Small Joys

 Found while transcribing a journal of mine from the Czech Republic:

Things I love:

-Strangers lighting their sparklers from yours

-Duck prints on the frozen river

-A billion diamonds scattered in the snow

Total Lunar Eclipse March 13-14, 2025

 Not sure I really need words:

Grand Obsession: Harvey Buchart and the Exploration of the Grand Canyon, by Elias Butler and Tom Myers

As a person currently quite obsessed with the Grand Canyon (though not as obsessed as Harvey Buchart), I thought this was really interesting.  The authors certainly did their research, and though I think it could have been trimmed a bit, it didn’t feel overburdened by the weight of that research.

The style was very readable, and I liked knowing more about Harvey’s early life and later life, as well as the lives of some of his contemporary hiker/explorers.  I also enjoyed the authors’ attempts to recreate some of the routes/climbs Harvey did.  

I enjoyed the pictures.  I wish there had been a few more maps (the famous one on the inside cover was too tiny to be terribly useful)

Overall, a slightly long but very interesting read for someone already interested in the topic.  It might be a bit much for those who aren’t already a little obsessed.

And Harvey…though this book did keep him a bit at arms’ length, it worked for me, because it kept him larger than life.  

4.5 stars

The Secret Language of Birds, by Lynne Kelly

This was a sweet, gentle, middle-grade read about a girl trying to fit in and learning to love birds.

It was a bit repetitive, and some readers might not find it exciting enough for them, but I really enjoyed it.

The cover is beautiful, and of course I loved the details about the birds, the quest to protect endangered wildlife, etc.  

4 stars

Just a Backyard Flower

 Sorry, I took this picture to test my phone's camera, and I thought it was so pretty I had to share:

National Trail Trek 2025

The National Trail Trek is an annual event at Phoenix's South Mountain Park.  It's a 15.5-mile hike from one end of the park to the other, and this year I got to volunteer with it, hiking the trail and helping participants along the way.  It was a beautiful day (back in January), with perfect weather and good fun.

Here we are starting out in the dark:

And here's sunrise:

Some of my trail friends:

And me at the end of the day, still feeling good:

49 Miles Alone, by Natalie D. Richards

I really enjoyed this.  

The desert setting was awesome, and though a few too many dangerous things happened on their trip for it to really be believable, other aspects of the desert WERE believable and well drawn.

The backpacking details were interesting for me, giving it good pacing throughout, even before the creepy, suspenseful part really started.    

The backstory/underlying themes were strong, and I loved the exploration of the cousins’ currently strained relationship.

My only problem was the alternating first-person points of view.  They weren’t always distinct enough, so I kept forgetting whose head I was in.  However, it didn’t seriously affect my enjoyment.  

I will read more of Natalie D. Richards.  

4.5 stars