatment loose their lives does Elena realize she doesn't want to die. She wants to get better. This was a heart wrenching tale. It's hard to believe that any person would have such hateful thoughts in their head about themselves. 

The Black Hills

 I thought I would read a western for a change and since I went to the Black Hills last summer, I chose The Black Hills by William W. Johnstone. I guess he is the #1 best selling western writer in our country. The story is about Hunter Buchanan who has returned from fighting in the civil war and is determined not to kill anyone else. His father and two brothers carry guns but he doesn't. He also has a pet coyote that he names Bobby Lee. As he is heading to town with a horse and wagon delivering 5 barrels of his father's home brewed ale to town someone starts shooting at him. Bobby Lee comes to his rescue. Hunter throws a rock at his assailant's head. In the end the assailant is dead from a knife would to the gut. This is only the beginning. There is an abundance of killing in this book. I would estimate at least 50 men died from gun shots. I didn't enjoy the violence but I did enjoy reading about Hunter and the beautiful country that makes up the Black Hills.

In The Face Of The Sun

 Two women, Aunt Daisy and Frankie Sanders are the main characters in the book In The Face Of The Sun by Denny Bryce. Aunt Daisy lived in Los Angeles and became a famous black journalist in the 1920's.  She is reckless and profane. She comes to Chicago in 1968 to help rescue her niece, Frankie, from her abusive husband. Frankie doesn't really want to go with Aunt Frankie because she hardly knows her. But she does know her husband will come to the Greyhound station so she really doesn't have much choice in the matter. Frankie recently found out she was pregnant. When she is struck by a car outside the Greyhound station she is taken to a hospital. The hospital calls her husband and tells him Frankie is pregnant. Frankie and Daisy travel route 66 west and eventually make it to Frankie's mother's house where her husband is waiting for her. Frankie and her husband end up getting a divorce. Aunt Daisy has taught Frankie she deserves better. This is historical fiction so some of the characters, mainly the journalists, are real people. This was an excellent story.

Secrets Of A Charmed Life

Susan Meissner is the author of Secrets Of A Charmed Life, a historical fiction novel. Two sisters, 15 year old Emmy and 7 year old Julia live in London during the 1940's. Their mother, never married, has a job as a personal assistant to a rich woman. Emmy and Julia have different fathers. Their mother is irresponsible and basically leaves the parenting of Julia to Emmy. Emmy has other plans. She wants to be a fashion designer. She wants an apprenticeship. The city of London decides the children under 16 would be better off living in the country side due to a prediction that now that Germany has taken France, bombs will soon rain down in London. Emmy doesn't want to go but  her mother insists she stay with Julie. Emmy and Julia get assigned to a kind woman who lives in the Cotswolds. She lets Julia take care of the chickens and gives her dolls and a tea set to play with. She encourages Emmy to pursue fashion design by giving her paper and pencils. She even lets Emmy take her wedding dress apart so she can see how they are constructed. Emmy has a chance to meet with a fashion designer in London so she decides to return to London. Julia figures out what Emmy has planned and insists on going with her. That is the day the German bombs do land on London. Emmy loses Julia and spends years trying to find her. Their mother was killed as she avoided to bombs at the bottom of a hotel that collapsed on her. Emmy and Julia are cruelly separated. I found it very interesting to learn about people who were bombed out of their homes during World War Two. The tale is tragic.

Fen, Bog, And Swamp

 I read (listened to) another non-fiction book. This one is by Annie Prouix. She wrote Fen, Bog And Swamp; A Short History Of Peatland Destruction And It's Role In The Climate Crisis. I liked her book The Shipping News and I saw the movie based on her book, Brokeback Mountain. This time she writes about the history of bogs, fens and swamps as well as marine estuaries and mangroves. Bogs, fens and swamps can be difficult to travel through which is why some are drained or farmed. She writes that human bodies left in a fen will dissolve but the bones remain. Human bodies left in a bog will preserve the soft tissue but the bones will be dissolved by the sphagnum moss. She is a very entertaining writer while she blends nature, chemistry, history, ecology and economics.

Evicted

 Matthew Desmond is the author of the Pulitzer prize winning book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit In The American City. The particular American City he writes about is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is a sociology professor at Princeton. He was working on his masters degree in Wisconsin when he developed a study of housing. All the people mentioned in the book are people he actually met and knew. He didn't pay anyone in the book but he did give them rides in his car and bought them a gift if they bought one for him. The book details how evictions are common among the poor people of color and especially those with children. He also writes about a husband and wife team who rent out properties to poor people. The homes are not up to code. If the plumbing or appliances go out, they don't get fixed. These people are spending 80 percent of their income just on rent. This was an eye opening book to read.

Across

Going across the La Crosse river in La Crosse.

 

The Island Of Missing Trees

The book The Island Of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak took me away to the island of Cyprus and modern London. Two teens on the island of Cyprus fell in love. One was Greek and one was Turkish so their love was not allowed. Kostas and Defne met in secret at a restaurant that had a fig tree growing in the middle of it. When war broke out Kostas moved to London with his mother while Defne stayed. Years later he returned. Defne was part of a group searching for dead bodies under ground. Eventually they get together, move to London, and have a child. Kostas is a botanist. He takes a branch of the fig tree back to London in his luggage and keeps it alive. Some of the story is told by Kostas, some by Defne, some by their daughter, and some by the tree. This was a beautiful story about love and family.

 

Maame

Jessica George is the author of Maame. This literary fiction is a coming of age story about Maddie who lives in London. She lives with her father who is ill. Her mother spends most of her time in Ghana. Her older brother lives on the other side of town and has not been helpful. When Maddie's mother moves back to London, Maddie decides that now is the time for her to start being an adult. She gets a flat with some other girls, gets a new job, and starts internet dating. This is a smart and funny novel about living llife in London and the Ghanian culture.

 

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo!

Returning to Minnesota after being in Pennsylvania, I decided not to fly home. I wanted something different. Amtrak from Harrisburg to Saint Paul cost me $345. Here is a picture out the train window as we crossed the Susquehanna River.. We left at 2:45 p.m. and expected to arrive in Pittsburg by 8 p.m. Commercial traffic and flash flood warnings slowed us down. Beside me on the train were some real loud characters. I was glad when they left the train in Lewisburg. The train to Chicago was expected to leave at 11:45 p.m. The train was an hour late.

I was assigned a seat upstairs on the train next to a young man. I tried to sleep but it was difficult. A guy across the aisle offered me his pink neck pillow. Instead I asked him how to put up the foot rest. In the morning I went to the dining car for coffee and a bagel as we drove through Elkhart, Indiana. I could have gotten a sleeper car. A sleeper car would have cost me $850. That would have been an expensive night.

Chicago has a very nice train depot. I waited here a couple of hours. Once back on the train we went north to Milwaukee before heading west across Wisconsin. We went through the Wisconsin Dells.

We crossed into Minnesota at La Crosse. The man who sat next to me from Chicago to La Crosse drank a small bottle of whiskey about every half hour. I almost asked him for one but I figured he maybe needed it more than I did.

Crossing the Mississippi River and saw a steam boat.

Here we are at Red Wing behind the Saint James hotel. The train depot on Kellogg Boulevard was very impressive but not quite as large as the one in Chicago. I got home tired but it was an interesting journey.

 

Fort Necessity

About a 30 minute drive from Gallatin's home in western Pennsylvania is Fort Necessity National Battlefield. This is where the British soldiers, led by George Washington, fought the French and Indian troops on July 3, 1754. Washington expected to be attacked so he built a fort. Unfortunately he built the fort in a low spot and when the attack came so did the rain so his fort filled up with water. Washington ended up surrendering. He signed the surrender document. He had a poor French translator. Unable to read French himself, he signed a paper saying he willing assassinated a French leader (he didn't) which lead to repercussions. Washington learned never to sign a document he could not read which is a valuable lesson.

The British officer fired his musket twice for us.

 

Dayton

After Chicago we drove south and east towards Dayton, Ohio, where we spent the night. The next morning we went to the Wright National Park where I have visited before. The girls earned another junior ranger badge. We visited the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge in West Virginia where they earned another badge.

We stopped in western Pennsylvania at the house built by Albert Gallatin. Originally from France, he was a well known founding father of our country. He is less well known now. Here is a statue of him surveying property.

He named the house he had built "Friendship Hill." He was elected to the U.S. Senate and later the House of Representatives. He was the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under Thomas Jefferson. He arranged for the purchase of the Louisiana Territory. Famous then, not many people know about him today.

 

Chicago

Four days ago I left Minneapolis for a road trip to Pennsylvania with the grand girls. We stopped in Chicago to look around at the tall buildings.

We stopped at the Cultural Center in Chicago to look at the Tiffany stained glass dome in the ceiling.

We went to Millennial Park and saw the famous stainless steel bean.

Then we drove out of down town to the south to visit the Pullman National Park. This park is about the famously luxurious Pullman rail cars. Pullman made housing for his employees. During the depression, when wages were cut 25 percent, rent did not go down accordingly. He refused to negotiate. A strike was called. Violence ensured. Mr. Pullman does not come off looking so good.