Well, our Christmas tree is up once again. Each year it gets more obvious that no matter what the tree looks like to begin with , it always ends up with the same look. The ornaments always do that. once again here is the proof,this year is on the right. It is bigger and took every ornament and light we had but still looks like last years. I guess thats kinda nice!
All set (ale wize anyway) for the Holidays. Not only do I have all of these new Holiday ales, I am finishing the old ones too. I find it fun to see how long they will "mature" without going off. So far results have been mixed. I had several Jubelales go bad last year. On the other hand I had a Anchor special ale from 2006 yesterday that was fine. The same happened with 2 Serria Nevada celebration ales a few days ago. 2006 was bad but 2008 was good. All the older ones are almost gone anyway. Years ago we tried this over a 10 year period with the 10 year old ale proving to be best!
Monday we got a phone call from our neighbor across the street. She had some pig hunters (living in a rural area we often have trouble with wild pigs) who were looking for a place to set a trap. They had reached the back of her one acre lot and had just entered the lot next door when they saw a small cave. Don't forget that we live on a volcanic island and there are many old Lava tubes . Entering they discovered human bones . There are burial caves nearby so this is not a real surprise. Well, the police were called and 5 cars responded. Eventually there were official looking people all over the place. Finally they declared it a possible Hawaiian burial site and scheduled an archeologist to investigate.
On our way to town today( Monday is our weekly grocery shopping day) we had another you never know moment. The store is about 30 miles away(hence the weekly shopping) and we take Highway 130. About half way there we zoomed by a small kitten in the middle of the road. I yelled STOP, and we pulled onto the shoulder. It was pouring down rain (as it often does here) and I bolted out of the car . Some how I managed to stop traffic in both directions , and on my knees grabbed the kitten which was under one of the stopped vehicles. As I carried it to the side of the road it started biting me and I said " I'm trying to help you here". We reached the car, It is still raining and I am bleeding , now wondering if it was all worth it. We drove to our vet and parked. In the process of trying to get the the little guy/gal in the building the feisty thing bit and scratched me again . I dropped it and it promptly ran under our car and disappeared . Fortunately our vet knew what to do and we got it into a carrier . We called our friend Sandi who works at an Animal Sanctuary and our little friend will be there soon!
So, as Sharon, Red, and I returned from out nightly walk yesterday ,we were about to enter the house. I was giving Sharon the house key when Red spotted a Mongoose. I was not really paying attention to him (this is always a bad idea) and he charged (all 75 pounds of him)to the other side of the driveway extending the retractable leash to its maximum length . Unfortunately it was not long enough and the force of it yanked me to the ground. I landed on my elbows and knees producing some nasty scrapes. I did not however break anything (ribs teeth etc etc) so I was really lucky. Maybe one day I will learn to pay attention at all times when holding Reds leash. It struck me how you never know the full extent of possibilities at any given moment.
I have finished my David Nobbs book. It was a fun comedy/romance involving a couple of young lovers that break up only to get back together many years later and live happily ever after. The last sentence was really clever because it was a device to begin a novel (the first sentence of the one you have just finished) which was about to be written. Good fun! Now I am switching back to non fiction with A History of Wales written by John Davis. I have been interested in Wales ever since visiting Portmeirion (in Wales) years ago. As a matter of fact I bought this book during one of those visits. It is one of the many books purchased while traveling that I am finally getting around to reading. Time for stuff like this, one of the many joys of retirement.
I have been thinking about a couple of new posts but when this came along I couldn't resist. This beautiful ,delicious grapefruit came from our tree. It is November and the beginning of grapefruit season. We planted an 18 inch plant 7 years ago and is now a healthy 20 foot tree! This fruit is at least 5 inches across and is (was ) very good.
Being Saturday it was dog class day. We have been trudging off to Red's class for 3 years now . Classes are held for a period of 10 weeks followed by a gap of two or three months. In this fall class cycle a Halloween costume contest is held. This is our 4th contest and until now we have not been recognized. This is ironic because this time we put no time or thought into the process. Then while grocery shopping last Monday made an impulse purchase of this child's costume. I saw it and thought it was a perfect image of Red's personality. There were 37 dogs in the contest and with all the creative home made costumes I didn't think we had much of a chance. I guess the judges felt differently.
For a change I am reading a book that has no hidden material in its structure. David Nobbs(best know for creating The fall and rise of Reginald Perrin) latest book is a fun comic novel. I am already half way through it and enjoying it thoroughly.
I am getting most adept at selecting challenging books. I think I have said before I started this practice after seeing it in a book about reading. Anyway, The British museum is falling down( the Author originally wanted to name it The British Museum had lost its Charm) turned out to be more than I expected. It is a humorous story about a Catholic British couple struggling with the churches practices regarding birth control. But because the main character is involved in Literary research at the British Museum the author cleverly writes parts of each chapter in the style of several notable classic authors . Not being familiar( with any detail ) of the authors being parodied It went right over my head for the most part. It was not until the books afterword that I had the AHAH! moment. I enjoyed it none the less. Now I am reading about St Peters Basilica . Not becuse of the catholic theme of this book alone but in combination of it and The stones of Venice. I wonder if you could call it viral reading?
On the reading front I just finished The Stones of Venice and am starting The British Museum is Falling Down written by David Lodge. The stones of Venice was really enjoyable and much more than than I had thought. It is written so well that I did not have as much difficulty with it as I feared. the Author presents his Ideas that the art of the renaissance is pestilent.The first half of the book is spent in a crash course of fundamental aspects of architecture so that the reader can see the good and bad of each period. After a section discussing the nature of the Gothic he then moves on to wonderful detailed descriptions of the two most important buildings of Venice.The Gothic Ducal Palace and the Basilica of St Mark. He ends with 3 chapters on Renaissance presenting his reasons for its failures . My new book is a comic novel(a departure from my usual non fiction reading) regarding Catholics and their dilemma with birth control. A blurb on the back cover states Rueful Rabelaisian glee Catholic Herald Should be fun!
Being Saturday today we were at dog class. As we loaded up for the trip home we noticed a small
Gecko right on the middle of the plastic covering the instrument gauges. Not realizing we had brought it with us
and being the silly sentimentalists we are, we could not leave it 30 miles away from its home,our back carport.
so we dutifully tried to not excite it all the way home. I repeatedly instructed Sharon (she was driving) not to freak out and crash the car if it jumped on her. It meandered over to my side about halfway home but basically stayed on the inside
of the windshield. We all made it all the way home and as far as we know our unexpected passenger is reunited with his wife and kids. That is our story and we are sticking to it.
Here we go again. Another book that will be challenging I am sure. A detailed look at the architecture of the Renaissance by an author who detests it. It does concentrate on Venice(which was my attraction to it) and is well written so no matter what it will be rewarding.
Just finished reading Hellhound on his trail and found it the really enjoyable.
It really was difficult to put it down at times. I found it interesting that James Earl Ray ( that name is not mentioned until
late in the book) came from such a crime ridden family. It was also fascinating that he came really close to escaping to
another country where it would have been difficult to expedite him. There are a couple of weak points one of which is that the Author does not develop how this petty criminal bungling his way around the country(after escaping form a prison) all of the sudden buys a rifle and commits this major league crime. Aside from that the story remains gripping for the entire book
Well, our Christmas tree is up once again. Each year it gets more obvious that no matter
All set (ale wize anyway) for the Holidays. Not only do I have all of these new Holiday ales, I am finishing the old ones too. I find it fun to see how long they will "mature" without going off. So far results have been mixed. I had several Jubelales go bad last year. On the other hand I had a Anchor special ale from 2006 yesterday that was fine. The same happened with 2 Serria Nevada celebration ales a few days ago. 2006 was bad but 2008 was good. All the older ones are almost gone anyway. Years ago we tried this over a 10 year period with the 10 year old ale proving to be best!
Monday we got a phone call from our neighbor across the street. She had some pig hunters (living in a rural area
I have finished my David Nobbs book. It was a fun comedy/romance involving a couple of young lovers that break up only to get back together many years later and live happily ever after. The last sentence was really clever because it was a device to begin a novel (the first sentence of the one you have just finished) which was about to be written. Good fun!
I have been thinking about a couple of new posts but when this came along I couldn't
Being Saturday it was dog class day. We have been trudging off to Red's class for 3 years now .
I am getting most adept at selecting challenging books. I think I have said before I started
On the reading front I just finished The Stones of Venice and am starting The British Museum is Falling Down written by David Lodge. The stones of Venice was really enjoyable and much more than than I had thought. It is written so well that I did not have as much difficulty with it as I feared. the Author presents his Ideas that the art of the renaissance is pestilent.The first half of the book is spent in a crash course of fundamental aspects of architecture so that the reader can see the good and bad of each period. After a section discussing the nature of the Gothic he then moves on to wonderful detailed descriptions of the two most important buildings of Venice.The Gothic Ducal Palace and the Basilica of St Mark. He ends with 3 chapters on Renaissance presenting his reasons for its failures . 
Just finished reading Hellhound on his trail and found it the really enjoyable.
